GTA: SA (LOTS of info)

[CodaDrummer]

Ok, so here's is a bunch of new information on the newest installment in probablythe best game series of all time, GTA... so here we go... read away...

General Plot

This is the world that San Andreas' main character, Carl Johnson, finds himself coming back to after spending five years in Liberty City. Johnson left his neighborhood in the ghetto of Los Santos after the death of his brother Brian, who died in a tragic accident. Carl's older brother Sweet Johnson blamed him for Brian's death, leading to a period of estrangement that is broken by the sudden passing of his mother.

On returning home for the funeral, Carl finds his biological family and his former gang, the Orange Grove Families, in disarray. Sweet and his sister Kendall are at each other's throats. His former crew - Sweet, long-time family friend Smoke, and Ryder - have fallen from power on the streets, and are now besieged by both rival gang factions and internal quarrels.

Although Carl is reluctant to get dragged back into the street life, fate intervenes when his crew comes under the thumbs of Frank Tenpenr and Eddie Polaski, who are characterized as a "heavy-duty pair of lunatic corrupt policemen on your case." As always, events soon spiral out of control, and Johnson finds himself on a frantic adventure that will take him across the state of San Andreas as he fights to preserve his family, his gang, and his life.

*From the June 2004 Issue of Game Informer, GTAGaming.com*



Enviroment

- GTA: San Andreas will consist of 3 cities; Los Santos (L.A. based), San Fierro (San Francisco based), and Las Venturra (Las Vegas based.)
- Each City will be the same size as Vice City.
- The map will be 4-6 times larger than Vice City's map.
- Parts of the city will be unlocked as you progress through the game.
- Hills will make a return, along with the addition of mountains.
- Large countrysides will be available to travel through.
- The environment will be more intricate and more interactive.
- There will be a desert.
- There will be many unique interiors, restaurants, and even a casino.
- Interiors will be more interactive, and not just detailed save points.
- Quadbikes can be used to race through the vast countrysides.
- Inbreds and degenerates will give you missions in the country.
- The legendary mountain is half a mile tall.
- The countryside will have rolling fields, farms, rivers, forests, deserts, hills and even tumbleweeds.
- The draw distance is now twice as much as Vice City in the urban environments and four times as much in the countryside.
- Los Santos is situated in the lower right part of the San Andreas map.
- Vinewood is San Andreas' version of Hollywood. This ends speculation as to what the sign in the top right of the background here said.

- Textures in the game will consist of both photographed and self-drawn.
- SA will have 16,000 unique textures and buildings.


Artificial Intelligence


- NPCs will think more intelligently and will react if you cause some ruckus around the city.
- With your hired gang members, you can do 4-person drive-bys on your enemies.
- The game will take place in the early 90s.
- Each pedestrian has his own actions and animations based on where they live, and where they are at in the city or the country.

[CodaDrummer]

Misc Info


- New streaming and rendering techniques have been used.
- Graphics engine has been overhauled.
- Radial lighting is being used to create more realistic shadowing.
- Real time reflections will be used on windows, mirrors, and cars.
- Soft-shadow lighting will be used in interior levels.
- Independent models for night and day will be used on everything in the game.
- "Impact Animation" or ragdoll physics will be used. (Think of Hitman 2.)
- You can rob houses.
- You can build and run a casino.
- Characters from the past GTA games will make a return.
- You can recruit gang members.
- You can take up side missions and learn new skills.
- In each mission you will learn something new, like skills.
- Basic tutorials are used during your first missions in the game.
- You can eat, but eating too much will make your character fat. And you will have to go to a gym to get fit. Some missions are not possible when you are overweight (due to your stamina and strength becoming less than normal)
- New animations have been designed.
- Camera angles and the targeting system are being overhauled.
- Swimming is now possible. If you drive into water you can get out the window of your vehicle or you can sink to the bottom with it. If you choose to do this you will have a certain amount of stamina you can build up to lengthen your time underwater.
- It's possible to get a haircut. They do cost money and if you get a bad one people will tell you so. You get your first haircut during the mission "Menace." It's given to you by Old Reece at Reece's Hair Facial Studio. (Pic here)
- The right analog stick will be used to bounce your lowrider around.
- Stealth techniques are being incorporated, and you can hide in shadows to avoid enemies.
- The only loading times in SA will occur when you enter a building.
- Carl Johnson and his gang will be able take over parts of map. Some parts of the map will require the gang, but other parts you can take over yourself. You must mantain your parts of the map or you will lose control of them.
- To control the bicycle, you must press the X button rapidly. Wheelies are possible, but have not yet been explained.
- You can now strafe for cover.
- 35%-50% more polygons than VC.
- As CJ can get fat if you eat too much, he can also get skinny if you don't eat for a few days. He will become weak and his strength will suffer.
- As well as the already mentioned hair, physique and weight customizations, it's also possible customize CJ's driving skills, clothes, possessions, weapons skills, character, relationships and gang.
- The game will contain more mini games. (More info soon)
- If you become stuck in the game it will adjust its difficulty. The adjustments are minimal and barely noticible.
-Dual weild is an ability. In other words, you can carry dual pistols or uzis.
- The countryside outside of the 3 main cities will be incorporated into some missions.
- SA's heads-up display will be similar to VC's/GTA3's.
- The game's programmers have the aim of getting the game run at a constant 30 frames per second. For the most part this happens, but if there are lots of pedestrians and cars on the screen at once there is a mild frame rate dip.
- Distant objects will have less pop-up. Groups of trees will be rendered as one object from far away. When you get closer they will render separately.
- San Andreas' story will be 3 times longer than Vice City's.




