Similar to Cops 'n' Crooks in terms of two teams, comprised of The Lost MC and NOOSE Agents, Witness Protection differs as the NOOSE team have to escort three witnesses to various police stations around Liberty City, as The Lost try to stop them, either by blowing up the bus or killing each witness as they exit the vehicle.
The Lost
The Lost team start on their bikes, armed with a Sawn-Off Shotgun and an Automatic 9mm Pistol. As in Cops 'n' Crooks, the location of the bus is marked on their HUD, but not their destination.
The Lost have to destroy the bus (a hard prospect, as the bus is heavily armoured), or ambush the witnesses as they make the brief dash to the police station. Individually exposed, the Lost team need to attack in large groups, or set up ambushes in order to win.
NOOSE
The NOOSE team are separated into two divisions, the Bus Driver and their escort. The bus driver is charged with transporting their witness cargo to each destination, whilst the other team members follow in NOOSE cruisers, armed with SMGs.
As the bus is slow and unwieldy, the other NOOSE players need to either defend the bus or set up road blocks to stop pursuing Lost players.
Scoring
The NOOSE team all score $500 for each witness they escort safely to a police station, plus a further $100 for each enemy team member they kill.
The Lost, obviously, get $500 each time they kill a witness, plus $100 for each kill they make against the other team.
When either all the witnesses are either dead or delivered safely, or the timer runs out, the round ends and the teams switch sides.
Hints & Strategies
- Heavy Artillery: As the bus is heavy armoured, light weapons aren't going to make much of an impact. The Lost should make it their priority to get their hands on some sort of explosives, such as Pipe Bombs, the Grenade Launcher or the RPG, then ambush the bus as it passes.
- Exposed: When the witness is running to the police station, the Lost have their best chance of eliminating them. Making a note of where the police stations prior to a match can save a lot of hassle. Heading them off, setting up with a Sniper Rifle and picking off the witness from a distance can be a much easier method of scoring.
- Road Block: If the Lost team are hounding the bus, one or more NOOSE players can slow them down by blocking off the road with their car and gunning down the Lost as they try to get past.
- In the open: Never let a witness make a run to the police station undefended. The bus is much safer, so if you can afford to wait, let your team set up before you park on the marker.
- Escort: Using an escort (motorcade, convoy) is an effective way of transporting, although it make light work of your cars and yourself. This is a risky way, even though you stay together in group and have more power, you are more likely to be killed when the Lost team starts attacking.