Part 2 of this Week's Asked & Answered: Max Payne 3 Details and More

Posted: February 15, 2012 7:52AM | Author: R* Q

As promised, today we present part 2 of this week's Asked & Answered session, with even more of your questions taken from the Newswire comments, Twitter replies, Facebook messages and emails to our Mouthoff inquiry inbox... If you missed it earlier, you can find a link to our previous official responses to questions about Max Payne 3, Grand Theft Auto V and more right here.


“I've waited nearly 10 years for this. Will Max Payne 3 feature any driving this time around? I know you guys avoided it so it doesn't seem like a version of a Grand Theft Auto game but since Max is 10 years in and established as its own, will you add that in?” - Dymez510
“Max is there more in-depth hand-to-hand combat with interaction of environment?” - zell92i75

As we’ve stated in the past, we’re working very hard to ensure that we’re being faithful and true to the heritage of Max Payne – and the heart and soul of Max Payne gameplay has always been as a pure shooter. Apart from some pretty cool melee kills that can be triggered when in close quarters with an enemy (check out the very end of the latest Design and Technology video for an exemplary pistol-whipping), we have no intention of betraying that to introduce driving/racing or brawling elements. Just get ready for some of the most cutting-edge, advanced and insane shooting gameplay you’ve ever experienced. If you want driving, we do make some other games. This game is all about story driven gun play.


“With the trend of video games becoming 'easier' to complete to cater to the casual market in the hope of everybody completing the game, can we expect a challenging hardcore Max Payne game? I remember from previous Max Payne games, there being tough levels with intense shoot-outs. Can we expect the same with MP3?” - ILikeVideo-Games

Yes – while we’re not going to go into too much detail about the specifics of it just yet, we can answer that there will indeed be varying optional difficulty levels for players to play through the single-player story with - so that the game can be a challenging, satisfying and fun experience for players of all skill levels, and special rewards for completing on harder difficulty levels – we will have more details soon.


“Thanks for answering my Max Payne 3 question! Ok... I know I'm making a stupid request but... somehow, in Max Payne 3, could you please put some producers and writers commentaries? I wanna know everything you got inspired with, how you did it and why you did it. Some fans would appreciate this idea too!” - received via Mouthoff

Not a stupid request at all! Although we most likely won’t be including development chronicles or commentaries within the game itself, if for no other reason than we rarely have much spare room on our game discs, we’d definitely recommend you pay close attention to some of the content online that will continue to hit in the lead-up to game release – including our behind-the-scenes Research posts and Rockstar Recommends series here at the Rockstar Newswire, the continuing Design and Technology Series of videos, and exclusive interviews we’re giving with gaming sites discussing the development of Max Payne 3.


“@rockstargames Wow, I have a lot of questions. Are you going to be divulging the full list of classic characters for Max Payne 3's Special Edition?” - DrDeanDarko (via Twitter)

Yes, we will be confirming the full list of characters in Max Payne 3 Special Edition’s Classic Character Multiplayer Pack soon.


“R* are you planning to make DLCs for mp3 in the future ?
I’m looking forward to this game, because Max Payne 1 and 2 are one of the greatest games and game experiences for me :D this game will be awesome !!!!! :D” - Maxx-Paiin

Thank you. It’s great to see hardcore Max Payne fans such as yourself getting excited for the game’s release – as we’ve said before, we’re working very hard to ensure a faithful but still fresh and new Max Payne title for you all. As for future looking downloadable content, it’s a bit early yet for us to confirm exactly what shape Max Payne 3 DLC might take as we’re still in the planning stages for that, but yes we do plan to support Max Payne 3 with content post-release to properly extend the game experience for fans.


“Okay, question time!
Will we see the nifty TV shows from the previous two in Max Payne 3?” - ABoyandHisX

Very possibly...


“In footage of the game, we see Max in both São Paulo and back in New York City. Are the New York city parts solely at the beginning of the game, or are they perhaps a part of flashback missions throughout the story?” - received via Mouthoff

We don’t want to give too much away about the game’s narrative structure, but the game is about Max coming to terms with his experience in São Paulo and the events that took him there, so they are spread throughout the game, like memories triggered by events in São Paulo.


“Any news about Max Payne on iOS?” - avbros

Yes – following the release of Grand Theft Auto III for iOS (and Android devices) late last year, the original Max Payne will be our next release for mobile devices. We will have an official announcement soon confirming the release date, but you can expect it to finally be released sometime in the next couple months.


“Rockstar, if I may ask, what is the relationship like between you and Remedy?” – received via Mouthoff

Remedy are great long-time friends of ours - they may be an external development studio not part of the internal Rockstar system, but we’ve always loved what they create, and their passion for games, and feel a certain kinship in that they are a studio not afraid of creating original and unique story-driven game experiences very different from the norm. We admire and respect all game makers who stick to their guns and make interesting and original games, and in particular ones like Remedy that we’ve had the pleasure to work with ourselves and know to be good guys as well. As creators of the Max Payne series, we’ve been honored to have them directly involved with us in the making of Max Payne 3 and at the same time, it’s been a thrill to be in the loop along the way seeing what they’re up to with Alan Wake and the new American Nightmare release coming out. If you’ve never checked that game out, we definitely recommend having a look.


“Are there any hopes of us getting a Bully 2? I loved the original and it’s been, what, 5 years? Please make another one.” - siim2200
“Hey, and Bully 2? It’s Real? Please make Bully 2! The world needs a Bully 2” - Julio Cësar (via Facebook)

We absolutely love that over 5 years later, we’re still seeing so much enthusiasm for Bully - all we can say is to see the answer from Monday's Asked & Answered about L.A. Noire! We really love Bully ourselves and may also make a sequel at some point.

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173 Comments

Asked & Answered: Max Payne 3 and More...

Posted: February 13, 2012 11:10AM | Author: R* Q

Presenting the first in a two-parter edition this week of our Asked & Answered series culled directly from your Newswire comments, tweets, Facebook posts and mouthoff emails and summarily stuffed with official answers to an assortment of questions on the details of our next upcoming release, May 2012's Max Payne 3 - as well as a host of other inquiries. Please keep in mind, as always, that while we can't answer every single question you send our way, our ears are always open. If you've got questions you'd like us to consider for a future edition, the best way is to shoot us a mail directly at mouthoff@rockstargames.com. Look for more Max Payne 3 questions to be answered later this week as well in part two.

“Nooooooooooooooo why is [Max Payne 3] getting delayed??????” - MRMARTSON

We understand it's disappointing to have to wait another couple months for the game, but we hope you know our goal is always to deliver the best games we possibly can. Trust that the delay is all to ensure the game is as epic and highly-polished as possible. Thank you all for your patience and understanding. We believe it will be well worth the wait.


“18th of May is also for Australian release?” - Jortan

Yes, the Australian release of Max Payne 3 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will also be on May 18th.


“Hey @R* can you show us the final cover for Max Payne 3?” - maciej595revan
“When will you guys show us the final cover art of the standard edition?” - emmi18176860

The final cover art will be revealed in the next few  weeks – stay tuned.


“@RockstarGames Why the two week delay for the PC version?” - wazups2x via Twitter

We also would like the Max Payne 3 PC release to happen as close as possible to the console release date. It just wasn’t possible to get the PC version lined up day and date with the console releases, but we’re working to make sure it’s with you just a couple weeks thereafter.


