GTA IV

[Theo Huxtable.]

APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Haha.

 

figured

[InnerCityRebel]

can't wait to pick this joint up

[SUR X3]

NY MAD AT GTAIV

 

"New York City authorities are upset at the new Grand Theft Auto being set in their city. According to the NY Daily News (via Game Politics and /.), the city councilman and other city authorities have spoken out in condemnation of GTA IV. The city councilman had this little gem to add:

 

"Setting Grand Theft Auto in the safest big city in America would be like setting Halo in Disneyland."

 

With Rockstar Games' headquarters located in New York, this debate is just getting started. Can't wait to see the lower east side activists demonstrating on Broadway."

[SUR X3]

Trailer Observations

 

 

Now that the chaos has died down a bit, we've had a chance to pick through the trailer to see what kind of technical upgrades might be hiding under the proverbial hood of GTA IV. Note, these aren't all confirmed features, per se, but they do seem to indicate things will, in fact, be different.

 

Perhaps the most obvious technical upgrade visible in the trailer is the real-time lighting and shadows. Now, seeing as this is a next-gen title we're talking about, one might say this feature is a given. However, after experiencing and modding the GTAIII Trilogy, I think this deserves a lot more attention than it will probably get.

 

In every title since GTAIII, all the environmental lighting has been done by pre-lit vertices. For those not technically inclined, this basically means the highlights and shadows were painted into the models, then multiplied all together to roughly match the time of day.

 

While the results looked good at any given moment, as time passed by things just didn't seem alive. With real-time lighting, on the other hand, the "living, breathing city" concept of GTA has just gotten a whole lot more dynamic.

 

Another possible no-brainer for a modern title is normal mapping. But considering the history of somewhat blocky peds in the series, and if this is what we think it is, it is a welcome change.

 

If you look closely around the arm and face of this ped, you can see that the lighting appears to be smoother than the actual polygonal mesh. This trick is done by creating a smooth, highly detailed version of a 3D model, rendering a texture which stores the vertex info, then applying it to an optimized version of the model.

 

The end result is a more detailed model with a much smaller file size. Which of course is a good thing when you've got a dozen or so on the screen. It also looks as if both peds in the picture have individual fingers..

 

One of the most annoying and downright bizarre things about the series has been that it's seemingly inhabited by an army of clones. Granted, San Andreas fixed this a bit by adding tons of different peds, but nevertheless, one would always run into the same person in the same clothes over and over again. Day after virtual day.

 

Hiding amidst the time-lapse portion of the trailer though are clues that this may be about to change. To the left are a series of screenshots from the trailer showing an otherwise identical person wearing mixed and different color outfits. If you go through the trailer frame by frame, it seems that there are a bunch of other peds wearing random outfits.

 

Yes, it is possible that they are four unique ped models. But after the player clothing options in San Andreas, it's only natural that Rockstar North expand this to peds. And if that's really the case I would expect the variety to grow even more as the game draws closer to completion.

[wayne hits]

call of duty or nothing.

[Tesseract]

now that was nerdy

[SUR X3]

But it's about such a gangster game. It averages out.

[Shittles..TasteTheAsshole]

good lookin out 4 that

[fermentor666]

heres a good reason to get PS3. gawwddammn

 

 

It's going to be simultanioualy released on the 360.

[*42]

You should still get a PS3.

[Theo Huxtable.]

360>ps3

[*42]

I just don't agree. Especially with everyone in here talking about how they've had like 6 360s and shit... You guys talk about it like it's no big deal, but a system breaking on me would be a big deal to me.

[fermentor666]

WTF?!

 

HOW OLD ARE YOU?!

 

 

What does age have to do with seeing Gogol Bordello?

[fermentor666]

I just don't agree. Especially with everyone in here talking about how they've had like 6 360s and shit... You guys talk about it like it's no big deal, but a system breaking on me would be a big deal to me.

 

 

As far as I know, just me and Mammaro had that problem. Mammaro's on his second, I'm on my third and the cause for me was a bug in GWAR that affected a small percentage of the older systems. The first save file somehow corrupted the system memory.

 

It'll be interesting to see how many PS3s are dying. Barely anyone here has one, not too many people's parents know Jason Giambi, after all. :rolleyes:

[*42]

Sorry, it was totally a mistake to mention how I was getting a PS3. It's obvious you can't get over it.

 

Other than the initial problem with the backwards compatibility, which apparently didn't affect mine, none of the people I know have had any. I did a quick google search and most of the complaints are with the lack of games...

 

The Blu-Ray works super good, although I've only seen one movie on it.

 

I didn't know who had the problem, but I'm pretty sure I read it more than twice on here. It also happened to 3 other people I know who have 360s, 2 got them fixed for free, one had to buy a new one.

 

He didn't, he bought a wii.

[Theo Huxtable.]

I just don't agree. Especially with everyone in here talking about how they've had like 6 360s and shit... You guys talk about it like it's no big deal, but a system breaking on me would be a big deal to me.

 

i've seen people say the same, if not more, about the ps2.

