DO NOT BE A CONSOLE FANBOY IN THIS TOPIC. YOU ARE SUBJECT TO A LOW IQ IF YOU DO. DON'T FLAME ALSO!
• Technology:
RAGE Engine:
Rockstar have confirmed that they will be planning on using their new 'RAGE' engine to power up their latest installment of Grand Theft Auto, A preview of this engine can be seen in Rockstar's latest game 'Rockstar presents table tennis' and if these graphics are anything to go by fans will not be disappointed in the next generation of Grand Theft Auto.
RAGE, short for Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, is a custom-developed visual engine that excels at rendering elaborate animations, particularly cloth texture. This is already evident in Table Tennis, as the clothing of the player’s swishes and sways realistically with their movements.
Rockstar's main use for the RAGE engine is to increase the look realism throughout the city. From the menial things such as the way smoke flows from chimneys in the direction of the wind, to the way the pedestrians move about and react to each other in the hustle and bustle of the streets.
With the use of the RAGE engine Rockstar are able to add many things to the game and add unprecedented level of realism and interactivity throughout the game.
• New sunlight and weather effects which give the city a whole different appearance as the time of day progresses.
• 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.
• Normal (bump) maps will provide much more detail in models than the underlying polygons, as well as giving materials more texture and depth.
• Road and building textures are more varied than in previous GTA's. On some roads you will find potholes, metal plates (etc) where the road has been dug up.
• Modern pixel shaders give water, glass, cars, etc.. more realistic reflections and shininess than the earlier games.
• In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear and side-view mirrors.
Euphoria
In a latest issue of an Australian Xbox 360 magazine it had some news about Euphoria and what has been integrated into Grand Theft Auto IV. This will add unique game moments into the game with the way that different characters and objects interact and move around Liberty City. Euphoria is a fully procedural animation package created by Natural Motion. The core technology is the Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) system.
• Variations in the terrain are met with realistic changes in the walking animation.
• Unique game moments. Animations are created on the fly, so each player's experience will be unique. Gamers are no longer subjected to pre-recorded animations. Surroundings are more interactive (bullet holes from gunfire, environment reacting to explosions, etc).
• Characters will react realistically to being hit with gunfire, cars, and melee weapons or fists. Pedestrian reactions are more true-to-life than in previous games.
• Players will be able to push people out of the way, rather than "floating" past them as in older games.
• Falling/thrown characters will react as in real life- They won't simply be limp, lifeless ragdolls.
• Characters (and players?) will be able to hang on to helicopters and trucks, which will swing them around as the vehicle moves.
To find out a bit more of Euphoria, head over here to get a better idea of euphoria. Also a bit more information on the Xbox magazine article can be found here.
• Gameplay Facts :
The HUD (Heads Up Display)
* Health is represented by a green semi-circle on the left side of the radar, and a right semi-circle represents armour. You can restore health by resting, by using medical kits, and by eating.
* In an article in the official Xbox magazine in the U.S, it confirmed that car trunks would be a new game feature. When they approached the parked car in Broker from behind, the Admiral that so many publications got to see getting broken into, information prompt came up on the top left side of the screen, indicating to press the left bumper or "LB" button of the Xbox 360 controller in order to open the trunk. This button is the equivalent of the PlayStation controller's "L1" button. Whether this feature will only be used in missions or at anytime during gameplay is yet to be known
* When you commit a crime, and a police officer has spotted you. Your radar will be flashing red and blue. With a circle called "The search area", when you leave this area the police will abort trying to find you. But if you're spotted trying to leave the area within the circle, the circle will move along you for as long as you're still being followed. The more wanted level you'll gain, the larger this "Search Area" becomes. If you’re trying to exit the search area and are spotted by a police officer then the search area will re center it self and you have to try and escape all over again.
* The six-star-wanted level is back.
* The game doesn't mark targets off with a huge arrow above him. How to find the target now is up to you.
* 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. The more "expensive" cars have better GPS systems than poor ones. The high end cars also have GPS systems that actually talk aswell.
* As opposed to the traditional 1 minute = 1 hour system from previous games, in GTA IV, 1 hour is now 2 minutes, but this could likely be changed by Rockstar for the final build.
* Free-aim is available in both drive-by's and foot gunning you can also auto-target like in past GTA's.
* You can pause and select a destination on the full-size map, which is then reflected on the radar. This marks the route out in blue.
Gameplay Involving Niko
* Whether you like it or not girlfriends are returning in GTA 4, hopefully it's used better than San Andreas.
* You can't gain weight, nor can you get yourself muscled. You can alter your look like hairstyle, facial hair and clothing.
