Respect[]
The fastest and better way to finish the game is to make the Main Missions first. That way the player can upgrade his rank in the Corleone Family. This is useful for hiring better crew. Also the player can upgrade his skills. It is suggested to upgrade Health and Street Smarts, so the player will not die so often and he will have a lot of weapons and the ability to steal parked cars heat free. Tips for earning respect:
- Taking safehouses
- Heisting banks
- Winning mob wars
- Completing bonus condition on Favors
- Flirting with women
- Bribing police and chief police officers
- Taking film reels
Money and Dillinger Weapon[]
After accomplishing the Main Missions and the Favors, the player can extort easily. When the player has a lot of money (stealing banks and doing the bonus condition on the favors are the best way to earn money fast) he can upgrade the Tommy Gun to Dillinger (it costs 400.000 money). With Dillinger, taking down warehouses and compounds will be easier. A crew member in level 4 will also help.
For all the weapons, it is better to save the money for the Level 3 Upgrade. The player does not need to buy Level 2 Upgrade first. He might save the money for Dillinger and then he can buy the safe houses, if he wants to.
If a criminal attacks a woman, the player can kill him heat free. He throws money and gives respect.
The player can also get money from the Mission Hidden Bags. By extorting, taking rackets and killing criminals and mobsters.
Extortion[]
For full article, see Extortion
The player can extort whenever he can, it is easy. Just he must remember to always get the Weak Spot bonus. Every merchant has a different Weak Spot. These include:
Jabs and punches
Strangling him
Breaking his stuff
Menacing with weapon
Slaming him
Holding him on the edge
Threating or killing innocents
The player can try all of this but being careful not to pass the merchant Pressure Meter.
Police and Heat[]
For full article see Heat
The police is, according to some jokers, the Sixth Family. They are strong when the Heat Level is high. The player should bribe them before commiting crimes. They would even help against mobsters. After bribing them the player should not kill any police officer, because their help will stop and they will attack immediately. Bribing a Chief Police Officer will increase the Police Help (not official name) Level up to the maximum.
Mob Wars[]
When a mob war is declared it is better not to lose it. The player loses temporarily the income from the burned businesses and rackets. It is better to win it by bribing an FBI agent or by bombing a rival family (the family the player is in war with) business. The player can win a lot of respect (more than 1000)