Modding in Grand Theft Auto

User modification, or modding of games in the open-world sandbox Grand Theft Auto series is a popular trend in the PC gaming community. These unofficial modifications are made by altering gameplay logic and asset files within a user's game installation, and can drastically change the gameplay experience: from replacing the player's character model with a fire breathing cat, to spawning zombies throughout the map.[1] Frequently created by anonymous 'modders', modifications are presented in the form of downloadable files or archives.[2] Third-party software has been indispensable for building Grand Theft Auto mods, due to the lack of official editing tools from the developer, Rockstar Games.[3][4] Mods for Grand Theft Auto are generally developed for use on the PC versions of the games, since the platform does not prevent modifications to installed software; however, similar content for console versions does exist to an extent.

Background

While mods for Grand Theft Auto have been developed by hobbyists since the release of the first game, it wasn't until the release of the wildly successful Grand Theft Auto III on Microsoft Windows, in May 2002,[5] that mods started to become both more accessible and more popular. The use of a 3D game engine (the first in the series[6]) allowed development of custom vehicles, textures and character models, followed by new missions and map modifications; the success of these new types of mods then started to attract widespread attention. In the following years the modding scene became more sophisticated and complex, as various aspects of the game's internals are gradually being discovered and documented by hackers. One of the best-known examples is the iCEnhancer graphics modification[7] mod by Hayssam Keilany, praised by reviewers and labelled as "arguably one of the best mods of all time" by Polygon.[8][9][7]

In most of the games, certain data files were stored in simple archives or in plain text files, allowing modders to edit them using basic tools.[10] However, more complex modifications, such as changes to the gameplay mechanics or the addition of custom models and/or maps were not possible without more advanced tools specific to GTA, along with commercial-grade modelling programs such as SketchUp, 3ds Max and Zmodeler. For this reason modders would often collaborate on various fan sites, pooling resources and sharing documentation with one another. In a quote by Patrick Wildenborg, the modder responsible for unlocking the Hot Coffee mini-game, he stated that "The modding community felt like a bunch of friends trying to solve a mystery".[11]

Online modding communities
We know for a fact that there is a significant percentage of GTA fans who only buy the game for the PC because of the open-ended modification possibilities.

Unnamed modder cited in Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto[11]

Grand Theft Auto fan communities have been essential to the growth of the modding scene. Modders were able to exchange knowledge and team up in order to create new tools, mods and documentation.[11] GTA communities, Internet forums, and fan sites have also been essential, as they serve as hosts for mods. Besides the video-sharing site YouTube, sites such as GTANet, GTAinside, GTA V Mods and The GTA Place served as platforms for content exchange, and discussion about modding and the Grand Theft Auto in general.

Aspects of GTA modding

When GTA V was released on PC, the question of breakthrough of new mods depended on production of new GTA-specific tools for modification. While GTA IV is one of the games with most fan made mods,[12] GTA V modders had difficulties creating mods until completely new tools were made.[4][13] One of the most notable tools that initiated significant GTA V modification is OpenIV which provided database manipulation.[14] Many mods had compatibility issues with every new GTA V update patch.[15]

Grand Theft Auto V's release on the PC offers many advantages over the console release. Yet all of these pale in comparison to the most important advantage of all; modifications.

Matthew S. Smith and Gabe Gurwin of Digital Trends, 9 May 2015[16]

Mods are a part of the Grand Theft Auto franchise's success on PCs.[17][18] Their popularity added on to the longevity and further success of the GTA series.[3][19] Complex modifications as is Zombie Alarm cause the effect of creating entirely new gaming experience.[20] Modding served as one of main channels for innovations in game play.[21] Best example is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which has one of the biggest modding communities in PC gaming overall.[12] It is constantly being refreshed with new modifications despite being released on 7 June 2005 for PC.

As GTA Online is built as a component of GTA V, it has been a subject of modding which caused negative effects on player experience.[22][23] Because many mods in form of in-game cheats were added to GTA Online, Rockstar developed an isolated section where those who used cheats in GTA Online would temporarily be put in.[24] Prior to Grand Theft Auto IV and GTA Online, mods such as San Andreas Multiplayer[25] and Multi Theft Auto were developed and released in lieu of an official multiplayer component for previous titles.

Although major mod hosting websites (such as GTAinside or GTAGarage) often check mods for possible malware, there are times where content infected with viruses and rogue software slip through.[26] As such, modding websites began to screen content owners and their works for any malicious content or similar quality or security issues.

Reaction from Rockstar Games

Modification of Grand Theft Auto is not endorsed by Rockstar and as such there is no official editor tool that allows manipulation of in-game files.[3][13] In an answer to a question made by a fan, Rockstar expressed their views on GTA modification, stating that they have always appreciated the efforts of the modding community and still gladly remember classic mods like Zombie Invasion or the original Grand Theft Auto III map on Grand Theft Auto IV. They also declared that their modding policy hasn't changed and is same as for GTA IV.[27] The end-user licence agreement contradicts this, however, as users may not "Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, display, perform, prepare derivative works based on, or otherwise modify the Software, in whole or in part".[28]

Our primary focus is on protecting GTA Online against modifications that could give players an unfair advantage, disrupt gameplay, or cause griefing.

