New GTA4 Preview.

[ktr]

some info:

* The demo which was shown is from the Xbox 360 version of the game. The PlayStation 3 version is still "a week or two behind," according to Rockstar. The build shown is 5 weeks old, and the framerate has improved considerably since the last demo.
* At Star Junction (the GTA IV equivalent of Times Square) there is a theatre show on called T.S Pirate at the Thespian Theatre, and a camera store called Liberty Cameras. On the way to Rotterdam (where Little Jacob is situated) they passed a cocktail bar called "Bahama Mamas."
* Little Jacob is a Jamaican gun dealer from Dukes (the GTA IV equivalent of Queens.) The weapons on offer were $100 a piece.
* The name of each street is displayed at the bottom right of the screen as you enter it. During the demo, Niko passed through the following areas: Presidents City, Chinatown, Lancet, Hatton Gardens, Middle Park East, Lancaster, Ruby Street, Cod Row, Denver Avenue, Exeter Avenue, Northwood, East Holland, Silicon Street, Quartz Street, The Triangle, Easton, Diamond Street and Calcium Street.
* After hailing a taxi, you need to press Y to get in one, although the controls haven't been finalised. You have the option of sitting back and enjoying the ride, using the "trip-skip" option, or paying double the fare to make the driver go twice as fast. Inside the taxi, you can see and talk through to the driver in the front. The camera view changes every 5 seconds - read descriptions of the different camera views here.
* The TW@ Café is located in Algonquin, north of Middle Park (Central Park.) Niko submits a fake résumé/cv to the Goldberg, Ligner & Shyster website, at McReary's request. For the interview he must to goto 44 Emerty Street, The Exchange, Algonquin (visit Kikizo to see dialogue from this mission.)
* There is a yellow light cone representing an objective, which triggers a cutscene when you walk into it.
* Francis McReary wears a black suit and tie, has a moustache and slicked blonde hair with a strong side parting. (dialogue of the conversation with McReary can be found here.) The person who blackmails McReary is at Union Drive East. McReary texts Niko the phone number of the blackmailer, so that he can phone it and identify who is the target. The name of the cell network is "Whiz." A black comet is used for this mission.
* The default camera angle is slightly over to the drivers' side. Different angles are available however. You can move the camera aswell, but if you're not touching it, it will remain at the more central position leaning towards the drivers' side.
* Currently, the total number of wanted stars is 6 - the same as it was in previous Grand Theft Auto games.
* There is a GPS system in the car, and the recommended route shows up in yellow on the radar at the bottom left of the screen.
* You can auto-target as well as manual aim. Niko can take cover behind just about anything, and so can the cops.
* The TW@ Café is located in Algonquin, north of Middle Park (Central Park.) Niko submits a fake résumé/cv to the Goldberg, Ligner & Shyster website, at McReary's request.
* It also revealed that Goldberg's (the shady lawyer) first name is Tom.


A pretty in-dept preview: http://games.kikizo.com/news/200707/115_p01.asp

 

[ktr]

also some more info if you havent kept up on the gta4 news...

Gameplay

* Niko can use a mobile phone to recieve calls and phone his contacts. He can also use it to call taxis and purchase weapons. The options presented on the phone's LCD are Phonebook, Messages, Organizer, and Camera.
* Pedestrians smoke cigarettes, read books and newspapers, drop litter, talk on mobile phones, walk in and out of buildings, and generally act like any normal pedestrian would.
* It is possible to climb and descend telephone poles, and exterior fire escapes.
* There are many different animation sets for breaking into cars. One of these involves Niko smashing the side window with his elbow, climbing into the car, and then hotwiring it.
* Niko is able to manage his funds at ATMs.
* GTA IV features multiplayer, but it's "not a massively multiplayer game," according to Rockstar's creative vice president Dan Houser.
* Cracks exist on a car's windscreen after being shot at. It no longer shatters unrealistically like in previous GTA games.
* It is possible to surf the internet in GTA4 via internet cafés. It is available from any computer in the game, and provides a hub for all sorts of interactivity within Liberty City.
* In GTA IV, you will gain a police wanted level for any crime that you commit, providing there are witnesses present. The police can only chase you if they know where you are, and they need to see you to know where you are, so if you escape the search area marked on the radar without being spotted, your wanted level will disappear.
* Liberty City's taxicabs provide an easy (and legal) way of travelling around the city. Inside the taxi, the camera changes to first-person mode. For convenience, you can "trip-skip" to the destination you choose.

