Mapping Los Santos! Building/landmark analysis

[_Kindled_]

 

Any ideas on the location of this desert?

http://cs14113.vk.me/c407025/v407025091/7bc3/0Lta6LM46Us.jpg

I could be wrong, but i'm guessing it's in this vicinity:

Most likely, kinda agree.

 

Also, I noticed something in the gameplay trailer...

(In correct timeline)

There seems to be repeated grid roads. All across that area. Is that worth updating the map. (Fido?)

 

 

It seems that the desert is wider than we think.

Edited September 4, 2013 by _Kindled_

[Pilotmonkey]

Another update on the map -I spent some time sculpting detail into the mountains, and added a couple of bridges up in Blaine county. Hopefully doing the scale of the map justice, as I've still seen many people say the map looks small, when it's clearly massive.

what program do you use? and can you get a bigger size?

[DuPz0r]

Another update on the map -I spent some time sculpting detail into the mountains, and added a couple of bridges up in Blaine county. Hopefully doing the scale of the map justice, as I've still seen many people say the map looks small, when it's clearly massive.

what program do you use? and can you get a bigger size?

Bigger size? It's a thumbnail link to a realtime 3D model of which you can look around, is it not big enough? If you mean resolution, then no, i can't make it too high res for a webpage, otherwise it just wont load.

[davil]

 

we have LAX we have the sandy shores airstrip but they say that there even is a third airstrip that we don't know about...

I wonder if the military base would have an airstrip, or if there is one similar to the desert airstrip in San Andreas.

 

- W

CVG were told it was an airbase. You can see the radar spinning around above the tunnel in the GTA Online trailer.

 

 

 

EDIT:

 

"A mountain rises to the left. There are wetlands below. Blaine County and the glimmering sea make up everything else I can see. It’s stunning."

 

Wetlands below and mountain to the left sounds like they're flying back to Los Santos to be honest.

 

In trailer 2 we saw Trevor starting up a plane while being shot by bikers, and then following another plane down the canyon. It's surprising they don't mention flying down the canyon, although they did say they flew under one of the bridges. Once they reach the ocean they'd drop the stuff off and fly back down the east coast taking them past the Zancudo wetlands and towards Los Santos.

The article is a bit confusing.

I assumed they TOOK OFF from the Sandy Shores desert airstrip.

The way the article describes it, it sounds like they also LAND back at the desert airstrip.

 

IGN article.

1. "Making my way back to the outskirts of a Lost-controlled airstrip." "as he creeps around the run-down airstrip" (I assume Sandy Shores desert strip, yeah?)

 

2. "I follow Ron over the ocean where he encourages me to get down low to avoid being detected by the nearby military base." (I assume they flew up the canyon in the Alamo River & then turned left over the ocean & headed back down to the military base area)

 

3. "We drop the merchandise from the planes to some awaiting boats before racing back to a DIFFERENT airfield. A mountain rises to the left. There are wetlands below. Blaine County and the glimmering sea make up everything else I can see. It’s stunning. The airfield comes into view ahead and I throttle down to cut speed for landing." (sounds like they are heading up the Zancudo River towards the Sandy Shores Desert Airstrip)

 

Maybe IGN f*cked up & got a bit confused about the airstrips. IDK. Doesn't seem right to me.

Wouldn't be the first time a reviewer got their information mixed up.

Maybe because they flew along one river & then came back along a different one, they got a bit disorientated.

It's not easy to mistake an airstrip for an entirely different one just because you're coming in at a different angle.

I agree.

But the sequence of their article & the descriptions they gave are a little bit confusing.

If they were in fact heading to LS Airport for the landing, why did they say "Blaine County & the glimmering sea (Alamo?) make up everything else I can see"?

Wouldn't they say something like "as we flew from the wetlands over the LS hills, the city of LS made up everything else I could see"

Also if they headed down the west coast to get to LS Airport, they wouldn't be able to see Blaine County or the Alamo Sea in their line of sight.

 

I guess we just have to be careful when we try to visualise somebody else's verbal account of things.

For example, when they said "ocean" in one sentence & "sea" in another sentence, did they really mean the same thing?

In real life I sometimes use both words when I'm referring to the sea/beach.

 

When I first read the article, I got a bit excited about the prospect of an extra airstrip somewhere. Now i'm not sure what to make of it all.

 

What's your view on it?

 

Edit.

Gotta remember that they took off at night time & possibly landed during daytime. Might have something to do with it.

Besides Los Santos Airport, Sandy Shores Airstrip and the military airbase, I believe there's a fourth airstrip not located yet and will tell you why .

- The shapes look different

- Both hangars have only one entrance and they don't look alike.