“Any chance there'll be a feature sometime showing how Rockstar took the fan's faces from picture to screen?” - Marney-1
“@R* Will you show us this screen of the selected people to be in the game, but with the in-game engine? I want to see how the faces look like with the engine.” - Undertaker13

Absolutely. They’re all being implemented now as we speak, using production photos provided by the fans we chose in the #MaxPayne3 casting event on Twitter. We’re excited ourselves to see the finished results and will be sharing a look with you all when they’re ready.


“What is the deal with giving U.S the game 3 days early? why do you do this?” - x_STREETKING_x
“Why does it get released later for Europe is it because of shipping?” - i-dunn0-o

No, it’s not because of shipping, it’s just the way entertainment gets released between the two different territories at retail – in the US, games, music and DVDs come out on Tuesdays and in Europe, on Fridays – so that is how our releases come out. We did, with GTAIV, try a global release – but it was very complicated and created a lot of problems with retail in Europe. We are old enough to remember when there were often months between American and European releases, and believe three days difference is not a huge deal, but we would also just as well prefer it if everywhere was easily set up for releases to be on the same date.


“It is written that BOPE will appear in the game, right?
But I would like to know how can this happen if the game is set in São Paulo and BOPE is from Rio de Janeiro.
I'm looking forward for an answer.” - LFKS123

No actually, the special police force in the game is the fictionalized UFE (Unidade de Forças Especiais) which are inspired by many of the real-life units mentioned in our first Max Payne 3 Research article – such as the GATE, GARRA, and GOE of São Paulo.


“I wanna know more about the shooting system Rockstar. Will Max Payne 3 have free aim like the PC originals?” – received via Mouthoff

Yes. The Max Payne series was built on its precise and fluid shooting mechanics, and a huge amount of work has been put into ensuring Max's aiming and weapon balance systems not only live up to the reputation of the original but also try to maximize what is possible with modern third and first-person shooters, enabling us to deliver fluid free-aim mechanics on both PC and console. To go more in-depth and see some of it in action, check out our latest Design and Technology series video focusing on targeting and weapons.
We want lovers of the series to be able to dive right into free aim, but we also want to provide a range of aiming options and difficulty levels for players of all skill levels, so you'll find a range of aiming options available whether you're a hardcore shooter player or a newcomer to the series.


“Is James McCaffrey doing the voice again? That would really mean a lot to the game in my opinion! :)” - Faurschou

Yes, make sure to watch our official Max Payne 3 Pop-Up Edition Trailer where we confirm that tidbit along with lots of other facts about the game. He is also the face of Max in Max Payne 3, and provides the majority of his movement, in and out of cutscenes.


“I'm dying to know if we'll be able to use Bullet Time in the Multiplayer part of Max Payne 3 too, or is it a singleplayer exclusive? Could it be kinda like the Dead-Eye integration we all know from Red Dead's Multiplayer?” - BorisBlack
“How will Bullet-Time be in Multiplayer? Will it even be there or just for the single player experience? Thanks R*” - emmi18176860

Max Payne’s multiplayer is all about taking the physicality and tech of Max’s movement and shooting abilities and translating that directly into multiplayer in a way that fits with the overall story and the themes of the game, so getting Bullet Time right in the multiplayer experience is a huge priority. Bullet Time in multiplayer works via line of sight rather than applying to the whole level, or to a bubble around the player. While Bullet Time is Max’s special ability, it is just one of a range of special abilities  - called Bursts – that you’ll find in multiplayer. Each Burst plays on an aspect of Max Payne 3’s overall themes such as conspiracy, paranoia, heroism, betrayal – and all come into play in our new narrative-based gameplay mode, Gang Wars. You can read more first details about Max Payne 3 multiplayer here  http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/121/1214745p1.html and we will be revealing much, much more information very soon.


“Hey Rockstar, can you change outfits in MP3?” - denisiscena
“Love the video, can't wait until Max Payne 3 comes out - can you change the outfits Max wears in the game and how does the weapons wheel work?” - tombstone14

As you play through the story of Max Payne 3, each outfit is contextual to the narrative of what is happening at that level. For example, in the office level, Max is wearing that grey suit as he has a meeting with his new employer, Rodrigo Branco (apparently a quite eventful meeting at that).
As for the Weapon wheel, Max can carry three weapons at all times – two smaller one-handed weapons (like handguns and small automatics) and one larger two-handed weapon (such as an automatic rifle). The Weapon wheel allows you to quickly select between these three weapons. It also allows you to choose to dual wield the two single-handed weapons.


"I'm a big Grand Theft Auto fan, and have extensively played and loved every game in the series, and upon research I came across screenshots and other information about the beta version of GTA III that was given to game testers, and some of the beta cars and features that were removed. Since it's been long since GTA III was sold at retail and interest is in the IV / V series now, I thought I'd email asking if there was any way I could obtain a copy (at a cost for inconvenience). I realise some things weren't put in the games for certain legal reasons for the retail copies, and you may be under legal obligation not to let the beta's out anymore, but no harm in me trying. Hope to hear from you soon :)” – received via Mouthoff

One important thing we should clarify is that the early work-in-progress version of Grand Theft Auto III you’re referring to was not a proper ‘beta’ but an early pre-alpha build that was far from complete or really functional. While it would be a fun thing in theory to be able to pull up and play it to check it out, unfortunately it’s technically not possible. Thank you though for reaching out, it’s certainly been a lot of fun revisiting the days of GTAIII’s development with our long-time fans recently (make sure to check out our 2-part series of fan questions answered about Grand Theft Auto III here).


“When will we know more about #GTAV” - Fash08 (via Twitter)
“When’s the release date for GTA5” - Akiieran (via Twitter)
“Can we expect a 2nd trailer this year for GTAV?” - mats hoi
“Any more news about GTAV on the way, I can’t wait!!!!” - mattoneill1991 (via Twitter)

First of all, we’d like to again thank you and everyone out there for the amazing response to the debut Grand Theft Auto V trailer. We know that there are a ton of questions you all have about the game, including release date and lots else.
Right now, we are very hard at work on the game and are excited as well to show and tell you more as development progresses - expect that we'll be talking much more about GTAV starting at some point in a few months’ time.
Please hang tight until then and thank you all for your patience and support!


“Rockstar, I really can't wait for new information about the new GTA. And is it only in Los Santos or too in SF and LV?” - MatsvanStam

As we revealed in our announcement about the game being officially in full development, Grand Theft Auto V is set in the city of Los Santos and its surrounding hills, countryside and beaches – and it will be the largest and most ambitious open world game we’ve ever created…


“Hello, I just purchased L.A. Noire and the extension for GTA (PS3) that includes The Ballad of Gay Tony. Firstly, I must say both are impressive games. L.A. Noire in particular is a work of art. Frankly I'm shocked that any video game company is producing something of this caliber and depth when it would seem that the market tends to reward video game makers for making fluff. One thing that rubbed me just slightly the wrong way was the manner in which the topic of homosexuality was handled in The Ballad of Gay Tony. Make no mistake here, I was not offended by the portrayal of a stereotype - I would be quite the hypocrite to be playing GTA and offended by a social commentary hitting too close to home. Rather I was shocked by something much more subtle: the fact that the main character was unable to dance with the men in the gay bars. GTA allows the player to sleep with and murder hookers, but disallows dancing between two men. This seems to have been an intentional choice on the part of the creators of the game and begs the question: why not?" – received via Mouthoff

Thanks for the feedback. We are pretty confident that Luis can dance with a guy in Hercules. You have to dance well with a girl first, then a guy will come and challenge you, as a way of seeing who is the better dancer. Luis is a heterosexual character. Tony is a gay character. They are best friends and work together. Luis is a vain, psychotic, deluded and somewhat confused mess, but he is not remotely homophobic, nor is he remotely bi-sexual. So he dances with women, but he is comfortable helping to run a gay night club. With all our open world games, we try to provide a range of experiences that fit the character and help develop the character while providing a good range of things to do. So Niko didn’t dance at all, but Luis did, and Jimmy (from Bully) can kiss people but not shoot them, like a normal school boy. Meanwhile, in Red Dead Redemption, John Marston won’t cheat on his wife, or dance, but is happy slaughtering any number of animals.


