GTA IV information-Setting
The game is set in New York City, and to be renamed Liberty City. The new Liberty City is not a direct, block for block, replica, but it resembles a striking resemblance to New York City. It is set somewhere around 2006. The city has 4 of the 5 boroughs of New York and New Jersey:
Bronx --> Bohan
Manhattan --> Algonquin
Queens --> Dukes
Brooklyn --> Broker
New Jersey --> Alderney
The city is smaller than San Andreas but much more detailed with no desert or countryside. Staten Island is not in the game because Rockstar believed it would not be fun there.
Plot
Niko comes to America after receiving word from his cousin, Roman. Roman brags of a lifestyle with 15 sportscars, two beautiful women, and hotubs galour. All this is a lie and nothing Roman claims is true. He is only covering for his own embarassing failure at living the "American Dream".
Niko finds himself in America with Roman as his only contact. Roman is heavily in debt and needs Nikos help. You are lowlife European immagrant, and you must fight for survival in Liberty City.
NOTE: Rockstar claims that you can "choose you destiny". This means that how you play the game and the outcome of your choices affect what happens between Niko and his friends/foes.
Main Character/Characters
Niko Bellic - An Eastern European immigrant in his mid-thirties, who has come to Liberty City to pursue the "American Dream". He is a tough character. Niko IS Russian despite much dispute.
Niko Bellic: Wearer...of the turtle neck...
Roman - Roman is a friendly buffoon. He is heavily in a debt and everyone is after him, so he turns to his cousin for help. He runs a taxi depot in Broker, and it is a floundering business. It seems like Roman's laundry list of problems doesn't have an end in sight.
Jacob - no information right now.
Elizabeta - Female main character of the game. She will become playable halfway through
Gameplay
Pedestrian Interaction
- Peds smoke cigarettes, read books, and carry on conversations. If you point a gun at a certain pedestrian, they will remember you, and run away next time they see you.
- Peds are SOOOO much more different. The skin of a pedestrian may be the same, but their clothes and style is different.
- Bums can be seen warming their hands in a burning trashcan in an alleyway. Hot Dog Venders scream for people to buy their wieners.
- Not only Niko, but all Peds can store items in their trunks.
- You can be mugged by other criminals.
- You can bribe characters.
Police Interaction
- The Police are now more advanced than ever taking after the real world cops of today (NOT!!). Since it is harder to be a criminal in today's world, the police are harder on criminals.
- Cops will sport more than just the nightstick and Colt 45.
- They are more intelligent when it comes to spotting a stolen car. Your broken window will give it away.
Niko
- When Niko runs, his weight can be felt as he turns corners, runs down steps, and jumps. He may so down to take a turn into an alleyway while running.
- Niko can climb many things that are...well...climbable: ladders, fire escapes, poles.
- When walking, Niko automatically dropped his shoulders in order to squeeze past pedestrians walking on the pavement, and his footsteps and sense of balance adjusted to uneven patches of the street, as well as stairs and the rungs on the telegraph pole he climbed.
- Getting nudged by a slow moving car will likely result in an "I'm walkin' here" kind of reaction,whereas getting hit at top speed will see you dragged under the wheels, rolled up and over the bonnet or flung sideways - it all depends on what direction you were facing, the speed of the car, how fast you were walking, and so on.
- Changing Niko's clothes is confirmed.
- Niko now can use the mobile phone. This will be use to make calls to contacts and such. Game Informer describes the new phone as such: "Bellic then pulls out his cellphone, which has options for Phonebook, Messages, Organizer, and Camera on its LCD screen. He selects Phonebook, and he is then presented with another set of options: City Contact, Docks Friend, and Cab Contact."
- Niko CAN swim and his motions are said to be lifelike and amazing.
Liberty City
- It is possible to rob the many stores that make their way into this game.
- The city will be affected of the time of the day.
- Broken beer bottles and trash litter the floor.
- Property Ladder aspects from Vice City and San Andreas DENIED in GTA IV.
- GTA IV map is confirmed to be the same size as San Andreas and probably slightly bigger.
Misc.
- Rampages, Unique Jumps and Rhinos MIGHT be cut from the game.
- As could be expected, gangs are in the game.
- The HUD was a streamlined version which just displays the area of the city you are in (for a second or two) and the weapons you are holding.
- Girlfriends are still included in GTA.
Graphics
- New, fantastic lighting effects will be implemented.
- NO more loading time when entering buildings and such.
