Announcements <7:30 PM CST - schu>

• GTA World 2000 has a new URL and can now be found at home.beseen.com/technology/gtaworld.  Graham also sent word that this weekend's GTA chat has been canceled.  You can contact Graham via email at gta_hawaii@hotmail.com.
• The Miracle Maker site has been moved off of Angelfire's servers to avoid the BS popup, but you can you can still access the site via the www.miraclemaker.tsx.org URL.
   

Site Updates <7:30 PM CST - schu>
Not much going on today... Still no word from the grandtheftauto.com host, but I'll keep at it.  Oh well, I'm off to play some GTA and then I'm going to set fire to the cars parked in front of my apartment :).

So what does all this mean?  To tell you the truth I really don't know.  G! has pretty much replaced GOURANGA! and was suppose to be the next incarnation of GOURANGA!.  Unfortunately at the time ASC wasn't willing to hand over the grandtheftauto.com domain name and they didn't want to close the site.  So rather than stop updating GOURANGA! I just mirrored the updates from G!.  Ideally I'd like to put a placer page up at grandtheftauto.com to let people know what's happened but I doubt that will be possible.  Anyway, all this just serves to inform that G! now officially stands for GOURANGA! (believe it or not couldn't officially say this until now :) ).

To close this eulogy, here is a little background.  I opened GOURANGA! in 1997 on my student account and at the time its main competition was a site named GTA UK Style.  Actually GTA UK Style sort of got me into this because they didn't update regularly so I decided to open my own site.  Later I joined up with ASC Games and created the bastardized/corporate GOURANGA! but I have to admit that the ASC Games did a good job getting a lot of GTA fans online.  In August I broke away from ASC and reworked the site once again in the form of G!.  At its height GOURANGA! was at the 3.5 million hit mark but typically it hovered around 2.5 million.  Even in its final days it was still bringing in well over 1 million hits per month.  Personally I plan on sticking with GTA until the bitter end and as some of you may recall, the scene has "died" on a few occasions and always seems to make a come back.  I prefer to say the scene is hibernating :) (maybe I'm just in denial).  Lets just hope GTA3D has the same spark that GTA did, and some decent multiplayer wouldn't hurt either :).

Announcements <8:40 PM CST - schu>

• I forgot to add Johan's email address to the update yesterday on his GTA E-zine.  If you wish to help out with the zine, contact him at gtacmc@crosswinds.net.
• theshit has revamped the design of his GTA site, GODofGTA.

  
Project News <8:40 PM CST - schu>

• GTA Hawaii
  Bramus sent word that the GTA Hawaii Project site has been launched.  You can check it out at www.gta-hawaii.f2s.com.

Warped Now Hosting <8:00 PM CST - schu>
Warped aka GTA Plus now features website hosting with the following features:

• Unlimited web space
• Unlimited ftp space
• subdomain ( yourname.gtaplus.com )
• Email ( yourname@gtaplus.com )
• Fast T3 servers
• Cgi, php3, perl, mySQL, asp, frontpage extensions etc.

The cost of hosting is rather low, in fact its free and you are only asked to post a banner and two buttons on  your site in return for the hosting.

In other news, Warped is also looking for someone to help with news updates, check out www.gtaplus.com/jobs.htm for details.

GTA E-Zine <8:00 PM CST - schu>
Johan is preparing to set up an online GTA zine and he is looking for people to help run it.  Check out his announcement below:

"Interested in helping a new e-zine?

I'm starting GTA Custom Message Center - a zine for all our favorite game. I'll update it once a month, but later I'll try to update the site once a week.

I need sponsors, folk who's great at writing stuff about GTA and GTA2, folk who's ambition is to keep the GTA spirit alive, and at last but not at least folk who has news that may interest a broader GTA circle. The 3 best news will be put straight at the cover with a link directly to the corresponding site !!!
 

The goal with the zine?

• Read about GTA / GTA 2 and related stuff
• Download GTA / GTA 2 prefabs, cars, missions and maps
• Download and play GTA clones online
• Post tips & tricks
• Tell friends about your experience with GTA / GTA2
• Competitions
• Surprises
• Much much more.

and the address: www.board.to/cmc."

 
Violence In Video Games <8:00 PM CST - schu>
More on the violence in video games issue over at IGN if you care to read the article.

