[Miamivicecity]

Now I guess one of the biggest GTA IV complaints is lack of countryside, but why? Of course I know there are rural areas around NYC, but IMO it's not really an important image.

For foreigners like me when R* said they wanted to capture NYC to me they nailed it, but when I think of NYC I don't think of farmland and open countryside, but why do people complain about there being none when a rather large part of NYC's identity is urban?

[woggleman]

I agree. They could have included upstate or maybe some countryside in Alderney but truthfully I would rather they had an Alderney shore. I spent a lot of time in NYC and they captured the feel perfectly. I think some people just wanted San Andreas part two.

[Miamivicecity]

I do believe R* were considering Liberty State at one stage, but dropped the idea. Most likely for the reasons I said above.

[AlexGTAGamer]

QUOTE (Miamivicecity @ Friday, Mar 30 2012, 11:34)

I do believe R* were considering Liberty State at one stage, but dropped the idea. Most likely for the reasons I said above.

I think I read somewhere a long time back that Rockstar did consider making an entire Liberty State that would have included an area reminiscent of the Hamptons named The Carraways. That would have been interesting if that was implemented in IV.

[AceRay]

QUOTE (AlexGTAGamer @ Saturday, Mar 31 2012, 12:04)

QUOTE (Miamivicecity @ Friday, Mar 30 2012, 11:34) I do believe R* were considering Liberty State at one stage, but dropped the idea. Most likely for the reasons I said above. I think I read somewhere a long time back that Rockstar did consider making an entire Liberty State that would have included an area reminiscent of the Hamptons named The Carraways. That would have been interesting if that was implemented in IV.

What would you actually do there? Would Niko go and pick strawberries? Maybe Johnny would go skiing? Its not a very crime ridden play to be honest, they did more interesting things in LC.

[fastdriver]

Would have been cool to have a little bit of upstate country side.. with mob bosses owning colonial style estates there and stuff. A little like Shoreside Vale actually from GTA3!

[AlexGTAGamer]

QUOTE (AceRay @ Saturday, Mar 31 2012, 01:01)

What would you actually do there? Would Niko go and pick strawberries? Maybe Johnny would go skiing? Its not a very crime ridden play to be honest, they did more interesting things in LC.

Ha.

Nah I think that with the Carraways it would have mostly featured on the mansions there. So there would have probably been no mansions in Alderney then as they would all have been put upstate - so that would mean that Bryce Dawkins, Jill Von Crastenburg and probably even Jimmy Pegorino's mansions would be there.

EDIT:

I think I read somewhere else that home invasions was at one point a side mission in IV, so that may have meant that we would have been able to rob those mansions then.

This post has been edited by AlexGTAGamer on Saturday, Mar 31 2012, 00:48

[Los Santos Pedestrian]

There are rumors that they dropped the idea of adding countryside because there wasn't enough disc space to contain it. GTA IV already pushes the limit of today's consoles to fit on a CD, but just a strip of grass seemed to be too much. Like that 'peninsula' that was originally at the southern tip of Staunton Island in III but was removed right before release.

There is evidence that there was countryside, though.

[sonnyBlack]

I would have loved a countryside in IV, I just enjoy the contrast it brings to the hustle and bustle of city life. It was something I really found myself appreciating a lot of in SA. The countryside offers me something new to explore, some nice scenery to take in, and a place for my imagination to go wild.

[DarrinPA]

QUOTE (Los Santos Pedestrian @ Friday, Mar 30 2012, 21:22)

There is evidence that there was countryside, though.

Was it the upper left part or lower left part? That picture is so small.

I fully agree with SonnyBlack.

[Linki]

Upper left part.

[MrDanceWithLance]

I don't mind the fact that GTA IV doesn't have countryside and the fact that it is smaller that GTA San Andreas. The smaller city means that Rockstar can focus on putting more detail into the city, and there is less wasted and bare space on the map. However, I reckon Rockstar should have kept that spike of land on the top left hand corner of Alderney. It would have meant a possible bit of green in an otherwise industrial city and more land to explore.

[GTAsince97]

I feel there was plenty of cause and room for countryside in GTA IV. However, I can also see why many can't make the same connection. As, of course, the official announcement of GTA V states, the game is to be a fictional representation of Southern California, whereas no such claim of fictitiously representing NY state had ever been claimed for GTA IV. Only that it was to be a fictionalized representation of NYC.

I can agree that NYC was well represented by Liberty City in GTA IV. And I can also agree that many television shows and movies usually don't depict nearby country environments. But there are also many movies, especially mafia themed movies, that have at least a few scenes on some country estate not too far from the city. Or burying some poor miscreant in the woods just beyond it's borders. There are also some movies in other genres that venture between the urban sprawl of NYC and it's surrounding diverse country environment as well. And having personally driven to NY several times, I assure you that there is a lot more to New York state then Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs. I feel justified in wanting a full representation of NY state as there are many allusions to Liberty State scattered throughout GTA IV. You can find these references on the radio, advertising and internet in the game. But as stated before I must concede that Rockstar themselves claimed that GTA IV was to be a fictional representation of NYC not NY state.

I've seen many movies and shows set in L.A. for instance that don't represent the vast countryside just beyond it's borders yet Rockstar has chosen to put a great emphasis on the surrounding rural environment in GTA V. I'm one of those who is quite thrilled about exploring the wilderness. But I can easily some of the same arguments against having countryside in GTA V that have been made about GTA IV. Such as the. "I don't think of country when thinking of this city" , argument. When I think of L.A., images of Compton, Long Beach, Downtown and Hollywood dance through my head and I rarely if ever make the connection to the gigantic mountains looming in the background. Or Pacific Coast Highway winding up the coast and into wine country and beyond. Yet there are many movies and shows that DO represent the diverse environments that make up the whole of Southern California. And as the official announcement of GTA V states, it is to be a fictitious representation of Southern California.

I think I speak for many when I say that any argument made for the representation of country in GTA IV is not based on a belief that it was promised or that it would have been necessary. And I can certainly see why many don't make an association with trees and farmland and such when thinking of NY. However, It could have easily fit into GTA IV without being entirely implausible and would have certainly enriched the game's experience as well.

This post has been edited by GTAsince97 on Monday, Apr 9 2012, 22:31

[gtaluva]

I agree with pretty much everyone is saying. To me it specifically comes down to my opinions of NYC and LA (I've never actually been to each so...) but I think each games nails it. When I think of LA I think more of a sprawling city, not really countryside but still just a giant chunk of land. NYC I think of as being just dense population with thousands of people residing on one block rather than more one family houses. If country was added to IV I think it would have taken some of that feel away when the city itself could have been escaped for fresh air.

With that said I'm always a fan of countryside because it can potentially (if done properly) add a whole new level of stuff to do and areas to explore. In the end, for me it all comes down to matching the feeling I get when thinking of cities which R* is good at, atleast for me.