Cover System

Various forms of cover in GTA Vice City; behind cardboard boxes, a bench, and a car.

The ability to take cover in Grand Theft Auto, known henceforth as the "cover system", has long been a feature since the first game, primarily intended to protect the player from gunfire and injury. Development of the feature was initially slow as functionality of the cover system had only been improved gradually in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Grand Theft Auto IV, however, features a significantly overhauled cover system, serving as a crucial gameplay element.

Description

Pre-GTA IV

In GTA games prior to GTA IV, including top-down games, the player is limited to running behind cars and structures in order to cover from gunfire.

With the introduction of crouching in GTA Vice City, the player can also take cover behind shorter objects (eg. cars, boxes, garbage, desks and benches) that are otherwise useless in GTA III so the player's body is less exposed to gunfire. This is especially advantageous on the PC version where the bullets travel straight to the crosshair and not obstructed by barriers usually experienced when using the console or classic controls. Powerful weapons that can only be targeted in first-person view in the console or classic controls are extremely useful in the PC version, being able to target in third person view. GTA San Andreas added the additional ability to move, roll and dodge while crouching.

The use of cover maneuvers by NPCs is also apparent with hostile police officers in GTA Vice City who crouch behind their cars or benches, as well as selected NPCs in GTA San Andreas that are hostile or friendly.

GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories and GTA Chinatown Wars follow GTA III's cover system, as the player cannot crouch. Similarly, GTA Advance follows the even older cover system employed in early top-down games.

GTA IV

Grand Theft Auto IV and its respective episodes dramatically improved the cover system by allowing the player to hide behind nearly any sufficiently large solid object in a single command and attack while behind cover. Because players will receive more severe injuries from gunfire, and gunfights are made more realistic than previous games, cover is far more necessary when in firefights in GTA IV than in prior games.

When the command to take cover is issued, the player will automatically seek the nearest solid surface for cover, running, rolling, sliding, diving and going from cover to cover; depending on the height of the object, the player will either take cover standing or crouching. Once behind cover, the player can strafe left or right if there is room, hugging close to the cover. At the edge of a cover, the player can fire around, either emerging in plain sight of hostiles to open fire (allowing the player to zoom in on their target) before automatically hiding behind cover, or blind fire (by blindly shooting around or over the source of cover); the former tends to be risky if the player poorly times their attack, as most of their body will be exposed to gunfire; likewise, accuracy is significantly reduced when the player chooses to blind fire, unless they player is able to effectively target weak spots on hostiles (as it is still possible to perform headshots using single blind shots with proper aiming).

Virtually any firearm can be utilized while covering; players can even throw or fire/blind fire projectile weapons and explosives (including the Rocket Launcher and Grenade Launcher) while in cover, protecting themselves from splash damage. It is also important to note that the player will not be able to blind fire using a scoped weapon like the Sniper Rifle, although the player can still fire the weapon while emerging from cover; additionally, the usage of scoped weapons while emerging from cover does not employ scoped first person aiming, allowing the player to use the weapon like any other regular firearm, but renders it less useful when it is necessary to deal with long-range targets. The only weapons that are ineffective while the player is in cover is when the player is unarmed or wielding a melee weapon; in these instances, the player will only be able to perform basic covering moves and will not be able to attack in any way.

It is still possible to resort to the traditional crouch-and-shoot tactic effective in GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas. Similar to GTA San Andreas, the ability to roll dodge is possible in GTA IV when the player aims their weapon (standing or crouching) by moving left or right and issuing the jump command.

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  Various basic moves while in cover in GTA IV. The cover system allows the player to cling behind nearly any solid object (upper right), minimizing the player's injuries from gunfire. The player can then emerge from cover, aim and shoot (lower right), and take cover again. Players can also strafe sideways (upper left) or peek from cover (lower left).

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  Players can blind fire while at the edge of their cover, providing suppressing fire. However, accuracy is significantly reduced in this method. Pictured is the player blind firing a Combat Shotgun from the corner of a wall (left), and an Assault Rifle over cover (right).

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  Thrown weapons can also be tossed from cover, as seen here with the player throwing a Molotov cocktail at two homeless people around the entrance to a dilapidated apartment. Thrown weapons are always thrown underarm.

• Error creating thumbnail: File missing

  Players will have little in the way of abilities while taking cover wielding a melee weapon (such as the pictured knife) or being unarmed; players will only be able to move around cover, peek out of cover, or center their camera at a close target. Note also the tree the player takes cover has no corners (acting more like a cylinder column).

• 

  NPCs in GTA IV are also capable of taking cover while unarmed or equipped with a gun, but do not have the capacity to use thrown weapons. Pictured is a hostile NOOSE unit blindfiring with a Pump Action Shotgun.

Trivia

• If the player is blindfiring a shotgun of any type in GTA IV, regardless of the model, the player character will always pump it once before resuming firing.