FreeBE <8:00 PM CST - schu>
I realize that this isn't quite GTA related, however there are a lot of GTA fans out there into OSes other than those created by Bill Gate's monopoly machine.  BeOS is one of these and its now completely free for personal use.  You can pick it up www.be.com/products/freebeos.

GTA Community Site Moves Forward <11:00 PM CST - schu>
pid has verified that the GTA Community Site is a sure thing, check out the full update:

"The community site is going ahead for sure. The first thing I'm gonna ask you all is: 

Are there any webmasters that would like to move their site to a new home? ALL sites big and small, good and bad are welcome to move in. However, space is limited, so what I'm gonna do is put only your first page up, and the rest of your site would remain under your current host.

And now for people who don't own a site: The GTA Community Site has a script that will generate a page for you.

Things it can do:

• Add Images
• Text
• Links
• Background
• Guestbook
• Message Board
• Counter
• Chat Room

There are many limitations, but it is not meant to be a full home page generator.  More like a fancy message board.  People or groups working on projects will post info on their page, their actions, and so on.  ANYBODY can click the "New Page" button and get a page, but if you want a whole page you must request it.

Content of the community site:
Many message boards, chat rooms, all for different topics
news & info about all hosted sites ..more to come once completed

How to help?
You got a site? Want it in the community site? then email me!
 

That's all for now, please direct all questions to my email..."

  
Community News <11:00 PM CST - schu>

• GTA Tanks
  "I've just finished a new section to my website, the Crane Index. It is a complete list of what you get at the docks/crusher in for every car in the GTA series. There are loads of other little additions to the site as well, including a new tank in San Andreas."

• AskGTA
  "1. The Site Has Had A Small Re-Vamp Due To Technical Reasons.
   
  2. I Have Added An Extensive Links Page With Well Over 100 Links And It's Still Under Construction.
   
  3. I Am Now Averaging 20 Hits A Day - Not Bad For An Under Construction Site.
   
  Note: 
  For All Those People Who keep Saying "It's A Bit Late To Open A GTA Site", Well It's Not Just GTA, It's GTA London, GTA 2 And GTA 3D - So Stop Criticizing."

 
Project News <11:00 PM CST - schu>

• Loaded! - Wanna Help Test It?
  pid is looking for some help testing his new GTA inspired project, Loaded, and he also sent in some details about the project, check it out:

  "Time for are few detailed details, don't you think?

  What is it exactly?
  Loaded is a gta / 2 website, but is also a game. I am not going to tell you what the content will be, but I will say it is VERY original, never, ever, seen before.  Hell, you don't even have to be a GTA fan, and you will like it. 

  There will be a lot of large files, far to big for your modem, or other connection to load.  So, you will need to download a few files first. 

  The main files will be on your HD, those files will be connected to the ones on the web making it truly interactive.  I think the first download is gonna be bout 5mb, so not too bad.

  When can we get it?
  Ummm, don't ask me, I only made it...

  There is a slight problem.  If the situation was normal, I'd say in about 1 month, but I am out of Britain right now, so I can't say...

  Beta Testers:
  schu has already kindly agreed to be one, but I need, say, 2 more - if you think you got what it takes, you can email me."

• GTA OZ - Coming Very Soon!
  Byron reports that GTA Oz is entering the final stretch and should be released "soon."  Check out his update below:

  "Don't you just love school...Between it and XCommand it's slowing the project right down... But don't worry - nearly all the single player missions are written! Just gotta change the co-ords for multiplayer and we'll have a green light. =) As for a release... 'Soon'. (I've had enough of promising target release dates which never become a reality)"

• GTA Hawaii - Back In Action & Looking For Help
  Bramus is reporting that he and Graham are reviving GTA Hawaii:

  "Yes, that's right, the GTA Hawaii project is back under development!  The website will be up by the end of this weekend and can be found @ www.gta-hawaii.f2s.com.  Graham is still the leader of the project (no, this is no rip-off, we have his approval).  The project now has two map makers: Bramus! (me) and Goldfish, but we are still looking for some decent mission.ini programmers and a sound maker.  Also, someone who would like to help making new textures and cars would come in very handy. 
  
  To contact us, send email to webmaster@gta-hawaii.f2s.com  and to gta-hawaii@hotmail.com
   

New GTA Sites <11:00 PM CST - schu>

• Tekno GTA
  www.geocities.com/teknogta/

Announcements <4:30 PM CST - schu>

• I've made a slight change to the GTA World 2000 update.  I initially forgot to post Graham's email address.  You can reach him at gta_hawaii@hotmail.com.  I've also added this to the update I posted on Wednesday.
   