- R* showed the purple hangar twice and we see nothing else but the hangar, so they keep the location secret.

 

 

If you ask me, I'd say it could be in the North-Western part of the map according to these trails. Not sure they can be relied on though.

 

Edited September 4, 2013 by davil

[gwaha]

 

There seems to be repeated grid roads. All across that area. Is that worth updating the map. (Fido?)

 

 

It seems that the desert is wider than we think.

The (grid) roads you see is Sandy Shores and that is already on Fido's map (road grid is the same).

 

And no, the desert isn't really wider than we think. As far as I recall Fido's map is a bit wonky in the north (also Los Santos in the south is not completely the same as the blueprint map) but the desert seems to be rather close to truth. And this because we have seen many mini maps for the desert area which allows for a more precise lay-out. Zombie Elvis' map is practically the same in the desert (and he drew his map over roads showing up in the mini map and "google map" of the switching scenes to make sure it is precise).

 

Also, and this for everyone, can people try to simply reply to someone's post instead of quoting the entire post? The same screenshots are repeated a bit too much which only makes it a pain to scroll to the actual discussions. The forum just sucks at times in the way you can reply to someone, because the quote button is more easily noticeable. Not to mention the insane quote trains if you don't edit out the quotes by hand.

 

@davil

 

I am not convinced it is in the northwestern part of the map, especially not any of the hangars you showed. The northwestern part of the map is forested whereas the hangars you showed are not in a forested area. In the plane trial scene of the GTA Online trailer you can see the northwestern portion of the map showing lots of trees.

Edited September 4, 2013 by gwaha

[The_Majestic]

I think I might even recognize the area.

The atmosphere seems similar. It's a desert, IMO.

 

 

@DuPz0r: Is that supposed to be snow on the top of Mt. Chiliad?

where's this screenshot from?

[gwaha]

@The_Majestic

 

It is a screencapture from the GTA Online trailer (somewhere between 2 and 2:30 minutes - I forgot the exact time).

[youmadlittleguy?]

Actually...thats the only area it could be. The other areas are mountains and or a town/forest. It's the smallest Desert I have ever seen.

literally everyone that has had hands on the game or has seen it played has said the map is huge and that you cant get a sense of the true scale until you play it. unless youve played it (you havent) then quit bitching already. we have seen a few areas from many different angels. we havent seen the whole map.

[JonRenemy]

Any ideas on the location of this desert?

I can't tell if the mountain in the top right is Chiliad or Josiah...

That's Josiah on the right incase it helps you.

The screen is facing almost dead west I reckon.

[no_snacks]

 

Also, I noticed something in the gameplay trailer...

(In correct timeline)

 

There seems to be repeated grid roads. All across that area. Is that worth updating the map. (Fido?)

 

 

It seems that the desert is wider than we think.

From a few weeks ago.

 

Just put together these 4 mini-maps from the "design your own race" sequence from the trailer.

Adds a bit more detail to the Sandy Shores streets & some tracks near the airstrip.

Excuse the drawing skills, it's 5am here, so that's as good as it's gonna get.

 

 

 

[ChocoFrosty]

Not sure if this helps.

 

It's a little higher quality than a similar image posted earlier.

 

[albinobuffalo96]

Not sure if this helps.

 

It's a little higher quality than a similar image posted earlier.

 

trying to figure out if the thing right behind the N in IGN is a football stadium or an arena

[NYC PATROL]

 

Not sure if this helps.

 

It's a little higher quality than a similar image posted earlier.

http://i.imgur.com/QnEXf6A.jpg

trying to figure out if the thing right behind the N in IGN is a football stadium or an arena

I believe that is the Maze Bank Arena aka the LA Forum irl.

[albinobuffalo96]

Not sure if this helps.

 

It's a little higher quality than a similar image posted earlier.

http://i.imgur.com/QnEXf6A.jpg

trying to figure out if the thing right behind the N in IGN is a football stadium or an arena

I believe that is the Maze Bank Arena aka the LA Forum irl.

I thought so too and the I've always thought of that as the LS Forum, but others have pointed out the exterior looks more like LA Coliseum

 

and now we can see its not shaped in a perfect circle like the real LA forum, also it almost looks like lights on the sides.

[KidAmnesiac42]

<edited out>

Edited September 5, 2013 by Waddy

[ChocoFrosty]

But it's just as likely that there is no airstrip there and the plane is just flying that way.

[wild aminal it is]

Not sure there would be be an airstrip so close to a bridge, seems there would be too much risk of crashing.

It's been awhile since I watched that video, but it seemed to me to be cruising through that valley/ along the river, not having just taken off.

Moving too fast for that?

