Old News - June 2003 Contents

06-29-03
06-24-03
06-18-03
06-12-03
06-06-03
06-02-03

Sunday - June 29, 2003   <7:00 PM CST>

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Helicopter Guide   <7:00 PM CST - schu>
RyanL and Rev Ted put together two ways to find your favorite helicopter.  First is the helicopter guide over at www.helicopterguide.tk or you can grab the offline version in the form of a nice map (484k).

If you're looking for any other maps IKHAM & Lucas sent word that Vice City Unleashed has compiled a decent collection.  GameSpot's guide is also a nice standby with six maps to choose from.

New VC PC Reviews   <7:00 PM CST - schu>

Thanks to Rev Ted.

VC PC Sales   <7:00 PM CST - schu>
Vice City is still selling quite well coming at number ten in PC games sales.  To the charts!

  

Tuesday - June 24, 2003   <11:50 PM CST>

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Vote GTA   <11:50 PM CST - schu>
I just wanted to put in a quick reminder that G4TV is doing a massive poll on their site which will eventually wrap up in a TV event in August so get your GTA votes in before it's too late.  Check out g-phoria.g4tv.com for details.

VC PC Havana Outfit Fix   <11:50 PM CST - schu>
Rev Ted sent in an update on a fix for the Havana outfit fix for VC PC:

"Vice City has its share of bugs, as one might expect with a project of its ambitious scale, but the one that always completely blew my mind was the inability to access the Havana Outfit in Little Havana without performing some bizarre jumping ritual for a ridiculous amount of time. Now that Vice City is out on PC, we can fix that...so I did. The fix comes in two flavors: "Easy", and "Tiny".

"Tiny" is a 3KB download, but you have to use a CollEditor during the installation.
"Easy" is a 160KB download (which in these days of broadband is pretty tiny anyway), but you get to simply skip the CollEditor steps.

Both require you install and use an IMG Editor.  Instructions for installation are included in "Readme.txt" in the Zip files, as well as links to locations for downloading the CollEditor and IMG Editor. The files are currently hosted on a FilePlanet mirror which shouldn't have any lines even on the "Public" servers, but you're welcome to mirror this file anywhere you like as long as the zip archives stay intact with the original ReadMe files.

Links:

A note for our Non-English-Speaking friends: Feel free to translate the ReadMe.txt files and include an -extra- translated ReadMe file in the Zip for "Foreign Distribution"

  
Patching, DX9, & The GTA Series   <11:50 PM CST - schu>
Johan Brodd sent in an interesting update on GTA2 and GTA3 running better after Vice City installed DirectX 9:

"As you may or may not recall earlier GTA III had some really painful troubles with DirectX patching.  Now if you have GTA Vice City and install the game, it will automatically install DirectX 9.0 which will not only upgrade GTA Vice City but also GTA III so it works properly.

Also know that if you are playing GTA2 under DirectX 9.0 you will have no further sound bugs as in GTA2 under DirectX 6.0 + the game runs more smoothly under DirectX 9.0.

Well that's it for now. Oh by the way www.playground.ru has a 100% completed GTA Vice City savegame ready to download if anyone is interested."

Thanks to Johan.

 New VC PC Reviews   <11:50 PM CST - schu>

Thanks to Rev Ted.  

New GTA Sites   <11:50 PM CST - schu>

  
Crazy Sh*t   <11:50 PM CST - schu>
Don't ask, just click!  Thanks to Psyco68611.

Announcements   <11:50 PM CST - schu>

  • If you weren't aware of this already, Morgan pointed out that the GTA3 character skins can be used in VC, but they are only visible if when you're using the Street Clothes.
  • Pyro sent in the latest update from his site, GTA2 Terraformer:

    "Just wanted to say that I have a new host for my web site, GTA2 Terraformer. To view the website, visit gta2.8bit.co.uk for all things maps and scripting. This is the same sort of site as my last one (bar the hosting on the last one), but it is now improved.

More pages will be added soon, and I still got to do the scripting page. Also, I am working on a new project, "GTA2 Exterminatus". You can read all about it at gta2.8bit.co.uk/project.html."

 

Wednesday - June 18, 2003   <11:40 PM CST>

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Capcom, GTA3, and Japan   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
It looks like Japanese gamers will finally get their own version of GTA3, courtesy of Capcom.  Previously Take2 always did all of their Japanese publishing and distribution through Zoo, but according to IGN they've struck a new deal with Capcom.  Check the articles at IGN or Voodoo Extreme for more details.  Thanks to Rev Ted and Insane2757 for the links.

Multiplayer VC   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
Tom sent word that GTA Tournament has been released and should allow you to play multiplayer VC.  You can find out more at www.gtat.org or at www.gta3t.com.  I haven't tested it out myself, but if anyone has, please let me know how it goes.