 

i've had my 360 since august '06 and haven't had it break down or give me problems. my original xbox from '04 still works fine. i honestly don't know what these niggas are doing to their xboxes. are they moving them around and spilling shit on it or what? seriously. my nintendo 64 that i bought in '96, and sold on ebay in '04 worked fine along with all the games. i think i just take care of my shit. when i sold used games to ebgames the employees were astounded by how all of my discs didn't have any noticeable scratches.

[Theo Huxtable.]

It'll be interesting to see how many PS3s are dying. Barely anyone here has one, not too many people's parents know Jason Giambi, after all. :rolleyes:

 

oh shit, 42 is eastbay?

 

*hits forehead with lower palm of open hand*

[fermentor666]

Haha, I had no idea! I was just shitting on the dude just because. Well look who just got outted! Here's hoping you get banned again, starfucker.

[*42]

LOL. I also heard about that with PS2s. I still have my original release PS2 and I never had the problem. But also the problem was just with the laser right? I really don't think that's as serious as the system failing.

 

Anyway I really don't care about 360 vs Sony shit. But for the money, I would rather have the PS3 then the 360 with the HD add-on.

 

And it does seem that Blu-ray is popping off a bit more so far...

 

My N64 works fine too, but then again, so does my Turbo-Grafx 16, Sega, and NES.

 

They don't make em like they used to.

 

Fermentor I don't see why you obsess about me so much, I hardly notice you. I know you feel pretty strongly about video games, but seriously, nothing to stress out about.

[Theo Huxtable.]

i just finally bought a ps3 -- so do you need an adapter for ps1 and ps2 memory cards? and what about ps2 controllers? i'm gonna miss the rumble.

 

i don't know about this whole blu-ray vs, hd-dvd shit. i'm not gonna pay 5-10 bucks more than a regular dvd to see the exact same movie.

 

the only thing i notice about hd (based on 1080i on my HD cable), is that niggas faces are shinier. like you can see the sweat on their faces along with wrinkles and uneven makeup applications. disgusting. to me that doesn't make for a better movie experience worth 10 extra bucks.

[*42]

You know I didn't even have time to save anything. I only got to fuck with it a little bit before I moved to Canada.

 

Alot of what you see in HD is based on your TV too. I noticed that some TVs have super high contrast, but you can't see as many details, or some with duller contrasts, but you can see a lot more details.

 

I guess either Sony or a third party is coming out with a rumble feature in the future.

 

But back on topic, GTA4 is going to rock. And I like the PS controller setup more, probably because I'm used to it.

[Skilla54]

when does gta come out? i might need to drop 700 duckets for it

[Mauler5150]

Well I think it is only Theo who likes the Xbox controller setup for this game so far.

 

I have restarted playing Scarface again because of this thread. Only because I was slack and hadn't finished it yet. I wonder what the combat system will be like in this one? I liked how you got to go to different dojos in GTASA and learn different techniques, but didn't you lose some of you attacks when you changed your style? A mix and match would be nice.

[Theo Huxtable.]

really there is no real difference between the xbox 360 controller and the ps3 controller. same amount of buttons, and all of the buttons are arranged in the same format as each other and are in the same position. so i don't see how anyone playing the ps3 can say it's difficult to use the 360 controller. the only main difference is just that the d-pad and analog stick on the lefthand side are different -- the 360 has the analog stick where the ps3's d-pad is, and the d-pad where ps3's left analog is -- and for good reason; the analog stick in today's generation of three-dimensional games is used far more than the d-pad. that's why it makes sense as to why microsoft would put the stick where the d-pad used to be. the d-pad is now more of a secondary controller for selecting options and shit. the sony controller, which for the most part hasn't changed since it was introduced in '95, was created during a time when the d-pad was still the primary control for movement, and there were no analog sticks on the very first psone controllers. after n64 came out, sony added the analogs to compete.

 

the rest of the differences are minor, such as sizing, contours, grip (i prefer the "trigger" feel on the 360 for shooting, instead of those flat l2/r2 buttons... not to mention the analog sticks are indented for better grip), etc.

[*42]

The controller has always seemed bulky in my little girl hands. It's just not something I can help.

[not again!]

proper looking forward to this one , the trailer for it looks crazy :D

[Mauler5150]

I'm with EBPH, my hands fit the PS controls better. I wish I had bigger hands, maybe guitar playing would be easier? But then again, women like my hands so I ain't complaining.

[*42]

GTA4 World Premiere Preview Reaches Subscribers

Posted by adamcs at 14:21. Category: General

 

The May issue of Game Informer (which has a 10-page Grand Theft Auto IV world exclusive preview) is beginning to reach the homes of subscribers. See GTAF for more details.

 

"One of our biggest goals early in development is that it should feel different than any other game. It shouldn't be 'Oh, here's a really good looking but stiff character.'"

- DAN HOUSER, VICE PRESIDENT OF ROCKSTAR GAMES

 

Full Summary of the Preview

 

* The protagonist's name is Niko Bellic - an Eastern European immigrant who has come to Liberty City to live the "American Dream." The game is set in Liberty City in 2007, but it is bigger than the Liberty City we saw in GTA III.

