Interview Continued

Firingsquad:

What types of multiplayer features/game types will be in GTA2?

Dan and Gary:

Tag & Deathmatch games . . . with some special weaponry . . .

Firingsquad:

GTA 1 had major problems with net play choppiness, even over a LAN. Is this issue going to be resolved in GTA2?

Dan and Gary:

Bandwidth problems will always affect multiplayer games. GTA2 uses optimised network code and for players with reasonable machines and connections, the games are OK.

Firingsquad:

Did your team do any first-hand research in creating a game about committing crimes?

Dan and Gary:

We watched a lot of movies, read a lot of books, watched a lot of documentaries and then became major international drug dealers

Firingsquad:

Will there be special vehicles, like GTA's tank?

Dan and Gary:

Ice Cream Vans, hot dog vans, taxis and buses you drive and pedestrians get into, electric vehicles, tanks, trains, articulated lorries, in which you can let the trailer separate from the cab whenever you want to.... I think that's it.

Firingsquad:

Will players be able to meet up for networked games over services such as MSN Gaming Zone, or something proprietary such as Battle.Net?

Dan and Gary:

Not planned yet and unlikely. GTA2 is not a typical network style game It was not designed to allow massively multiplayer environments since the game systems require so much data, we do not yet possess powerful enough machines to do this in a matter which would do the whole GTA experience justice.

Firingsquad:

When you looked back at GTA one to decide where to go with the sequel, what things struck you the most as needing updating / changing?

Dan and Gary:

Apart from the basic game idea - a free form criminal romp through a massive urban hell-, everything needed re-working, and it all has been. Everything has been technically improved, so that even if the mechanism is the same as in the original game (for example, you car jack in the same way) the technical execution is far slicker... my own personal favourite improvement is in the forces of truth, justice and the American way. They are as mad and aggressive as the criminals! Yes, we live in New York.