What the developer of Grand Theft Auto IV champions

Brian Crecente

Thursday, April 24, 2008

There isn’t a single element of Grand Theft Auto IV that hasn’t been reworked, re-engineered or re-imagined for this latest take on the franchise, so we asked Rockstar’s vice president of product development, Jeronimo Barrera, to tell us some of his favorite developments. Here they are in his own words:

Graphics: “It’s pretty incredible what we can do with the PS3 and Xbox 360 visually. The world is rendered to an insane level of detail; nothing has been overlooked. To this day, after hundreds of hours playing the game, I still come across some incredible scenery that stuns me how natural and lifelike it looks. One thing that really is amazing is that we’re actually able to evoke emotion from the environment. From back alleys in the dingier parts of Liberty City that are filled with thousands of pieces of unique street furniture (think discarded pallets, garbage, abandoned cars) to the misty nights where the lights of the city take on an almost magical quality. The atmosphere that’s been created is an awesome backdrop to the events the player finds himself in. I recently was playing multiplayer, and there were a few of us in a helicopter trying to escape some crazy event . . . I flew over the top of Algonquin (Manhattan) and we caught the most breathtaking sunrise. The other players all noticed it and started going on about it on the headset so we ended up landing the helicopter on a rooftop to admire the immense vista.”

Animation, physics and artificial intelligence: “Besides having to look great, the gameplay needs to feel great, too. Then there is one more important element: The world needs to behave properly, and this is the first time that I think all three of these elements have come together perfectly to achieve something that is truly unique to games.

“Everything from the smallest details like a character getting nudged by a slow moving car, causing him to stumble as his AI (artificial intelligence) brain fights to keep him upright, to insanely complex physics and AI behavior such as AI characters using the environment for cover during a gunfight where the cover could be destructible and the way they react and seek out help or call the police. It’s all very seamless and believable. We definitely feel we have made incredible leaps forward within this area.”

Cell Phones, text and e-mails: “Just like in the real world, the cell phone will revolutionize the way you go about your day in the virtual world. . . . Getting a call can mean going out with a friend to play a game of pool or getting involved in a serious bank job. Some events mean keeping a list in the phone’s organizer so that you show up on time. Calling up Roman so that he can send one of his drivers to pick you up when you’re in need of a car. Without going into too many spoilers, let’s just say the cell phone is very versatile, and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without one, even in the virtual world.”

Multiplayer: “Although this isn’t the first time we’ve provided a multiplayer option in the GTA series, it is the first time we’re supporting it on home consoles. Our fans have always wanted to have multiplayer on a grand scale, and I think we are going to deliver beyond their wildest expectations. . . . We painstakingly designed what we feel is very much a natural extension of the GTA world. We’ve been careful to make the multiplayer feel as rich and alive as the single player experience. The amount of control to customize and the variety of modes is unmatched.”

- Brian D. Crecente