Multiplayer: Difference between revisions

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While introduced in the beginning of the series, only certain Grand Theft Auto games have official '''multiplayer features''', and these are often limited in their usage. There have been numerous attempts by teams of fans to create multiplayer gameplay in GTA games, predominantly for those with no multiplayer support to begin with. Some of the modifications created by these teams have been critically acclaimed and have proved very successful.
A '''multiplayer game''' is a game where more than one [[wp:Human|person]] can play at the same time. They are often given seperate game controllers to both play at the same time. Sometimes multiplaying can also be done with two friends on opposite sides of the world via [[wp:Internet|the Internet]]. Multiplayer modes are one of the most wanted features that fans of the [[Grand Theft Auto]] series would like to experience.  


Some of the ''GTA'' games do have multiplayer features officially supported, but not all have them fully implemented, or have smaller variations on the theme. There have however, been numerous attempts by teams of fans who are dedicated to achieving multiplayer gameplay in ''GTA''. Some of the modifications created by these teams have been critically acclaimed and have proved very successful.
== Official ==
=== GTA 1 ===
Multiplayer was originally standard in the [[Personal Computer|PC]] versions of [[Grand Theft Auto 1]], although the process of creating and joining servers requires manual identification of the one's IP address and also those of the playmates. The choices of multiplayer modes in GTA 1 is limited to only two: Cannonball run (a checkpoint race) and the traditional deathmatch. Having been based on GTA 1, the [[Grand Theft Auto: London 1969]] and [[Grand Theft Auto: London 1961]] mission packs employ the same multiplayer mechanisms, but allows the player to play multiplayer games in [[London]], as well as [[Manchester]] for GTA London 1961.


==Official Support==
=== GTA 2 ===
Rockstar did include multiplayer support with the free download release of [[GTA 2]] for the PC and also in the most recent release of GTA 4 for the xbox360, PS3 and PC platforms. There have been hints that official support was going to be implemented in ''[[GTA III]]'', however nothing materialised from it, although snippets of text from the game's GXT language file has some hints of a planned but cancelled multiplayer option. Small implementations have been made in other GTA games and are detailed below.
The processes of creating and joining network games remained unchanged in the PC version of [[Grand Theft Auto 2]], but the game comes with a more user-friendly, Windows-based "GTA2 Manager" to manage and join multiplayer games. GTA 2 features three different multiplayer modes, consisting of the existing deathmatch, as well as "Tag" (players chase one player labeled as "it"; whoever kills "it" becomes "it" in turn, becoming the hunted), and "Points" (where players attempt to rack up as much points or money in the same way they would in single player).


===[[Grand Theft Auto 2|GTA2]]===
=== GTA III ===
The first game to officially support multiplayer modes was the [[PC]] version of GTA 2 which was released as a free download in December 2004.
The PC version of [[Grand Theft Auto III]] was at one point going to contain a multiplayer mode, however Rockstar cancelled this during development. One can view textures related to multiplayer mode menu screens in the file ''models/menu.txd'', using a [[TXD]] viewer. Additionally, strings found in the game's [[GXT]] files suggest some of the modes and options that would have been available. The file ''american.gxt'' contains:


===[[Grand Theft Auto 3|GTA III]]===
It is now known that the PC version of Grand Theft Auto III was at one point going to have a multiplayer mode. However, for whatever reason, it appears that the developers at [[Rockstar North]] (then [[DMA Design]]) decided to stop [[wp:Software Development|developing]] the feature. This is evidenced by the fact that one can view textures related to multiplayer mode menu screens in the file ''models/menu.txd'' which can be opened using a [[TXD]] viewer. Additionally, strings found in the game's [[GXT]] files suggest some of the modes and options that would have been available, shown by this excerpt from the ''american.gxt'' file:
<code>
  FEM_MAP - "Select Map"
  FEM_MAP - "Select Map"
  FEM_MP - "MULTIPLAYER"
  FEM_MP - "MULTIPLAYER"
Line 33: Line 31:
  FEN_TY6 - "Rat Race"
  FEN_TY6 - "Rat Race"
  FEN_TY7 - "Domination"
  FEN_TY7 - "Domination"
</code>


===[[Grand Theft Auto San Andreas|GTA San Andreas]] co-op mode===
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3eoUZ33Tpo A video] showing multiplayer menus left in GTA III is also available.
The [[PS2]] and [[Xbox]] versions of [[GTA San Andreas]] featured a co-op mode, which allowed 2 players to either 'free roam' or go on a 'rampage'. It was limited by the fact that both players had to stay within a reasonable proximity of each other.


=== Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories ===
=== GTA San Andreas co-op mode ===
In 2005, [[Liberty City Stories]] was released on the [[PSP]] and featured a multiplayer mode for up to 6 players through WiFi ad-hoc mode. A total of 7 modes of play were available. In 2006, [[Vice City Stories]] was released on the PSP with the same functionality as its predecessor, though had an additional 3 mods of play available.
{{main|Run-around}}
The [[PS2]] and [[Xbox]] versions of [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]] featured a co-op mode, which allowed 2 players to either 'free roam' or go on a 'rampage'. This feature was limited, in that both players had to stay within close proximity of one another. Also, some weapons, like the [[Sniper Rifle]] and the [[Rocket Launcher]] cannot be used in multiplayer. GTA San Andreas, at one point, in development, was supposed to feature a real multiplayer mode in the PS2 version, but it was dropped for unknown reasons in development.  


=== [[Grand Theft Auto IV|GTA IV]] ===
=== GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories ===
:''Main article: [[Multiplayer in GTA IV]]''
In 2005, [[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]] was released on the [[PSP]] and featured a multiplayer mode for up to 6 players through WiFi ad-hoc mode. A total of 7 modes of play were available. In 2006, [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]] was released on the PSP with the same functionality as its predecessor, and an additional 3 modes of play available.
Ever since Grand Theft Auto 3 was released to the world, gamers have been scrambling to jump into Rockstar's virtual reality of violence and corruption. While a handful of modifications have done a superb job of bringing online crime to the masses, there's always been a lacking presence of multiplayer in the official games themselves. Until now. With [[Grand Theft Auto IV]], Rockstar has finally delivered a fully fleshed-out '''multiplayer''' experience.<sup>[http://www.gta4.net/multiplayer/ 1]</sup>


===GTA Chinatown Wars===
=== GTA IV ===
{{main|Multiplayer in GTA IV}}
 
GTA IV contained the most developed implementation of multiplayer gaming in the GTA series. This has carried over into GTA IV's expansions, The Lost and Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony.
 
=== GTA Chinatown Wars ===
{{main|Multiplayer in GTA Chinatown Wars}}
{{main|Multiplayer in GTA Chinatown Wars}}


==Unofficial Modifications==


=== GTA V - Grand Theft Auto Online ===
{{main|Grand Theft Auto Online}}
'''Grand Theft Auto Online''' is an online multiplayer universe accessible for free through retail copies of [[Grand Theft Auto V]] on the [[Xbox 360]] and [[PlayStation 3]].
GTA Online is a dynamic and constantly growing world, as it will continue to expand as content is added either by Rockstar or GTAO players, thus making it larger than GTA V.
Though it mimics GTA V at first and is accessible through that game, Rockstar are treating it as a standalone, separate entity from GTA V, essentially even saying that they feel GTA V has no multiplayer mode because GTA Online is so separate.
==Unofficial==
===Multi Theft Auto (MTA)===
===Multi Theft Auto (MTA)===
{{main|Multi Theft Auto}}
{{main|Multi Theft Auto}}
Multi Theft Auto was the first attempt made by any team of fans to implement a multiplayer version of Grand Theft Auto 3. It saw its first release February 8, 2003 and quickly gained a large following of eager fans. Development continued through the releases of [[GTA Vice City]] and GTA San Andreas and is still ongoing today. The current release for GTA3 and GTA Vice City is 0.5, while a separate version, 1.1.1R is available for [[GTA San Andreas]].
 
Multi Theft Auto was the first attempt by a team of fans to implement a multiplayer version of Grand Theft Auto III. It saw its first release February 8, 2003 and quickly gained a large following. Development continued through the releases of [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City|GTA Vice City]] and GTA San Andreas, and is still ongoing today. The current release for GTA III and GTA Vice City is 0.5, while a separate version, 1.1.1R is available for [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas|GTA San Andreas]].


