San Andreas – A Stroll In The Country Preview

RockStar Games today delivered us yet more information on the fabulous GTA: San Andreas; this time taking the opportunity to blow open details on the countryside of San Andreas alongside an extensive look at the weapons behind the game.

Dodo Mk III

As those who have been following our coverage will know, San Andreas is huge; literally a state that encompasses three cities and umpteen miles of countryside not to mention the huge expanses of underwater locations, canâ??t exactly be taken in with a quick city tour, so weâ??re sure youâ??ll be excited to know that players can now make use of a new dodo â?“ this time with wings!

Using a plane to travel around the state of San Andreas certainly makes a lot of sense, and because of this the clever chaps at RockStar North have designed a number of airborne vehicles for CJ to fly. Because of its newly found wings, the Dodo obviously handles a far sight better then in previous GTA titles, allowing CJ to travel high above the ground whilst an altimeter depicts how far up you actually are.

Thanks to refinements to the plane physics systems, RockStar North have taken the opportunity to vastly increase the number of airborne vehicles on offer, with one particular example being the faster and more maneuverable biplane Crop Duster. However planes donâ??t merely serve a functional purpose and the stuntman within you will soon be pulling off death-defying barrel-loops, hammerheads and rolls just to impress the countryside yokels.

Mount Chiliad

As weâ??ve stated in the past, thereâ??s a bloody huge mountain that youâ??ll come across within the countryside of San Andreas, so vast that unconfirmed rumours suggest that it takes close to 30 minutes to cycle up with on a BMX! Those brave enough to trek to the summit of Mount Chiliad however will be greeted with a race starting at the top and ending at the bottom for you to participate in, whilst weâ??re reliably informed that a Mountain Bike as opposed to CJâ??s BMX is virtually crucial to success.

RockStar North assure us that this will be a test of skill and endurance, and that anybody wishing to win the race will have to have honed their cycling skills, as you thunder down the tortuous, winding track at breakneck speeds. We were also informed to keep an eye on the other competitors, as theyâ??re not the most courteous of people and will have no qualms about knocking you off the side of the mountain.

Itâ??s not just Crop Dusters and Mountain Bikes that provide the main transport within the San Andreas country region however, with the promise of a fully working bull dozer that allows you to go on a wrecking rampage, flipping cars, terrorizing sidewalks and causing as much mayhem as possible.

RockStar North have made vast improvements to the level of interaction with the environment, and as such thereâ??s now much more opportunity to completely destroy everything, whether it be discarded milk crates, white picket fences, plants, outdoor furniture or anything else that looks like you should be able to destroy it with a big vehicle.

Keep On Truckinâ??

CJ will also find the opportunity to earn a few bucks through honest employment by paying a visit to RU Haul, a friendly little shipping company located in the rolling hills west of Los Santos. The owner there is always happy to see a new face and get an extra driver, paying serious cash to tow cargo throughout the state of San Andreas.

To carry the cargo, CJ will be taking the wheels of a classic 18-wheeler, the largest road-vehicle within the game and featuring a full articulated physics system. Naturally this results in a trailer that behaves and acts just as a trailer should, whipping around a corner and loosing control if you turn too fast, jackknifing just like youâ??d expect from real-life.

Deliveries are based on a timer, so youâ??ll want to ensure you get there quickly or watch your fee get cut in half. The proprietor of RU Haul is willing to pay thousands for low-level deliveries, whilst â??hotâ? goods that the San Andreas police may be interested in, can net you tens of thousands!

However if a delivery has gone wrong you can always take solace in the fact that gas-filled tankers make stellar rolling bombs â?“ simply speed towards your target, dive at out he last moment and whip out a rocket launcher for some serious explosions to light up the sky of San Andreas.