Project News <4:30 PM CST - schu>

• Loaded - Quick Update
  pid hasn't got the Loaded site up and running yet, but if you check out the ENTER page at www.gta2wipeout.com you can catch a glimpse of the Loaded logo and a "very nice piece of artwork."  In a short while that image will be linked to the Loaded page.  In other news, pid also mentioned that he will have some new stuff for us on the GTA Community Site soon. 
   

Community News <4:30 PM CST - schu>

• Tiffany's Unofficial GTA Shrine
  "Tiffany?"
  "I'm still present!" 
  What's going on in the GTA scene? I mean, GTA2 was so kewl the one time I got to play it, and I thought people would be making things like crazy for it! But it seems as if everyone's turned into Elvis, walked into the street & been offed! Aiee... I've been getting new cars sent to me, but nowhere near as many as before, that's why I haven't really checked into G! for a news update lately, but Hippie Tiff is still alive & kickin'! Head on over to Tiffany's Unofficial Grand Theft Auto Shrine at www.hippietiff.com because I've added at least 25 new GTA1 cars since my last check in to G!

Announcements <11:30 PM CST - schu>

• everything4me has posted a topic on God of GTA's message board asking, "why is the GTA scene dying?"

Community News <11:30 PM CST - schu>

• GTA Tanks
  GTA Tanks passed the 1000 mark today! Just 3 weeks after launch. All the maps and PSX cheats have been up for ages now and I've just 'sound enhanced' the page (woo!). I'll have to go before my ego explodes though :-).

• GTA World 2000
  GTA WORLD 2000, Has total make over!

  New Features:

  • Files are now ready to be downloaded
  • New name (GTA World)
  • Possibly a new host
  • Guest book

Best of all a new live chat!  Starting in April I will host a new chat between 8pm and 8:30. Possibly 9pm. Please e-mail me for new details.

  
New GTA Sites <11:30 PM CST - schu>

• GTA Underground
  GTA Underground is currently looking for someone to help as a news updater.  If you would like to help out you should contact Sub at gtaunderground@post.com or simply reply to his post on Azz' message board

 "Valdez doesn't own the cars on his site. Should any of the original designers object to their cars being elsewhere, I'd be more than happy to remove them."

GTA Community Site <8:50 PM CST - schu>
pid is looking to resurrect the Community Site idea that went dormant when Klamy disappeared, here is pid's update:

"Do you remember Klamy?  Well yes we all do.  But where has he gone?  Anyway, I'm sure he is reading this.

Well he posted something on BBZilla awhile back about a GTA community site.  There was a good reaction so Klamy and I went about the task.  The GTA community site does in fact exist!  Its not finished but it is there.  When Klamy went, construction stopped. Klamy was the brains behind the script which was to generate you your own page within the site. I'm thinking about giving it a go and getting it finished.

For you people who don't know what its all about, well the site was to be a community site where all news, ideas, etc would be focused.  People, groups, etc would be able to get their own page, chat, and message board etc.  It would be a big area for the community to grow in.

Anyway, what do you think?  Well known members of the community are also welcome to email <ccom476073@aol.com> me, I'll be looking for help."

I'm right back in the thick of things, otherwise known as the wonderful land of controversy. OK, deep breath, and away we go.  I contacted Valdez a few mouths ago about resurrecting the old SACI. He never responded. I tried again  a few days ago. Still, no response. So I figure, well, if he cares this much about his site, I'll have to do something about it. I have taken ALL the cars from his site (they're not his - he can't complain) and put them on a new shrine-esque site. The Zaibatsu Automobile Emporium. ZAE. He can whinge all he likes (if he cares) but I just wanted to see all these lovely old motors get some publicity.

Anyways, www.planetmarc.co.uk/zae will be up and running by next weekend, so be prepared. Valdez, the challenge has been set. Resurrect the SACI, or the ZAE may do it for you. 