“Hey R* is there gonna be something more about L.A. Noire?” - Dezpoztomuz

While there won’t be any more DLC or additional content for the current release of L.A. Noire (we’re all too busy working on Max Payne 3, GTAV and other games to come), don’t count out the possibility of a new game in the L.A. Noire franchise in the future. We simply have not decided anything. We’re all very pleased with how that game turned out and are considering what the future may hold for L.A. Noire as a series. We don’t always rush to make sequels, but that does not mean we won’t get to them eventually – see Max and Red Dead for evidence of that – we have so many games we want to make and the issue is always one of bandwidth and timing.

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399 Comments

Grand Theft Auto III: Your Questions Answered – Part Two (9/11, The “Ghost Town”, The Dodo and Other Mysteries)

Posted: January 05, 2012 12:00PM | Author: R* Q

VBProject
Did you cut off any missions or stuff after 9/11?

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gtaencyclopedia (via Twitter)
How different would be #GTAIII if 9/11 wouldn't have happened?

Rockstar says:
About 1% different. We removed only one mission that referenced terrorists and changed a few other cosmetic details – car details, a couple of ped comments, lines of radio dialogue etc – the game came out a very short time later. The biggest change was the US packaging which remixed the previous packaging into what became our signature style – because the previous packaging [which was released as the cover of the game in Europe] was, we felt, too raw after 9/11. All of the more extreme rumours are amusing but impossible to have been achieved in such a short period of time.

CrazyNiko187
Any chance of releasing GTA3 with all the stuff that was removed due to 9/11?

Rockstar says:
No. As above, it really was not very much stuff – just one mission and other than that some superficial and cosmetic details.

Magic_Al
The game was released only 41 days after 9/11. It's known that last-minute changes were made to game content because of the traumatic emotional situation at the time. Some are known, such as police vehicles being changed to not look like NYPD, but rumors of bigger changes won't completely go away. Such as: there were school buses and children in Liberty City that were removed, Liberty City had twin towers that were changed into a construction site, and Donald Love was killed by airplane hitting his building and this was edited out so he just disappears. Big changes seem unlikely to do in 41 days considering Rockstar New York was literally in a war zone and there had to be time to test and physically ship the game. Once and for all, can you list everything that was changed after 9/11 and debunk the most ridiculous rumors about this situation?

Rockstar says:
As far as we can remember, the list of changes is covered above – the other stuff is nonsense.

tytiyuiyitytiy
Is the location in the beginning where the bank robbery takes place supposed to be a part of Liberty City? Or is it supposed the be another town?

Rockstar says:
Yes – it is meant to be part of Liberty City.

bcinvestor1
Is the name of the Island taken out of the game named "Jakota Island," referred to in the game as "Ghost Town?"

Rockstar says:
We didn’t take an island out of the game. There were only ever the three. We think what people refer to as “ghost town” is just the small area of a city we built for the bank heist scene at the very start of the game. It never had a name, but we wanted it to be somewhere separate from the liberty map and so we built these few streets floating in space and assumed no one would ever find them.  We noticed someone built a bridge mod so you can actually drive there now - amazing…

Blazinbash
Was the Dodo ever supposed to stay in flight? don't get me wrong my friends and I spent many fun hours trying to see who could fly the longest, in a plane with clipped wings before crashing into the sea.

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CrazyNiko187
Was the Dodo intended to be a actual plane, or was its wingspan reduced because of 9/11? (I know it can be flown with practice)

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Christobell46
How come the Dodo plane in GTA3 can’t fly?

Rockstar says:
Because we were making a driving and shooting game - even that, as a combination of core gameplay elements, was very, very radical at the time. The Dodo was never meant to be flown very much at all, and it certainly wasn’t grounded as a result of 9/11 – it was just a fun thing that people then went crazy with when they figured out various bugs that let them fly it!

BenDeR.
The tunnels in Shoreside Vale, so much speculation has been made about them. They seem to be closed 24/7 due to construction work. Were they originally supposed to lead somewhere or are the workers just too lazy to finish the work, ha!

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Vortex94
Also why was the tunnel to upstate blocked in the Shoreside Vale island?

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CrazyNiko187
The tunnel in Shoreside Vale, was it just for looks?

Rockstar says:
There was never meant to be anything on the other end of the tunnel, we were just playing with ways to make the world feel like it continues past the physical boundary. It’s something that we’ve been pushing in all sorts of ways ever since, making the world you experience as a player feel like it’s part of something bigger. This tunnel was one of our first little baby steps in that direction. 

WolfRogers
Hidden away on the PC version of Grand Theft Auto III are menus and listings for Multiplayer, what was supposed to be planned for Grand Theft Auto III and at what point was it removed?

Rockstar says:
We played around with the idea of multiplayer back then but never got very far with it. At the time, we decided to make Vice City instead of dedicating a big team to multiplayer, as we did not feel it would ever really be good enough. When we finally made a multiplayer game, we wanted it to rival the fun and experience of single player, and this was something not possible until much later.

tytiyuiyitytiy
Who wrote the "My mother's my sister" pedestrian dialogue line?

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jesse45
How does "My Mother is my Sister" work?

Rockstar says:
Ha – to be honest, we are not sure – we all work together on this stuff – and we supposed too many of us just find rural inbreeding amusing.

OrIGInalPyRO
Where did the 'squish' noise that played when you ran over a pedestrian come from? That always made me laugh.

Rockstar says:
The pedestrian squishing sound was made up from a combination of squelchy sounds that Rockstar North Audio Designer, Allan Walker recorded live (Rockstar North Lead Music Producer, Craig Conner seems to recall crushing fruit and raw chicken in a vocal booth...) and then they added a few more layers from our SFX library.

Bruciesautos
Why were the graphics in very early screenshots cartoonish?

Rockstar says:
Before we properly got started on building the game we tried out a few different looks. Some of these were released during development. We toyed with a very cartoony style but pulled it back quite a lot.

cannoman5
Is it true that the Ammu-Nation clerk's appearance and voice was Dan Houser?

Rockstar says:
No, not true. However it does look (but not sound) like a relative of his.

Luc de Mooij (via Facebook)
How is the cannoli at Marco's Bistro?

Rockstar says:
Horrible! Stale as hell.

Jamie Press (via Facebook)
What's the script like for all GTA games?? How long do they roughly last and how are they formatted? also would you ever consider releasing a script from a GTA game?? Thks :) Can't wait for GTAV!

Rockstar says:
They are long. Very long. And they only seem to get bigger with each subsequent Grand Theft Auto production. Check out the image set below which shows a picture of the GTA3 script alongside the GTAIV script for some sense of what we mean.

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220 Comments

Grand Theft Auto III: Your Questions Answered – Part One (Claude, Darkel & Other Characters)

Posted: December 15, 2011 2:58PM | Author: R* Q

CrazyNiko187
Was Claude always intended to be silent with no spoken dialogue?