Procedural Rendering

The sheer vastness of the San Andreas countryside has resulted in a sophisticated new technology being developed at RockStar North, known as â??procedural renderingâ?. This technique draws in a vast range of varied foliage around you, with the level designers tagging areas as different kinds of terrain. These terrain types then have designated kinds of plants and foliage attached to them â?“ different kinds of underbrush, grass, rocks and even fallen logs â?“ and the game automatically draws them in. This technique alone has allowed the team to develop vast, expansive environments that are filled to the brim with objects and detail for the player to explore, and partly explains why RockStar North have been able to create such an overwhelming sensation in precious little time.

Naturally the game includes a day/night cycle, however this time the team has gone to greater lengths to create a believable sensation. The game keeps tracks of the days youâ??ve spent in San Andreas, even storing what day of the week it is. To give you an idea of the level of detail weâ??re talking about, the moon will slowly cycle through a 30 day change!

FIRE!!!

Finally our visit to the countryside was left with the warning that much like in real-life California, the dry state of San Andreas is prone to forest fires. The smallest flame can light up immediately and engulf a large area in no time at all. CJ can and will intentionally or incidentally start fires from time to time, whether it be chucking a Molotov cocktail or detonating a car. Buildings in the path of the inferno will shoot up like a tinder box, and whilst the San Andreas Fire Department generally does a good job of rushing to the scene, there may be times when CJ has to grab a fire extinguisher to clear his path or perhaps rescue a trapped old granny on the porch.

Weapons

As weâ??ve previously touched upon in our First Look at San Andreas, RockStar North have implemented an entirely new gunplay mechanic to eradicate the flaws leveled at previous titles in the series. True to the series heritage, R1 will remain the button to engage the targeting system, whilst you can still recklessly wield your pistol in any direction by tapping the circle button; however now a number of options are available to the player by holding onto R1.

CJ will firstly attempt to target the nearest hostile enemy, circumventing any non-hostiles. Failing that, heâ??ll target the closest target in front of him within a range of just over 90 degrees. Finally if thereâ??s no target within his field, heâ??ll go into free-aim mode with the weapon, with the camera settling behind him and a reticule appearing in the middle of the screen. The analogue stick behaves significantly different to normal on-foot action, with the left thumbstick moving CJ forwards, backwards and strafing left and right; whilst the right thumbstick controls the camera movement up, down, left and right.

The result is a targeting system that feels more akin to a solid third-person shooter, with players able to use both sticks to get an immediate target without having to use the auto-targeting feature. The more perceptive reader may be keen to point out one particular problem with this set-up; if both hands are on the thumbsticks, how are you meant to shoot with the circle button? Thankfully we wonâ??t all have to grow a third-hand or wrestle around the joypad, as the L1 button serves as a trigger button in target mode.

Players will also be able to circle around a targeted opponent and also make use of the square button to block incoming attacks.

As with many other aspects within San Andreas, weapons have a skill level associated with them, whilst CJâ??s proficiency with a particular weapon can be developed over time. As you use a weapon more and more, youâ??ll upgrade the following attributes:

• Reload Time â?“ A huge factor, as CJ gets better with a weapon he will need to spend fewer critical seconds reloading.
• Fire Rate â?“ The firing rate of guns in San Andreas is affected by CJâ??s skill with it. More bullets in less time means your targets go down more quickly!
• Accuracy â?“ As CJ gets better with a weapon, his accuracy with it will improve. Youâ??ll notice as youâ??re firing weapons that the circle outside the reticle will now expand and contract to visualize your current accuracy. As in previous Grand Theft Autos, crouching will bump up your accuracy too!
• Weapon Stance & Movement â?“ Weapons have different associated abilities that they unlock. For example with certain weapons you unlock the ability to move while firing, others you get an improved weapon stance as CJ learns how to handle the gun, or faster strafe speed, even the ability to move backwards while firing!
• Dual Weapons â?“ The ultimate of upgrades. As CJ gets better with weapons, some allow him to hold two weapons at a time, doubling his firing rate and length of time that he can go without a reload.