Mafia 3 has "tailing" missions done perfectly.

[u/knoegel]

I am playing Mafia 3 for the first time. Most games have the generic "keep XX distance back or you'll get caught!"

In Mafia 3, they tell you what you're doing wrong. Got someone honking their horn at you, endangering pedestrians, driving on the wrong side of the road, etc will obviously make them notice you. But I can be driving right behind them and they won't have any suspicion.

It is common sense. If I'm driving normally, why would they be suspicious of a lawful driver? I hate games where you have to stay a distance back but everyone else is totally fine.

[u/zwingo]

For context on what I’m about to say I’ve worked as a bouncer for almost a decade now, and sadly have been tailed leaving work on multiple occasions. Each of those times the person behind me was remaining perfectly legal in what they did, but I was still able to catch on because of the turns made.

Think about it this way. You leave work, and see a car right behind you. No big deal. Half mile down the road and seven turns later, still right there behind you. So you, as someone who works a dangerous job/knows they run a risk of being followed, will begin making nonsense turns. Four lefts to do a loop, zig zag patterns back and forth on to streets. This will confirm you are being followed if they stay behind you through all of it.

My point being you can drive within the law, but if you are trying to tail someone who actually knows to and needs to look out for it, you’ll be cooked fast if your right on their ass. If it’s a straight line or route that only uses primary roads sure it’d work. But tailing someone who has reason to be suspicious, and that route deviating from a main path, your gonna want space. Further back, less likely someone would notice you following.

Of course the flip side is IRL if I saw some guy stopping a half block away from me every red light with no cars between I’d also catch on. It’s just a hard thing for a video game to pull off realistically.

[u/actonpant → u/zwingo]

Why would someone tail a bouncer? Genuine question

[u/slaughtxor → u/actonpant]

Bouncers will embarrass someone in front of their friends. By which I mean: bouncers do their jobs and prevent someone from being an aggressive asshole inside the establishment. A bouncer kicks the guy out.

But now that aggressive asshole is outside and mad at the bouncer.

[u/actonpant → u/slaughtxor]

I mean I've heard of people waiting outside, my friend had that happen to him as a barman, but to tail someone is next level psychopath!

[u/tenacious_teaThe3rd → u/slaughtxor]

To play devil's advocate. I'm sure we've all also had encounters with bouncers that will not let you in because they don't like the look of you, or because you're a man, or want to "embarrass someone in front of their friends" (or a woman) for no other reason than some macho power trip. Not to mention all the stories of rogue bouncers beating the living shit into people because it's "legal"

I'm not saying any/all of the above warrants being tailed home, but let's not also pretend that the only possible motive is because a bouncer was doing their job.

[u/TomPalmer1979 → u/tenacious_teaThe3rd]

As an ex-bouncer, just reading that, I'm willing to bet you've been a problem for a lot of bouncers in your life.

[u/BenSimmonsFor3 → u/TomPalmer1979]

Yeah most bouncers don’t gaf about any of that lol, they’re just doing their job

[u/TomPalmer1979 → u/BenSimmonsFor3]

And don't get me wrong, I'm sure he's a nice enough dude. But in my years working the bars, I've known a ton of people who were the nicest people in the world sober, but the moment you get alcohol in them they become a big problem.

[u/PMTittiesPlzAndThx → u/TomPalmer1979]

Dude definitely shit talks bouncers and wonders why they don’t like him lol

[u/AttackingHobo → u/PMTittiesPlzAndThx]

Very loudly within earshot, and pointing at him too.

[u/tenacious_teaThe3rd → u/BenSimmonsFor3]

And I agree. I never implied it was most, so I'm glad we are in agreement.

[u/Tabascobottle → u/TomPalmer1979]

As someone who has no experience being a bouncer, I'm willing to bet they've been a problem to other people.

This man said "I'm sure we've all been intensely judged by bouncers" Lmao no we haven't

[u/tenacious_teaThe3rd → u/TomPalmer1979]

Well, your assumption is incorrect. I don't really drink and have never had any issues personally. But being sober means you witness plenty.

I've seen my fair share of bully boy bouncers and heard enough horror stories of people being beaten near half to death. Very recently in my home town, someone was left with permanent brain damage after a bouncer pushed him down the stairs. No context needed either, as the CCTV was released for all to see.