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SCORPIO7188
Is Claude a mute or is he a man who doesn't talk? I remember CJ calling Claude a mute in the race in San Andreas.

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XxMETALMONSTERxX
Why doesn't Claude talk? I mean he doesn't even react when he's on fire lol.

Rockstar says:
It may now seem obvious that people should all talk in games, but this was not necessarily the case in 2001, certainly not in an open world game. We were making up a lot of procedures as we went along, and we decided that the NPCs (Non Playable Characters) should talk and we would have to figure out how to make them talk (using motion captured cutscenes, something that had never really been done before, at least not on the scale we were doing it). So we decided that the game’s protagonist would not talk, partly to aid people identifying with him, but mostly because we had so many other problems to solve and this did not seem like a major issue. We started to discuss introducing a talking lead character when working on Vice City, but it was a lot of work. While the structure of GTA3 may seem obvious or natural now, and the use of cutscenes made in the game’s engine that look and feel like the game may seem simple and easy, it really was not the case back in 2001 when we had to figure out all of these things for the first time. Oh and in San Andreas, CJ calls Claude a mute because he does not talk and CJ finds this unnerving.

D.E.LB
Please shed some light on if this is actually Claude's voice from a beta version of III: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOGs2w40SyA

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Liberty_King
Actually, I heard Claude yawn sometimes when he falls from a big height, and/or drowns in sea. Also this is interesting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddJ_SF596HE. At 0:18 Claude seems to say quote "Get out of the car" quickly, it seems he had a voice at some point, this is really a mystery :D

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fan_GTA
On one of the trailers GTA3 beta, Claude says, "Get out of the car". What were the reasons that Claude did not say any words?

Rockstar says:
This is fake. This is an old bit of gameplay footage, for sure, but we think the voices were added at a later date by someone online as at no point did we plan for Claude to have a voice or even design how a speaking protagonist would be implemented until Vice City.

ARMORALLL
After the last mission is complete is that Claude who says "When the chopper finally got taken out, better than the fireworks on the 4th of July"??? I've always wondered about this!

Rockstar says:
No – it is a witness in a news report who says that.

Vortex94
Who was the inspiration for character Claude? I really like his attitude i.e silent but deadly.

Rockstar says:
There wasn’t any one single inspiration – we just liked the idea of a strong, silent killer, who would be juxtaposed with all of these neurotic and verbose mobsters in an amusing way. He seems stronger and in control, while they seem weaker and frantic.

-AlSar-
Can you tell us more about Claude's biography?

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Dapunkilla
What’s the backstory on Claude? For example his last name, family relatives? Where he's from? Or maybe even a short bio?

Rockstar says:
He’s a bank robber with a noisy and psychotic girlfriend. More than that, it is hard to say. Definitely a drifter, probably from the west coast, new to Liberty City. Surname may or may not be Speed.

Dapunkilla
Did Claude kill Maria?

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nikobelic2500000
At the end of Grand theft Auto 3, did Claude actually shoot Maria?

Rockstar says:
We're not sure about this. Some think he did, and some think he didn’t. Certainly in an original version of the script, Maria had a longer, really annoying speech, but then someone in the audio department wisely put an end to that. Quite what that means for Maria, who can say.

Dapunkilla
What became of Claude’s fate? Is he dead in the GTAIII canon or he alive?

Rockstar says:
He certainly isn’t dead. What else became of him, we don’t know.

therealtreefitty
How did Claude's appearance change or take shape during development?

Rockstar says:
We iterated his look many, many times until we were happy – usual sort of things, weight, face, some clothing.

BenDeR.
Darkel, such a strange character... Pictures of him are available on GTA III's official website and his name appears in GTA III's booklet. I heard somewhere that he was supposed to give you some kind of "rampage-like" missions. What was exactly his purpose? Why wasn't he included in the final version of the game?

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GTAOVER9000
Hey Rockstars... tell me if you can. Is it true that removed character from Grand Theft Auto III named Darkel was a Russian communist ?

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11205885
What was the whole fuss with Darkel? Was there really a mission where you blew up a school bus full of children?

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Tbirdsc
Who was Darkel?

Rockstar says:
Darkel was just a crazy bum who gave you some crazy missions. They were removed a few months before the game was done and long before 9/11 because they just weren’t as good as the rest of the game, and tonally they were a little odd. He started with 5 missions and they were slowly all cut. When only one or 2 were left, they were all removed as the character just didn’t work alongside the other characters.

None of these missions involved blowing up buses of school children although that is a funny rumor!

Etoddgta
Will we ever see a release of the beta Darkel missions?

Rockstar says:
No. The guys at Rockstar North are far too busy working on future stuff to ever figure out how to fix these old unfinished missions and get them running.

SammiiDoogles
There are many references to GTAIII characters and brands (El Burro graffiti in LC for example) in GTAIV, but do any characters (other than Lazlow) actually exist within both 'universes'? Is that where Donald Love went? Did he hop dimensions into the GTAIV universe?! Plot twist!! Are the two universes completely separate? I understand it'd make almost no sense having two Liberty City's but is there any way we'll see characters from GTAIII return? GTAIV has some amazing characters, but some of the characters in the III era are just unforgettable.

Rockstar says:
El Burro is referenced as he was also referenced in GTA 1, so it felt appropriate that he should cross “universes” – the “universes” are the worlds interpreted at different definitions, 2d, 3d and high definition, so we felt brands and radio / back ground characters would exist in both, but 3 dimensional characters would not. This is the logic (as far as it could be considered logical) behind it – so no, we don’t believe any GTA3 characters could exist in the GTA4 universe.

FeelThePayne
Why was Ray so paranoid? lol < He was also voiced by Robert Loggia too WOW!

Rockstar says:
He was a bent cop who knew his luck was almost up and he was about to come to an unfortunate end – this would make anyone paranoid…

VladTheZenga09
Guy with the baseball bat on the artwork.. who is he? I'm pretty sure it isn't Toni Cipriani 'cause on the artwork he is the guy with hands in his pocket, and these two guys are not the same.. at least to me.. cheers.

---

eat-THE-phoenix
In celebration of GTA III's 10th birthday, I decided to dig up the game to play it again for old time's sake. However, every time I look at the cover, the guy with the glasses and pistol always make me wonder...
Who is the guy with the glasses prominently features on the cover, manual, and loading screens?

Rockstar says:
He is a character from an early piece of concept art by our long standing character concept artist at Rockstar North, Ian McQue, that Stephen Bliss (who is one of the guys who illustrates our Grand Theft Auto cover art) liked and used to make a cool piece of montage art that embodied the game – we were less concerned with the art really representing characters as much as capturing the vibe of the game – so some of the characters in the art are not necessarily game characters. We did not really think the characters would be such a big deal until after the game came out.

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Interrogate the Detectives Part 3: Phelps, Earle and Others in the Hot Seat with Your Questions Answered

Posted: October 31, 2011 11:00AM | Author: R* Q

In parts one and two of our Interrogate the Detectives series, your inspired questions yielded some revealing and often quite amusing confessions from the detectives; in today’s concluding part 3, we present questions that were directed to specific actors about their experiences, remembrances and personal thoughts about the characters they portrayed in L.A. Noire. Read on to find out how Adam Harrington felt about playing the ethically-dubious Roy Earle, how Aaron Staton’s hazy memory from acting out the interrogation scenes have affected how he plays L.A. Noire, Sean MacGowan’s analysis of Bekowsky and Phelps’ brotherly relationship – and much more…

Roy Earle (Adam Harrington)

Daehoidar (@danbufton on Twitter) asks:
Adam, in playing the corrupt cop Roy Earle, you had some great dialogue which included some really funny one-liners and facial expressions. How did you enjoy portraying this character and were you given any freedom to ad-lib any dialogue and expressions?