Vehicle Information:

- Specialty vehicles can be unlocked.
- You can ride bicycles.
- The vehicle physics engine has changed to improve the handling system and open up other transportation possibilities.
- Cars can now become corroded.
- Cars will become dirty when you drive them through the desert and countrysides, and will need cleaning in the Pay N Spray.
- There's now more than one way to hijack a vehicle. (More details soon)



Vehicle List:
(Only the vehicles from what we've seen in the screenshots)

- Greenwood
- Bicycle
- Linerunner
- Revamped Voodoo
- Lowrider truck
- Blue hatchback
- Police helicopter (Possibly Police Maverick.)
- Black sports car
- Esperanto
- Sentinel
- Pickup w/ barrels on back (Bobcat possibly.)
- Quad motorbike
- Police motorbike
- Tractor





Weapon Information: (Only what we've seen from screenshots.)

- Many new weapons will be added and redesigned.
- You can dual wield pistols, and other weapons.
- The aiming system is completely revamped. When you target someone, green will be displayed if they have full health, yellow at half, and red if they can be killed in another shot.
- You can now lock onto enemies during a fist fight.



Weapons List:

- Uzi 9mm (Basing off VC model.)
- Ingram Mac-10 (Basing off VC model.)
- Colt .45 Pistol (Basing off VC model.)
- Chrome Shotgun (Basing off VC model.)
- Dark colored shotgun (Name/type currently unknown.)
- AK-47 (Mentioned in Australian OPS2 Magazine.)





(More info coming soon)

Carl Johnson (aka CJ): The main character.
Brian Johnson: Carl Johnson's 10 year-old brother who died in an accident.
Sweet Johnson: Another brother of Carl Johnson, who blamed Carl for the death of Brian. Also a member of CJ's gang, the Orange Groove Families'.
Kendl Johnson: Carl Johnson's sister.
Frank Tenpenr and Eddie Polaski: Corrupt policemen who frame Carl Johnson.
Smoke and Ryder: A part of the 'Orange Grove Families' street gang.
The Ballas and The Flats: Rival gangs of the Orange Grove Families.
Cesar: A Latino character who wears an undershirt, baggy pants and has tattoos and a buzzcut.

[CodaDrummer]

Body Physique

Fit = Good food too exercise ratio. Everything is normal.
Fat = Eat too much food with out exercise. Your car goes slower, you run slower, helicopters and planes don't go as high, pedestarians call you a fat bastard.
Skinny = Eat too little food. Low strength and stamina.
Buff = If you exercise in the Gym a whole lot, your charater will get buff. He'll be able to complete certain objectives easier, and take down peds with one punch.
Athletic = Able to run very fast for long distances.

[Custard]

that eating thing is fucked up

[CodaDrummer]

Originally Posted by Custard

that eating thing is fucked up

Yeah, totally man.

I hope it doesn't get in the way of the actual game. Let me compare it too... The Sims... I really don't want to have to feed this guy all the time just so I don't get bogged down during the game because of his lumbering ass.

[CodaDrummer]

This isn't even a game anymore. It's a f-cking crime simulator.