Grand Theft Auto IV/Features: Difference between revisions

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GTA IV is powered by [[RAGE]] (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine), with a Euphoria, Endorphin physics engine created by NaturalMotion.  The core technology is the Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) system.  This new physics engine gives characters a "central nervous system" allowing more natural, unscripted movements.  It also adds weight to each characters footsteps and causes them to transition depending on their surroundings.  This is apparent when characters walk up and down stairs; instead of moving like the stairs are a flat surface, the stance of the character changes depending on if they are moving up or down.  Characters react realistically to being hit with gunfire, cars, and melee weapons or fists. 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.  Players are also able to push people out of the way, rather than "floating" past them as in older games.
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In kicking off a [[GTA IV Era|new era]] in the Grand Theft Auto series, GTA IV is quite distant from its predecessors in many aspects of gameplay, most notably its physics and visual detail. The changes that usher in the newest GTA are described below.


New sunlight and weather effects 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 also benefit from this effect when helicopters kick up debris. In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear- and side-view mirrors.
== Game Mechanics==
[[Grand Theft Auto IV]] is powered by Rockstar's own [[Rockstar Advanced Game Engine|RAGE]] game engine, along with the [[:wp:Euphoria (software)|Euphoria]] run-time animation engine developed by [[:wp:NaturalMotion|NaturalMotion]]. Euphoria uses a procedural animation technology called Dynamic Motion Synthesis instead of pre-recorded animations to facilitate player motion, allowing more natural, unscripted movements. DMS animates fully interactive 3D characters "on the fly" through real-time simulations of human motor functions, giving each character a "central nervous system." NPCs exhibit different actions and reactions in every scene, so each player's experience is unique and, as a result, more realistic.<ref>"Euphoria (software)". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphoria_%28software%29</ref><ref>"NaturalMotion". Wikipedia, the free encylopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NaturalMotion</ref>


Animations are created on the fly, so each player's experience will be unique. Gamers are no longer subjected to prerecorded animations.
Characters can cleanly dodge punches, limp away with gunshot wounds, and even get ejected through their vehicle's windshield, all in fluid motions with subtle transitions. Explosions send people flying further than ever before. There is also a new damage system that assesses cosmetic damage to vehicles and objects in the environment through more accurate measures of the force and location of impact. The game uses [[:wp:Image Metrics|Image Metrics]] middleware for facial expressions and lip-synching.


Although the size of the map is no bigger than [[San Andreas]], the detail of the city has been enriched to a unique depth. There is no open space, and every inch of the city tells a story.
The bump maps used to generate landscape topography are much more detailed than in previous GTA eras, allowing the contours of the gamespace to have more texture and depth. Also, the relative speed of in-game [[time]] is decreased. Every two seconds of play represents one minute of in-game time, so the time it takes to complete a full day is doubled from that of the [[GTA III Era|GTA III era]], from 24 minutes to approximately 48 minutes. Load times during exterior-interior transitions in GTA IV have also been removed, adding significantly to the continuity of the game.


Normal (bump) maps 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 GTAs. On some roads you will find potholes or metal plates where the road has been dug up. Modern pixel shaders give water, glass, cars, etc., more realistic reflections and shininess than the earlier games.
==Graphics==
GTA IV's graphics largely benefit from the high-definition capability of the seventh-generation consoles it runs on and the new game engine. New sunlight and weather effects give the environment a vividly realistic appearance as the time of day progresses. Volumetric lighting effects allow sunshine to stream into dusty interiors and fog to darken distant horizons. Modern pixel shaders reflect light in the body panels of clean cars and the glass windows of skyscrapers, and water appears staggeringly wet.


When it comes to game-mechanics, GTA IV has little in common with San Andreas.  Many of the silly, unrealistic weapons have been sacrificed for the sake of realism.  Players are not be able to mow down cars with the Minigun or the Radar-guided Missile Launcher anymore.
Road and building textures are also more varied than in previous GTAs. Potholes, sewer plates, tar patches, and cracks in the asphalt are highly visible, and no two [[Burger Shot]] exteriors are the same.