Story & Missions

* The story and mission structure is different from previous GTA games, in that the story can be told in a number of different ways. Rockstar are trying to give people greater freedom and sense of control over their destiny. You now have a lot more choice in what you want to do.
* It is possible to do more than one mission at a time. For example, some missions take place over several days and may involve waiting for phonecalls or attending interviews, and you are free to carry out other business during the waiting period.

Technology

* Grand Theft Auto 4 runs on Rockstar's proprietary next generation game engine, R.A.G.E., allowing for an unprecedented level of realism and interactivity.
o New sunlight and weather effects which give the city a whole different appearance as the time of day progresses.
o Volumetric lighting effects allow sunlight to stream realistically into dusty interiors. Police spotlights will likely benefit from this effect as well when helicopters kick up debris.
o Normal (bump) maps will provide much more detail in models than the underlying polygons, as well as giving materials more texture and depth.
o Road and building textures are more varied than in previous GTAs. On some roads you will find potholes, metal plates (etc) where the road has been dug up.
o Modern pixel shaders give water, glass, cars, etc.. more realistic reflections and shininess than the earlier games.
o In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear and side-view mirrors.
o There are no load times in GTA4, not even during exterior-interior transitions (and vice versa.)
* GTA4 uses euphoria, a fully procedural animation package created by NaturalMotion. Find out more about euphoria at the bottom of this page.
o Variations in the terrain are met with realistic changes in the walking animation.
o Characters will react realisticaly to being hit with gunfire, cars, and melee weapons or fists.
o Players will be able to push people out of the way, rather than "floating" past them as in older games.
o Falling/thrown characters will react as in real life- They won't simply be limp, lifeless ragdolls. Nor will they use a canned "super hero" animation like before.
o Characters (and players?) will be able to hang on to helicopters and trucks, which will swing them around as the vehicle moves.

Miscellaneous

* The camera angle behind the car is closer than it has been in previous GTAs. This allows you to see more detail on the cars, and more of the verticality of the city.
* In terms of scale, GTA IV is about the same size as GTA: San Andreas, but the map size is considerably smaller, since there is no desert or countryside in Liberty City. Liberty City in GTA4 is the biggest city R* have ever created.
* Every street in Liberty City has a street sign with a name on it.

 

[RTW]

That is really depressing and a load of crap.

I thought that they would be doing a new city, not remaking GTA3.

Some friends and I were thinking it would be Chicago/Tokyo/Berlin/Paris.

Apparently Rockstar has run out of new ideas with their development department.

They might as well have just stuck with the GTAut-in-name-here idea. I'm thinking.... GTA:GTA3 Returns

 

[SlipSlice]

That is really depressing and a load of crap.

I thought that they would be doing a new city, not remaking GTA3.

Some friends and I were thinking it would be Chicago/Tokyo/Berlin/Paris.

Apparently Rockstar has run out of new ideas with their development department.

They might as well have just stuck with the GTAut-in-name-here idea. I'm thinking.... GTA:GTA3 Returns

How is that a load of crap? i mean look at all the work they did for people all the extra's that are going to be in this game, i mean its going to be more realistic than any other GTA's thats for sure.
And for the way they named it, maybe they named it for a reason, it may have a good story punchline as to why the game has been posted back in liberty city.
We will see when it comes out i guess though

S1iP

 

[Zero Cool]

Scenery is beautiful

People and Faces are ok

Cars are quite crap, nice and shiny but still look crap somehow

 

[SlipSlice]

Scenery is beautiful

People and Faces are ok

Cars are quite crap, nice and shiny but still look crap somehow

Yea i kinda agree with u onthe cars..but look at them in vice city and san andrea's they aren't the greatest there either.lol
at least they added some shine to this one.