Adam Harrington:
I think you used a great word, freedom. It’s always a lot of fun when you're playing a character that really doesn’t care what anyone thinks about them. It gives you a lot of freedom as an actor. Unfortunately I can’t take any credit for his dialogue. Everything Roy said was scripted, but as far as the facial expressions, they were all me. It was fun to be able to look at someone anyway you want to without caring what they think.

MarisaMcAwesome (@MarisaMcAwesome on Twitter) asks:
When you were playing Roy, did you think some of the things he says were funny, mean, etc? Would you ever have a friend like Roy if he were real?

Adam Harrington:
When I read the script I saw right away how well Roy was written: jaded, tough, mean, cruel, brutally honest and yes, very funny. Would I ever have a friend like him? Well, let’s just say I wouldn’t want an enemy like him.

OtokoNoShufu (@otokonoshufu on Twitter) asks:
Of all the outfits sported by any of the characters, Roy's jacket is without a doubt a standout. Do you think you could rock that kind of suit coat in real life?

Adam Harrington:
That’s a great question, and yeah I agree, Roy's jacket is certainly one of a kind. Could I rock that? That jacket deserves great jazz, a good drink, and a really nice set of wheels.

Stefan Bekowsky (Sean McGowan)

cannoman5 (@Cannoman5 on Twitter) asks:
I've read that you are a gamer and you love the noir era, so what did it feel like to be a main part this game?

Sean McGowan:
Being involved in this was a real treat. Not only was it groundbreaking technology that we all got to use first, but I love this particular period in history - the music, the cars, old school Hollywood and the feeling that America was booming right after the war. Just beautiful. Oh and also, men wore hats. I’m talking “real” hats, like Fedoras, such a classy thing that has mostly died off. Being a part of that world was a blast.

faithashw (@faithashw on Twitter) asks:
What does Bekowksky really think of Cole? At first, Bekowsky seemed mildly irritated by Cole but in the end, it looked like they had formed a pretty amicable bond - ultimately do you think Cole grew on Bekowsky?

Sean McGowan:
I think at the top Bekowsky was a bit irked that he was saddled with the golden boy so he had his guard up. However as things went along and Bekowsky chilled a bit, he realizes that they are both fighting for the same cause. So yeah, in the end Bekowsky does like Cole. And like a good older brother he’ll always have his back but will never take shit from him.

Sway4829 asks:
It seems that Bekowsky has quite the fan following in spite of the fact that he's the first real [detective] partner you get. What do you think it is about Bekowsky that had people liking him more so than say some of the other partners you get to spend more time with later in the game?

Sean McGowan:
First of all thank you. It’s so nice when fans reach out and tell you they liked your work. So to all of you, I thank you very much. As for why Bekowsky was liked more - if that’s even true then I would guess to say it’s because Earle is an asshole, Galloway is lazy and Biggs... well when I get to Biggs I’ll let you know. Playing the game, I liked Bekowsky because he speaks his mind. And funny or hostile, I just really like being around him.

Rusty Galloway (Michael McGrady)

Hammer-Sam asks:
Did you like Rusty Galloway's personality and did he grow on you as you performed as him? Or did you find him to be as lazy and stubborn as I did [ha!]? Great work. Great character.

Michael McGrady:
I liked him instantly. When I auditioned for the role I knew that I wanted to play that character. Galloway was a classic cynical, world weary detective who had determined early on not to take life, his job or himself too seriously.

Bearsarebrutes45 asks:
Was it challenging for you to get into the sorta joking around sarcastic detective mood?

Michael McGrady:
That aspect of Galloway was inherent in the writing I just simply embellished it with a little spin.

PhuahEJ91 asks:
Rusty Galloway is my favorite partner in the game because of the way he communicated with Phelps. How did you connect or relate yourself to this character?

Michael McGrady:
I find people in general funny and intriguing, as I believe Galloway did. I don't take myself too seriously and I find that those that do are rather pathetic. I can be misunderstood at times because at heart, I am a loner. I spend a lot of time in my head pondering, observing etc. I am a classic introvert but I can hold court when I need to. I think Rusty is that way too. I can be very sarcastic too.

Cole Phelps (Aaron Staton)

14307476 asks:
Was it fun to be the main character in a video game? Would you ever do it again?

---

Vman105 asks:
Was it fun reuniting and working with your colleagues from Mad Men in the case “The Gas Man?”

Aaron Staton:
It was a total blast! But even more fun than working with [other actors from the cast of Mad Men] was when I ran around the streets in-game looking for them so I could push them around.

faithashw (@faithashw on Twitter) asks:
Just read your interview with Edge Magazine which I thoroughly enjoyed! You say that you are the worst interrogator ever which I find really funny - when performing your lines were you ever given any point of reference? E.g. “This is your response if the player chooses Doubt” - and did you ever recall any of these when playing the game yourself?

Aaron Staton:
The script on the prompter listed all of the responses along with the corresponding interrogating tactics. At the time the choices were ‘force,’ ‘doubt,’ and ‘coax.’ That was later changed for the game but that’s how the script read. And I do remember the lines when playing the game. It actually makes me worse, I think. I play with my wife and she says, “Are you listening to this guy at all?” and I say “Yeah, but I’m waiting for him to say something about a matchbook, there’s a matchbook involved in this somehow.” And I miss half of what they say and choose ‘doubt.’

emmi18176860 (@emmi18176860 on Twitter) asks:
Do people, especially all the L.A. Noire fans out there, recognize and react to you now when they see you in a local store, on the street, etc. Any funny stories or encounters along those lines since the game’s release?

Aaron Staton:
I don’t think I’ve been approached by anyone who recognized me exclusively from the game. I wondered beforehand if it would happen. I remember thinking how crazy it would be if someone said, “Hey, you’re that guy from that game.” Maybe if I crouched in GameStop and started inspecting random stuff it would happen.

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Submit Your Questions Now for a Special GTAIII 10th Anniversary Edition of Asked & Answered

Posted: October 17, 2011 8:00PM | Author: R* A

GhostBear asks:
I wish you guys could answer GTA3 fans questions. We are very interested in game development history, details and myths.

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Interrogate the L.A. Noire Detectives Part Two: Your Questions Answered About Motion Capture, Prop Souvenirs, Disturbing Sequences & More

Posted: October 17, 2011 10:30AM | Author: R* Q

Presenting part two in our special Interrogate the L.A. Noire Detectives series, with your questions (as submitted over the summer via Twitter, Facebook, mouthoff, and of course here at the Newswire in comments) answered directly by the detective cast of the game. Thanks again to the game’s stars, Aaron Staton (Cole Phelps), Sean McGowan (Stefan Bekowsky), Keith Szarabajka (Herschel Biggs), Michael McGrady (Rusty Galloway) and Adam Harrington (Roy Earle) for not bristling under questioning and giving us all some great candid answers. Today’s questions cover a range of topics from the acting experience of performing for the game, insights on the motion-capture process, thoughts on what prop the actors wish they took home with them and much more. Look for part 3 to hit soon which will be comprised of one-on-one questions asked to specific actors about their individual characters and experiences, including a special battery of questioning for the game’s lead, Aaron Staton.

MrTLJennings (@TLJennings18 on Twitter) asks:
This is to all the actors. They’ve each come from Film/TV acting and the main thing I wanted to know was: What was the most different thing, for you, [about] performing for L.A. Noire?

