Grand Theft Auto III Pre-Release Discussion

[RM76 1,928]

As I said before - in one of the last close-to release builds none of the vehicles had body64/bodyb64 textures. Maybe R* thought they looked better that way for a while.
Aztecas_5 (now JohnnyK) will back me up on this.
Not to mention Claude Liberty also made a post about it:
http://gtaforums.com/topic/709116-wipiii-gta-3-beta-cars/?p=1067209289

Edited July 28, 2015 by RM76

[thehambone 2,513]

As I said before - in one of the last close-to release builds none of the vehicles had body64/bodyb64 textures. Maybe R* thought they looked better that way for a while.

Aztecas_5 (now JohnnyK) will back me up on this.

Not to mention Claude Liberty also made a post about it:

http://gtaforums.com/topic/709116-wipiii-gta-3-beta-cars/?p=1067209289

Sorry, I missed your previous post . That's interesting though. It certainly makes the vehicles look more "cartoonish," which kind of goes against the grain of the dark atmosphere of the game.

[gts. 2,109]

 

101, 102 - D-Ice's Infernus has a brighter color. I noticed car colors looking a bit lighter in other places too. Also, more blue HUD!

 

Well, if you look to all screenshots with the blue hud, the only icon in blue color is the fist in all screens and the other icons are yellow, something strange or in development in that time.

 

 

After comparing the screenshots by thehambone, I assume your theory is right.

[Silent 15,317]

I wonder if this text slide effect is still present in the code, albeit hidden. Never had a chance to take a look.

 

https://youtu.be/xQsKkF6Jknk?t=8m47s

 

It might be disabled just like one SA HUD feature which fades out elements after a while (like in IV+, kinda).

 

 

EDIT:

Also confirms black bumpers on Banshee.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Silent

[Gamerjman19 1,018]

So GTA Series just uploaded this

 

 

Edited July 29, 2015 by Gamerjman19

[WorthlessYouth 201]

As I said before - in one of the last close-to release builds none of the vehicles had body64/bodyb64 textures. Maybe R* thought they looked better that way for a while.

Aztecas_5 (now JohnnyK) will back me up on this.

Not to mention Claude Liberty also made a post about it:

http://gtaforums.com/topic/709116-wipiii-gta-3-beta-cars/?p=1067209289

 

Extremely unlikely. They were probably working on the textures, and weren't developed enough to be presentable just yet.

 

Not to come off as rude or anything, but it baffles me when people seem to think that Rockstar initially intended for flat color, almost cartoony, minimal body textures on their vehicles while elements such as headlights, tail lights and license plates all had higher quality, more realistic looking textures. Rockstar, and anybody for that matter should know better than to conflict two styles on the same object so dramatically.

 

Left - Finished texture Right - Unfinished texture

 

This really shouldn't even be debatable...

Edited July 29, 2015 by Azurex

[RM76 1,928]

 

Except it is debatable.
Look how close to release this build is.
I remember seeing a screen of "Give Me Liberty" dated August 2001 iirc and it showed a purple Sentinel minus the body64/body64 textures textures on the bridge. Going to try to find it.

Great, all I can find are reposts on fan sites, not the original source image on IGN/Gamespot/whatever, so I can't get a date on that image. Bullsh*t.
Interestingly enough, I did find this however.

They were either still a WIP or R* was experimenting with them, since the Cabbie clearly has body64/bodyb textures and the Idahos in the BG don't. Alas, the original image no longer exists on IGN (only a thumbnail on an article dated 2002, of all things) so I can't get a proper date on it.

Edited July 29, 2015 by RM76

[Inadequate 3,482]

I wonder if this text slide effect is still present in the code, albeit hidden. Never had a chance to take a look.

 

 

It might be disabled just like one SA HUD feature which fades out elements after a while (like in IV+, kinda).

 

 

EDIT:

Also confirms black bumpers on Banshee.

 

Nice Silent, I forgot that video clips since the first time I saw them. Also that video clips is uploaded in Gouranga too.

[WorthlessYouth 201]

 

Except it is debatable.

Look how close to release this build is.

I remember seeing a screen of "Give Me Liberty" dated August 2001 iirc and it showed a purple Sentinel minus the body64/body64 textures textures on the bridge. Going to try to find it.

Great, all I can find are reposts on fan sites, not the original source image on IGN/Gamespot/whatever, so I can't get a date on that image. Bullsh*t.

Interestingly enough, I did find this however.

http://www.gouranga.com/images/gta3/gta3_289.jpg[/img}

They were either still a WIP or R* was experimenting with them, since the Cabbie clearly has body64/bodyb textures and the Idahos in the BG don't.

 

Regardless of the video, I still find it extremely unlikely they intended for the vehicles to look like that. Especially when the headlight and tail light textures were already complete. Further evidenced when you consider that textures from a video game development standpoint often tend to be a low priority when compared to other things such as programming, bug testing, etc.

 

Considering all the other assets of the game having a dark and gritty appearance, it only makes sense. It however makes very little sense to have the body of the vehicle a flat color with no texturing, while the rest of the vehicle's elements get a realistic, high quality texture.