Airplanes have been sacrificed as well, which makes sense as there is only one airport; however, aerial transport is still found in the shape of [[Annihilator|helicopters]]. The lack of airplanes is also rumored to be because of Rockstar not wanting a reenactment of the events of 9/11 in the game, as GTAIV takes place in a recreation of New York.  The driving model has also been strongly tweaked, giving a very strong sense of realism.  Cars no longer feel as if they are gliding on rails.  Every shake of the steering wheel or bump in the road now has very realistic feedback. Moreover, players do not find the odd, plaid parachute anymore.
==Content==
Many fans criticized Rockstar for the omission of many features from GTA IV that made [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|GTA San Andreas]] so much fun to play.<ref>The streets hit back: a review of Grand Theft Auto IV. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2008/05/gta-4-review.ars</ref> Most of the complaints were about the removal of RPG-like features and customizable elements that were present in GTA San Andreas, such as building muscle or becoming fat; the variety of clothing and tattoos to wear; the modification of cars; and many of the more amusing gameplay elements like the jetpack, parachutes, highly destructive weapons, planes, bicycles, and impractical vehicles. Other gamers commended Rockstar for adding realism, saying the believability benefits the game and enables more focus on the story.<ref>Xbox Review: Grand Theft Auto IV - Official Xbox 360 Magazine. http://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=3993</ref>


The new cover system, which gives Niko the ability to duck behind walls, cars and barrels, is almost completely taken from the cover system featured in Gears of War, but then they say "if you copy, copy from the best". It makes firefights much more realistic and dramatic than the "duck and run" tactics that CJ, the protagonist of the previous [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]], had to rely on.
The following are some of the changes in content from previous games:
*The size of the map is only about one-sixth the size of [[San Andreas in GTA III Era|San Andreas]], but the scale is no different, and the smaller worldspace is detailed to a greater depth. There is very little "wasted" space, and every inch of the city tells a story.<ref>Grand Theft Auto IV - Overview: Platforms, Features, Release Dates. http://www.gta4.net/overview/index.php</ref>


Unlike in the previous Grand Theft Auto's, the speed of the car depends on how much pressure you apply on the acceleration buttons. Instead of just simply holding down a button and the car fully accelerates, the car's have a more realistic transmission and up shift and down shift in sync. So the car shifts accordingly to rpms. Also the car automatically shifts at according rpm speeds. The cars will shift depending on how much pressure you apply to the acceleration button. You can now rev your car's engine by holding down the handbrake button and accelerating. Engine sounds depend on the rpm your at, instead of just having the basic accel sound and de-accel sound, the engine sound will match the rpm. Burnouts are more realistic as smoke builds up the longer you burnout. If you burn out for too long, the tires will pop from the heat. You can control the lights. And when you turn the cars suspension lifts depending on what side you turn and how hard you turn. Just like in the real world, if you crash into a car's back at the right speed, the tank will explode and the car will catch fire. Now if you flip over in a vehicle, it will no long catch on fire. If you damage your engine just enough, the car will keep on over turning and wont start up.
*Player-operable airplanes have been omitted, yet helicopters still exist.
 
*A new [[Cover System]] gives the player the ability to hide behind any wall, car, or sufficiently large object.
 
*[[Police Bribes]] have been removed from gameplay.
 
*The player's [[Mobile Phone|phone]] has become an integral part of the game; many missions and friendships rely on its use, and it enables many other gameplay features, including the use of [[Cheats in GTA IV|cheats]].
 
*[[Mod Garages|Vehicle customization]] like that seen in San Andreas has been omitted. Players can no longer buy upgrades and accessories for their cars in mod garages.
 
*An in-game [[GPS]] guides the player turn-by-turn to mission destinations or selected waypoints by highlighting the shortest legal route on the mini-map and, in some cars, playing a voice recording.
 
*There is no way to physically change the player character's body shape by eating too much or working out at a gymnasium. Similarly, the player can no longer change hairstyles at a barber shop or get tattoos at a tattoo parlor.
 
*Vehicles are stolen more realistically; when the player takes an unoccupied vehicle, Niko must smash a window to unlock the door and then [[Hotwiring|hotwire]] it on the inside to get it running.
 
*Diving below the surface of water, and consequently, the underwater landscape, is no longer available.
 
*The player can hail a [[taxi]] and get a ride to selected destinations, for a fee.
 
*When the player mounts a motorcycle, a helmet appears on Niko's head.
 
 
==References==
<references/>


[[Category:GTA IV]]
[[Category:GTA IV]]

Latest revision as of 14:36, 27 July 2012

In kicking off a new era in the Grand Theft Auto series, GTA IV is quite distant from its predecessors in many aspects of gameplay, most notably its physics and visual detail. The changes that usher in the newest GTA are described below.

