Random GTA Talk Thread

[Sauru]

ok i also admit to calling into work sick for gtasa, which is probably better than when world of warcraft launched i took a week vacation time

[Andrew]

I've never actually called in sick to buy and/or play a video game but when San Andreas was released in Australia I did happen to have the afternoon shift off and my cousin was in between a split shift, so we headed straight over to the nearest EB and each picked up a copy.

[Sauru]

you didnt have to wait in line? just goes to show, americans really are too violent

[Andrew]

Come to think of it, we might have had our copies reserved. Either that or it wasn't the first day it was out.

[Lean]

A random San Andreas question: How much disk space did it cost? I haven't bought a copy yet. I might uninstall Live 07 for San Andreas.

[jonthefon]

4gb or so.

Something like that. Mod it first

[Lean]

I intend to mod the game. Uninstalling Live would do the trick.

[jonthefon]

The one big mod I would recommend is Spaceeinstein's All-In-One Mod. You can find it in the Mod Showroom at gtaforums.com.

I've got it running on my hacked Xbox

The guilt of having a hacked Xbox is lightened by the fact that all my games are actually purchased.

[Sauru]

great read on ign if you are interesting in gta4


http://ps3.ign.com/articles/807/807625p1.html

some cool new info in it

[Andrew]

Those screens look awesome! The detail is unbelievable.

Cabs aren't only for use after failed missions but can be hailed at any time by whistling. If one is nearby and without a passenger, he may pull over and pick you up. After you've taken a seat and told him where to go, be it a mission point or any place you've chosen on the map, you can sit in the back and watch the city go by. A quick press of a button will skip the journey and get you right to your destination, but there's something calming about sitting in the back of a cab in virtual traffic.

About time, I say. I'm guessing it won't be suitable for any timed missions but that's a cool way of learning a few routes around the city.

While cruising the streets you'll notice that not only every major section but every street in the game has its own name. While this may wind up helping the directionally-talented figure out how to get from place-to-place more easily, it also gives life to the city and brings about a feeling of history and time to Liberty City. In other words, the idea is to make sure it doesn't seem like the city only exists when you turn the game on.

Sounds good but when you're racing through the city I'd say prominent landmarks will remain the quickest and most straightforward method of navigation and developing routes.

The new gunplay mechanics are big and obvious changes, but the franchise has a whole lot of small tweaks and additions to be found as well. In fact, it looks like every element of the franchise has been reworked in some fashion. For example, you'll no longer be able to stroll into your local Ammunition to pick up weapons and ammo. Instead, once you've befriended him you'll call up a guns dealer by the name of Little Jacob and purchase weapons from him out of the trunk of his car. This is both more realistic and a big time saver as you won't have to drive halfway across the map just to load up on weapons before a big mission.

That's an alright change I guess, though driving to Ammunation and finding hidden weapons/armour never bothered me that much to be honest.

A number of other small, but important tweaks, are to be found. Food and rest will be your sole means of health recovery this time around as heart containers are a thing of the past (link to the past?). The map and its functionality is a work-in-progress, but it currently features GPS tracking that shows you not only your destination but the quickest route to get there.

I have to admit I'm not too sure of that one as the health pickups and other arcade-style elements never really bothered me too much. Whereas I like realism in games like NBA Live, to me GTA has always seemed like a big action movie and as such stretching reality within certain parameters is to be expected. One would expect that going to the hospital should provide some method of healing that doesn't involve food but if resting does the trick as well then at least there's an alternative. The GPS and quickest route sounds good though.

And lastly, the camera has been tightened a fair bit. The default on-foot camera is a little closer to you and lower than before, giving you a bigger and more expansive view of the environment. Likewise, the driving camera is much closer and lower, though it's also set off to the left side a little bit in order to allow you to see straight ahead a little more. Whether or not the view will impact your overall or especially right side vision at all remains to be seen, but other camera options will always be at your disposal if you don't like it.

I suppose I'll have to wait and see how it plays but if there's a camera angle closer to the ones that have been used since GTAIII.