- The graphics are so much more detailed than before. Such as, Niko's face and body cannot be changed (ex: getting fatter) because his physique is so greatly detailed.
- The game will feature Rockstar's Advanced Game Engine (RAGE).
- There will be a fair amount of loading before the game since there will never be loading again.
- Euphoria System is implemented into the game, and gaming system that implements the human body and nervous system, doing away with script animations. The character will act how it needs to while performing real life tasks.
Audio
- The soundtrack will be music that fits the theme and mood, not just popular music from the time.
- When walking down the street all sounds blend in with each other - murmured gossip, train sounds, cars music and squealing tires all blend together perfectly.
- East Coast Rap and old school Rock is said to be in the game.
- While driving through in the demo, Kikizo identified the song playing on the radio: Fela Kuti - Sorrow, Tears, and Blood.
- Rockstar North is currently working to implement something new based on the radio system. What it is? We have no idea.
Weapons
Aiming System
- There is an aiming system: the aiming system will hover over his shoulder as he aims. It will use duel analog controls.
- As Niko runs with his gun, the moment he pulls it out to aim, it will hover over his shoulder.
Types of Weapons
- Rockstar says there will be more unrealistic weapons.
Physics of the Weapon System
- Shooting an enemy in the leg might cause them to fall and shooting them in the shoulder might disarm them
- The direction you attack an enemy from might also determine the result of your actions - creep up behind them and you should get an easy headshot, but take them on face to face and they could well flinch or duck out of the way.
- Melee Combat - You should be able to throw people into walls, furniture or even off rooftops so that they flail desperately to grab for the edge of a fire escape as they plummet to their doom.
Vehicles and Transportation
Stealing and Carjacking
- The system of stealing PARKED cars is more complex and involves breaking the window, and hotwiring the engine before you can drive it. While hotwiring, Niko may also become suspicious, taking a moment to glance around, then going back to wiring the car.
- Rockstar promised us that other cars would prove far more difficult to penetrate and that the police would be far savvier when it came to spotting stolen vehicles. Broken windows will get you noticed in Liberty City.
- Four different ways of jacking a vehicle.
How They Will Drive
- The camera angle in a car is closer, to show more of the detail in the car.
- The cars will bend and curve with the weight of the vehicle when turning around a corner and will handle potholes with their suspensions.
- All vehicles have new physics.
- The envioronment when drivng cars is affected.
- You can actually feel a cars bass and sound when you are walking down the street.
- Weather will affect a cars handling.
Misc.
- There will be no planes, but helicopters are included.
- Public transportation takes a bigger role.
- Don't expect the more fantastical elements from past GTA's such as bikes and jetpacks.
- You can leave the ingnition turned on , so that when you leave the car the radio continues playing.
- Helicopters have the ability to land on almost every building.
- You can open the trunk and store items in there.
- The Admiral will be in this game.
What We Think:
- You may be able to use the bus system like you did the train in GTA3.
- Trolleys may be used as transportation.
BMW!
Nice Sports Car - 2006 Volkswagen Golf R GTI
Landmarks
Districts To Be Included
- Central Park will be in the game but it's name is unknown.
- DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is now BOABO (Beneath the Offramp of the Algonquin Bridge Overpass).
- Little China IS in the game.
- There will be an airport in GTA IV.
Misc.
- Every street in the city will have a name. Some street names are Masterson Street, Oakley Street, Tulsa Street, Cisco Street, Delaware Avenue, East Hook, and Rotterdam Hill.
- Hove Beach
Old Meets New
This is a list of stores, advertisements, and and just random things that will be making there way into to IV, that were from past Grand Theft Auto ***les.
Sprunk - A soft drink company that is a parody of Sprite...Sprunk is a slang word for male sperm. San Andreas
Cluckin' Bell - A smash between Taco Bell and KFC obviously, since they are merged into one resteraunt sometimes. San Andreas
Burger Shot - A resteraunt that sells burgers. A burger shot is a picture of the female genitalia. San Andreas
The Liberty Tree - Liberty City's newspaper. III
Logger Beer - Logger Beer, or Lager is...well, Beer. Unknown
24-7 - A play of 7-11. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. San Andreas
Maibatsu - A car company that made the Monstrositi (sp?). III
Didier Sach - Clothing company. San Andreas
MeTV - Music Television...sooo egotistical. Vice City Stories
Pay N' Spray - A GTA game isn't complete without this company. I'm not even going to tell you what a Pay N' Spray does... Every GTA Game
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