I can be contacted about this matter @ zae@planetmarc.co.uk 
 

Spacemonkey Signs Off <6:15 PM CST - schu>
Spacemonkey is "retiring" from the scene, but he will still be available at Thinktank for awhile.  Sorry to see you go Spacemonkey... Here is his sign off message:

Well folks we all know the gta scene is dying ,so I think its time I made my retirement,this is good-bye,however I'll still be hanging around,also my gta site <thinktank.niteshade.net> needs someone to run it whilst I'm not around the scene, email me <spacemonkey@niteshade.net> for details, I would also like to thank a few people for there help whilst I've been here, Teknics, Devil, GTA Jedi, Hughesie, Graham, Thug, Acid2000, Black Mechanic, Gunther, Stig, Loki, McGrath'ERZ, Slater, and everyone else that has helped etc,

well folks

bye

;-( 
sPacEmOnKey 
signing off
;-((
 

GTA Plus Warped <6:15 PM CST - schu>
Benjamin sent word that GTA Plus' latest design is up, check it out at www.gtaplus.com
 

Loaded <6:15 PM CST - schu>
pid is creating a new game inspired by GTA.  It is not a clone, but a different type of game entirely.... Check out his announcement:

"I am currently working on a GTA related game, called "Loaded". It  is not, nor is it close to being any kind of GTA clone. It does however follow the general GTA idea.

The game is, in a way, an RPG (role play game) Don't think that, its actually going to be quite fun :o) It is browser based, yes I answer you, the game is made in HTML, Javascript, and such like. This is because A) I don't feel like taking many months to do some hard programming, and B) Actually the main reason, Loaded will be a pure net game.

Players will be able to communicate over a chat system, which is the core idea of the game. The  point of play is to: trade, buy, and by any means "obtain" what you need so that you can defeat others.

Perhaps Loaded will only appeal to the more mature members of the community, but you never know...

Does it sound interesting? YES! Then please email (ccom476073@aol.com) me and speak. Remember, the game is in pretty early development, things that you say now WILL have effect on the final product!

oh, and a note on size. I think perhaps, in all, 30mb is in order, don't worry , you will not be required to download it all at once, bit by bit. +mission packs.

Anyway, that's all your getting to know for now.

Next update soon..."

  
New GTA Sites <6:15 PM CST - schu>

• www.AskGTA.co.uk
  Its not fully up and running just yet but Fish asked that I post a notice of it coming online.
   

Site Updates <6:15 PM CST - schu>
Whew.. Well I'm off to take a nap... I was up for 24 hrs cramming for an exam and I'm about to fall asleep.  I just wanted to get today's update out before I fell asleep.

• TheShit has opened his site, God of GTA, at godofgta.niteshade.net.  A few highlights of the site are the GTA3D section that is still under construction and the beta intro for the GTA3D section.  The site utilizes Flash so you'll need the Flash plugin to see it.
  

     
Project Updates <9:15 PM CST - schu>

• GTA Shut Up & Shoot Q&A
  Johan sent me a list of questions and answers for his GTA clone, GTA: Shut Up & Shoot:
   
  • What resolution / colors will there be?
    320x200x256
     
  • Is it shareware?
    No it is all FREE!!!!
     
  • Can I create my own levels?
    I'll post the NewYork library in a few weeks. Just need to finish the levels.
     
  • Hey is this a shoot'em up or are there missions like in GTA?
    The game is a shoot'em up and is also mission based, not like GTA but you can create missions like

    Go to that area
    Blast all cars
    Avoid blasting that specific car

    Just that easy.

  • Will there be a end-of-level-boss like in ordinary shoot'em ups?
    Yeah right!
     
  • What kind of boss?
    You got my answer in the earlier news: No comments!
     
  • Will there be cops like in GTA?
    You are a cop, you have to get rid of the bastards controlling the city.
     
  • Can I get a demo, now?
    No way! The game isn't finished yet and I think that you want the entire game, eh?
     
  • When will you release the demo?
    Late summer. I can't give a release date right now.

"BBZilla (gta.gameforum.com), The GTA/2 Bulletin Board, is for the second time, inviting everyone to take part in its redesign, This time the competition is under a new name, SkinZilla! The Original BBSkinZ Competition has died due to Klamy who has left us all with questions in our minds (If you out there Klamy, Could you please leave as a word so we know you're fine? We're sorry!)"
 
More information about the competition is at busted.niteshade.net/SkinZilla

  
GTA Tiles 4 U <6:00 PM CST - schu>
Cameron, webmaster over at 360° Software, sent word that his site has a selection of tiles for use in GTA maps, check out his announcement:

"If anybody is interested in making maps with some different tiles, or spicing up their 24 - bit GTA experience, check out 360soft.cjb.net and go to the 360 Downloads section. You will find tiles for all the cities in the original GTA."