Grand Theft Auto fans are in for a shock. This is not your typical GTA game. It's not over-the-top and it's not filled with sly movie references. That isn't to say GTA IV won't have moments of the ridiculous. During our demo, we saw that Rockstar's sense of humor remained intact, despite having a game more grounded in reality. In the span of an hour, I must have laughed at least a half dozen times. But more impressive, was that I actually gasped in shock.

Again, that stuff never really bothered me as I don't seek the same realism I do with a basketball game. Oddly, that's the one thing I'm not overly excited about. To me that was the appeal of the GTA series, the parodies, the action movie style sequences...I'm actually a little disappointed to hear that's been toned down though I understand why people want that as well.

[Sauru]

i agree with you on a few points andrew. i was mixed after reading the review cause like you i loved the over the topness of the previous gta games. one thing i loved in gta3 was when you got packages you unlocked items that would be infront of your safe house, i liked that alot as i always had a place to get some goodies.

as for the new camera angle and fighting style, i am gonna have to wait and see. they said something like that for gtasa and at the time i was upset over it and thought it would ruin the game but it worked nicely so maybe this will also. i dont know about being able to aim and move at the same time. i personally am not that good with a controlled to be useing both analog sticks and pressing the buttons all at once, so if its something that i have to learn or the game will be too hard to beat then i dont know what i will do.

one thing i really liked was the part about how you avoid the cops. i always hated how i could outrun cops, change vehicles 5 times, and they still knew where i was always. this new system, if done correctly, should be great. i also liked how the "search zone" would change based on the type of crime(probably based on how many stars you have also), and the zone also recenters if you are spotted again.

the "GPS" sounds like a great feature but i dont know how well it will work. i guess if it outlines the route for you on the mini map it could be of great use but if you have to pause the game and view full map to use it i dont see myself ever really making use of it. that and the fact that after i play long enough i learn the entire city and dont need a map

[Jeffx]

Cabs aren't only for use after failed missions but can be hailed at any time by whistling. If one is nearby and without a passenger, he may pull over and pick you up. After you've taken a seat and told him where to go, be it a mission point or any place you've chosen on the map, you can sit in the back and watch the city go by. A quick press of a button will skip the journey and get you right to your destination, but there's something calming about sitting in the back of a cab in virtual traffic.

Since GTA IV's Liberty City is more like the real NYC, I should have no problem gettting around.

[Andrew]

I'm interested to see if I can recognise any of the buildings in GTAIV's version of Times Square. Most of my week in New York was taken up with NBA Live 08 conference stuff but I did get out a bit so I might be able to pick out a couple.

i agree with you on a few points andrew. i was mixed after reading the review cause like you i loved the over the topness of the previous gta games. one thing i loved in gta3 was when you got packages you unlocked items that would be infront of your safe house, i liked that alot as i always had a place to get some goodies.

Definitely, it made things a whole lot easier (and in some cases, fairer). I'm not about to write off the game just because it's aiming for more realism and looks to be darker and grittier than previous instalments but like I said before I never had a problem with that stuff.

as for the new camera angle and fighting style, i am gonna have to wait and see. they said something like that for gtasa and at the time i was upset over it and thought it would ruin the game but it worked nicely so maybe this will also. i dont know about being able to aim and move at the same time. i personally am not that good with a controlled to be useing both analog sticks and pressing the buttons all at once, so if its something that i have to learn or the game will be too hard to beat then i dont know what i will do.

I know what you mean, that's how I feel about flying missions in previous GTA games. I guess that's all part of the challenge but I've often found myself turned off playing the game when those missions get too bothersome.

Something I really liked about LCS was that even though the missions got harder as the game progressed as per usual, every so often there'd be an easy mission thrown in here and there allowing you to advance the storyline but giving you a bit of break in between the frustrating missions.

one thing i really liked was the part about how you avoid the cops. i always hated how i could outrun cops, change vehicles 5 times, and they still knew where i was always. this new system, if done correctly, should be great. i also liked how the "search zone" would change based on the type of crime(probably based on how many stars you have also), and the zone also recenters if you are spotted again.

