Dan Houser Edge Interview

[Grand Theft Columbo]

 

http://www.gamesradar.com/xbox360/grand-th...14323586065/p-4

 

GTA IV

 

- Houser explains that the game had to become "more and more thematically sophisticated and mature," but also assures that GTA IV still has all the fun stuff. "It's crazier than ever, in a way - the humour is madder than ever. It's more full-on than ever, definitely."

 

- The morality! "People talk a lot about some of the things in games like Mass Effect, where you create these moral dilemmas - well, we haven't really been making a big deal out of that stuff, but a lot of the things that you are going to do in GTAIV will have real consequences, without wanting to give any of it away. Towards the end there are some very big things that happen that absolutely change things in an 'Oh, tell me that didn't just happen' kind of way. Not always good either."

 

- Comedy clubs are a new addition to Liberty City's social scene. Edge don't detail exactly what will go on in them, noting that Houser wants people to discover this aspect of the game for themselves. They do, though, agree with him that whatever happens in them is "mad".

 

 

- While there are no new details on multiplayer modes, Houser is enthusiastic about GTA IV as a social tool: "I'm like 'Do you want to come and hang out for a chat?' And I'll meet you online and we'll get in a car, just listen to music and drive around together, talking, and your 3D model's sat in the car next to me. That's sublime to me.”

 

Does this add further weight to Rockstar's enthusiastic talk about the idea of a GTA MMO one day? Only time will tell, but when discussing the game’s expansion through DLC, Houser admits:

 

"Yeah, it feels like it's a step towards something we get asked about a lot, which is getting towards it being more of a subscription type of game, which is something that GTA will ultimately lend itself to rather well at a certain point in time.”

 

- And that DLC promises to be pretty damn substantial, maybe even equating to something rivalling a whole new game when it’s all released: "I think the mission packs with the episodes are going to be pretty deep, offering another full-on adventure in this world. I think we will be in a position to market them not a million miles away from the way the boxed game is marketed."

 

Not that that initial adventure isn't sounding massive. Maybe even excessively so.

 

"Is it too big? I don't know. It might be. It certainly is big, definitely. But again, I'll go back to what I said earlier: it's a good problem to have. And I never want people feeling that we've duped them in any way, shape or form".

 

 

Sorry if there's already a post on the interview itself.

[MCFC]

o.k so the DLC won't be a new map:{

[reptilexcq]

If the DLC is not about expanding the territory...then what's the point?? I don't want more missions!!

[Foddzy]

You guys are making an unfounded assumption. Houser didn't say the DLC won't include new map area(s), he said it's in the "world," that doesn't preclude new maps.

[Slamman]

- "A dream of mine and Dan's is to have a montage in a game, actually. We're on our way; we'll get it one day - a montage of your experiences set to music. Come on, that's going to be amazing, right? With hard drives in consoles, you know it'll happen."

 

Here we see a suggestion echoed from EGM's dedicated issue in which the mag editors said one feature they think most people as well as themselves hope to see in all types of games is an instant replay allowing perhaps camera options. They mention one of the latest games having the last minute of game play allowed for repeat viewing.

 

Interesting. ...also the fact that DAN is mentioned in the above quote, so is that Sam Hauser who responded?!?!?

 

 

That link has many stills I had yet to go through. When they combine them all, it's gets a bit much at this point. I find the night shots in the rain are the most interesting because of the light and effects of it all. This game keeps sparking the imagination!

[Mike0]

a link to the whole interview not just the GTA IV part

 

 

GTA III

 

- GTA III's mute lead character was effectively a mistake. "That was one of those things where I think I only remember noticing kind of late on," Houser says, "like 'f*ck - he doesn't speak'. And I've never said that to anyone before - I'm being honest here. But I remember thinking, well, it kind of works - who cares?"

 

"It was like he didn't need a voice, so he didn't have a voice. But it was one of the things that people really picked up on afterwards, and when you saw them debating - like whether his name is Claude Speed, or whether he's this or he's that - you kind of thought, actually, guys, there's a lot less to this than meets the eye."