  
Community News <6:00 PM CST - schu>

• GTA World
  I have some good news and bad news about my site:

  Good News:

  • New name (GTA World)
  • Added guestbook
  • Also a chat room is coming soon

Bad news:

• Maps and cars are still not ready for downloading. I am fixing it as we speak.  Should be ready very soon.
• I need more files and links! Anyone with a site that would like some advertising send the link to me with a ten world message. And I will do the same!
• I also would like some project info.

Please send any files to gta_hawaii@hotmail.com
Don't forget to visit my site! graham253.tripod.com/gta_site.htm

  
Project News <6:00 PM CST - schu>

• GTA: Shut Up & Shoot
  Johan is all set up at his new job so work is continuing on his GTA clone, GTA: Shut Up & Shoot, here is that latest from Johan:

  So far it looks great, I'm back on with Shut up and shoot, but I cannot finish it quite as fast as I first thought.  Methinks it will be finished this autumn.

  Some of the maps to come:
  

  • New York
    some missions in New York in the early morning.
    1 / 5 levels finished
     
  • Minneapolis/S:t Paul
    Nasty rumble in the Twin Cities.
    0 / 5 levels finished
     
  • Late night Chicago
    Smack 'em hard and smack 'em now!
    0 / 5 levels finished

  
  Other neat features:

  • Gun shop
    Grab a gun for your car
    on the way
     
  • Upgrade center
    Refresh your gun with some neat mods
    on the way
     
  • Garage
    Change cars on the fly
    finished
     
  • Upgrade garage
    How about an upgrade for your car ?!?
    unfinished

  
  Enemies planned:

  • Drone gun
  • Homing missiles
  • Choppers
  • Laser guns
  • Invisible mines
    

  
  Some cars (5 / 13 finished)
  

  • Truck
  • Taxi
  • Sport car
  • Cabriolet
  • Nazi car X-)

  
  No comments, why don't you wait and see for your self !!!!!!!!!!

Waterworld Moves Forward <8:00 PM CST - schu>
Black Mechanic informed me that he has a mission maker for his GTA2 mod, Waterworld.  The MIS maker is none other than Aqutiv.  Check out the Waterworld screens I posted a few days back.

"Ever had car problems? Specifically (?) when it won't crash properly?  Weird bits all over the place? No more with STYed 1.3!!!!

New version has COMPLETE (hopefully) delta editing, eliminating all ugly speckles and wot-not which you may be familiar with in previous delta-editable versions of the Gain Software, Grand Theft Auto 2 utility known as STYed 1.3 (available at all quality websites, and www.i999.freeserve.co.uk)"

New In 1.3:

• Loading and saving now a lot faster - but importing is now slower :(
• Deltas are working 100% correctly. No more speckles or anything :)
• Sound problems are nothing to do with STYed. If you have renamed your style file, make sure you have a the correct .raw and .sdt in gta2\data\audio, if you've renamed wil.sty to something like mine.sty then just copy and rename wil.raw to mine.raw and wil.sdt to mine.sdt and the sound will work right.
• The "Load Tiles?" box no longer appears. Instead, you have a "load cars" and "load cars+tiles" menu options.
• Different options (flags) for the cars can now be edited in "Image Properties".
• Editable doors coming next.

  
GTA OZ Update <4:30 PM CST - schu>
Bryon is still working on the mission.ini which according to him is a real "pain in the ass."  But the key point is that he is still working on it, hopefully well see it released before to long.

Shut Up and Shoot On Hold <4:30 PM CST - schu>
Johan Brodd's GTA clone, GTA - Shut Up and Shoot has been put on hold because of his new job.  After Johan gets settled in we should hear more about his GTA clone and his utils.

"It's great news for Rockstar Games in general and the Grand Theft Auto franchise in particular. We haven't got a GTA game due out for another 18 months, but rest assured it will be something really spectacular. How the game works 'online' is still up in the air, but the expertise of Broadband Studios, as world leaders in next generation multiplayer gaming can only benefit the game. Through aligning ourselves with Broadband we are set to become a major content channel for next generation online gaming."