I really liked the sound of that too, it seems like there'll be more of a strategy to it rather than getting away as quickly as possible and finding a police bribe or if possible, hiding until the heat is off. I always liked the idea of the Pay 'n' Spray though.

the "GPS" sounds like a great feature but i dont know how well it will work. i guess if it outlines the route for you on the mini map it could be of great use but if you have to pause the game and view full map to use it i dont see myself ever really making use of it. that and the fact that after i play long enough i learn the entire city and dont need a map

Same here. Like I said before, I reckon prominent landmarks and simply driving around the city long enough are going to be the most effective means of plotting out quick routes.

[Jeffx]

one thing i really liked was the part about how you avoid the cops. i always hated how i could outrun cops, change vehicles 5 times, and they still knew where i was always. this new system, if done correctly, should be great. i also liked how the "search zone" would change based on the type of crime(probably based on how many stars you have also), and the zone also recenters if you are spotted again

Have you played "Scarface-The World is Yours"? It has something similar to a search zone. If you don't get out of it in time, the heat gets hotter.

But I still like the Pay 'n Sprays. It part of GTA.

[Andrew]

Hopefully at least some of those classic elements will be in the game in one form or another.

[Andreas Dahl]

I'm getting a PS3 in a week or so (My brother is in Malaysia and got me a barging. At least compared to the prices here in Sweden) and GTA IV has got to be one of my most anticipated games ever. I was displeased to say the least when I found out that it wouldn't make its way to the PC. Especially after reading the IGN article. Although now that I've got a PS3 on its way, I can only sit back and countdown to October 16 for awesomeness..

(I'm wondering how the transition between mouse/keyboard and controller will work though..)

[Fitzy]

it will make its way to pc

you mark my words

[volsey]

After reading that 4 or 5 page preview at IGN I'm soo pumped for GTA IV. At first I thought that I'd miss the classic GTA elements such as the health pickups and pay n spray. But the more I thought about it the more I liked the new realistic approach. I liked True Crime because of this more "realistic" approach, and I think it will work out well in the new GTA. The way cops chase after you seems really cool. Hopefully cops will be smarter this time around, I hated when I would get shot at by some other gang in San Andreas, if there was a cop around I couldn't shoot back or else the cops would come after me and not the gang member that shot at me first.

One thing I didn't really like about San Andreas was the character, CJ. Everytime I played the game I felt like a HUGE wigger , and I just never really felt for CJ or got attached to him like I have to other game characters. But so far from the 2 trailers I've seen, I really like the new character (Niko or something right?), he seems alot more real and I can see myself really getting into the game.

[-Young Buck-]

GTA release date has been pushed back.

been pushed back beyond its original mid-October release date into the second quarter of the 2008 fiscal year (February to April).

http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/GTA ... 5884_0.htm

This really sucks, but i would rather have a finished game then one with glitches, or whatever they havent finished/polished up yet. Plus im going to have Halo 3, Skate, Smackdown vs raw 2008, Madden 08, and assassins creed to hold me over.

[Jing]

Damn... after reading that extensive preview... I am thrilled..

[BigKaboom2]

Yeah, I've got more than enough games to buy, starting with Madden in 12 days. Crysis also got delayed until November today, which caused my heart to sink.

[Sauru]

this is actually good news to me, you see, if gta4 was out then live would sit collecting dust, as would madden and tiger woods. now i can get time with my sports games before i forget all about them. of course i gotta make up my mind if i want to play them all for the pc now or come up with the money for a ps3

[el badman]

Quote:
been pushed back beyond its original mid-October release date into the second quarter of the 2008 fiscal year (February to April).

http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/GTA ... 5884_0.htm


This really sucks, but i would rather have a finished game then one with glitches, or whatever they havent finished/polished up yet.

Yeah, even though the last one was "relatively" bug-free considering its scope and size, it did have a few annoying issues, so i'd rather wait a little more for it. Plus this Fall is gonna pretty busy anyway, it's gonna be gaming madness...

[Anthony15]

it will make its way to pc

you mark my words

Yeah, thats what I'm hoping for, as I mentioned before. Hopefully they'll make it like SA was, a half a year later a release for PC.

[Sauru]

all thier games make it to the pc, its just a matter of being patient, which i am not lol.