[sdracerr1]

 

Not sure if this helps.

 

It's a little higher quality than a similar image posted earlier.

http://i.imgur.com/QnEXf6A.jpg

trying to figure out if the thing right behind the N in IGN is a football stadium or an arena

I believe that is the Maze Bank Arena aka the LA Forum irl.

Back before the whole leak fiasco, on page 1050-1051, there was a sign spotted that looks like the LA Memorial Coliseum sign that's off the freeway. Based of that, I am assuming its the LA Coliseum (irl) but named the LS Forum.

 

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=491242&st=20980

 

 

[KidAmnesiac42]

Not sure there would be be an airstrip so close to a bridge, seems there would be too much risk of crashing.

It's been awhile since I watched that video, but it seemed to me to be cruising through that valley/ along the river, not having just taken off.

Moving too fast for that?

Yeah that might just be, but I don't think it's RIGHT next to the bridge, just close. Who knows though, what other areas could hide another airstrip?

[Veracruz]

Edited September 5, 2013 by DTUMan

[The_Majestic]

Edited September 5, 2013 by DTUMan

[suicidehummer]

Didn't they specifically mention in the hands-on demo that they landed at a different airstrip?

[ChrisKO49]

Another update on the map -I spent some time sculpting detail into the mountains, and added a couple of bridges up in Blaine county. Hopefully doing the scale of the map justice, as I've still seen many people say the map looks small, when it's clearly massive.

what program do you use? and can you get a bigger size?

Bigger size? It's a thumbnail link to a realtime 3D model of which you can look around, is it not big enough? If you mean resolution, then no, i can't make it too high res for a webpage, otherwise it just wont load.

When i click the thumbnail, nothing loads. i get a loading circle, then the page just stays on the little 3d square thing. no map ever loads

[Veracruz]

Edited September 5, 2013 by DTUMan

[LotusRIP]

@Veracruz in the first screen you posted, that's Mt Chiliad in the middle... Alamo Sea would be directly infront if you go over that crest

[TonyVercetti]

 

Not sure if this helps.

 

It's a little higher quality than a similar image posted earlier.

 

trying to figure out if the thing right behind the N in IGN is a football stadium or an arena

if u look carefully , u can see mile high club finished!

[Mrthingus]

Not sure if this helps.

 

It's a little higher quality than a similar image posted earlier.

 

trying to figure out if the thing right behind the N in IGN is a football stadium or an arena

if u look carefully , u can see mile high club finished!

Actually not. Look even closer, you can still see each individual floor of certain floors.

[Pizentu]

Not sure if this helps.

 

It's a little higher quality than a similar image posted earlier.

 

trying to figure out if the thing right behind the N in IGN is a football stadium or an arena

if u look carefully , u can see mile high club finished!

It does not look finnished to me. It looks the same as it did the first time we saw it. You can tell the sides are still missing walls. I think the crane is just to far to be drawn on to the image.

 

I have yet to see any image of the Mile high club advancing in construction. If there is some, I would like to see it.

[no_snacks]

 

Another update on the map -I spent some time sculpting detail into the mountains, and added a couple of bridges up in Blaine county. Hopefully doing the scale of the map justice, as I've still seen many people say the map looks small, when it's clearly massive.

what program do you use? and can you get a bigger size?

Bigger size? It's a thumbnail link to a realtime 3D model of which you can look around, is it not big enough? If you mean resolution, then no, i can't make it too high res for a webpage, otherwise it just wont load.

When i click the thumbnail, nothing loads. i get a loading circle, then the page just stays on the little 3d square thing. no map ever loads

I had the same trouble the other day.

I switched to google chrome & it worked.

[KidAmnesiac42]

 

Not sure if this helps.

 

It's a little higher quality than a similar image posted earlier.

 

trying to figure out if the thing right behind the N in IGN is a football stadium or an arena

if u look carefully , u can see mile high club finished!

The mile high club is finished in the photo. I believe one user mentioned that this building could be the Hotel that is apart of LA Live. I think it is. This game was in development back in 2008, that hotel didn't open until 2009? Also that looks like R*'s rendition of the Staple Center next to it. IRL The staple center is apart of LA Live.

 

image upload no compression

The blue building is the Ritz Carlton, it's also attached to a Marriot. The building wasn't finished until way into development, that is probably why R* has/had it unfinished in the first trailer and so forth. The building has blue and white horizontal lines, maybe that is the design that looks like missing floors? You can also see the Staples Center. Looks like R* cut out most of LA Live and left the hotel and the stadium.

This is where the hockey team will play!

 

Better pic:

screen cap

 

 

Edited September 5, 2013 by KidAmnesiac42