Console Games (Nintendo, Sony etc.) and Arcade Games/Hey
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Hi Sir
i'm just wondering how much time does producing a video game like GTA 4 need? like how much time did the GTA producers need to create liberty city after san andreas ?
Thanks!
Fouad, I can answer your question a little, but not much. Unfortunately, not being in the industry, I have limited insight into how long it takes a company to produce a game or the process involved.
I would recommend for info beyond what I am going to give you, you attempt to contact either by mail or by phone, the makers of Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar games, or their parent company, Take Two Interactive, and ask them this question. You may also want to contact a video game magazine such as Playstation: The official Magazine, Play, Game Informer or GamePro. People who write for game magazines have a lot more insight into the development cycle of games than the general public.
If I were trying to figure this out on my own, I would look at the time between when GTA: San Andreas was released and when GTA 4 was released. This will provide a pretty good window of how long it took Rockstar to make this game. Although they may have started initial planning for it way before then, even to right after GTA 3 was released, seeing as it is the last numbered entry in the series. Vice City and San Andreas as well as the portable Liberty City and Vice City stories were released in between this period, but the company may have been working on the fourth installment during then as well.
Though not from the official site, according to the GTA 4 page on Wikipedia, they started work on it in November 2004:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_IV
Secondly, Liberty City was used in GTA 3 also. It is not exactly the same as GTA 4, but it was the setting for that game. So concept wise, the developers probably had a leg up seeing as they were using an already established locale for this game's setting. Obviously it is not the same given the new generation of consoles that has begun between the two games releases.
I hope this has given you some helpful information.
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gameusurper
Expertise
TOPICS I can answer questions about: Game Strategy, Recommendations (based on age or genre preference), History of a game, Recalling a game you played, Game music, Company or Creator info, and some simple system troubleshooting GENRES: My specialties are Adventure, RPG, Survival Horror, Action, and a small amount of Strategy and Puzzle. I avoid sports games like the plague, and have little interest in any racing games save for a few, F-Zero, Mario Kart and Wipeout being the main ones. Nor do I know many fighting games, mainly Bushido Blade and a few others. I am not much of a fan of First Person Shooters either. I am especially well versed in RPGs, particularly Final Fantasy and most of SquareEnix's other titles. GAMES: Not limited to the following. These games are series, and I know them all. There are MANY other individual ones. Feel free to ask and I will let you know if I can help you. Actraiser, Alundra, Breath of Fire, Bushido Blade, Castlevania, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Donkey Kong, Dragon Warrior/Quest, Drakkhen/Dragon View, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, King's Field, Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver, Mana, Mario, Mega Man, Metal Gear Solid, Ninja Gaiden, Metroid, Parasite Eve, Resident Evil, Rygar, Silent Hill, Spyro, Star Fox, Suikoden, Tomb Raider, TMNT, Wild Arms, Xenogears/Xenosaga, Zelda, and Zone of the Enders SYSTEMS: NES, Super NES, N64, Gamecube, Wii, Gameboy Color, GBA, DS, PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP plus computer, but I'm not really a big computer gamer. Systems I plan on getting in the future are XBOX 360 and Wii U. I am also a big fan of emulators on the PC. I have many of the old 8-bit and 16-bit systems and ROMS for my computer and know a lot about them. These include NES, Super NES, Genesis, Turbografx, MSX, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and GBA.
Experience
I have been a video gamer for over 20 years. I started with the original NES way back in 1988 and have owned or played nearly every popular console since then. I have completed hundreds of games and played thousands. I have a large file cabinet filled with hundreds of hand-made maps, lists, and various strategies for many of the games I have conquered in the past two decades. I subscribe to 5 different game magazines to keep up to date on the newest stuff out there. I would officially call myself an expert on the subject of videogames. And if I don't know the answer, I can find out about it and direct you to someplace that does.
Publications
I have had three things published in Nintendo Power magazine as well as a piece of artwork. I also participate regularly on the GameFAQs forums. I am wanting to write FAQs for GameFAQs as well. I would also like to write columns for other video game magazines.
Education/Credentials
Experience with games baby, and lots of it. On the academic side, I am currently attending ITT Tech and am two quarters into an Associate's in Visual Communications. I will then be continuing for a Bachelor's in Video Game Design.
Awards and Honors
These are not academic awards. I am still working on those. These are video game related things of note about me. I do consider them honors as they are the most secret things in each of their respective games, and I am very proud of having found them. I am the discoverer of the Ryu Fireball in Megaman X, the Dragon Punch in Megaman X2, and the Golden Armor in Megaman X3. All three of those discoveries have appeared in Nintendo Power magazine. I have also broken the password systems for Megaman 4 and Megaman 5.
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