Five big new details about Grand Theft Auto 6: map size confirmed, 170 animal species revealed, a wild new dynamic weather system, and more | Daily Reports Online
New details about Grand Theft Auto 6 have emerged ahead of the game’s launch, courtesy of an exclusive cover story by Game Informer, confirming even more gameplay features and immersive systems that will bring Leonida and Vice City to life.
There’s a lot to unpack, from an expansive open world to an array of side activities to engage with, and the ability to post on social media and doomscroll, but I’ve put together the top five things that stood out.
1. A map bigger and better than ever before
GTA 6‘s world, which consists of six primary regions including Vice City, the Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, and Mount Kalaha National Park, all culminates in a massive open world that Rockstar Games has ever created “by some degree,” according to Rockstar North co-studio head Aaron Garbut.
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Essentially, it’s twice as big as GTA 5‘s world, and is more dense, populated, and interactive.
“This new world is different,” Garbut said. “We obsessed about every part – the rooftops, the alleys, the internals and everything in between to the point we hit a critical mass with the numbers of our interiors, and you start to feel the buildings are more real inside and out. This world is a cohesive whole with the density of content and a hand-crafted quality to every bit.”
2. An improved weather system
GTA 6 will bring realism to the next level and offer a brand new “re-engineered” dynamic and localized weather system, and players will experience everything from hot, sunny weather to rain showers, lightning storms, and more. Puddles will also remain on the ground after the rain passes, realistic rainbows will appear in the sky, and lighting will change depending on the situation.
“We have re-engineered our weather system to make everything much more localized and persistent, and really wanted the world to feel dynamically solid and achieve a sense of scale we haven’t felt before,” said Rockstar’s VP of art for lighting and rendering, Owen Shepherd.
“The world features new fully dynamic cloudscapes that roll across the map; these give us a broad spectrum of weather from the clear blue skies of a Miami winter to the vertiginous cumulonimbus clouds with sporadic lighting that you see most afternoons in the Floridian summer and autumn.”
3. Sooo many animals
Similar to Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA 6 will feature a wide variety of animals, including dogs you can pet, with Rockstar confirming 170 animal species in total.
Many of these are Leonida-native species that have never appeared in a Rockstar Games title, including over 60 bird types, more than 30 land mammals, various fish, reptiles, and more.
Rockstar vice president of dynamic art Michael Kane revealed that the game will feature creatures like flamingos, pelicans, and alligators; these are just a few of what players will encounter.
“Florida has a diverse animal ecosystem that we wanted to faithfully include across the different biomes in Leonida – urban and rural environs, aquatic life both inland and ocean, and the wetland habitats like the swamps and Everglades,” Kane said. “The animal art and population teams are incredibly passionate about delivering animals that are accurately researched and look visually correct in every respect, alongside the supporting movement and animation to bring them to life.”
4. More authentic NPCs and a passion for fashion
As we’ve seen from the trailers and gameplay presentation, GTA 6 will have a ridiculous number of handcrafted non-player characters (NPCs)— with over 600,000 animations combined—and will bring a new sense of realism to Vice City.
NPCs will now have different heights, skin and body types, individual features, with Kane adding that Rockstar “paid a crazy amount of attention” to making culturally correct tattoo styles that fit Leonida’s diverse communities and regions, with hair and fashion also being heavily considered.
“We’ve been able to really go hard on that with creating the biggest range of garments and accessories we’ve ever made – supported with rich, realistic materials,” Kane said.
“That surfacing includes color, patterns and branding that are both area-appropriate, but also tied to context (states of dirt/weathering and fitment) for the characters themselves and their social situation and how they inhabit Leonida. Shoes, sneakers, and colorways that we know carry cultural weight as items – likewise watches, sunglasses, or hats.”
5. Robberies and the wanted system
As we’ve seen in the gameplay footage, players can take control of either Lucia or Jason. This applies across the game, including for heists and robberies.
However, alongside a six-star Wanted system, Rockstar has introduced a new “Heat” system that means cops can gather information on the co-protagonist’s appearance, including their clothes, hairstyle, and the vehicle they’re driving.
Changing Lucia and Jason’s appearance and ditching their vehicle can help players lose cops, but separating the pair can give them a better advantage by splitting the cops’ attention.
However, getting arrested will result in a “Busted” screen even if the other protagonist gets away, so players need to think carefully about their escape plans.
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