Mortal Human

Posts Tagged ‘GTA IV modding’

While other sites are bringing you 2 year old game script mods, the homie Shadow-Link is paving the way for the next generation of real Grand Theft Auto modding. See, the collision files were really tough this time around… wait, let me prime this achievement unlocked.

Everyone knows that the biggest thing about GTA Modding is maps, more commonly known as a Total Conversion in the GTA modding world because “a new map = a new GTA”.

Especially these days where you have the episodic content and plenty to do in Liberty City – the fans who like to tweak their GTA experience hunger new locations to defile as Niko, Luis, or Johnny. Maybe even Tommy.

With Rockstar predicted unlikely to release another GTA until 2012, this is certainly a much needed bonus for those of us who play on the best games platform, PC (I’m not for sale).

It took 2 long years for someone to get there, a lot of doubt until Shadow-Link started, and a lot of beers before he finished, but he’s cracked GTA IV collision model formats and can put them back together. He’s scripted an exporter solution for “3D Max”. It is in the polishing stages and I am told that anyone willing to wrestle with R.A.G.E.  should expect the ability to do so within a week.

I know, I know, we’ve heard that before. This is different. There is some work to do with the hashgen for those who know what it is and some cleaning up of the script – it won’t be long now. Take that Kotaco, filtering my comments out. >_< Shadow-Link, congratulations, this is GTA Modding history. Everybody else, let the polygon kingdoms commence.

IV Multiplayer is a new third party modification for GTA IV. This is awesome. If you’ve already spent some time with SAMP or MTA DM (1.0.1 is out!), then you know what this could mean for GTA IV on the PC. The catch? I don’t know much about it yet. Here’s a quick beta test video, though. A few players testing with some vehicles:

That’s, again, awesome. Crude as it may be, how many can say they remember the excitement they felt the first time they saw the car jitter around in Vice City’s multiplayer betas? I’m sure each of us have that giddy feeling again now, especially after being disappointed with the multiplayer that was offered in IV when their community had already given Rockstar such a great example of what GTA Multiplayer is, or what it should be (COMMAS!). Rockstar delivered quite an original and unique-to-the-series multiplayer experience in GTA IV, but this mod shows exactly what they forgot when they were designing their experience: The community that would play it. Their community.

Don’t get me wrong because I’m not saying that IV isn’t the greatest game published this gen, thus far, but when I play games, I’m still playing San Andreas, online, with a lot more players, a lot more activities, and a lot more fun – and my computer runs IV fine. The single player experience is awesome. The lack of mod tools this time around, the lacking multiplayer, when compared to what arguably was made by amateurs in the third party SA mods, that’s what keeps me in San Andreas.

The third party multiplayers are just better – let’s hope that this time around it gets noticed and Rockstar will be inspired. They’ve already gotten more outspoken in their community with a complete revamp to their site, modders have to be next, right? No? Whatever. I guess the community will do it on its own.

What can you guys tell me about IV-MP? And how do I get onto the forums again? I lost the link and the logo doesn’t work.

UPDATE: It works when you visit the iv-m.com redirect for some reason, anyways, here’s a direct link: http://forum.iv-multiplayer.com/index.php

UPDATE2: Works from the main top-level now.

DFF2WDR Released Last Night

‘DFF2WDR’ is a utility making it possible to convert your GTA San Andreas DFF models into GTA IV’s WDR format. It’s a small step toward making maps in GTA IV, with much more yet to be supported before we can really start playing around with GTA IV’s world, but it works. Shadow-Link made it and you can check it out get more details as you read more.

Here is DFF2WDR’s Official Page. Check back at his site often as Shadow-Link is updating this tool as bugs are found.

Remember to show some support in any way you can while you’re there – GTA Modding is entirely Third Party and free and can not exist without your peers – give Shadow-Link some thanks.

DFF2WDR is not yet perfect, but it is close and does what it was made to do. The latest Java RTE recommended, you can find this here if you find that you come into trouble using the DFF2WDR utility.

You can see what other users are doing during this testing phase at the DFF2WDR topic at GTANet’s GTAForums.

DFF2WDR has been downloaded over 100 times in various locations since its release to the hungry public late last night. I personally recommend you always get your tools strait from the source and to support your peers making it possible to mod GTA IV because as the example clearly shows: Without Shadow-Link’s utility, there is no other tool to take the place of DFF2WDR.

Shadow-Link: Thank you for helping to keep the scene alive, kudos to you for a handy little app.

Update: Got a better Java link for end users, developer network link was said to be confusing.