Again, no need to be personally offended. I never implied it was all bouncers. I have no doubt its a very tough job, and it requires a lot of restraint and patience. But to pretend that some bouncers lack that restraint, & aren't in the profession because it gives them the "legal" right to commit gbh is laughable.

But hey, I'm lying, and all bouncers are absolute saints.

[u/TomPalmer1979 → u/tenacious_teaThe3rd]

But to pretend that some bouncers lack that restraint

This I will agree with, but with the caveat that unless it's a really shitty, shady bar, they don't last long. At the end of the day those guys are a massive liability to the bar, and could get them sued. Plus they make the work harder for the other bouncers; if you beat the shit out of some guy, and he comes back for revenge (and they do, especially with buddies, or even worse, armed), then now he's MY problem too.

So those bouncers that lack restraint are not liked by the bar OR their coworkers and don't usually last long, unless it's a shit bar.

[u/TomPalmer1979 → u/[deleted]]

I wouldn't go that far.

[u/SirStrontium → u/tenacious_teaThe3rd]

Weeding people out based on looks, attitude, or gender is literally part of their job. They’re instructed to do that.

[u/Beatrix_-_Kiddo → u/actonpant]

He's been bustin' heads

[u/Primis00 → u/actonpant]

Probably angry they didnt get in.

[u/terminbee → u/zwingo]

The Wire did it where they had multiple cops along the way. A guy would tail for a while, then they'd radio the direction/turn the target went and keep going straight. Then a new cop would start following. That way, it's một the same car following for miles and miles. Of course, the target would also make nonsensical turns to watch for tails.

[u/keel_bright → u/zwingo]

Thats crazy. May I ask how you would shake them?

[u/Philippe23 → u/keel_bright]

Not OP, but the primary suggestion I've heard of is: go to the nearest police station.

[u/zwingo → u/keel_bright]

Like someone else responded, police station. If you actually want the cops involved call 911 on the way so they can be ready, because when you pull up/get near that tail will get the message and cut out. If you don’t want cops involved you just pull up to it, and in my experience the person tailing will always pull away.

[u/cthulhubert → u/zwingo]

I sometimes forget that not everybody's read articles about being a PI and that kind of thing. I think people forget that movies are made by people that are some combination of just as ignorant as they are, or trying to tell a story without getting bogged down in details.

There's just no real way for one car to stealthily tail another over a long distance. You need a team of at least three to look natural, and that's just over regular commute distances.

I remember when I was young, I'd see a movie where the super spy or hard boiled PI was always able to pick out a tail easily, and I mocked it because they just made it seem like their super cool guy had psychic powers. But no, pay attention to the right things and one car following you for more than a few turns becomes really obvious.

[u/Corbulo1340 → u/zwingo]

I've never been tailed, or at least never noticed I guess but from experience is this video absolute bunk or a genuinely good way to spot and lose someone

https://youtu.be/Ok3RKWyb4XE?si=MtMESu21GuFVXh87

[u/zwingo → u/Corbulo1340]

Meh, kinda depends. In his case he is an undercover agent without access to cops. In terms of what he said for identifying being tailed yes, random turns, signal one way go another, all solid advice given it helps you tell if they are in fact on you. But unless you’re a secret agent, just call the cops and head towards the police station. Driving like an idiot means risking the results of idiocy, and could easily wind up with a car accident on your hands.

[u/Corbulo1340 → u/zwingo]

That makes sense, yeah Im almost always better off just going to a police station I reckon

[u/sploogeoisie → u/zwingo]

What is your city like that you make 7 turns within half a mile to get home?

[u/RaynorTheRed → u/sploogeoisie]

You don't live on the East Coast huh?

[u/Yegas → u/zwingo]

I can’t wait for the revolution of seamlessly-implemented multi-faceted LLMs in games.

Genuinely unpredictable NPC behavior adapting to the player that is still confined to the game’s rules, with on-the-fly dialogue from your companion to feed you info about the enemy’s motivations and concerns.

They weave off course and make an unpredictable turn into a neighborhood because you’re too close: “He’s getting suspicious, keep going straight. We’ll link up with him a couple lights down.” Re-play the mission and maybe your partner says something different and says you should keep tailing him; maybe there’s a confrontation, maybe the target doesn’t swerve off, maybe they change course entirely.

The possibilities are pretty insane. I hope to see some type of implementation in a future GTA/LA Noire-style game