===Vice City Multiplayer (VC-MP)===
===Vice City Multiplayer (VC-MP)===
{{main|Vice City Multiplayer}}
{{main|Vice City Multiplayer}}
Vice City Multiplayer started development in April 2005 where it was decided it would be used as a codebase for SA:MP. Once San Andreas was released for the PC much of the team focused on that, while some members continue developing VC:MP. It has so far proved to be quite popular, however SA:MP continues to dominate most of the attention. The current release is v0.3.
 
Vice City Multiplayer started development in April 2005, and was used as a codebase for the later SA:MP. The release of GTA San Andreas led to much of the team focusing on that game, however some members continue developing VC:MP. It has so far proved to be quite popular, however SA:MP continues to dominate most of the attention. The current release is v0.3.


===San Andreas Multiplayer (SA-MP)===
===San Andreas Multiplayer (SA-MP)===
{{main|San Andreas Multiplayer}}
{{main|San Andreas Multiplayer}}
SA:MP started out as VC:MP (described above) in April 2005. Once San Andreas was released on the PC, most of the team turned to development for the game. It has enjoyed a lot of success during public beta tests, as well as in releases. It has a large variety of game modes, the most in any third party multiplayer mod, and also supports custom game modes. The current version is 0.2 which was released by the team on June 20th, 2007.
 
SA:MP started out as VC:MP (described above) in April 2005. Once GTA San Andreas was released on the PC, most of the team turned to development for the game. It has enjoyed a lot of success during public beta tests, as well as in releases. It has a large variety of game modes, the most of any third party multiplayer mod, and also supports custom game modes. The current version is 0.3c, released by the team on 29th December, 2010.


===GTA Tournament (gtaT)===
===GTA Tournament (gtaT)===
{{main|GTA Tournament}}
GTA:Tournament started out in April 2003 with an idea its creator DracoBlue had, of being able to have scriptable servers, support for up to 96 players, and the ability to have thousands of skins and vehicles in the game. It eventually saw releases for Vice City, and later San Andreas. On 29th April 2006, DracoBlue announced that development on the mod would cease. After talks with the SA:MP team, DracoBlue turned to scripting for the mod. SA:MP already had all the feature gta:T had, and taking advantage of SA:MP's scripting abilities, he could implement feature he had intended for his gta:T mod. Development still continues today and is supported by a very large community.


===Attempts by other teams===
GTA:Tournament started out in April 2003, created by "DracoBlue", who envisioned the use of scriptable servers, support for up to 96 players, and the ability to have thousands of skins and vehicles in the game. It eventually saw releases for Vice City, and later San Andreas. On 29th April 2006, DracoBlue announced that development on the mod would cease. After talks with the SA:MP team, DracoBlue turned to scripting for that mod.
Some multiplayer modification have not enjoyed the same success as the major ones mentioned above, this is mostly down to either the loss of interest or lack of people to help code. Part of the reason for their failure may also be down to the immense success had by other mods, which reduces the need for additional implementations.
 
===IV: Multiplayer (IV:MP)===


IV:MP started out on February, 2010 by JeNkSta, starting out as a simple interface on 0.1a, which was released on April 5th, as 0.1a, which featured a non-working Server browser, and needed to manually insert the server's IP. With 0.1a R5, the server browser was fixed, allowing a much more friendly GUI.
Latest release is 0.1 Alpha 2, released on April 9th.


===Attempts by other teams===
[[File:Cops'n'Crooks-GTAIV-shootout.jpg|thumb|GTA IV cops n crooks game mode.]]
'''GTA Rumble'''
'''GTA Rumble'''


GTA Rumble was started in December 2005, and is now assumed to no longer be in development, as it's homepage at gtarumble.co.uk is no longer active. The latest beta release was 0.1c. It had many features including chat, spawning, scoreboards, screenshots, weather/time changing, parachutes and many more.
GTA Rumble was started in December 2005, and is assumed to no longer be in development; its homepage at gtarumble.co.uk is no longer active. The latest beta release was 0.1c. Its features included chat, spawning, scoreboards, screenshots, weather/time changing, and parachutes, among others.