I found a few other interesting articles on BBS if you are interested.  Both of the articles were on IGN.  The first was on IGN64.IGN.com strangely enough, but it mentions GTA and the second is on PS2.IGN.com and goes more into using BBS to offer downloadable games on future consoles.  Sort of a Pay Per View for consoles I suppose.  Finally, thanks to Dan Houser for the comment.

Waterworld Screenshots <8:20 PM CST - schu>
Black Mechanic has posted some screenshots from the forthcoming WaterWorld mod for GTA2.  The three screens are of the Pyramid of God, a section of the docklands, and the Sunnyside Mental Institute.  I'm not sure if Black Mechanic has found anyone to help him with the MIS files for the project, but if you are interested you should read the earlier update and contact him if you can help.

GTA Thinktank - GTA Chat This Weekend <8:20 PM CST - schu>
spacemonkey informed me that GTA Thinktank is back online after fixing the problems with the news script.  spacemonkey also mentioned a GTA chat session this weekend between 12pm-2pm GMT which is 7am EST.  Here is the official announcement from spacemonkey:

"Well folks gta thinktank is back online, stig managed to fix the news script! :).  There will be a GTA chat on Sunday 12th Between 12pm-2pm GMT. Set your IRC clients to server-irc.eu.dal.net channel-#thegta, or use the java client here.  We require aops and sops please msg me on the channel if you would like to be one, I can be found as mr-drink or da_spacemonkey  :-o "

"Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. announced today that it will combine Rockstar Games, DMA Design and Pixel Broadband Studios into one newly created subsidiary, Broadband Studios, Inc. (BBS)."  

What does this mean for the GTA scene?  Hopefully this will lead to better multiplayer support and match making services on all the future versions of GTA, both console based and PC based, as Ryan Brant (Take-Two CEO) hints at in the release.

"Through the formation of BBS we have combined world class video game development, publishing and marketing assets focused on next-generation console systems, such as the Sony's PlayStation 2,with similarly strong broadband multiplayer gaming and interface technology, to create a pure play on the future of video game technology and distribution."

This also sets the stage for the rumors of the GTA online game that have been swirling about.  The big question in my mind was about the future of DMA Design and Rockstar Games, I soon found the answer.

"It is the Company's intent that Rockstar Games will bring a selection of video game publishing assets to the newly created company. Rockstar will maintain production and marketing offices in New York and London, a development office in Toronto, and a new business development office in San Francisco. In addition, Rockstar will bring its extensive investments in the establishment of a top-level next-generation video game console product line-up to Broadband Studios."

"Grand Theft Auto developer DMA Design, with offices in Dundee and Edinburgh, U.K., will also be contributed to Broadband Studios. Both Rockstar Games and DMA Design will continue to be run by Mr. Sam Houser, who will serve as President of Rockstar Games."

Hopefully this means they won't screw with Rockstar or DMA.  Check out the entire press release and some other articles on the creation of BBS below:

• Press Release
• Avault Article
• FGN Online's Coverage

GXT Editor

• Opening and Saving to GXT and TXT
• Editing
• Searching
• Supports languages

GCI Editing

• Opening
• Saving
• Allows editing of all the fields.

STY Viewing

• Opening/Saving
• Exporting/Importing of Tiles, Sprites and Palettes
• Allows the changing of the palette that the tile/sprite uses. Just double click on the node.

You can pick up the GTA2 File Editor from Stephen's site at gta2fileeditor.webprovider.com.

Site Updates <5:30 PM CST - schu>
If you are interested in games that are similar in nature to GTA then you might want to check out the Loose Cannon previews on Gamespot UK and PC.IGN.com.

I'm working on the missions at the moment. I've got some stuff done, but I'm having problems debugging some code... So, the project is yet again delayed. It's taken me hours and I've only fixed one part of one mission out of 4, and I'm still having problems...

I'll make it up to you and the community though, I'll release some more screens/information this week!

  
1st or 3rd Person? <2:30 PM CST - schu>
Would you like to see the next incarnation of GTA feature a 1st or 3rd person view?  Voice your opinion over on BBZilla in a new thread ILLSPIRIT just started.

GTA Map Shop - Open For Business <2:30 PM CST - schu>
Graham, creator of GTA Hawaii, has opened his new site, the GTA Map Shop.  Here is Graham's announcement:
 

Hey everyone, My site is ready! Please e-mail me at gta_hawaii@hotmail.com with any files, maps, cars links or even project info.  There is also a poll to vote in. Results will be posted in a month.

