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Design Docs Show Off GTA In Its Infancy
Former DMA employee Mike Dailly has posted a fascinating glimpse of Grand Theft Auto's development to his Flikr page, in the form of an early design document. The document is dated March 22, 1995, when the game was still being called Race'N'Chase. While the team at DMA Design (which later became Rockstar North) was still shaping the game, it's clear that a large part of what would eventually be Grand Theft Auto was already in place.
Here are just some of the highlights:
Under the heading "action," many of the series' core concepts are clearly present
Players will be able to drive cars and possibly other vehicles such as boats, helicopters or lorries. Cars can be stolen, raced, collided, crashed (ramraiding?) and have to be navigated about a large map. It will also be possible for players to get out of their car and steal another one. This will mean controlling a vulnerable pedestrian for a short time. Trying to steal a car may result in an alarm being set off which will, of course, attract police.
Did I make it clear this is from 1995?
Space for sound (samples, etc.) will amount to 1 MB.
The "pedestrians" heading shows that a dark sense of humor was always present.
Pedestrians will be wandering about all of the time. They can be run over by cars. They will tend to walk on pavements.
Types of pedestrians could include:
- Schoolchildren & lollipop lady
- Dogs
If you haven't ever had the chance to play the original Grand Theft Auto, you can download it from Rockstar for free.
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