Aaron Staton:
Night and day. It was the difference between 2 cameras [on TV] and 32 [with MotionScan]. Every acting experience is a different one depending on many factors: the script, the character, the medium, etc. I’m sure that acting in Avatar was quite different than acting in a movie without any special effects. And the same goes for videogames, I’m sure. But I can say the scripts are much, much longer in videogames. The script for L.A. Noire was about as long as two seasons of a network drama or four seasons of a cable drama.

Sean McGowan:
As an actor, I’d say the one thing that connects all forms of acting, i.e. movies, theatre and now games, is that you want your audience to believe you. To really buy into what you are saying. So on a basic level, as actors, essentially our job is to make you believe what we’re saying. Dramas or comedies, if you don’t buy the actor you’ll never buy into the story. With L.A. Noire it was a bit tricky to figure out the perfect balance of how much is too much. Am I standing too still? Am I moving too much? Am I overacting because I feel like I have to push? In the end, I’m not sure if I ever really got it! Haha… I hope I did.

Keith Szarabajka:
That it was a film noir type piece, with lots of tough cops and tough guys and dames you couldn’t trust. I had a ball doing it.

heycheri (@heycheri on Twitter) asks:
How would you describe your experience playing this role in comparison to other roles you've played? Has this been more fun, interesting, different, etc?

Sean McGowan:
My experience with this role was nothing shy of amazing. I had never done anything like this before. In fact NO ONE had. It was brilliant to be involved with something so new and challenging.

Michael McGrady:
It was much like doing a play. We had no real props or stage furniture per se. Everything was bare bones as the atmosphere, much like green screen, was put in place via computer. We had to do the scenes over and over several times. Memorization wasn't easy either. We had to show up with lines memorized. There were thousands of pages of script to cover all of the different scenarios. It was a lot of fun but grueling work too, long hours over several months. [The game’s writer and director] Brendan McNamara was fantastic. He kept it light and fun to work on, allowing us moments of zaniness to get through the day.

faithashw (@faithashw on Twitter) asks:
How much of the action that happens in the game is Mo-Cap? E.g. When Cole is running / climbing over walls, or when everyone is in a gun battle, was this all Mo-Cap?

Adam Harrington:
That would be a technical question. I do know that we shot every scene with all the action, running, climbing, fighting, and with Roy, lighting and smoking all those cigarettes (although for the shoot and the good of my lungs, they were hollow paper tubes).

Sean McGowan:
We mo-capped a ton of stuff. All the cinematic scenes where you don’t control Cole were motion capture. Also other stuff, like us running, walking and waiting around were mo-capped because Rockstar wanted the characters to BE us. When Bekowsky runs into a gunfight with his gun drawn: mo-cap.

Detectives Galloway (Michael McGrady) and Phelps (Aaron Staton) in mo-cap; and the in-game finished product, rowing along the tar pits looking for clues.

OtokoNoShufu (@otokonoshufu on Twitter) asks:
You often hear about how after a large movie production wraps, actors will sometimes take a prop or other item as a souvenir. If the same rule could have applied to L.A. Noire, what would you have taken off set as a memento? Evidence props, costumes, etc.

Michael McGrady:
I took a Styrofoam ball home as a memento and one of the orange T-shirts we had to wear in the facial recognition (Motionscan) portion of the shoot.

Adam Harrington:
Well, I'd be an idiot if I didn’t walk with Roy's Coat or tie… other than that I think I would've asked for his lighter!

Love him or hate him. L.A. Noire’s Roy Earle as brought to life by Adam Harrington and the wonders of MotionScan.

@jiggyteddy asks:
Were there any particular scenes that any of you found difficult or perhaps even disturbing that really tested your nerves?

Keith Szarabajka:
When they find the family burned in the house, that was pretty rough stuff. But, you know, they’re just lines. And I just say them as I see them. Sorry to be realistic.

Adam Harrington:
LA Noire was set during a very corrupt and racist period in LA's history, and I had to accept that in order to commit to Roy's attitude and dialogue at times.

In one of the more harrowing cases in L.A. Noire, Phelps and Biggs arrive at the tragic scene of a family burned to death in their own home, while working the Arson desk.

PhuahEJ91 asks:
Would you ever consider an alternative career as a detective?

Sean McGowan:
I think anyone who fights crime for a living and keeps the world safe is a very special breed of human. Those people are amazing. So to answer your question, no. I would be a horrible real detective because I would say things like, “What do you mean I can’t shoot him?” and would also probably be the worst back seat driver that my partner ever had.

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Asked & Answered: Max Payne 3, L.A. Noire, Red Dead and More

Posted: October 05, 2011 11:58AM | Author: R* Q

As we gear up for a fall and winter season that will bring you L.A. Noire for PC, Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and Max Payne for mobile devices – and of course a spring 2012 that will herald Max Payne’s long-awaited return in Max Payne 3 – we’ve seen no shortage of burning fan questions from inquiring minds.
We’re pumped that you guys are as excited about what’s next as we are – so read on for some related official answers to questions about our games on the horizon. As always, if you’ve got another question to ask, drop it in comments below (here or in related news story posts), shoot us a tweet, or email us at mouthoff@rockstargames.com and we will answer as best we can. Again – we cannot / will not answer everything, for all kinds of reasons, but we really appreciate people taking the time to write and apologize if our answers aren’t what you are looking for!


“WoW!! [Max Payne 3] looks incredible!! @R* Games -- Is this using the R.A.G.E. engine?” - FugetSudo_Jr
“Will Max Payne 3 utilize the Euphoria physics engine? #MaxPayne3” - received via Twitter

Yes – to clarify, Max Payne 3 is powered by our new updated version of RAGE which includes our updated physics engine and graphics engine – while Euphoria is its behavior system. We’ve worked together with Natural Motion to build on behaviors used in GTAIV and Red Dead Redemption and then have further expanded on them specifically for Max Payne 3 with new behaviors like Shootdodge. This specially customized version of Euphoria’s behavior system works in close conjunction with our RAGE engine and is a huge part of Max Payne 3’s gameplay technology. The results are really amazing and build on Max Payne’s tradition of spectacular, balletic gun play.


“Sweet [Max Payne 3] trailer R*, any plans to do a gameplay series of videos like L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption?” - Brucieno1
“When is trailer 2 coming?” - Thisis50

Thank you! Expect another all-new Max Payne 3 video this month. We’ve got so much more that we’re excited to show you from that game, including a first glimpse at multiplayer, but we are not sure exactly what form the videos will take yet…


“The [Max Payne 3] artwork is amazing, who makes these for you guys…? Looks insane, can't wait.” - barfon
“Nice Rockstar, will there be more artwork images for Max Payne 3?” - Liberty_King

Praise is due to our awesome team of in-house Rockstar illustrators who collaborate to create the original imagery you see in our games’ official concept art and covers. We think the guys once again did a bang-up job with the Max Payne 3 art to capture the spirit of a tortured Max at his breaking point, facing vicious gangs, and his own demons, in a torrid São Paulo. We’ll have plenty more original Max Payne 3 art releases here at the Newswire throughout the lead-up to the game’s release next spring.