New VC PC Reviews   <11:30 PM CST - schu>

Thanks to Rev Ted and Andy.

Crazy Sh*t   <11:30 PM CST - schu>
Don't ask just click!  and click again!  Thanks to S3KT0R and Gate.

New GTA Sites   <11:30 PM CST - schu>

  
Announcements   <11:30 PM CST - schu>

  • Dave has created an extremely detailed hidden package walkthrough for Vice City with screenshots of each location along with your location on the map.  Check it out at members.fortunecity.com/munter.
  • Kourosh Behnam recently opened his GTA Farsi site and he is looking for a decent, free, web host that isn't filtered in Iran.  Apparently a lot of the free hosts are filtered in Iran.  If you have any ideas, let me know and I'll relay them on to Kourosh, or just go to his site and send him an email...

  

Thursday - June 12, 2003   <2:40 AM CST>

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GTA: Gaming Army Returns   <2:40 AM CST - schu>
Teknics sent word that GTA: Gaming Army (GTA:GA) is back in action with the help of two new webmasters, roadrunner canada and toumai.  So far they've revised the car award and updated the cars section.  You can find out more about GTA: GA at gta.niteshade.net.

Tommy's Body Double   <2:40 AM CST - schu>
ESC Magazine recently did a very interesting interview with the actor who performed all of Tommy's movements for Vice City's motion capture work.  Thanks to Andy and Reverend Ted for the link

ZModeler For VC   <2:40 AM CST - schu>
Oleg, the author of Zmodeler, has released a DFF filter for VC.  Check out this thread for more information or just go straight to the Zmodeler site.  Thanks to Rolla for the link.

VC Sticker in FHM   <2:40 AM CST - schu>
Jeff sent word that the latest issue of FHM features a five inch Vice City sticker.

New VC PC Reviews   <2:40 AM CST - schu>

  
New GTA Sites   <2:40 AM CST - schu>

   

Friday - June 6, 2003   <3:00 PM CST>

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New Vice City Desktops   <3:00 PM CST - schu>
Rockstar has released a new set of Vice City desktops for your computer.  Check out www.rockstargames.com/vicecity/desktops for all the VC desktops, screensavers, and the WinAmp skin.

The Big PayBack Contest   <3:00 PM CST - schu>
Rockstar has a new contest running for owners of the PC version of Vice City.  To enter the contest you have to submit a replay file in one of two categories including Insane Stunt Jump and Thirty Extraordinary Seconds (details below).  The contest deadline is July 15, 2003 and you must be a US resident to enter.  Prizes include one limited edition Vice City neon sign and one ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB video card.  Winners will also have their replays posted on Rockstar's site.  Check out the contest details below.

CATEGORY 1: INSANE STUNT JUMP
Conspicuously littered with all manner of ramps, planks, and outdoor stairwells – Vice City is an infamous haven for reckless drivers fond of catching vehicular air. Show us your most dazzling and impressive insane stunt jump. The jump we consider to be most amazing wins the prize. Sequences using cheats or mods will be disqualified.

CATEGORY 2: THIRTY EXTRAORDINARY SECONDS
In a world this alive, expansive and interactive – anything can happen. Show us thirty extraordinary seconds of your life in Vice City. Whether on foot or in a car, plane or boat. Executing an intense gameplay mission with unique pizzazz – or free roaming and exploring the island on your day off, having a bit of fun with the city’s people, places and things. The world is yours… show us what you can do. We will be judging based on creativity as well as sheer entertainment value.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Begin playing Vice City. To save and view a replay of the last thirty seconds of gameplay, press the F1 key on your keyboard. To only save your replay without viewing it, press F2.

Replay files are saved in the folder “My Documents\GTA Vice City User Files” by default. Locate the file named “replay.rep”. Keep in mind that you can only save one replay at a time in-game – to save multiple replays, manually rename the file so it is not overwritten by the game. If you do rename your replay files, remember to not change the file extension (.rep).

Once you have a replay you are happy with, fill out form below and click the browse button to find your file and submit it to us through your web browser. Entries submitted without fully completing the rest of the form will not be accepted. Please see the official contest rules below.

More information can be found at www.rockstargames.com/vicecity/pc/contest.

DMA Rides Again   <3:00 PM CST - schu>
As many of you may or may not know, Rockstar North was not always known as Rockstar North.  Until recently they were known as DMA Design.  DMA is most well known for the Lemmings series of games, and of course GTA, which they originally released back in 1997 under the BMG/ASC label.  Over the years some of the original DMAers left the team, including DMA founder, Dave Jones.  Recently Dave has been bringing some of the original team members back into the fold under his new development house Real Time Worlds and until now it didn't look like they were going to revisit the genre of games that GTA spawned.  You can read more about the announcement over at Gamespot, or check out the original press release below:

Games Industry Veterans Joins Forces In Scottish Company
Creators of multi-million selling hits join forces to create the next big franchise

June 5th. Three high profile veterans of the computer games industry are joining forces at Real Time Worlds, the Scottish based games development studio.

