_BIG BROTHER

CHICAGO EXPLORATION / ADDITIONAL

As you leave the Owl Motel, bring up your main map. The entire city of Chicago and surrounding districts are now available to explore. The following investigations and free-form activities are now available prior to or between the missions. More become available as you progress through the acts. All are optional.

// ctOS CONTROL CENTERS

Every district (except Parker Square) has its own control center that must be infiltrated and hacked, but this occurs throughout the acts.

// PROGRESSION /// SIDE MISSIONS

There are several types of freelance contract work you can undertake. These appear intermittently and usually via a smartphone call from an instigator or other contact. These are collectively known as side missions:

// PROGRESSION /// INVESTIGATIONS

A variety of additional missions, known as investigations, become available when you spot a clue or get farther into the acts. All these investigations begin by locating a particular item or object on your world map.

// PROGRESSION /// COLLECTIBLES

The districts of Chicago have a large number of locations to find. Secure tangible items, or apply specific tactics at each and check them off your to-do list:

// PROGRESSION /// ONLINE CONTRACTS

Racing, hacking, and other activities are accessible, but only with others on your network.

// PROGRESSION /// MINIGAMES

Pass the time by playing any of the following minigames, some of which require an altered state of consciousness. There’s plenty to keep you occupied:

// CITY LOCATIONS

There are many stores and hangouts available to you:

2.1 ALWAYS THE BIG BROTHER, HUH?

Location / Parker Square // Owl Motel

Location / Parker Square // High Grove Gates

Location / Parker Square // Nicky’s House

It’s a short drive north through Parker Square to reach High Grove, a gated community where Nicky and Jackson live. Along the way, attempt to keep your vehicle from striking pedestrians or otherwise mangling the public. To begin this or any other mission, be sure the police are not chasing you.

Investigation

Difficulty:

Once the gate opens, simply jog down the street to reach the quaint Victorian with the clusters of balloons and sign instructing you to the side of the property. Push the iron gate open and meet up with your sister Nicky and nephew Jackson. The meeting is emotional.

Investigation

Difficulty:

Inspect the garden if you want, then head into the house. Optionally investigate each of the rooms (take the Meds in the bathroom), accessing any cameras you wish. Jackson’s room is at the front of the house, near the living room where he’s playing on his tablet while Nicky takes a call.

Investigation

Difficulty:

When Nicky’s conversation begins to get a little heated, quickly hack her phone. A man is threatening her, a crank caller intent on riling everyone up. This is successful, as you argue with Nicky about her safety. But the discussion is far deeper than that. Fixing Nicky’s problems isn’t your strong suit. You leave the premises.

2.2 DAMN IT. HE’S ON THE MOVE

Location / Parker Square // Nicky’s House

Location / The Loop // Traffic Tunnel

As you exit Nicky’s house, you triangulate the mysterious caller’s cell phone and spot him in a vehicle on a nearby street. He attempts to flee in his vehicle. Give chase immediately.

Vehicle Chase

Lethal Force Likely

Melee Force Likely

Difficulty:

Overview

Completion Point: Any point where you take the crank caller down (usually close to the traffic tunnels of central Chicago).

Dangers: Frank Janson, suspect in the threatening phone call.

Driving // Defensive: Keep on Tracking

Difficulty:

Enter the vehicle, speeding out of High Grove. Head left, following your target down the long main street toward the freeway leading to The Loop. Try to keep from ramming vehicles or sending pedestrians flying over your hood.

Your target continues along the freeway, then takes the first left after the bridge. You’re both heading north, with your foe following the road and the river around to the east. Then he takes another sharp left (north) toward Mad Mile.

Now he gets a little crazy, dropping off the right side of the street after the bridge. He makes a sharp U-turn to the right, under the L-train. Follow him, using your e-brake if you need to, and watch those pedestrians!

He takes an immediate left, then an immediate right, heading south toward The Loop. This leads to a long left turn into the traffic tunnels.