 

[newconroer]

GTA has never been about graphics. And that was good, as more focus was on gameplay.

I'm not surprised that the graphics look dated.

However, way too much photo imaging. It looks like a cheap way to catch up to modern style graphics.

Photo imaging is best left to distance backgrounds that your character cannot travel to, and or very fine non/semi 3d things like signs for a business on a street corner etc.


Hardcore GTA series fans will enjoy it, but I'll constantly feel like I'm playing Max Payne 3 or something.

 

[SlipSlice]

GTA has never been about graphics. And that was good, as more focus was on gameplay.

I'm not surprised that the graphics look dated.

However, way too much photo imaging. It looks like a cheap way to catch up to modern style graphics.

Photo imaging is best left to distance backgrounds that your character cannot travel to, and or very fine non/semi 3d things like signs for a business on a street corner etc.


Hardcore GTA series fans will enjoy it, but I'll constantly feel like I'm playing Max Payne 3 or something.

ur def. right on the photoimaging thing, i mean everything looks like a picture, no depth detail in nothing.

 

[Grings]

That is really depressing and a load of crap.

I thought that they would be doing a new city, not remaking GTA3.

Some friends and I were thinking it would be Chicago/Tokyo/Berlin/Paris.

Apparently Rockstar has run out of new ideas with their development department.

They might as well have just stuck with the GTAut-in-name-here idea. I'm thinking.... GTA:GTA3 Returns

remaking gta3?, a silly point really, did you complain at gta3 because liberty city was in gta1?, fact is liberty city is part of the whole gta 'canon', im thinking this is gonna be good as its the first (3d) gta not limited by a simple 3d engine designed for ps2

 

[Sky]

why yall dissin on the cars =P
dont yall see the Ferrari like vehicle =o

 

[newconroer]

Ya Sky, the Ferrari "like" vehicle


I do get annoyed when I'm standing on a street corner in a game, and everything looks pretty good, then a car rolls by and it's like a box on wheels. Wtf?

So far only R6 Vegas had vehicles that impressed me, for a game that wasn't about racing or race simulation. In the single player mode, I really think I'm standing next to a Dodge Ram pickup truck.

A small novelty, but it helps add to the environment.

And shine. Developers need to tone down the shine. From GTA, to GRAW to NHL 2007, waaay too much shine and reflections on objects.

 

[RTW]

How is that a load of crap? i mean look at all the work they did for people all the extra's that are going to be in this game, i mean its going to be more realistic than any other GTA's thats for sure.
And for the way they named it, maybe they named it for a reason, it may have a good story punchline as to why the game has been posted back in liberty city.
We will see when it comes out i guess though

S1iP

First off, i'm not saying the features are bad, I'm talking about the environment.

I'm just saying that it would have been great to get a different environment. If I wanted the same type of map and environment as GTA3, i'd just play GTA3.
Though, I guess i don't fully know... maybe they will COMPLETELY change the entire map and everything around, but I doubt it because it's easier to "improve" the graphics and the gameplay than create a new map from scratch. (It would explain why GTA4 is slated for October making it about 2 years after GTA: San Andreas, when usually it took about 3 year intervals per game.)


Yes, GTA1 and GTA3 where the same place, but granted one was 2D and the other 3D. Now if they somehow manage to make GTA4 5D or something, then heck, i'd be all over that stuff.

I was hoping to see some different crime syndicates this time... they've been doing Italian stuff for the longest time, they've had some "gangs", Cubans, Haitians, African-Americans, Mexicans.... and I think one of them (GT2?) had Yakuza and Russian? So that was something I was kind of looking forward to with the Tokyo GTA.... or even some other crime syndicate for like Moscow or Hong Kong, i don't know... you get the idea.... just a different environment.

 

[newconroer]

Andreas was junk. It was just another GTA to make some cash, jumping on the urban hip trend going around these days.

