The Ferry is a transport form in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
Description[]
The ferry service is a system of motorized boats capable of carrying road vehicles and pedestrians. The entire system consists of two ferry terminals (one in Harwood, Portland and the other in Rockford, Staunton Island), and two identical large, blue-and-white ferries that alternate between both terminals.
In order to use a ferry service, the player must wait until a ferry is docked at a ferry terminal, at which point a yellow halo marker will appear on the dock in front of the ferry (but only if the player is not wanted at that moment). The player must then drive or walk into the halo, and press a button in order to confirm entry into the ferry. Each ferry ride is $25. The journey can last for up to two minutes, due largely to the slow speed of the ferry, although the player can skip to the period when the ferry arrives at its destination to save time.
Like the Subway Car, the ferries cannot be stolen and controlled. However, the player may be able to jump on the lower deck of a ferry while it is docked. They may bump back and forth at first, but then the bumping stops. On rare occasions, the player may be able to jump into the empty interior. As soon as the ferry leaves the terminal, there will be violent bumping back and forth, eventually leading to the player falling into the water and drowning, although the player can counter the violent bumping by running in accordance to the direction of the ferry. Jumping onto the ferry is highly unrecommended, as even when the player manages to stay on throughout the entire course, the player cannot safely disembark the ferry from the other side in order to get to land in another terminal (unless they manage to jump inside the ferry).
Design[]
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
The ferry does not seem to particularly resemble any real-life model of a ferry. In the game, the vessel has two decks. The lower deck features a storage compartment for vehicles, in the form of a rather large area that is surrounded by two lateral walls and two sets of gates, one to the bow of the ferry, and the other to the stern of the ferry. The higher deck, that is on top of the storage compartment, features fences on its edges and the bridge of the vessel. On top of the bridge, there is a funnel out of which steam perpetually comes out.
The ferry is a textured vehicle, always appearing in a mix of white and blue. Most of the ferry is white, while the blue color is used for some side stripes on the hull and the lateral walls of the storage compartment, the gates, the top of the bridge, the flooring below the top of the bridge and a railing on the higher deck that is located towards the bow of the ferry.
Performance[]
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
The ferry is, as it can be expected, a rather slow vehicle. Its usefulness consists in its capacity to transport numerous vehicles and pedestrians from a part to the city to another, being a good transport option in the absence of bridges and tunnels.
Strangely, despite its slow nature, according to the game files, the ferry can reach a maximum speed of 190 kph. However, this is never the case in normal gameplay.
GTA Liberty City Stories Overview[]
| Acceleration (0-60mph / 0-100km/h) |
Top Speed (mph / kmh / knots) |
Engine (Inboard / Outboard) |
Mass (kg / lbs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 118 / 190 / 103 | Petrol | 25500 / 56218 |
| N/A | N/A | Steam-based engine [?] | Cannot be observed |
Fate[]
The ferry service is threatened by two new road links, the Callahan Bridge and Porter Tunnel, both of which are under construction during events in the game. The possible obsolescence of the ferry service spurred union members to stage a strike that momentarily shut down ferry services, cutting Portland off from the rest of the city. It is only after assurances by the mayor's office that some of the workers returned to work (as depicted during "Driving Mr Leone"), returning the ferry to normal service.
It is implied the ferry system was ultimately shut down following GTA Liberty City Stories, as nothing remains of the service during events in Grand Theft Auto III, which is set three years later, in 2001. The Portland terminal was demolished for the Portland exit of the Porter Tunnel while Phil's Army Surplus was erected in place of the Staunton terminal.
Gallery[]
Terminals[]
Service[]
Other[]
Video[]
Trivia[]
General[]
The GTA San Andreas Ferry map.
- Internal files reveal a beta Ferry map in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, depicting the City of San Fierro along with its bay. No ferry service is available to the player in the final game. Oddly enough, in the final game the texture depicting this map is found at the Santa Maria Beach boardwalk[1], and it isn't found at any other location. The map is internally named
CJ FERRY MAP. - In the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV, a ferry is shown, named "Liberty Ferry", suggesting that the ferries would be present in Liberty City. These ferries don't appear in the game, though there is a ferry terminal in Alderney.
- The ferry is the only ship in the 3D Universe to feature a horn. The horn is typically heard when the ship moors and when it leaves the ferry stations.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
- The ferry terminals each feature two docks, though only one dock is used at either terminal.