 

 

 

- "People were not really interested" in GTA III when it first appeared at E3 2001, and the game was overshadowed by State of Emergency. "I was really shocked at the time," Houser recalls.

 

- Houser tells Edge that after GTA III he couldn't "take in a movie in the same way," and that "a large part of my leisure time suddenly took a knock because I couldn't take it seriously any longer". And one reason he states is the terrorist attack of 9/11.

 

"I think September 11 also had something to do with [not taking movies, etc seriously] as well, because I saw that happening through my apartment window and it was the most real action-movie thing I'd ever seen because it f*cking well was real, and no explosions have looked real to me since that point. It's like 'You can keep your Bruckheimer ones - that doesn't work any more'."

 

 

San Andreas

 

- "Is there any such thing as too big?" Houser demands to know, in response to the issue of San Andreas being just too epic for some gamers to enjoy. "You know, if you don't like driving over that distance, the point of the game is don't go there, then. You don't have to go there. We give the people an infinite amount of choice, and for every person who felt it was too big there were probably a fair amount that really got off on the scope of the whole thing, and wanted to take one of those single-propeller aircraft through the canyons."

 

- Why LA? "Well, what's after Miami in the '80s? Well, of course, the Bloods and the Crips and the LA early-'90s gang-banger culture. I remember being in the UK at the time it was going off and being completely fascinated and terrified by it. Fascinated by how they looked - they dress amazingly - but these guys are all like soldiers, and are treated like armies, and this is very serious, scary stuff."

 

 

 

- "We immediately embraced it - I didn't see it as a risk," Houser says of choosing to have a black lead for San Andreas. "It was certainly leftfield for the industry at that time but, you know, I'm proud to do things like that. And anyone who has a problem with that, we don't want you buying the game anyway, mate, quite frankly."

 

- "One of my fears when the Hot Coffee thing happened was that it was going to take this really beautiful piece of work and it was just going to be known for something else."

 

- He's an undeniably potent fountain of ideas, but Houser explains that even he goes too far: "When we were making [san Andreas] one of the things I talked about - and thank God they didn't give in to my idiocy - was, 'Hey, we've got to make it interesting to drive four hours on a freeway and you have to stop to fill up on fuel'. And the team were like, 'God, give it a rest, mate'."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cant wait for full scans of the EDGE magazine. The files will go to my archives

 

Its interesting to read about GTA from the view of the Houser Brothers.

 

 

 

This is my favourite interview I guess.

Edited March 12, 2008 by Mike0

[Slamman]

The EGM article touches on the past GTAs and a bit about where GTA goes after 4, which I imagine this article does too. Either way, I think we won't get any more BIG updates until the end of this month. Back to waiting essentially.

While I was in the Gamestop store, the trailer (3) was playing and I thought everytime I am looking at GTA and something comes on that relates, it makes me laugh!

[dirtycopVCPD]

If the DLC is not about expanding the territory...then what's the point?? I don't want more missions!!

 

That's the beauty of living in a free market capitalist society, if you don't like a certain product or service, you don't have to buy it.

[Slamman]

I know some of those revelations will be upsetting, but no one said there was an added chunk of landmass... that's what happens when those assume a BIT TOO much

[Grand Theft Columbo]

 

 

I'd like the DLC to be all new characters and storyline with new friend activities.

[GTA_Godfather]

Second to adding storyline AND land mass, adding storyline/characters is the best thing R* could do with DLC. Sure, new land mass is great, but I gotta think they will save that for later installments using the GTA IV engine (like VC and SA was for III).

 

If it were just weapons, cars, side missions, mini-games, or such I would say "ho hum". What really sets GTA apart is the storyline, humor/satire, and cohesiveness - all things I think the DLC will have. These are the things that stick with you from previous GTAs. Let's face it, making a compelling, immersive storyline is HARD. Just look a all the games that fail to stack up to GTA in this department.

 

It's wrong to characterize the DLC as "just a couple missions". Sam Houser personally said it would be substantial and I believe him. If you read the article it's plainly visible how passionate he is about the game and how passionate he is about giving customers their money's worth.