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Driving quickly in the prescribed lanes can get you from Point A to Point B fast, but knowing the sneaky little shortcuts and how to use them will get you there much faster. What follows are the locations of most of the various unmapped shortcuts around the virtual city of Chicago.
- McCormick Place -- This open building allows you to zip right through, even though it's not marked on the map. There are a few loading docks to fly across, as well as two intentionally propped ramps outside along the southeastern wall.
- Open Field -- These open grassy areas are great for performing high-speed turns and throwing off anyone on your tail. You don't want to brake on the slippery grass as you can spin out rather easily. From this area, you can quickly head in towards Chinatown, up along Lake Michigan or hit the freeway going west.
- Soldier Field -- There are three entrances into Soldier Field?east, west and south. Make sure you're lined up perfectly before trying these doorways at full speed. Many a player in Cops and Robbers meet their doom trying to navigate these tricky little doorways.
- Meigs Field -- The airport offers three things: a nice location to view the flybys by the big jets, a raised platform with two ramps and some open space to lose those persistent cops or antagonistic players in Cops and Robbers.
- Adler Planetarium -- This little building has a passageway right through the middle. Frequently, the gold in Cops and Robbers will be located on the side of the planetarium facing the water. Come flying through the breakaway wall at full speed and fly straight through, letting the back wall do the braking for you (well?most of the braking?). Sure, you'll gather some damage but you also gain some time as well. In the area between the planetarium and the museum, you'll find another ramp. If you're doing breakneck speed in the Panoz, you can clear any traffic on the main road in front?but you'll probably get some damage as well.
- Tunnel -- There is a tunnel with an entrance on what would be Harrison Street, with the other entrance southeast of Dearborn Station.
- Field Museum -- This location offers two stairway ramps; one at the north end and the other at the south end. Flying up these ramps at an angle will launch you into the air and hopefully force an opponent who is following, to misjudge and wreck into the Museum.
- Dearborn Station -- The Station itself is not the draw here but the open area and trees surrounding the Station. You can maintain a high rate of speed while weaving through the trees. Why weave through the trees? So those Terminator 2-style cops will take themselves out by accident?.heh-heh.
- Alleyway -- If you sweep around Dearborn Station, then fly west and the cops are still on your tail, there is an alleyway opening heading north. Hit it dead on, sending the boxes flying, and maybe the cops won't be so lucky. This is also a great path from the Sears Tower to get to the southern freeway exits.
- Construction Yard -- Try smashing through either the northwest or southeast walls. These walls are darker than the rest. You'll fly through some construction equipment?uh, don't hit the crane?it won't fall?believe me?and right out the other end. This is a handy trick to know in the Checkpoint Race: Freeway Flyer.
- Breakable Window Glass -- There is glass on both the south and east sides of the corner of this building allowing you to fly through it and not lose too much speed through the turn. Oh, you'll get damaged, and you really can't see what the traffic situation is around the corner so it is a bit of a gamble...but, hey, you're driving a rental!
- Stairways -- These stairways don't do too much but give you a place to climb, while trying to turn quickly and fly back down. Why? For the heck of it, or to try to get one of the cops to take themselves out.
- Stairways -- Same as number twelve above.
- Tunnel -- This sweeping S-shaped tunnel is a great diversion and not really a necessity for Checkpoint Race: Beetle Blast-A-Thon. Race it?find out for yourself.
- North Bank River Alley -- Okay, so this one is marked on the map. It's narrow, tricky and a handful when a gaggle of autos are trying to run you out of the way. Around the Wrigley Building are a set of alleys which are good to be aware of because if you can quickly make the ninety-degree turns at speed?chances are the cops won't.
- River-Crossing Jump -- So we've all got a little Evil Knievel in us, just hopefully not the broken bones to match. With this westward facing jump, do a daredevil-style jump across the river. It's a great way to lose any cops on your tail?and it looks cool, too. Of course, you need to be doing about 130 miles per hour and hit it dead on, so you land on the street on the other side and not in someone's living room.
- Tunnel - Alley Combination -- More of a short roadway through a building than a true tunnel, this path is perfect for keeping the RPMs churning high while heading straight into Chinatown.
- Spacious Area -- Yeah, doesn't sound like much but this building is one of my key areas for pulling ninety or one hundred eighty degree turns. The open area around the building allows me to keep my speed up while pulling a sweeping turn. Don't overlook the importance of this area in multiplay.
- Another Spacious Area -- Again, another place to keep up the speed while making a turn. Burn this location in your brain!
- Sears Tower -- Nothing special, just more room around to pull those moves that only you can!
- Non-River-Crossing Jump -- Why is this jump here? No idea? you can't jump the river this way. Even at max speed, you'll end up sleeping with the fishes. If you want to try it, you'll need to go up the alley (#22) and partway into the tunnel (#23) and then come flying back, hoping no traffic is in your way and that you pull off the final turn onto the ramp perfectly?and you'll see that?you go really?nowhere.
- Cross Alley -- This cross-shaped alley is essential for victory in the Checkpoint Race: Beat The Bridges.
- Daley Plaza -- The building with the artsy-fartsy red sculpture?that's the one. It's a nice open space to fly around and keep the speed up while hopefully watching your opponents impale themselves upon the red angular pieces of the sculpture.
- Can You Wrap It To Go Please? -- This mall doesn't normally allow drive-through shopping, but I'm sure they'll make an exception in your case. Just don't get caught. The entrances are at the north and south ends of this building. Just make your own doorway through the plate-glass windows.
- Art Institute -- There is a pathway that runs north-south through the middle. This is an essential pathway for victory in the Checkpoint Race: Soldier Sneaker. Just be aware of the tree right outside the south end as it can bring you to a quick unwanted stop when doing 120 MPH.
- Navy Pier -- My favorite locale for shaking the local heat? There are several cross-streets and a raised parking platform with two separate ramps to get to it. When several cops and/or opponents are making your driving experience intolerable, weaving in and out of traffic can quickly bring any pursuers to a halt.
- Tunnel Of Donuts -- This tunnel differs from the others in that it has a central area where you can quickly turn around if necessary. It's also a nice place to go to get uptown quickly.
- Breakable Window Glass -- Another glass window on the south and west sides of the building allows you to smash right on through. Some damage?some car collisions?maybe some pedestrians getting in the way?but, that's their problem, not yours.
- Cool Looking Church! -- The open area around the structure gives you some high-speed turning area and a nice place to swing the big rigs around. The stone church is one of the nicest looking in this virtual city landscape.
- Three-Piece Alleyway Collection -- Only the centerpiece of the alley shows on your map but the northern and southern sections are there in the virtual city. When racing the Checkpoint Race: Beetle Blast-A-Thon, ramming the truck northwards through here is an effective way to trash your competition.
- John Hancock Center -- The only thing of notice here is the walkway that goes into the ground and pops out again. This is a location where the gold will get placed occasionally in Cops and Robbers multiplay games.
- Wrigley Field -- If you feel like trying to run the bases at eighty miles per hour, go ahead. Two slim entrances can make the price of admission a bit high, but it's a great place to throw your pursuers off the scent.
- Dual Stairs -- Much easier to go down than up. If you do need to go up them, make sure to use the sidewalk. Don't worry about the pedestrians, they can take care of themselves.
- Shedd Aquarium -- And here's a new one we missed! The aquarium has doors that you can break down on the west side. Head through the curving passage and out the other side! Thanks to the Reverend Dr (5/27/99)
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