The vehicular part of your chase comes to an abrupt end when Frank Janson ditches his ride inside the tunnel. Your objective updates; it is the same, but now it becomes a foot chase.

Driving // Offensive: Keep on Attacking

Difficulty:

The difficulty of this, especially if this is your first mission involving a car chase, cannot be overestimated: If you crash once or twice during the pursuit, expect not to catch up to Frank until he ditches his ride. However, if you do manage to reach his vehicle before he abandons it, you have several options:

Ram straight into the back of the car.

Attempt a PIT maneuver by striking the rear corner of the car, sending it fishtailing.

Sideswipe the vehicle so it veers off and crashes against the side of the road.

Try to push the car into a narrow road or alley, where it can’t drive around you.

Continue to ram the car until it starts to billow black smoke, and the target exits.

If your vehicle becomes inoperable, quickly locate a new one and resume the chase.

At any point you can block the vehicle or slow it down enough for you to exit and begin raking the vehicle with gunfire (particularly the tires and windshield). Incapacitate this vehicle by striking it and pushing it into a scenic obstacle, such as a metal road divider on a bridge or into a metal column that can’t be knocked over. If you’ve blocked Frank in his car, you can try:

Shooting out his tires.

Shooting him in the head as he drives (this is incredibly difficult).

Driving // Smart: Keep on Hacking

Difficulty:

This technique allows for a swift end to this mission, but only if you’ve purchased the perks (via Skill Point accumulation) that allow your phone to hack into the scenery of Chicago. If there are hacking opportunities visible to you during the car chase, use them. You can:

Hack traffic lights to cause congestion (this can be done at the very first intersection before the freeway, ending this chase almost immediately!).

Hack junction boxes and other utilities so they blow, striking the vehicle.

Hack bollards and blockers so they rise, stopping the vehicle.

Hack bridges so they rise, slowing Frank’s vehicle.

Then ram or block Frank’s car and destroy it or get out and slay him.

If the chase continues into the traffic tunnels, prepare to end Frank’s plans with your target on foot:

2.3 HARASSING FRANK JANSON

Location / The Loop // Traffic Tunnel

Foot Chase

Lethal Force Likely

Melee Force Likely

Difficulty:

Aggressive // Chase: The Direct Pursuit

Difficulty:

When Janson takes off like a frightened rabbit, immediately hold down your Sprint trigger and follow him across the road. Rush diagonally left, to the unloading walkway area of mesh fencing and parked vehicles. Close the distance whenever possible. Janson turns and shoots at a Regulator, which explodes and can harm you a little. Keep after him, undeterred, then hit your Vault button and leap onto him, tackling him and beating him down with your baton. Your objective updates.

Passive // Chase: The Indirect Pursuit

Difficulty:

When Janson takes off like a startled gazelle, he sprints down the left side of the tunnels. You can jog along the road, avoiding traffic but keeping him in your sights. However, you soon have to cut in and give a proper chase, as you can’t get ahead of him.

Aggressive // Violence: Time to Execute

Difficulty:

If you don’t care about your Reputation, a world of additional violent tactics can be attempted and learned for future takedowns:

If you’re a crack shot, you can blast the canister ahead of Janson, as well as the regulators or other explosive debris.

Or lob a Proximity IED ahead of him (very difficult) so it explodes as he passes it.

Or shoot Frank in the head from a distance. That stops him fleeing in exceedingly short order.

Investigation

Difficulty:

Once Janson falls to your tackle and baton beat-down, stand up, grab any cash and his weapon, and hack his phone. Apparently someone hired Frank to harass Nicky. A quick call from BadBoy17 allows you to upload and ask the hacker to run a trace on it. BadBoy17 reckons it came from inside The Loop district, and you agree that hacking into the ctOS control center being built in this district could further pinpoint the instigator of this threat on your sister. The mission now concludes.