Rockstar Games, Asked & Answered from 7 May 2015[29]

In August 2015, several members of the FiveM team had their Rockstar Games Social Club accounts suspended due to their involvement in an alternative multiplayer client for Grand Theft Auto V.[30][31][32] Upon being contacted by Kotaku regarding the issue, Rockstar stated that the FiveM client was an unauthorised modification "designed to facilitate piracy." They added that as such, it violated the terms of use and therefore members were banned from the Social Club service.[33]

Following the release of GTA V for PC, GameSpot interviewed its developers at Rockstar North. When asked about the extent of built-in support for modding in the new release, a Rockstar representative indicated that their primary focus was ensuring that GTA Online would be free of possible hacks and exploits, and that therefore modding of GTA Online would not be allowed.[34]

While Rockstar has previously provided some support with the original Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2, and has even used a third-party utility for developing the Grand Theft Auto: London expansion packs,[35] the only official modification tool Rockstar has released is Rockstar Editor,[36] a tool which allows users to record and edit videos in-game. Options such as effects, audio, speed, cameras and navigation tools are made available to the player.[37]

Impact of the Hot Coffee mod
Main article: Hot Coffee mod
Before NIMF and Yee warned everybody about Hot Coffee, we only had a couple of thousand downloads on the mod, after the media panic, over a million! In late summer of last year, our server was pushing like 7TB of data a month.

Illspirit, a modder and administrator from GTAGarage (where Hot Coffee first appeared), speaking with Gamasutra[38]

Hot Coffee is a normally inaccessible mini-game in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The mini-game portrays crudely animated sexual intercourse between the main character and a chosen partner.[39] After Patrick Wildenborg, a software engineer who also went by the alias "PatrickW", modified the game to make the mini-game accessible, Hot Coffee quickly gained notoriety worldwide, impacting consumer culture, politics and the video game industry as a whole.[40]

Rockstar initially blamed a "determined group of hackers" for hacking the base game and creating the mini-game from scratch.[41] This claim was eventually refuted, as the mini-game's code and assets had been developed by Rockstar and were already present, unfinished and abandoned, on the game disc: the mod simply made the existing content available to players.[42][43] Rockstar would go on to indicate that they expected the ESRB rating to remain unchanged, as they had no control over the modifications applied to the game post-release.[44] However, ESRB chose to have the rating changed to Adults only, with the modding community taking the blame.[45] The perception of modders by both players and publishers has since harshened. ESRB later called on the video game industry to "proactively protect their games from illegal modifications by third parties, particularly when they serve to undermine the accuracy of the rating".[21][46] In his interview for CNET, David Kushner explained that some modders were "scared" that Rockstar would prevent modifications to their games after Hot Coffee, but noted that once the controversy had passed the outcome was of refined ESRB guidelines rather that increased regulation, and a renewed public appreciation for mature content in video games.[47] Of the controversy and eventual fallout, Gamsutra wrote that "The treatment left many in the GTA mod community with mixed feelings"[48]

A weapon replacement for GTA V which replaces the game's sticky bomb weapon with an exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 as a parody of the phone's battery explosion issue and subsequent recall, attracted controversy when Samsung Electronics America, Inc. reportedly issued takedown notices to YouTube demanding that videos depicting the phone be taken down as an alleged violation of its copyrights.[49][50][51][52] The Verge called this "bogus", and a "ridiculous overreach and misuse of the DMCA", while it was also believed that these takedowns would only draw further attention to the content. Although Samsung has attempted to take down videos depicting the mod, it has not yet targeted websites hosting the mod itself.[53][54]

On 14 June 2017, Take-Two Interactive sent a cease and desist to the developers of OpenIV, a program that allows users to install modifications for various Rockstar titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V, claiming that OpenIV allowed third-parties to modify and defeat the security features of its software.[55] Rockstar later responded by saying that "Take-Two's actions were not specifically targeting single player mods... We are working to figure out how we can continue to support the creative community without negatively impacting our players."[56] In a statement issued by Rockstar on 23 June, saying that Take-Two has agreed not to take legal action against third-party single-player modding projects involving Rockstar's games on PC. Rockstar has also contacted the developers of OpenIV, to attempt to resolve the dispute.[57] Although the details of said meeting remain undisclosed, shortly afterwards OpenIV was made available to download – and received a minor update – indicating the conversation with Rockstar was successful.[58]

gollark: It's not very engaging, though, you just sit there and watch large amounts of compile warnings roll by.
gollark: Because JS is easy and some people are used to it.
gollark: Well, there are many bad ones. Like PHP.
gollark: > [...] PHP> best 4 languagesThis is extremely heretical.
gollark: I've got a reasonably okay 1080p monitor I don't use at all for some mysterious reason.