David Jones, creator of Lemmings and the infamous Grand Theft Auto franchises has joined forces with Ian Hetherington, former Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and founder of Psygnosis, and Tony Harman the former Director of Development and Acquisition at Nintendo of America. The three industry veterans have united to back Jones' latest original concepts and technologies. They are planning to utilise their unique distribution experience to maximize the revenue potential for Real Time Worlds products now in development.

In the 1980's Jones founded the seminal UK developer DMA Design, which created two of the most famous games franchises in the world Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto (GTA). Critically acclaimed upon its release, GTA has became one of the most successful series of games in the world with the original and its sequels selling approximately 20 million copies across multiple platforms. The long-term success of the games has been based, not upon it's notoriety or 'shock' value, but upon the solid and compelling gameplay, created in the original title, which allows players to interact with the game any way they wish -- and have the game respond to their actions -- a feature which is still unique today.

Hetherington founded Psygnosis, one of the UK's first videogames publishers, responsible for games such as Wipeout and Destruction Derby. In May 1993, the company was bought by Sony and Hetherington became the managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe creators of the PlayStation development environment and was responsible for the portfolio of launch titles which helped the console achieve an 80% market share.

Together, Jones and Hetherington were responsible for the 'Lemmings' series of games. Lemmings achieved enormous international success, selling over 20 million copies across more than 20 different formats.

They are joined at Real Time Worlds by Commercial Director, Tony Harman, former director of development and acquisition for Nintendo of America. Harman was the executive producer of 'Donkey Kong Country' franchise for Nintendo, which sold over ten million copies worldwide.


"We are not yet talking specifically about our two titles under development, but I will hint that fans of GTA and next-generation racing games will not be disappointed. Having seen literally thousands of games in the past, I was amazed at the unique and ground breaking ideas that are being brought to life at Real Time Worlds," said Hetherington.


"Bringing Ian and Tony on board follows my philosophy of only working with the best," said Jones. "My goal is to create unique global franchises and maximize the revenue potential from those titles. We have put together a hand picked team of 28 developers with a tremendous portfolio of hit games behind them, and now we have a similar pedigree in our management team.


"The Company has created some unique technologies", said Harman. "The emerging on-line gaming market is an area we will be creating some waves in."

Thanks to BB and LBHacker3k.

US Constitution Protects Video Games   <3:00 PM CST - schu>
CNN is reporting that the federal appeals court has ruled in favor of video games stating that games qualify as free speech and are protected under the First Amendment.  The appeal overturns a recent ruling in St Louis County where U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh ruled that computer and video games had "no conveyance of ideas, expression or anything else that could possibly amount to free speech."  Even if you don't have much interest in politics you should at least try and follow this issue because each of these rulings will effect the future of how much control the US government is allowed to hold over video games, which directly affects what games you (if you live in the US) are allowed to buy and play.  Thanks to A.S. for the link.

New VC PC Reviews   <3:00 PM CST - schu>

Thanks to Reverend Ted and Mouse.

New GTA Sites   <3:00 PM CST - schu>

  
Announcements   <3:00 PM CST - schu>

  • EuroGamer has released their review of VC PC written by none other than Mouse.  So why should you read this review above most of the others out there?  Mainly because it was written by Mouse, one of the original GTA webmasters, and long-time GTAer.  He may have even been a member of the "GTA Inner Circle"... anyone else remember that bullshit?  I still have my official membership card.
  • UNRUHEHERD, creator of the GTA2 map "weltstadt", has been running his own online radio show for the GTA series for the last 10 months.  You can check out the show at www.paperjam.de.vu .  Just click on Aktuelle Show and then pick a download site and show on the right side of the page (the gta-action mirror worked best for me).  The show and the page are both in German.  The music used in the show is mostly hip-hop from various artists around the world.

  

Monday - June 2, 2003   <11:00 PM CST>

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New VC PC Reviews   <11:00 PM CST - schu>

   
Crazy Sh*t   <11:00 PM CST - schu>
I actually linked to this awhile back, but it was removed from its original location.  Don't ask, just click!  Thanks SavageSatan for the new link.  This sketch originally appeared on Chappelle's Show.

Announcements   <11:00 PM CST - schu>

  • VCPC was named IGN's game of the month for May.  Read more about it at IGN.  Thanks to Richard for the link.
  • Richard sent in a link to IGN's take on the GTA/XBox issue.  It's basically more of the same but it does look more and more likely that we'll see GTA on XBox.  Hopefully it will actually happen this time around.

  
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