'''SA-2P'''
'''SA-2P'''


SA-2P, or San Andreas 2 Player, was as its name implies, a mod to bring the 2 player co-op mode found in the PS2 and Xbox version of GTA San Andreas to the PC. The main improvement being that the 2 players would play over the Internet, rather than on the same computer. After having started in June 2005, version 0.1 only ever reached 10% progress according to its creator's website, which was last updated in July 2005. No versions were ever released. Its homepage can be found at [http://www.sa-2p.com/ SA-2P.com] where you will also find a few screenshots and videos of the mod in action, as well as a short FAQ.
SA-2P, or San Andreas 2 Player, was, as its name implies, a mod to bring the 2 player co-op mode found in the PS2 and Xbox version of GTA San Andreas to the PC, using online play. After having started in June 2005, version 0.1 only ever reached 10% progress according to its creator's website, which was last updated in July 2005. No versions were ever released. SA-2P's homepage used to be at sa-2p .com but no longer exists ([https://web.archive.org/web/20070216134621/http://www.sa-2p.com:80/ see archive]), and included a few screenshots and videos of the mod in action, as well as a short FAQ.


== External Links ==
== External Links ==
*[http://www.multitheftauto.com Multi Theft Auto]
* General information
*[http://www.vicecitymultiplayer.com ViceCityMultiplayer.com]
** [http://www.gtamodding.com/index.php?title=Multiplayer Multiplayer] on GTA Modding
*[http://www.sa-mp.com SA-MP.com]
** [http://gtamp.com gtamp.com], an overview and guide on multiplayer in the GTA series.
*[http://www.gtat.org gtaT.org]
* Specific user-made mods
[[Category:Multiplayer]]
** [http://www.multitheftauto.com Multi Theft Auto]
** [http://www.vicecitymultiplayer.com ViceCityMultiplayer.com]
** [http://www.sa-mp.com SA-MP.com]
** [http://www.gtat.org gtaT.org]
** [http://www.iv-multiplayer.com IV: Multiplayer]
[[Category:Features in GTA 1]]
[[Category:Features in GTA 2]]
[[Category:Multiplayer| ]]

Latest revision as of 21:38, 18 July 2017

While introduced in the beginning of the series, only certain Grand Theft Auto games have official multiplayer features, and these are often limited in their usage. There have been numerous attempts by teams of fans to create multiplayer gameplay in GTA games, predominantly for those with no multiplayer support to begin with. Some of the modifications created by these teams have been critically acclaimed and have proved very successful.

Official

GTA 1

Multiplayer was originally standard in the PC versions of Grand Theft Auto 1, although the process of creating and joining servers requires manual identification of the one's IP address and also those of the playmates. The choices of multiplayer modes in GTA 1 is limited to only two: Cannonball run (a checkpoint race) and the traditional deathmatch. Having been based on GTA 1, the Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 and Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 mission packs employ the same multiplayer mechanisms, but allows the player to play multiplayer games in London, as well as Manchester for GTA London 1961.

GTA 2

The processes of creating and joining network games remained unchanged in the PC version of Grand Theft Auto 2, but the game comes with a more user-friendly, Windows-based "GTA2 Manager" to manage and join multiplayer games. GTA 2 features three different multiplayer modes, consisting of the existing deathmatch, as well as "Tag" (players chase one player labeled as "it"; whoever kills "it" becomes "it" in turn, becoming the hunted), and "Points" (where players attempt to rack up as much points or money in the same way they would in single player).

GTA III

The PC version of Grand Theft Auto III was at one point going to contain a multiplayer mode, however Rockstar cancelled this during development. One can view textures related to multiplayer mode menu screens in the file models/menu.txd, using a TXD viewer. Additionally, strings found in the game's GXT files suggest some of the modes and options that would have been available. The file american.gxt contains:

FEM_MAP - "Select Map"
FEM_MP - "MULTIPLAYER"
FEN_CON - "Connection"
FEN_GAM - "Find Game"
FEN_GNA - "Game Name:"
FEN_NAM - "Name:"
FEN_NCI - "NOT CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET"
FEN_NET - "Network"
FEN_PLA - "Number of players:"
FEN_PLC - "Player color"
FEN_PLS - "Player settings"
FEN_STA - "START GAME"
FEN_TY0 - "Deathmatch"
FEN_TY1 - "Deathmatch stealth"
FEN_TY2 - "Team Deathmatch"
FEN_TY3 - "Team Deathmatch stealth"
FEN_TY4 - "Stash the cash"
FEN_TY5 - "Capture the Flag"
FEN_TY6 - "Rat Race"
FEN_TY7 - "Domination"

A video showing multiplayer menus left in GTA III is also available.