* Niko is able to climb ladders, escape ladders, and telephone poles, although it's yet to be confirmed i'm sure you'll be able to climb walls, gates, fences and such like in San Andreas
* Niko is able to swim in GTA 4, so that ends the debate that white characters can't swim in the GTA world tounge.gif.
* Niko can order taxi cabs, and either hit the trip skip button(Y)/(Triangle), or he can just take a look from inside the cab and take the full time to get to his destination. Which features a "Cinematic Camera" like setting. Niko is also able to call up the police as he does in one of the missions that's been revealed.
* A fare meter appears on-screen as soon as Niko enters a cab, and the camera pans around it as it drives.
* In taxis, you can ask the driver to change the radio station by pressing D-pad left or right.
* When Niko purchases clothes, he has to pick them separately from shelves rather than the "Walk-in Closet in Stores" from San Andreas.
* Just like in past GTA's the auto aim feature is returning, Niko is also able to go into manual aim. Lock-on always targets the chest area, but once locked on you can fine tune aiming with the right thumbstick for specific body parts.
* On shooting, the magazine states that: "the cover system borrows elements of Gears of War, and Rainbow Six: Vegas." It also says that "the aiming is a Resident Evil 4, over the shoulder style." The new targeting system was described. There are eight purple segments in the target circle that make up someone's health, which you get when you're locked on - during free aiming you don't get the indicator. The combat rests somewhere between Resident Evil 4 and Gears of War in terms of style, allowing you to roll, find protection and blind-fire from behind cover, police officers and gang members are able to do the same.
* For the new melee-combat system, Rockstar consulted a UFC master of the Israeli special-forces martial art, Krav Maga.
* Tapping up on the D-Pad brings up the phone where you can access text messages, an organizer, multiplayer modes, a camera, and contacts list, which becomes updated automatically as you meet people. Tapping up a second time will bring up the keypad to make calls.
* When selecting your mobile phone, a zoomed-in version of the mobile screen pops up in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, where you can use its address book to pitch for "jobs" with gang contacts among other things.
* Niko can enter the Police Database in any stolen Police car, and search by photo on the LCPD computer, using photos taken on your mobile phone.
* The internet is available for Niko to use in the game also. Niko can use the internet to gain information about contacts or people he needs to kill. their location for example. There will be over 100 fictitious websites that can be accessed via Liberty City's net cafes. One of these is GolderbergLinerAndShyster.com, which helps you with an early mission.
* GTA IV's in-game internet is ridiculously extensive, featuring spoofs of liberal and conservative news sources with coverage of your in-game antics, as well as spoofs popular blogs and websites (craigslist, for example). Irritating pop-up banner ads also make an appearance and Niko can hook up with a wide range of girls via dating websites.
* The 360 EZine reports that time based missions are definitely in the game. It also mentions 'time limited actions.' For example: If a train leaves at 10.00pm and you arrive an 10.01pm, you fail the mission
* Shooting different parts of the body has different impacts (e.g shoot a security guard in the foot at the top of the stairs, and he'll come tumbling down, you may also see gang members trying to crawl away from fire with their last bit of strength)
* Little Jacob (a Caribbean arms dealer) is a good friend of Niko's cousin. When you buy weapons from him (which are kept in his trunk) you can scroll through them like you did in Ammu-Nation in the previous GTA games. The weapons on offer by Little Jacob included a 9mm, a shotgun, an SMG, and a micro SMG also the rocket launcher makes a return (A distinct tube-shaped weapon strapped to the underside of Little Jacob's trunk hatch).
* For those of you who were thinking GTA 4 would go with the realsitic approach and only allow you to carry certain weapons at a time or showing Niko actually carrying the weapons will be slighty dissapointed. Kiklo said in one of their articles that guns would appear magically like past games. "as we're armed with a rocket launcher (which like all weapons collected is magically hidden on Niko's person in good old convenient video game style)."
* In GTA IV you have to develop relationships with other characters. Your relationship with Little Jacob, for example, is maintained through phone calls and loyalty. Developing good relationships with different characters can provide different rewards.
* Building relationships with characters is important. During the preview, Jacob comes to meet you rather than vice versa. This is only possibly once your friendship with Jacob has developed to a certain stage. Relationships can be damaged if you (for example) fail to turn up for meetings. Pool, eating, darts, and bowling are just some of the 'friend' activities possible in GTA IV. The cell phone is used to access these activities.
* The WASTED! system is still intact. If you die, you end up at the nearest hospital (minus your weapons) the next morning.
* Parachutes will not be returning in the game, no more bailing form aircrafts and using the parachute to fall to safety.
