Carl, having successfully convinced Millie Perkins to date him in order to obtain her keycard, is now positioned to continue preparations for the heist on the main vault of Caligula's Palace. His next step is to establish a means of temporarily cutting the power supply to Las Venturas in order to provide himself and Wu Zi Mu's men with the cover of darkness and the resulting confusion while robbing the safe. To do this, Carl heads out to Sherman Dam, which supplies Las Venturas with hydroelectric power, to plant remotely detonated explosives on the main generators. After sneaking into the dam's facilities and planting the explosives, Carl escapes to the roof, only to be trapped by the guards. With deputies and SWAT closing in with their Rangers and Enforcers from the dam's roadway below, CJ narrowly escapes capture by performing a swan-dive from one of the dam's control towers into the outlet channel to the south (erroneously labeled as Sherman Reservoir by the game).
Mission Objectives[]
In order to complete the mission the player must:
Go to the airport. You're going to need a plane to parachute onto the dam quay
Fly the aircraft to the jump point over the dam
Get to the highest altitude possible using the aircraft
Land on the dam quay
Go and pick up the knife
Get past the guards and find the entrance to the generator room
When close to a generator press (RETURN button for PC, Triangle button for PS2, Y button for Xbox) to plant the charges. You need one on each generator
All the generators have been rigged, get to the exit
Reward[]
The reward for completing the mission is an increase in respect. The mission Cop Wheels is unlocked.
It seems impossible to keep a secret around here! I would have thought the size of the room would keep the numbers down.
Man #1:
Hey, speak up, we can't hear you back here!
CJ:
I appreciate your input, but please, fuck off.
Man #1:
What did he say?
Man #2:
He said fuck off. C'mon, let's get outta here.
Two men leave, while the Janitor enters the storage room.
CJ:
Hey, what are you still doing here?
Janitor:
I live here.
CJ:
Oh, OK, you can stay.
Janitor:
Great.
Triad Assistant 2:
Hey, where's the coffee and donuts?
CJ:
OK, look, I'm a go shut off the city's power source. Woozie, look after these fools for me.
Woozie:
OK. Now, the important thing to remember with a plan like this is that...nothing can go wrong.
While Woozie explains the heist's plan, CJ goes to Las Venturas Airport and steals a plane at the end of the runway. He uses the plane to gain altitude, flies over the Sherman Dam, and jumps off from a large height, leaving the plane to spin out of control and explode. CJ parachutes down to the dam's facilities and takes care of the guards outside. He then goes inside to sneak around and plant explosives around the dam's generators and avoiding security.
NOTE: The following dialogue will play if the player gets spotted by the guards.
Guard:
*The cops are on the way, this thrill seeker ain't gonna escape! *We got a light saying there's been a break in! *Always get the nut jobs on my shift!
After planting the explosives, CJ escapes to the roof of the dam.
CJ:
Shit, they must have took a wrong turn someplace!
The guards lock the hatch.
CJ:
What the f-? Aw, shit, somebody done locked the hatch!
Guard:
We've got him trapped, there's no way off that ledge!
The sheriff's department and SWAT teams close in on CJ's location. Rather than dealing with the cops, CJ decides to jump into the water below to escape.
Video Walkthroughs[]
Glitches[]
Some online walkthroughs for this mission, such as that posted on this website, indicate that Carl loses his weapons after parachuting out of the plane. In the PS2, iOS, and Xbox 360 versions, at least, Carl keeps all his weapons for the mission. In the PC version, if Carl lands on the red marker, he can keep his weapons; if he "loses" his weapons, he will be forced to use the knife, and won't even be able to use fists.
It's unclear whether this is a glitch, or the loss of weapons reported in the walkthroughs is a glitch; the BradyGames Official Strategy Guide makes no reference to losing weapons (and neither do either of the video walkthroughs on this page). The player regains his weapons at the end of the mission, other than any Brass Knuckles or Parachutes he had.
If the player loses their weapons, it is possible to regain them by purchasing at Ammu-Nation. All ammunition will be restored by a single purchase of that weapon type. However, the keyboard commands to change weapons will be rendered inoperative until CJ lands in the water, meaning the player will be forced to use the last weapon purchased.
Trivia[]
The name of the mission is a reference to the old-British saying "damn and blast" when something goes wrong.
Carl has to obtain the knife on the quay in order for the mission to continue, even if he already has one in his inventory.
The two eavesdroppers in this mission are the same two men in the mission "Madd Dogg" who taunt Madd Dogg, yelling at him to jump off a building in Las Venturas where he is perched precariously on a ledge. They are also seen in the mission "Mountain Cloud Boys", rooting for their respective bets in the betting shop. One of them can also be seen in "The Introduction" where Carl robs his money in an alleyway.
It is not required to use the Nevada to reach the marker over the dam. CJ can switch to any other plane or helicopter, as long as he gets into the Nevada and gets out again. The parachuting cutscene will not play and access to weapons will not be lost, even if Carl misses the marker.
Upon entering the generator room, a cutscene will play out implying the security guards are already aware of CJ, even if the player avoids detection by the two security guards on the quay prior to entering. This is again the case when exiting the generator room, where even if the player avoids detection, the final cutscene shows CJ getting locked on the roof and with a one-star wanted level.