GTA San Andreas co-op mode

The PS2 and Xbox versions of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas featured a co-op mode, which allowed 2 players to either 'free roam' or go on a 'rampage'. This feature was limited, in that both players had to stay within close proximity of one another. Also, some weapons, like the Sniper Rifle and the Rocket Launcher cannot be used in multiplayer. GTA San Andreas, at one point, in development, was supposed to feature a real multiplayer mode in the PS2 version, but it was dropped for unknown reasons in development.

GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories

In 2005, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories was released on the PSP and featured a multiplayer mode for up to 6 players through WiFi ad-hoc mode. A total of 7 modes of play were available. In 2006, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories was released on the PSP with the same functionality as its predecessor, and an additional 3 modes of play available.

GTA IV

GTA IV contained the most developed implementation of multiplayer gaming in the GTA series. This has carried over into GTA IV's expansions, The Lost and Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony.

GTA Chinatown Wars


GTA V - Grand Theft Auto Online

Grand Theft Auto Online is an online multiplayer universe accessible for free through retail copies of Grand Theft Auto V on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

GTA Online is a dynamic and constantly growing world, as it will continue to expand as content is added either by Rockstar or GTAO players, thus making it larger than GTA V.

Though it mimics GTA V at first and is accessible through that game, Rockstar are treating it as a standalone, separate entity from GTA V, essentially even saying that they feel GTA V has no multiplayer mode because GTA Online is so separate.

Unofficial

Multi Theft Auto (MTA)

Multi Theft Auto was the first attempt by a team of fans to implement a multiplayer version of Grand Theft Auto III. It saw its first release February 8, 2003 and quickly gained a large following. Development continued through the releases of GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas, and is still ongoing today. The current release for GTA III and GTA Vice City is 0.5, while a separate version, 1.1.1R is available for GTA San Andreas.

Vice City Multiplayer (VC-MP)

Vice City Multiplayer started development in April 2005, and was used as a codebase for the later SA:MP. The release of GTA San Andreas led to much of the team focusing on that game, however some members continue developing VC:MP. It has so far proved to be quite popular, however SA:MP continues to dominate most of the attention. The current release is v0.3.

San Andreas Multiplayer (SA-MP)

SA:MP started out as VC:MP (described above) in April 2005. Once GTA San Andreas was released on the PC, most of the team turned to development for the game. It has enjoyed a lot of success during public beta tests, as well as in releases. It has a large variety of game modes, the most of any third party multiplayer mod, and also supports custom game modes. The current version is 0.3c, released by the team on 29th December, 2010.

GTA Tournament (gtaT)

GTA:Tournament started out in April 2003, created by "DracoBlue", who envisioned the use of scriptable servers, support for up to 96 players, and the ability to have thousands of skins and vehicles in the game. It eventually saw releases for Vice City, and later San Andreas. On 29th April 2006, DracoBlue announced that development on the mod would cease. After talks with the SA:MP team, DracoBlue turned to scripting for that mod.

IV: Multiplayer (IV:MP)

IV:MP started out on February, 2010 by JeNkSta, starting out as a simple interface on 0.1a, which was released on April 5th, as 0.1a, which featured a non-working Server browser, and needed to manually insert the server's IP. With 0.1a R5, the server browser was fixed, allowing a much more friendly GUI. Latest release is 0.1 Alpha 2, released on April 9th.

Attempts by other teams

GTA IV cops n crooks game mode.

GTA Rumble

GTA Rumble was started in December 2005, and is assumed to no longer be in development; its homepage at gtarumble.co.uk is no longer active. The latest beta release was 0.1c. Its features included chat, spawning, scoreboards, screenshots, weather/time changing, and parachutes, among others.

SA-2P

SA-2P, or San Andreas 2 Player, was, as its name implies, a mod to bring the 2 player co-op mode found in the PS2 and Xbox version of GTA San Andreas to the PC, using online play. After having started in June 2005, version 0.1 only ever reached 10% progress according to its creator's website, which was last updated in July 2005. No versions were ever released. SA-2P's homepage used to be at sa-2p .com but no longer exists (see archive), and included a few screenshots and videos of the mod in action, as well as a short FAQ.

External Links