Thursday - June 17, 2004   <3:00 AM CST>

New GTA: SA Previews & Information   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
Yet another bulleted list of new and rehashed GTA:SA features:

• You may or may not be able to build and/or run a casino.  Gamespy is reporting that Rockstar has yet to confirm or deny this feature regardless of what is being reported elsewhere.  Casino's will be in there, but the player involvement with them is still any ones' guess.
• Rockstar is still being quoted as saying GTA:SA will be four, five, or even six times bigger then any of the previous games in the GTA series.  They also repeat the report that there will be some sort of mountain in the game and it takes a one minute game time helicopter ride to get to the top.  They also mention that you may be able to ride your bike all the way down.
• Gamespy confirms that GTA:SA will definitely be set in the early 90's
• Graphical improvements include, impact animation, rag doll physics, independent day and night models for extra detail and more realistic lighting, Manhunt style gameplay with different approaches to different missions (stealth, run and gun, etc), and new Manhunt style targeting system with better indication as to how much damage any given target can take (it's beginning to sound like Manhunt was a proving ground to test out some of R*'s ideas for GTA :) ).  GTA:SA might also include real time reflections on cars and other surfaces, realistic shadowing using radial lighting, and six times the draw distance of any of the previous games in the series.
• No load times for outdoor settings, but moving indoors will incur a modest load time.
• New vehicles include bicycles (you're rumored to start the game with a bike) and other off-road vehicles like a quad-runner.  It's also rumored that cops will have the added ability to grab on to your car and we might also see some CHiPs style motorcycle cops joining in on the chase.
• GTA:SA will feature a new and improved driving system that is rumored to net us more control and realism.  Rockstar is all about balancing fun and realism so this should be an improvement rather than a hindrance.
• Swimming will finally make an appearance in GTA allowing you to swim away from any vehicular mishaps.  This should be a welcome addition as long as they don't go nuts with the swimming missions.
• Gang warfare will make up about 15% of GTA:SA's gameplay.
• As mentioned previously you will be able to perform robberies (house robberies and otherwise) but with serious consequences.
• GTA:SA will be adding to VC's ability to change outfits by adding the ability to change hairstyles as well.  If you end up with a bad haircut then you can expect to hear some trash talk from the peds.  This goes along with the fact that peds will react to your appearance with appropriate insults or compliments.  Just like changing clothes in VC, changing hairstyles in SA will help you lower or eliminate your wanted level.
• Once again, you can get fat or fit in GTA:SA, which will directly effect your endurance in the game.
• The peds in GTA:SA are supposed to be smarter this time around.  I know, we've heard this exact same line before, hopefully it's for real this time.
• Music will obviously be a big part of GTA:SA and you can bet that Rockstar's preference for Sony's PS2 will net them access to Sony's music licenses.
• GTA:SA may be packaged on a single, dual-layered DVD to eliminate any disc swapping.
• Check the rest of Gamespy's article for more on GTA:SA's cities, characters, and background info.  The one major note is that Salvatore Leone will make an appearance in GTA:SA but his role in the game is currently unknown.
  
  • Gamespy - GTA: SA - The Story So Far
  • PS2.IGN.com - More GTA:SA Details

Thanks to Craig, Chris, johnson_796, a wags, and AO7K3ywordSTFU,

SA's "In Between Bits" Larger Than Expected   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
How's that for a headline :) ... Anyway, John Davidson's blog has an interesting GTA:SA update on 6/3/04 basically saying that each city in San Andreas has a full fledged suburb, so it's not like you just drive along a few random deserted roads to move from city to city, you actually have to work your way through the suburbs (John is the EOC for OPM:US).  I have no way to confirm this, but it sounds very promising.  Here a direct quote from the blog, just in case the link isn't working correctly:

San Andreas tidbit

Allow me to cleanse the gaming palate with a snippet of Grand Theft Auto news. Enough with this Driv3r nonsense! So... apparently the much-talked-about "in between bits" of San Andreas, which for want of a better word are the game's "suburbs" are each apparently the same size as the cities in GTA3. It's not just a few roads joining Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas together - but instead there are three enormous communities in which you can wreak just as much havoc. Imagine the possibilities... think of Thelma and Louise style cop chases with squads of cop cars chasing you across the desert landscape, or Dukes of Hazard style shenanigans as you try and shake off the law while hurtling through sleepy little towns. Now that I've heard this, and the fact that you can get fat I'm looking forward to the thing even more. My first order of business in October will be to force feed my thug with nothing but junk food until he balloons to astronomical proportions. I'll only allow him to move when absolutely necessary. I want to make him so fat that you'll wonder how he can squeeze his flabby arse inside a car. I shall become notorious in San Andreas for my unrelenting brutality, voluminous buttocks and need for capacious undergarments.

Thanks to Mr. Mechanical for the update.

OPM: UK Scans & More   <3:00 AM CST - schu>

• GTA Scraper and Codename: SA both have a full collection of the OPM UK article scans.  Definitely worth a read.
• GTA Gaming has a great synopsis of the article itself if you don't feel like loading all of those scans.  Once again, this is REQUIRED reading :)
• Also be sure to check Codename: SA for some nice animated gifs based off the original SA shots.

Thanks to Craig and Jasonlives for the update.

Petty Theft Bicycle   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
Comedy Central has a new GTA inspired mini-game promoting their Reno 911 TV series.  Check it out here...  Thanks to Forelli_Boy for the link.

What Is It?   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
Way back when I did an update on an unidentified object in one of the screens.  Chad wrote in recently with one of the best suggestions so far saying it might actually be a 40.  That would certainly go along with the setting, although for a 40 it looks a little on the small side.

Announcements   <3:00 AM CST - schu>
Well I've put in for a different position where I work, so hopefully within a week or so I won't have to travel so much.  As it stands now I spend more time on a plane than I do at home which should explain what the hell is going on.  The promotion I'm going for involves far less traveling and more of a 9 to 5 schedule.  This all ties in with the G! redesign.  I have a few people on board helping with the redesign but I may take on a few more.  If you are interested in helping in one form or another (graphics, programming, useless comments, etc) please let me know (long time GTAers especially welcome).  I'm not sure how many people I'll open it up to, but please let me know if you are interested.  Even if you aren't interested, I welcome any comments on the future of G!.  This redesign should solve a lot of my problems with updating when I'm away from home and the amount of spam and viruses that flood my email accounts every day.  Lastly, please make sure you put GTA somewhere in the subject of your emails so my filters pick it up on the first pass.