Abstract:
Rockstar recently demonstrated the actual gameplay content of "Grand Theft Auto 6" for the first time. A 26-minute "Extended Look" demo was first broadcast on Netflix on YouTube. Subsequently, many media and content creators who had been invited to Rockstar North to participate in preview events also successively disclosed more information.
It is reported that the demonstration screen is based on the standard version of PlayStation 5 recording, showing a very high level of detail. Based on the public preview information, this work, which has attracted much attention since its announcement in 2022, has revealed a lot of specific content about the map scale, wanted mechanism, character interaction and vehicle system.
Rob Nelson, co-head of Rockstar North, revealed to YouTube channel TGG during a preview event that the game map area is approximately twice that of "GTA 5" and approximately three times that of "Red Dead Redemption 2"; Vice City itself is approximately twice the size of Los Santos. The open worlds of Rockstar's works have never necessarily pursued the absolute largest area, but they are usually known for their environmental density and details.
Nelson also told the New York Times that his most recent playthrough took about 80 hours, covering the main plot and some optional objectives that will affect the narrative direction. For comparison, the main storyline of "Red Dead Redemption 2" usually takes about 50 to 60 hours to complete. If this data is true, "GTA 6" will become Rockstar's longest-running game to date.
This game has reconstructed the police wanted system. The core is no longer just about causing chaos without consequences, but requires players to "think like a criminal." Crimes need to be witnessed by an NPC or captured by the alarm system before the police will be notified. Responding officers will track the suspect based on the information they have, including facial features, clothing and vehicles.
The game interface will display which identity clues the police have obtained. Hollow wanted stars represent an ongoing police manhunt that has not yet been clearly described; players must eliminate these clues if they are to escape pursuit. For example, changing the hairstyle can change the appearance recognition information, but it is not enough to just put on sunglasses or change a hat, the entire outfit must be changed. Therefore, storing spare clothing in the vehicle trunk will become a practical feature.
Wearing a mask when committing a crime and taking it off afterwards may prevent the police from recording the player's facial information even if there are surveillance cameras at the scene. If the police have identified the vehicle responsible for the crime, switching to another car can reduce the attention; if the police know that Jason and Lucia are a pair, the two can also split up and spread the law enforcement force.
"GTA 6" will also restore the six-star wanted level, replacing the five-star upper limit in "GTA 5". It is said that in the narrow and traffic-dense streets of Vice City, it will be quite difficult for those with three-star wanted levels and above to escape.
Rockstar replaced the honor system of "Red Dead Redemption 2" with the "Crime File" system. What this system differentiates is not good and evil, but "professional" and "rough". Nelson said the team wanted players to no longer be as omnipotent as in previous games. For example, if the player avoids killing people and escapes cleanly when robbing a store, the rating of the criminal profile will be improved; conversely, excessive use of violence will lower the rating.
Other residents in the game may also be armed, dangerous, or even unprovokedly aggressive. Players can also incapacitate enemies by injuring their limbs or knocking weapons out of their hands, rather than killing them directly.
Car stealing will also become a more complete system, rather than just a matter of pressing a button. Vehicles are divided into different security levels. A mobile phone application called WAINK can scan the vehicle before committing a crime and display information such as its valuation, locking status, alarm device and whether it is equipped with a tracker.
Old models can be opened with lock picking tools, while modern luxury cars require key duplication equipment that is unlocked by advancing through the plot, so some vehicles cannot be stolen in the early stages of the game. Vehicles with GPS trackers will continue to provide the police with the player's location unless the player breaks away from the tracking signal or abandons the vehicle.
The sale of stolen goods will be carried out through professional channels similar to the black market merchants in "Red Dead Redemption 2", and the selling price of damaged vehicles will also be reduced. Money is more important in this game, and some plot advancement requires players to raise a specified amount of funds first.
Rockstar said that "GTA 6" has more than 600,000 sets of NPC animations, while "GTA 5" has about 55,000 sets and "Red Dead Redemption 2" has about 300,000 sets. NPCs are not simply spliced together from programmed content, but have undergone independent art design, with more body types and animations adapted to different body types.
In this game, mobile phones are no longer just interfaces suspended on the screen, but become physical objects in the world. A parody of Instagram, the Snapmatic feature will return; but since Jason and Lucia need to avoid leaving a digital trace as fugitives, they won't be able to post themselves and can only browse and observe other people's content. Fast travel is handled by a ride-hailing app called Ryde Me, and players can also have full conversations with other passengers.
The relationship between Jason and Lucia will also become a dynamic variable. The two initially have a crush on each other, but whether the romance develops depends on whether the player invests time in the game, such as shopping, exercising, exploring the world, or pulling off a heist together. Rockstar stated that closer relationships will not provide additional attribute bonuses, and players can complete the story anyway.
In terms of vehicles, the demonstration included convertibles, muscle cars, "Fast and Furious"-style Japanese modified cars, closed-track events with a complete lineup of participating cars, and off-road motorcycle races.
Performance-wise, Rockstar has yet to confirm frame rate targets or performance modes. Content creator Davy Jones, who participated in the preview event, said that the current version on the standard PS5 runs at 30 frames, and the public demo footage seems to be consistent with this. Whether PS5 Pro will offer a higher frame rate mode is still undecided.
"GTA 6" is scheduled to be launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series series consoles on November 19. The basic version is priced at US$80, and the Ultimate Edition is priced at US$100; the PC version has not yet been officially confirmed.
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