“I have no doubts in R*’s ability to deliver engaging gameplay and nail the core mechanics of the series.
But the setting showed in the trailer doesn't "feel" like "Max Payne". The dark and menacing version of New York City (Noir York City) was as important a character as Payne himself in [the original] games. It was the signature atmosphere of those games that made them so unique, along with introduction of Bullet Time. Replacing nighttime NYC with sunny São Paulo, Brazil gives the game a completely different "feel" from the unique experience of the first two games.
I hope not the whole game takes place in Sãu Paolo and looking forward to seeing more coverage of the game. Regards to Max Payne/R* fans from Russia.” - 10038482
“Will you take a lot of inspiration from Max Payne 1 & 2 when creating the 3rd one? I mean with the monologues + Bullet Time?” - received via Twitter

Trust that the streets of São Paulo will be plenty dark and dangerous – we’re being very faithful to the heritage of Max Payne, who is still the same gritty hard-boiled NYC cop now off the force, at his lowest point and plunged into peril in a foreign land. And yes, Max’s signature monologues and Bullet Time® abilities will be back in full effect.
To us, and especially after such a long absence since Max Payne 2, to simply continue Max’s story in New York City was nowhere near as interesting a challenge as taking that same character and pushing him to his absolute breaking point in a very dangerous and exotic locale many, many miles from home. There was simply nowhere for Max to go in New York after Max Payne 2.
Also – we are a little confused by the idea that noir is a New York genre. If anything, it was originally a Los Angeles genre, but to us, ‘noir’ means a range of narrative themes and a certain visual style and we believe Max Payne 3 certainly embodies noir. We hope you will too when you see more and play it.


“Will I understand the story if I didn't play the other Max Paynes?” - received via Twitter

Absolutely. We would say it’s not entirely necessary to have played the first two games – obviously you would know more about Max as a character if you had done, but it is no way obligatory.
That said, we’d definitely recommend playing those original titles if you never have before, not only to familiarize yourself with the character and legacy of Max Payne, but because we (and others) think they’re excellent videogame experiences in their own right. You can still find Xbox and PS2 copies of those original titles at the Rockstar Warehouse – and also as full game downloads on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PC download via Steam and Direct2Drive.


“I have another question R*... Will Max Payne 3 be a sandbox genre like GTA or more like L.A. Noire?” - VaroSpain
“Max Payne 3 will be open world game or not?” - dethsot

No, your best reference point for the gameplay structure of Max Payne 3 is really the original Max Payne titles. As you know, Max Payne has never been an open-world game, it’s a more linear story-driven action shooter experience. Expect Max Payne 3 to continue this tradition but of course with lots of new bells and whistles and a massive array of technical advancements that bring a bunch of innovations to third person shooters - plus the advent of Max Payne multiplayer! Stay tuned for lots more info...


“Just saw the Max Payne 3 trailer, looking good. But why did he shave his thick luxurious hair?!?!?” - received via Twitter

Ha, Max isn’t much of a narcissist but we think he’d be flattered that people are so fond of his locks.
By the time Max Payne 3 takes place, Max has really found himself fallen on hard times and in a very tough spot in a distant, unforgiving place. He’s tried to escape the demons he left behind in New York by taking up an opportunity to start over with a security gig far away in São Paulo, Brazil – but as you’ll see when you play the game for yourself next spring, between an unforeseen turn of events with some quite nasty associates, and Max’s proclivity for the bottle - things don’t quite go as smoothly as hoped, taking Max to a torturous breaking point...


“I have a question R*… will Max Payne 3 have the same soundtrack it had in 1 and 2 or will it have a new soundtrack? I loved that main menu song. At least if you guys make a new sound track it would be sweet if you keep the main menu song.” - makdady12

As hopefully you’ve heard for yourself by now right in the first few moments of the first Max Payne 3 trailer, yes that classic Max Payne theme is back. You can definitely expect to hear it in the game itself. Beyond that, we don’t have too much else to say at the moment regarding the game’s soundtrack and/or score as that’s something we’ll cover a bit closer to release.


“Only a note, considering the 2 trailers [including the First Trailer: Pop-Up Edition] available, I'm afraid that you have confused São Paulo with Rio de Janeiro. We have ‘favelas’ here, but not so much like Rio and you didn't show our city, buildings, skyscrapers, avenues, etc. The game will explore only the ‘favela’ side?” - AndPersil

Thanks for the question – we’re excited to be making our first game world foray into South America for sure. As Rockstar fans know, when we have games set in real world locations, we take great pains to ensure authenticity. You may have noticed that we jumped to correct some slight informational errors about São Paulo in our Pop-Up Trailer post recently. While the world of Max Payne 3 won’t be a literal recreation of São Paulo, we’re still making sure it’s got all the right inspirational touch points. And not to worry, throughout the story of Max Payne 3, you’ll see not only the favelas but certainly the more glamorous and prestigious areas of the city as well. The contrast between rich and poor was very important to us. As was the rain…


“Are you guys getting rid of the graphic novel scenes In Max Payne 3?” - JayPhx9

The graphic novel cut-scenes will indeed make a return in Max Payne 3 with a new, unique spin to turn things up a bit. We go into a bit more detail about that in this week’s exclusive interview with IGN which you can read here.


“Stunning trailer @R* but plz can u clarify one thing : A ROCKSTAR STUDIOS PRODUCTION - so can u plz say which studios are involved with the development???” - emmi18176860

Thank you! To be honest, pretty much all Rockstar Studios are involved in this game’s development to some extent. While the bulk of work is being handled by Rockstar Vancouver, Rockstar Toronto, Rockstar New England and Rockstar London, there are also key artists, programmers and other development resources from other studios including Rockstar San Diego, Rockstar North, and Rockstar Leeds, with Rockstar New York working on motion capture and audio assets, as usual.  All are contributing to ensure the return of Max Payne will be the epic and blockbuster experience that fans have been waiting for. In actuality, none of our recent games (including L.A. Noire) have been made exclusively by one studio. We are very proud of the way the entire Rockstar team contributes to the games.


“When is info for [L.A. Noire] PC version coming?” - RockstarGamesPC
“Wow, great news R*. Thanks a lot, as a PC only gamer I really appreciate this!
Will the DLCs be included?” - Tommy_Thompson
“GFWL or SteamWorks for L.A. Noire on PC?” - k177sh0t

Glad you guys are looking forward to the PC release of L.A. Noire. All your questions have been answered in last week’s official announcement – the game is coming November 8th in North America and November 11th in Europe. You can read all the other details including distribution platform info and system specs here.


“@RockstarGames Is L.A. Noire [for PC] going to be a steamworks game?” - received via Twitter
“@RockstarGames Will [L.A. Noire for PC] need Games for Windows Live?” - received via Twitter
“What happens with people who want to play with / for achievements but bought it from retail?” - Rafioso
“Hi, I was wondering when I would be able to preorder L.A Noire on Steam?” - received via Mouthoff

We’re happy to help with all the questions that followed our announcement last week about the PC release of L.A. Noire. L.A. Noire for PC will not require Games for Windows LIVE. You’ll be able to get all the Achievements via Social Club, and if you buy the game through Steam, you can also get them via Steamworks. Sorry but no details at the moment regarding preorder availability with Steam or OnLive.


“R*, CAN WE GET ANY OF THESE IN THE PC VERSION [of L.A. Noire]????
‘Chicago Lightning’ Detective Suit, ‘Chicago Piano’ Machine Gun, The Badge Pursuit Challenge, ‘The Broderick’ Detective Suit, ‘The Sharpshooter’ Detective Suit” - bone.country

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. The PC version of L.A. Noire will come with all of the above plus everything shown here: http://www.rockstargames.com/lanoire/dlc.