 

* The GTA 4 equivalent of the Statue of Liberty is called the Statue of Happiness, and DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is known as BOABO (Beneath the Offramp of the Algonquin Bridge Overpass).

 

Game Informer

* In Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar have recreated 4 of the 5 boroughs in New York, as well as part of New Jersey. Broker is the GTA IV equivalent of Brooklyn, Manhattan is now called Algonquin, Queens is now Dukes, the Bronx is Bohan, and New Jersey is Alderney. The map is smaller than San Andreas, but considerably more detailed. No countryside or desert, we are led to believe.

 

* Pedestrians are far more realistic in GTAIV than in previous GTA games - they sit on benches, smoke cigarettes, read books and generally act like any real pedestrian would in the middle of a street.

 

* The screenshots in the preview are not representative of the final quality of the graphics, Rockstar insist. The game will only look better as the release draws closer..

 

* Niko was persuaded to move to Liberty City by his cousin Roman, who claimed to be living a wonderful life there with two beautiful women, fifteen sports cars, and lots of money etc, but he was infact telling a lie in order to hide his own failures. Roman is the only person you know in Liberty City at the beginning of the game, and he becomes one of your major connections at the start. Niko is a tough character whereas Roman is friendly. Roman is heavily in debt and a lot of people are after him - he needs Niko's support. They are constantly bickering.

 

* The demo (which was played on Xbox 360) begins with Bellic standing inside of the taxi depot, which Roman operates in the borough of Broker in a converted industrial garage. Roman works at a cluttered desk in a shabby environment, and at this point the graphical improvements are extremely evident. Bellic walks to a brownstone house in Broker, where he pushes open the door and pulls out a pistol. The living room however, is not occupied. He then moves onto the kitchen, which he also finds to be empty. He pushes his way through the back door and smashes the window of a red four-door car using his elbow. The broken glass falls onto the street and onto the seat of the car, as Bellic unlocks it from the inside. He hotwires the car and sets off to his next destination. The camera angle behind the car is closer to the vehicle than in previous GTA titles, which enables more detail on the car to be seen. After selecting a radio station, Bellic navigates to a section of the BOABO arriving at a dockside with a terrific view of the city skyline. Pigeons can be heard in the sky, and waves can be heard rustling in the water. Bellic then pulls out his cellphone which has options for Phonebook, Messages, Organizer and Camera on it's LCD screen. He selects Phonebook, and he is then presented with another set of options: City Contact, Docks Friend, and Cab Contact. After a brief conversation he informs the reciever to meet him at the docks.

 

* As Bellic walks, you can feel the weight behind each step he makes. Variations in the terrain cause realistic changes in the walking animation. The physics have also improved and character movements are more realistic.

 

* In previous GTA games you were like a slave because you had to constantly take orders from people when doing missions. There is still an element of that in Grand Theft Auto 4, but you can also choose how you want to spend your time, for example "I want to hang out with him and her. I want to hang out with this guy because he always has fun things to do." Call him up and maybe you can hang with him. Maybe he'll answer. You have a lot of choice over what you want to do.

 

* In GTA 4, Rockstar is giving its players more freedom, more choice, and more sense of control over their destiny - the structure of GTA4's storyline is quite different to it's predecessors as it can be told in a number of different ways. You can talk to people in person, by cell phones, and there are a bunch of other ways of giving the player information. In general it's a different experience, with new ways of interacting with the characters and the game world.

 

* Rockstar consulted crime experts and ex-policemen when making the game, and they learned that being a criminal is a lot harder these days than it was during the 80s and 90s (for example) and they have tried to reflect this in the game. This means you can expect to see a lot of people getting arrested - the police are a heavy presence in Liberty City.

 

* There are no planes in GTA IV because there is only one city, and Rockstar want the game to seem realistic. That means there will be no rollerblades, no unicycles, probably no jetpacks and indeed no planes. Rockstar are giving choice and variety which feels right for the character. However there will be motorbikes.

 

* Rockstar North is approaching the recruitment of voice actors in a different way. This means that we will probably hear less familiar voices in GTA 4, as R* are looking for voices which suit the attitude of the characters, and are not just looking for big names. A similar approach is being done with the soundtrack - Rockstar are looking for great music which works with the 2007 Liberty City.

 

* After an initial load sequence, the game will never load again. Not even during exterior-interior transitions (and vice versa).

 

* Both versions of the game (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) will likely be identical, but the Xbox 360 version will have exclusive downloadable episodic [sizeable] content. Rockstar have now spent over 3 years developing the game, and Dan Houser compares the leap from GTA III to GTA IV, to the leap from GTA to GTA III.

 

* GTA IV will have multiplayer, but it's not going to be a massively multiplayer online game, says Dan Houser. They are trying to make something that is interesting, fun, progressive and which goes along nicely with the single-player game.

 

We'd like to express our thanks to demologik for providing all of this information on our forums. Discuss the contents of the preview at our forums and remember to digg this!

[AnUpsetStomach]

"Dan Houser compares the leap from GTA III to GTA IV, to the leap from GTA to GTA III."

 

Thats pretty hectic.

[Theo Huxtable.]

damn these graphics are getting more realistic

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYPYjq8ZUzo