* A big head-on crash will cause you to go flying out of the windscreen to serious injury and possibly death: Niko has'nt got time for seatbelts.
* You can resist arrest when getting busted by tapping A/X. This however will reward you an additional wanted star
* When you die, the screen fades to black and white and the camera shifts to a first-person view of your final resting place, it is quite affecting, and again, not a small bit cinematic.
Vehicle Gameplay
* Boats and Helicopters are both confirmed. So, Liberty City's waterways and airway's can both be explored. For a full list of found vehicles head over to GTA4.net to see Suction Testicle Man's brilliant car list.
* Cars have an all-new animation when being "taken", Niko slams the window in. And tries to hotwire the car after. Doesn't take alot longer than the usual "Oh, the keys are in the ignition" animation. There's up to five different animations, but this is the only known one at this time.
* Airplanes are not in the game, Rockstar mentioned it would be pointless having airplanes in Liberty City as it's only one city unlike San Andreas where there were 3 states.
* At this moment in time bicycles have yet to be confirmed.
* Tanks are not returning in GTA 4, no more rampages around the city blowing everything up.
* During the 2nd trailer you can see that Niko shoots at a car and the bullet holes are actually visible on the car (screenshot here), a few seconds later you can see that the window screen on thee car shows the bullet holes and the glass actually cracks when the bullets go through the glass (screenshot here).
* 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. There's also a Chase Cam, Dashboard cam and the traditional bumper camera.
* When drivers in other vehicles pass by with their radio on. You can hear it muffled, and feel the bass off it through vibration.
* Even though flyable airplanes aren’t in the game, Liberty City will still have a Airport named Francis International Airport and yes you guessed it, it's the very same name given to the airport in GTA 3.
* It has been confirmed that the Pay and Spray will be returning this time round but spraying the car will not get rid of your wanted level. Ammunation hasn't been confirmed to be in the game, also Niko has to call arms dealers on his mobile to deliver weapons to a certain location.
* One button press will get you into a car. A second button press is required to start up the car's engine.
* Niko wears a helmet while riding motorcycles and major collisions on motorbikes cause the helmet to fall off. You can see it fall onto the ground.
* You can drop grenades and molotov roostertails out of the car window at high speed.
* You cannot store items/objects inside vehicles.
* Unlike previous GTAs, drive-bys are no longer random. Aim and fire while driving for a more accurate killing spree.
* Cars are not customisable, but you can still save them at safe houses, instead of a garage, Niko's personal garage will be a Parking space in the street outlined by a yellow box, anything parked in this area will be saved until removed.
* Rockstar says that the usual GTA driving controls have been tremendously tweaked and enhanced.
* If cars take on too much damage, the engine may stall, requiring you to escape on foot and Tires will shred apart when they are shot.
* Headlights can be set to full beam or dipped, but they can't be turned off.
* Emergency vehicles respond in real time from their stations around the city. Calling the police can be a handy trick when you need to obtain a police car for a mission - pick one up at the station when no one is around.
* Bulletholes and dirt are permanent on cars.
* When a car alarm is triggered, police units in the area will be aware of it.
Miscellaneous
* Rampages, Unique Jumps and Rhinos MIGHT be cut from the game.
* The GTA4 weather system does not feature seasons, which means there is no snow.
* On December 21st Gametrailers posted a video with an edited version of the third trailer (move up ladies) with some help from Rockstar called 'GT Pop-Block' which can be found here. The video confirmed billiards (pool) will be a minigame in GTA 4. A little later on in the January previews in a few news articles it was also confirmed that Bowling will be a mini game in GTA 4.
* The map is ¾ the size of San Andreas, including desert, country and rural area.
* There's no country side whatsoever.
* Dan Houser also mentioned that Liberty City will become a whole city on the island. Nothing will go to waste on open spaces.
* There's a subway system, covering Broker and Algonquin. You know, the Manhattan Subway System. MSS, crossing over to Brooklyn. There's no other information on this, yet.
* Missions can now be restarted by sending text messages via mobile phone to the correct contacts.
* A feature which seemed as though it would have a permanent absents in the GTA franchise has been introduced for the first time. Auto saving. Instead of having to make your way back to a safehouse after doing a mission, the game now saves automatically after every mission. Now there's no worry about forgetting to save and redoing tough missions. Safehouses are still in the game
* Heavy fire will scar and permanently destroy parts of the environment.
* Dropped weapons and other items have a yellow halo around them, and the mission markers are now yellow arrows floating in the air, pointing at the ground, as opposed to the cylinders we are used to in previous GTAs.
* Interior walls can be greatly damaged, "ripping chunks out of the plaster with gunfire."