“Are dlc [bonus cases such as “The Naked City” and “Reefer Madness”] in the game separate? Or do we have to complete the game first and then play the [bonus cases]?” - art1373

Once you’ve fully installed the game, you’ll be able to access all the bonus cases via the game’s main menu – so you can choose to play them really at any time.


“Amazing news, I'm buying L.A. Noire [for PC] day one! But why no plans for Red Dead Redemption? I would buy that too… and I have a looot of friends who would do the same!” - Andysk8
“Has Rockstar abandoned the PC platform???” - Simbala

We hope that with the announcement that L.A. Noire is coming to PC this fall, and the knowledge that our next big game Max Payne 3 will have a PC release (plus that we’ve released both Grand Theft Auto IV and the Episodes from Liberty City for PC), we can finally put to rest any misconceptions that we’ve ‘abandoned the PC platform’. We do know that, yes, there is just one title absent from our PC release plans – that game of course being Red Dead Redemption, and of course we’re well aware that some fans have been asking for it. All we can say is that whenever it is viable (technically, developmentally and business-wise) for us to release a game for PC (or any other particular platform)  – we will and we usually do; unfortunately, that is just not the case 100% of the time for all platforms. To PC gamers, we hope that between the Grand Theft Auto titles, and the forthcoming L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3, you’ll have plenty of great Rockstar action to enjoy.


“R*, are there any plans to release these L.A. Noire short stories in book form? You know, the type I can hold in my hand?” - Martin_Brody

Actually, a physical print edition of L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories is something we’re actively looking into right now. We can’t confirm it for sure, but it might be something we do to commemorate L.A. Noire’s PC release later this fall – if it comes to pass, we’ll definitely let you know right here at the Newswire.


“Hey R*, I bought the official strategy guide for L.A. Noire and it says I could come to the website to get free walkthroughs for add-ons? How do I go about doing that?” - mcluchey

Yes, just hit up the Downloads page of the L.A. Noire official website at http://www.rockstargames.com/lanoire/downloads/ and scroll down for those DLC strategy guide chapter PDFs. Fair warning of course that those are, by definition, seriously spoilerific – so do not download, open and read if you don’t want the case stories and/or gameplay spoiled for you.


“Are you guys releasing a Red Dead Redemption GOTY strategy guide?” - bigkingbud

Yes, one is in the works via Brady Games. Look for it to come out around the release of the GOTY edition itself next week.


“What the hell R*!?!? No Herbert Moon [in the free Red Dead Redemption Myths and Mavericks Bonus Pack DLC] !?!... I waited this long saying ‘oh well R* tries, and since it’s free, I guess it’s worth the wait’ but is this REALLY the best you can come up with? This DLC is disappointing. And why only people from [the game’s single player] campaign? u couldn’t have added at least ONE cowboy from a movie or something? This is an atrocity, this is one person who definitely isn’t playing RDR again.” - 10927254

We do have to say that it seems a little bit extreme anyone referring to our completely FREE multiplayer map locations and character update pack as an atrocity. We hope that most Red Dead fans can enjoy and appreciate the Myths and Mavericks Bonus Pack for exactly what we said it would be ages ago - new map locations and characters from the single-player campaign as a token of appreciation to our multiplayer fans – and it’s free! We are truly sorry if the modes you like or the characters you like were not included – and sorry to have upset anyone, but not sure what we can do differently other than pick characters we think people like and maps we think could be fun.


“R* does the Solomon’s Folly hideout with the challenges also come with the [originally] PS3-exclusive Walton’s Gang outfit for Xbox [360] in GOTY? Thanks btw for the great game!” - dynam1ght

Yes, the Solomon’s Folly hideout for single-player will be available in the Red Dead Redemption GOTY release for Xbox 360, and it will include the unlockable Walton’s Gang Outfit. To clarify though, there were not challenges (other than the outfit) associated with Solomon’s Folly.


“Will there be more paid for DLC like Undead Nightmare free roam or other DLC that greatly expands the game? Thanks.” - 14478170

Apart from the free fan appreciation Myths and Mavericks Bonus Pack mentioned above, there are no plans right now for any other Red Dead Redemption DLC. The team at Rockstar San Diego are otherwise busy working on other projects …


“@RockstarGames is there a reason Xbox LIVE gets the majority of the [Red Dead Redemption] Triple XP Events?” - received via Twitter

Actually every time we turn on Red Dead Redemption Triple XP, we make sure it’s active for both consoles – never just one. Stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook for the word on when the next round of Triple XP action will be.


“Hypocritical of you to praise someone for using GTA4 Mods when you patched the game to prevent such creativity!” - Drekkthar

Interesting theory, but that is certainly and categorically not the case. The latest GTAIV PC title update is not intended to nullify user-created mods – but sometimes the changes applied in title updates may impact them. The work that the iCEnhancer folks and others in the modding community are doing is very cool and definitely impressive.


“Why has Take Two trademarked Rockstarfilms.com and .net?” - ILikeVideo-Games

These are old trademarks that we have held for years and will continue to hold for the foreseeable future, but we have no active plans for them at the moment.


“@RockstarGames missed the GTAIV MP event, any other one planned? =[“ - received via Twitter

Yes indeed – check out the October through December 2011 calendar of events here:
http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/18861/the-official-social-club-multiplayer-events-series-calendar-for-.html. Some special GTA multiplayer events planned in there – mark your calendar!


“@RockstarGames now that you have covered 1911, 1947, 1986, 1987, 1992 and the present... Do you plan on doing a game set in the future?” - received via Twitter

Great question. We have actually done some games set in the future, although not in quite awhile. There was Oni, and Wild Metal, and GTA2 was set in a dystopian vision of “three weeks into the future” (incidentally, you can download Wild Metal and GTA2 on PC for free at www.rockstargames.com/classics if you’ve never checked them out). Since then and over the past decade though, you’re right in that we’ve been more interested in setting games in contemporary, nostalgic or historic settings. No particular reason why, it’s just what we have felt like making. If we think of a great idea for a game world in the future which we think is interesting and original, then there is no reason why not. 


“Hello, I just want to know if Claude Speed (GTA 2) and Claude (GTA III) are the same person. So, are they the same person? Anyway, thanks for all fun you guys are giving me with these games, I'm a BIG FAN of the Grand Theft Auto series and Red Dead Redemption!” - received via Mouthoff

Probably. It seems very likely but it’s also possible that there are just a lot of angry silent car thieves called Claude out there.


“When are we going to see a new GTA????? #bestgameever” - received via Twitter
“When's the new grand theft auto coming out?” - received via Twitter

Big, big shout to all Grand Theft Auto fans worldwide who we know are anxious to hear about what’s next for the franchise but we don’t have any news at this time.
All we can say is, right now, we’re focused on our next upcoming releases which are Max Payne 3 as well as L.A. Noire for PC, Red Dead Redemption Game of the Year Edition and Max Payne for mobile devices. When and if we have anything to report regarding the Grand Theft Auto franchise, you know that we’ll do so here at the Newswire or on our Twitter or Facebook.


“Grand Theft Auto III ten years! How does that sound? You should be proud of yourselves. Any special events?” - received via Mouthoff

Thank you. We’re more proud of you long-standing Grand Theft Auto fans who’ve been there since the release of GTAIII and before – and truly helped make that series what it is with your amazing support. We may have a couple things lined up to commemorate the occasion – we have recently announced that we’ll be doing an official Social Club GTA multiplayer play session (of GTAIV: Complete Edition) on the weekend of Grand Theft Auto III’s ten year anniversary with some special giveaways. And we might have one or two other little things lined up. Please stay tuned...

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