Freeways and Intersections

[radicell]

Having played GTA for almost a year, I've pretty much got the entire road system of San Andreas in my head. The only aspect about the roads that still confuses me, are the freeways. Normally I'd never use the freeways, unless instructed to in a mission, because the intersections (ex. Mulholland Intersection) I don't understand. Why is there, in place of a simple X-shaped or T-shaped intersection, a bunch of roads branching off in different directions, all weaving within/above/below each other? Someone tell me why the Los Santos freeways are the way they are, and what's wrong with them being like this:

 

 

and the Las Venturas freeways:

 

 

In my mind, these would be much more efficient for me, as I wouldn't have to confuse myself over which freeway exitway to go and in the end find myself in the wrong lane, and other mishaps like that.

[Girish]

I think R* have modelled the freeways on the basis of their actual counterparts in Los Angelos and Las Vegas. Someone please confirm this though since I have never been to the US.

[Bad~Boy#17]

Because It's a freeway and real life freeways don't have x-shaped intersections and traffic lights because the speed limit is 130km/h, so the cars can't stop fast enough and accidents would happen

[!!GC!!]

No, its so that people coming from each direction can get to their desired place.

For example, with the Mulholland Intersection, someone coming from the East wanting to go South wont be able to if it is as you have drawn, radicell. It isnt too hard to understand if you look at the map for about 10sec before entering the intersection and memorising where you have to go. That is what i used to do, now i just know it off by heart.

 

Also, with the Southern Most intersection in LV that you have drawn, how can someone coming from the East, go North?

The intersections are made perfectly by whomever made them because as girish said, they are off real-life counter-parts.

Edited May 27, 2008 by !!GameCH33TA!!

[radicell]

Also, with the Southern Most intersection in LV that you have drawn, how can someone coming from the East, go North?

The intersections are made perfectly by whomever made them because as girish said, they are off real-life counter-parts.

Go from the east, get to the T-shaped intersection, and turn north.

 

Anyways, I see where you're coming from. It has something to do with how the cars drive on the right side of the road, therefore, X-shaped intersections like the one I drew for Mulholland wouldn't really work, I suppose.

[mark-2007]

It's also modelled on LA-style intersection thangs.

 

Example:

 

[Lioshenka]

Both things, real and in-game are crap.

 

Roundabouts all the way!

[!!GC!!]

 

Also, with the Southern Most intersection in LV that you have drawn, how can someone coming from the East, go North?

The intersections are made perfectly by whomever made them because as girish said, they are off real-life counter-parts.

Go from the east, get to the T-shaped intersection, and turn north.

Huh, which T-shaped intersection would that be?

Im talking about This intersection, the one in South Las Venturas.

[radicell]

There's a T there, don't you see? Three roads coming together, forming a T.

[!!GC!!]

Yes, but from what you have drawn, someone going from the East to the North does not have a lane to go into to get to the North.

[Taste Of Chaos]

I love the watermark at the bottom of that picture...Very natural.

[Steve Crook]

I love the watermark at the bottom of that picture...Very natural.

Maybe it means that nature is wild at all those roads and cars?

 

Steve

 

[--Vega--]

They've always made sense to me. I think they did good with them. Dunno if they're real-life counterparts of the Los Angeles and Las Vegas Freeways though.

[mark-2007]

 

I love the watermark at the bottom of that picture...Very natural.

Maybe it means that nature is wild at all those roads and cars?

 

Steve

Or maybe it's those trees beneath it, like that'll help!

 

I think it's, for Los Santos at least, an attempt to get it as close to the real0life counterpart. I've never seen the roads around Las Vegas, so I'm not sure about Venturas.

[Ryan]

I'll try and explain.

 

Since these are Highways/Freeways, what ever you want to call them, they are instendead for people to go fast. The reson there are all those ramps and stuff is that way people don't have to come to a stop to make a turn or something. They can just go up ot down those and start going in a different direction.

 

They reallyy arn't that hard to figure out once you understand how they work.

 

Go hoping in a Mavrick sometime and go hover above Mullhood intersection and you should be able to understand how it works by watching the cars.

[hun7r]

they seem like regular bowtie intersections to me for the most part

 

on ramps and off ramps

 

sometimes geography simply dictates that, for example, southbound flowing traffic cant use a 2 lane exit ramp that also serves local traffic entering southbound highway lanes so you end up with a bowtie that has an individual one way ON and OFF ramp for each direction....

 

one real exit local to me... the Northbound lanes have 1 ramp that serves On and Off traffic ... but the southbound lanes have 1 ramp for each

 

[grahamsubaru]

 

Roundabouts all the way!

Imagine if GTA had a copy of the magic roundabout in swindon, that would be fun!

What it looks like:

How you negotiate it:

[Hodgey.]

Roundabouts all the way!

Imagine if GTA had a copy of the magic roundabout in swindon, that would be fun!

What it looks like:

How you negotiate it:

This is why the next GTA should perhaps be set in England for roundabouts alone