Game Mechanics

Grand Theft Auto IV is powered by Rockstar's own RAGE game engine, along with the Euphoria run-time animation engine developed by NaturalMotion. Euphoria uses a procedural animation technology called Dynamic Motion Synthesis instead of pre-recorded animations to facilitate player motion, allowing more natural, unscripted movements. DMS animates fully interactive 3D characters "on the fly" through real-time simulations of human motor functions, giving each character a "central nervous system." NPCs exhibit different actions and reactions in every scene, so each player's experience is unique and, as a result, more realistic.[1][2]

Characters can cleanly dodge punches, limp away with gunshot wounds, and even get ejected through their vehicle's windshield, all in fluid motions with subtle transitions. Explosions send people flying further than ever before. There is also a new damage system that assesses cosmetic damage to vehicles and objects in the environment through more accurate measures of the force and location of impact. The game uses Image Metrics middleware for facial expressions and lip-synching.

The bump maps used to generate landscape topography are much more detailed than in previous GTA eras, allowing the contours of the gamespace to have more texture and depth. Also, the relative speed of in-game time is decreased. Every two seconds of play represents one minute of in-game time, so the time it takes to complete a full day is doubled from that of the GTA III era, from 24 minutes to approximately 48 minutes. Load times during exterior-interior transitions in GTA IV have also been removed, adding significantly to the continuity of the game.

Graphics

GTA IV's graphics largely benefit from the high-definition capability of the seventh-generation consoles it runs on and the new game engine. New sunlight and weather effects give the environment a vividly realistic appearance as the time of day progresses. Volumetric lighting effects allow sunshine to stream into dusty interiors and fog to darken distant horizons. Modern pixel shaders reflect light in the body panels of clean cars and the glass windows of skyscrapers, and water appears staggeringly wet.

Road and building textures are also more varied than in previous GTAs. Potholes, sewer plates, tar patches, and cracks in the asphalt are highly visible, and no two Burger Shot exteriors are the same.

Content

Many fans criticized Rockstar for the omission of many features from GTA IV that made GTA San Andreas so much fun to play.[3] Most of the complaints were about the removal of RPG-like features and customizable elements that were present in GTA San Andreas, such as building muscle or becoming fat; the variety of clothing and tattoos to wear; the modification of cars; and many of the more amusing gameplay elements like the jetpack, parachutes, highly destructive weapons, planes, bicycles, and impractical vehicles. Other gamers commended Rockstar for adding realism, saying the believability benefits the game and enables more focus on the story.[4]

The following are some of the changes in content from previous games:

  • The size of the map is only about one-sixth the size of San Andreas, but the scale is no different, and the smaller worldspace is detailed to a greater depth. There is very little "wasted" space, and every inch of the city tells a story.[5]
  • Player-operable airplanes have been omitted, yet helicopters still exist.
  • A new Cover System gives the player the ability to hide behind any wall, car, or sufficiently large object.
  • The player's phone has become an integral part of the game; many missions and friendships rely on its use, and it enables many other gameplay features, including the use of cheats.
  • Vehicle customization like that seen in San Andreas has been omitted. Players can no longer buy upgrades and accessories for their cars in mod garages.
  • An in-game GPS guides the player turn-by-turn to mission destinations or selected waypoints by highlighting the shortest legal route on the mini-map and, in some cars, playing a voice recording.
  • There is no way to physically change the player character's body shape by eating too much or working out at a gymnasium. Similarly, the player can no longer change hairstyles at a barber shop or get tattoos at a tattoo parlor.
  • Vehicles are stolen more realistically; when the player takes an unoccupied vehicle, Niko must smash a window to unlock the door and then hotwire it on the inside to get it running.
  • Diving below the surface of water, and consequently, the underwater landscape, is no longer available.
  • The player can hail a taxi and get a ride to selected destinations, for a fee.
  • When the player mounts a motorcycle, a helmet appears on Niko's head.


References

  1. ↑ "Euphoria (software)". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphoria_%28software%29
  2. ↑ "NaturalMotion". Wikipedia, the free encylopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NaturalMotion
  3. ↑ The streets hit back: a review of Grand Theft Auto IV. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2008/05/gta-4-review.ars
  4. ↑ Xbox Review: Grand Theft Auto IV - Official Xbox 360 Magazine. http://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=3993
  5. ↑ Grand Theft Auto IV - Overview: Platforms, Features, Release Dates. http://www.gta4.net/overview/index.php
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