In a recent session with Game Informer, Grand Theft Auto fans from all around the world pitched their questions to GI’s Andrew Reiner, the only journalist to have currently seen a demo version of the highly-anticipated fourth-installment in the long running series. Reiner responded with an impressive set of answers that are sure to further stir up the hype machine.
The first point that was addressed concerned a recent quote from Rockstar stating that there would be no airplanes in Grand Theft Auto IV, causing a firestorm of complaints and backlash from GTA fans all across the web. As it turns out, flying will be an integral part of the game. Instead of flying around airplanes all over the city, players will hop in helicopters in order to take to the skies.
It’s looking like the AI has received a major overhaul, with various pedestrians and drivers reacting in seemingly random and in very surprising ways. While there was no actual communication between the main character Niko and these pedestrians in the demo, Reiner describes the hordes of people as being “very vocal.” A new feature to the series, Niko is able to obtain a bird’s eye view of Liberty City by climbing up telephone poles.
There will be a number of ways to traverse the city, with most yet to be revealed to the public eye. The demo is described as looking even better than that of the trailer shown off a few weeks ago. Animations stun with fluidity and car models shine with beautiful finishes, while automobile physics react accordingly depending on the quality of the driving surface. The behind-car camera view is described as being closer to the vehicle, similar to that of Midnight Club. The change will apparently allow for the verticality of the city to be fully realized in scope.
Since the game is still very much in deep development processes, overall length, framerates, load times, interfaces, and draw distances are still a ways off from being finalized. Advanced Media Network will continue our complete coverage as the release date draws ever closer.