Now, a setting in Vegas would be neat.

 

[ktr]

i pretty decent preview of the new gameplay mechanics: http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/previews/124888.shtml

the quick break down...

1) health is recovered with food and drink, waving goodbye to the floating health "hearts" of past.

2) Niko will purchase weapons in trucks, basements and other low-profile areas. Gone are the unrealistic Rocket Launchers left floating in a backyard pool.

3) Niko whistles. A cab pulls up and Niko slides in. The driver punches in the location and a real-time fare meter ticks. Inside the cab, Niko waits. The camera shifts to a cinematic view, providing numerous angles and views of the cab ride with booming radio music emanating from the taxi's stereo. It's all very movie-like. Cabs function differently in GTAIV. Because jacking a car requires a set amount of time to hot wire it started, it's sometimes easier to hail a cab...and a lot less risky, to boot. Plus, Trip Skip is back, so if you want to get Niko somewhere quickly, a cab could be your best bet.

4) Niko needs to get closer to Goldberg, his hit, and a job interview is a great way inside the high-security law firm. First things first, he needs to submit a resume. He enters the cyber cafe, appropriately named TW@, and logs onto the web (a working in-game network that's navigated just like the real internet). On the law firm's website, Niko gives his resume a once-over before uploading it to the site.

5) Each and every street in Liberty City is named, something that's never been done in and GTA game. Locations also have physical, numbered addresses. Time to give McCreary a call. Dialing. Niko explains that he's submitted his resume to the firm, and shortly after, the law firm's receptionist, Karen, calls. She's scheduled Niko for an interview and the appointment is added to Niko's organizer in his phone (Note: Niko didn't have to pick up his phone. He could have ignored Karen and gone about whatever he pleased. This is how the player controls the game's progression).

6) Niko smashes a car window and pops the door open. 1...2...3 seconds and it's running. Must shake the cops, but the new wanted level system isn't going to make it easy. And without cop bribes and no Pay-N-Spray in sight, Niko's going to have to escape the old-fashioned way.

7) The LCPD is no pushover. A search radius appears: a zone that Liberty City cops will keep pursuing Niko while he has an active wanted level. The bigger the crime, the larger the radius. Once Niko loses the cops and exits the circle, his wanted level goes back to normal. The trouble is, officers radio other nearby cops if they spot you, all based on line of sight. That means Niko has to avoid cop icons on his radar. Stationary dots on the radar are cops on foot. Dots with swirls around them are cops in cars. Like a movie chase, it's a constant game of cat and mouse.

8) you can change clothes, but no fancy hair cuts.

and more and more and more...


GTA4 is more realistic to crime (or what crime suppose to be). All it kinda reminds me of Driver... I cannot wait till this game comes out!

 

[Zero Cool]

the guys name is allways funny
like the name CJ, Pamela was called CJ in baywatch -_-

 

[Krafter]

That looks pretty darn cool...The only downfall is that the graphics are a little dated, but as newconroer has already said, gta was never really about graphics...

I like this though lol:
"* It is possible to surf the internet in GTA4 via internet cafés. It is available from any computer in the game, and provides a hub for all sorts of interactivity within Liberty City."
, looks interesting.

Definitely a game to get!

 

[Zero Cool]

I hope it uses mozilla!

 

[ktr]

I hope it uses mozilla!

doubt it, for there is copy rights and bull shit like that.

 

[RTW]

Andreas was junk. It was just another GTA to make some cash, jumping on the urban hip trend going around these days.

Andreas WAS a piece of junk.


I don't think I like the idea of not having weapons all over the place or even no pay-n-sprays....

You can at least purchase Rocket Launchers right?

And yeah, if there is any internet... it would be p.o.s. Explorer.... considering this whole Microsoft business aparently...

 

[Krafter]

I wonder if you can look up pron ........ jk .

 

[ktr]

I wonder if you can look up pron ........ jk .

It seems like you only and surf the virtual WWW, not the real WWW. But things can change, especially with the ps3 version.