References
  1. Grand Theft Zombies Mod – IGN Video, retrieved 27 August 2015
  2. "How To Install GTA 5 Mods | Rock, Paper, Shotgun". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  3. "Best 8 GTA V Mods of January 2018". Twinfinite. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  4. GameZone. "Modding is possible in GTA 5, but will just take time". www.gamezone.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  5. "Grand Theft Auto III (PC)". IGN. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  6. "The Leif Ericson Awards – IGN". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  7. "GTA 4's iCEnhancer mod has Liberty City looking better than ever". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  8. "Are These Real Photos or GTA IV Screenshots? – IGN". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  9. "GTA 4 now looks as good as GTA 5 — if you have a PC". Polygon. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  10. "Fans hit back in GTA sex storm". BBC. 2 August 2005. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  11. Kushner, David (3 April 2012). Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780470936375.
  12. "The best PC games for...mods | Top lists | Softonic". Softonic. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  13. Klepek, Patrick. "There Are Several Promising PC Mods For GTA V Already". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  14. "GTA 5 getting closer to full scale modding, thanks to OpenIV update". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  15. "New GTA 5 PC Patch Released, Reportedly Breaks Mods". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  16. "Take GTA V to the next level with the ten best mods for PC".
  17. "5 crazy reminders of why we want Grand Theft Auto V on PC". VentureBeat. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  18. "The bizarre and often hilarious world of Grand Theft Auto V mods – CNET". CNET. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  19. "Take GTA V to the next level with the ten best mods for PC". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  20. "GTA: San Andreas Zombie Alarm Mod". Softonic. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  21. "The Embattled ESRB: News from 1UP.com". 1Up.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  22. "This GTA Online Hack is a Nightmare for GTA V Players | SegmentNext". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  23. Hernandez, Patricia. "GTA Online Mods Let People "Rape" Other Players". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  24. "Rockstar rolls out new cheat detection systems in GTA Online". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  25. GameZone. "Video Games, News, Reviews, Walkthroughs, Cheat codes and More – Interact". www.gamezone.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  26. "GTA 5 mods Angry Planes and No Clip contain malware". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  27. "Asked & Answered: The Rockstar Editor, GTA Online Updates, PC Mods and More | Rockstar Games". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  28. "End User License Agreement | Rockstar Games". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  29. "Asked & Answered: The Rockstar Editor, GTA Online Updates, PC Mods and More".
  30. "First GTA 5 Multiplayer Mod With User Created Game Modes Released « GamingBolt.com: Video Game News, Reviews, Previews and Blog". gamingbolt.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  31. "GTAV modders reportedly banned for creating their own online realm". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  32. "GTA5 modders who made their own multiplayer banned by Rockstar". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  33. Narcisse, Evan. "Modders Say Rockstar Banned Them For Making An Alternative To GTA Online". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  34. Dittler, Julien (2 10). "What New Things Should You Expect in GTA V PC?". E.g Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 August 2015. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. "GTACars Utility". Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  36. "The Rockstar Editor is coming to 'GTA V' on consoles after all". Engadget. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  37. "GTA 5 PC guide: how to use the Rockstar Editor & Director Mode". VG247.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  38. Brathwaite, Brenda. "Hot Coffee's Effects on the Mod Scene". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  39. "Rockstar: Hot Coffee controversy was "draining and upsetting"". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  40. Lohr, Steve (11 July 2005). "In Video Game, a Download Unlocks Hidden Sex Scenes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  41. "Rockstar breaks silence on "Hot Coffee" GTA: San Andreas mod". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  42. "Who spilled Hot Coffee?". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  43. "USATODAY.com – 'Grand Theft Auto' gets pulled over". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  44. "'Grand Sex Auto'? Sex Scenes Possibly Hidden In Game Have Critics In A Lather". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  45. "Cooling Hot Coffee: Inside San Andreas' AO rating". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  46. "Entertainment Software Rating Board". www.esrb.org. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  47. "How Grand Theft Auto changed video games (and the world) – CNET". CNET. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  48. "Gamasutra – Hot Coffee's Effects on the Mod Scene". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  49. "Samsung made YouTube remove video of GTA mod that turns Note 7 into a bomb". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  50. "Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 is a literal bomb in this GTA 5 mod". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  51. "Samsung blocks video of 'GTA V' Galaxy Note 7 bomb mod". Engadget. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  52. "Samsung doesn't want you to see video of this GTA V exploding phone mod". Ars Technica. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  53. "Samsung made YouTube remove video of GTA mod that turns Note 7 into a bomb". The Verge. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  54. "Samsung 'blocks' exploding Note 7 parody videos". BBC News. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  55. "Popular GTA mod OpenIV receives cease and desist from Take-Two". Eurogamer. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  56. "Here's Rockstar's statement about Take-Two shutting down GTA's OpenIV modding tool (Updated)". PC Gamer. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  57. "Rockstar urges Take-Two to ease off on Grand Theft Auto modders". Polygon. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  58. "GTA modding tool OpenIV receives an update, signaling development will continue". PC Gamer. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.