APB Reloaded - Some Criminal Tips For Faster Money (Video)

I haven't played APB in over a year and decided to try boot'er up once again. It's now on Steam and works great. It automagically logs you in and informs you that if you don't have a Gamersfirst Account (the publisher for APB Reloaded) you can create one at their website for free. If you are a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series of games, this Free To Play (F2P) Player-Versus-Player action-oriented "MMORPG" is definitely one you should try. I did a 'First Impressions' article last year when I tried out the Reloaded Beta. That article is here: http://gametipsandmore.blogspot.ca/2011/09/apb-online-reloaded-beta.html

Since then, I have been having the passionate love-hate relationship with this game again; but having a blast overall. I see there are still a good influx of new players and people asking questions in the game and on forums and so I thought I would put together a few quick tips helping fellow Criminals with some concepts that will assist in speeding up making some cash (don't worry - Enforcer tips to come in the future).

You don't have to go all the way to a Joker Ammunition Vending Machine (if the closest is far away, especially when on a mission). You can Resupply at the nearest Mailbox and Vehicle Vendor/Spawn by hitting 'I' to open your inventory, then 'T' to resupply.

The game doesn't do a lot of hand-holding for an MMO, but there is a fair amount of text in the game and chat windows that inform you of things you can do as a Criminal. You can simply mug people walking down the street (in my opinion a slower way to make money). You can steal vehicles and sell them to Chop Shops for profit (the shops can be shown on the map). You can also ram-raid stores and grab all the loot that drops out. These are life lessons, people.

Here is a short video showing some tips for new players and concepts for criminals on how to make money a little bit faster (Locations shown are in the Financial District but concepts apply to any District, some footage was shot on a server that did not give full bonus/money for turn-ins):

I cover mostly Ram Raids and Chop Shops, but with some little tips and tricks thrown in. I created this video because I saw a few things in-game that I thought I'd help with. One was a new player attempting to ram a store front that wasn't 'raidable'. Another is players parking waaay-far-away from their fences/contacts and walking forever to turn in their goods. Like this poor guy below (don't worry, I blurred your name):

Maybe he didn't know you can drive into here and park closer. Even with that, Veronika Lee is in a very busy area. Enforcers traffic is high with their Contact and Impound Lot nearby and Criminals go to the Money Laundry not far from here. One will get you caught and the other will get your loot-laden ride stolen. I suggest the Fence location mentioned in the video for fast, more-out-of-the-way-and-therefore-away-from-people turn-ins. I like hyphens. I go over the differences in vehicles and how much each can carry and I also show some Chop Shops that are close to GA5 repair centers, so that it's a short/fast trip to drop vehicles off for faster cash.

Some things I didn't cover in the video but wanted to add are:

• When ram-raiding, it is slower to stop the vehicle and back in, or smash straight in and then move the vehicle out of the way. If you want to be faster and lower your chances of getting Witnessed, learn to do a 'drive-by' ramming by coming in at a sharper angle and 'bouncing' off the store window, smashing it and collecting the loot after you stop just on the other side of it.
• Loot-laden Vans and Trucks will drive slower. You will have to figure out your own balance of danger vs profit. If you are above $1500 in 'dirty money' and can be witnessed all the time by passing  cops, don't use a slow vehicle if possible. But, if you want to get tons of cash at once and the District isn't very busy, using a full van again and again to go well over $1500 is possible if you stick to back roads and take an outside route around to the Money Laundry. It's all up to you. If you keep ram-raiding, just don't forget to repair your vehicle at a GA5 station, ram-raiding causes it damage too!
• Chop Shops will not take multiple vehicles fast one after another. Mix it up a bit by doing some ram-raids on the way to the next Chop Shop area (repairing before you hand it in of course) or grab the most expensive vehicle you see and drive it straight to the next closest one. The choice is up to you.

If you've been playing constantly since Beta and are Rank FiveBillion and know all the little tricks in the game, you might not learn a lot from the video; but if you are a new player or are looking for help making faster money as a Crim, the simple concepts presented in the video will make your cash flow just a little bit more... flow-y.


See you in the games!