 

Of course, we probably won't ever know unless someone who worked on the game speaks out, but until then I firmly believe that the body textures were a placeholder. The clashing of the realistic and the cartoony styles on a single object is a very unfitting design choice for the atmosphere that GTA 3 carried.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Azurex

[RM76 1,928]

 

Of course, we probably won't ever know unless someone who worked on the game speaks out

 

Precisely, you'd have to get a hold of Paul Kurowski (lead vehicle designer) or whoever modeled the vehicles for PS2/PC. I can only find the name of the guy who did the XBOX version models.

Edited July 29, 2015 by RM76

[L0SS4NT0SK1LL3RV 975]

So GTA Series just uploaded this

 

 

Now that's a video!

[Gamerjman19 1,018]

How do you remove the body64's from each vehicles .txd? I'm using txd workshop.

[Mr. Jago 2,531]

So GTA Series just uploaded this

 

 

arrggghh I'm gritting my teeth a bit at the camera pickup thing, I can tell they got the part about its function being unknown from my edits on the tcrf article, if only I updated it sooner than a couple days ago...

[Gamerjman19 1,018]

Any news regarding capital autos?

[Inadequate 3,482]

 

Interesting. The save icon is pink there too (not to mention the blue radar). I suppose they changed it for the final PS2 version but the PC version is based on an earlier PS2 version. This seems to be the case in VC and SA as well.

 

I never thought about this before. But I think you are right, maybe III and probably VC and SA is based on some earlier build from the PS2 version.

 

For complement the theory from The Hero, I'm very sure the PC version of GTA III is a pre-release build of the PS2 version. Let's go to see why: The safehouse/save icon is pink, yellow weapon icons and has the alpha/beta props around Portland which isn't present in the original PS2 release. Interesting...

 

Props comparison (Thanks to Vadim M.):

Also this ones:

^

BONUS: If you look closely to the police car, you can notice the photoshop.

Edited July 29, 2015 by inadequate

[RWWPL 334]

 

 

 

 

[gts. 2,109]

Nice find.

[Intergold 34]

 

 

 

 

That thing is a scoreboard, actually, as it was featured in G.T.A. III's official site:

From those clues, I can assume that it was removed at late development stages.

Nevertheless, this find further proves that stadium was meant to be accessible.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Intergold

[Vadim M. 651]

Here's the blue Enforcer.

 

 

One dude from another forum noticed, that the billboard on your right is different. In the final version it is McAdam Airlines and in the guide it is Hummet or Rummet.

UPDATE. It is plummet

Edited August 1, 2015 by Vadim M.

[A8ul99 158]

It's H , not R. (Upper right line on the ''H'' is in line with the lower right line)

[gts. 2,109]

Looks like Plummet to me.

[Mr. Jago 2,531]

the plane artwork looks like it's either lower down or upside down too

[super_slav 51]

Looks like Plummet to me.

Same, probably took it out due to 9/11.

Edited August 1, 2015 by super_slav

[WorthlessYouth 201]

Looks like Plummet to me.

 

Definitely Plummet. It would've been one of those 'minor changes' that Rockstar did post-9/11.

 

Around that time, most jokes and/or implications relating to a plane disaster were removed from various forms of media due to 9/11, so it only makes sense!

 

Also, compare the beta billboard to the current. You'll see that the position / orientation of the plane is different. In the 'Plummet' billboard, it seems to be facing the ground as if it was quite literally 'plummeting' towards earth, but in the modern billboard it's facing up, as if it's taking off. Definitely interesting!

 

Edited August 1, 2015 by Azurex

[Inadequate 3,482]

Nice finds dudes.

[thehambone 2,513]

Now that that billboard has been brought up, when I was younger, I remember reading the guide and it mentioning something along the lines of "...near the Plummet billboard," and I always thought, "Wait a minute, that's not a Plummet billboard!"

[Jacek_K 338]

Plummet logo was featured in Vice City Stories

 

Edited August 4, 2015 by Jacek_K

[Intergold 34]

Just checked out the "txd.img" file of the game and found that the final McAdam Airways sign was also called "Plummet":

 

 

This, coupled with the "Plummet" remark at this wiki page, further proves that McAdam Airways was indeed called Plummet Airways in beta, indicating a last-minute change. Based on these clues, as well as previously-posted ones, I think that this case is solved.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Intergold

[WorthlessYouth 201]

Plummet logo was featured in Vice City Stories

 

 

 

Just checked out the "txd.img" file of the game and found that the final McAdam Airways sign was also called "Plummet":

 

 

This, coupled with the "Plummet" remark at this wiki page, further proves that McAdam Airways was indeed called Plummet Airways in beta, indicating a last-minute change. Based on these clues, as well as previously-posted ones, I think that this case is solved.

 

Great finds to both of you! Looks like it's all confirmed now

[gts. 2,109]

Just checked out the "txd.img" file of the game and found that the final McAdam Airways sign was also called "Plummet":

 

 

This, coupled with the "Plummet" remark at this wiki page, further proves that McAdam Airways was indeed called Plummet Airways in beta, indicating a last-minute change. Based on these clues, as well as previously-posted ones, I think that this case is solved.

 

Aw yeah, I was right then.