  
GTA News Correction <2:30 PM CST - schu>
Yesterday I mentioned that you needed an HTML friendly email client in order to subscribe to the GTA News newsletter.  HinGTA informed me that the newsletter actually doesn't require an HTML friendly email client and should display in plain text if you are still using an older client.  Check out the yesterday's update for subscription information.

GTA3D? <4:00 PM CST - schu>
Just a quick follow up to Friday's update about the mystery shots on DMA's job page.  I never got a reply from DMA about the shots, but GTA Zone did.  Petar wrote DMA and Colin was good enough to say that they are "concept artwork from a possible future release."  The name of that "future release"?  No Comment.  The debate on the shots has been raging on BBZilla and on Azz'z Message Board and I'd have to say that so far I agree with Jordan and Ringo that they are probably from a cutscene.  Also of note is the fact that the Subway shot is named subway_render and if you look closely you'll see the Rockstar logo on the wall of the subway.

GTA Miami? <4:00 PM CST - schu>
While we are on the rumor kick I might as well throw this one out as well.  Lee Dowling wrote in because he searched around and found out that www.gta-miami.com was registered to Rockstar Games.  Does this mean we can expect to see an expansion pack like GTA-London?  Who knows...  Then again if you have ever searched through all the URLs that have been registered by Take2 and Rockstar Games you'd see they have more than four hundred of them.

GTA News Is Back <4:00 PM CST - schu>
The GTA News newsletter is back after a short break.  Sven doesn't have enough time to run the newsletter right now so its been handed over to HinGTA.  If you'd like to subscribe to the newsletter just send an email to hingta@ozemail.com.au.  You may want to put something like Subscribe GTA News in the subject line and be sure to include the email address you want the newsletter sent to.  You will also need a HTML friendly email client in order to read the newsletter.

Happy Birthday <4:00 PM CST - schu>
Just a quick shout out to mouse on his Birthday :)

Take2 Germany Redesign <2:30 PM CST - schu>
The German Take2 site has been redesigned and looks awesome.  If you want to check it out you'll need Flash4.

Waterworld Correction <2:30 PM CST - schu>
I made a slight error when I posted the update on Waterworld earlier this week.  I was under the impression that it was a mod for GTA, when in fact its being created for GTA2.  So Black Mechanic needs someone acquainted with the DMA compiler and the .MIS files.  Above all he needs someone who can "write some seriously good missions."  Contact Black Mechanic if you'd like to help out.  If you want, check out the earlier update for some more information.

Site Updates <8:30 PM CST - schu>
Well that's it for today, but that's Thursday for ya :)

See that long straight going from the left to right end of the map ? Dare you say a drag strip... Check out this pic of the Daytona at the far right end of it (after taking off at the west end). "Yeah mate, just taking the car out for a spin"... tee hee hee. Take special notice of the speed on the debugger... ;-)

Oh yeah, forgot to mention... The Daytona slammed into the wall, caused some damage, rebounded, and destroyed a pursuing cop car by smashing it's ass into the coppers front end... =D

And it was still accelerating after I took that screen before it hit the wall, so it's pretty fast, eh. =)

  
Voice Chat @ GTA Elite <6:00 PM CST - schu>
Jada, over at GTA Elite, is launching a voice chat section so you can avoid all that typing.  Here is the update from Jada:

GTA Elite just launched it's very own voice chat.  It's the first of it's kind of any gta site, so we're hoping it gets popular.  It's a good and fun way for members of the GTA community to communicate.  It's not completely finished yet (I was considering more altercations).  Come and check it out.  I'll try to stay in there a lot, to get people accustomed to it.

  
Water World Surfacing - Help Wanted <6:00 PM CST - schu>
Black Mechanic is starting work on a mod under the working title, Waterworld.  He expects to be done with it in a month or so but he has one problem.  The same problem that many map makers face, the lack of mission.ini'ers that are willing to work on projects.  Black Mechanic is hoping that by asking early on and then again when the project is finished he might find someone to help with the mission.ini end of things.  If you have any talent with ini's and a decent imagination, please contact Black Mechanic .  Hopefully I'll have more on Waterworld as things get sorted out.

Site Updates <6:00 PM CST - schu>
Seeing as how updates are pretty slim these days I didn't see much point in breaking this stuff up into different subsections (Community News / Project News / Announcements).  At least Monday was pretty packed :) and with GTA Oz on the way I'm pretty psyched.