Dekonstruer 3...

An OG and a Gentleman

When GTA: San Andreas was first released in 2004, it was an immediate hit. It received more than enough hype prior to launch from the success of Vice City, its predecessor in the GTA series. San Andreas brought players to a new city based on a combination of California and Nevada. The game world in its entirety is larger than anything seen in the series before and proved to be an adequate playground for the mature demographic the game was aimed at. The main story follows Carl "CJ" Johnson who returns home after learning of his mother's murder to find his friends and family in disarray leaving him to pick up the pieces and put his life in Grove Street back together. From corrupt cops, street gangs, hippies, aliens, mob bosses and drag racers to drive-bys, girlfriends, lowriders and flying lessons; GTA: San Andreas received wide acclaim for its never-ending list of gameplay elements, quirky characters and hilarious radio stations that keep the player entertained and wanting more.

One of the most fascinating aspects of gameplay that GTA introduces is the wide acceptance of cheats used in-game to enhance the gameplay experience and make things a little more fun, to say the least. This blog is going to discuss the game atoms present in GTA: San Andreas and portray the manner in which they come together to create a wonderful and unique AAA title that is still considered a gem in the gaming industry. If you've haven't had the good fortune of joining the Grove Street gang and learning about the ins and outs of "thug life", then maybe this short video will be helpful in getting you acquainted with the street lights of San Andreas. 

Now strap on that Jetpack and let's get going!



Players

GTA: San Andreas was built for the single player experience. It's main story line and almost all missions are solely meant to be played by one player in control of CJ, the protagonist of the game. In fact, all GTA games up until San Andreas have been strictly single-player. In San Andreas, however, rampage missions were modified to allow for two players to complete them. Both players would be displayed on screen at the same time and no split-screen meant they had to remain in relative proximity of each other at all times. This definitely didn't work too well and was absent from the PC version of the game as it required to players to be on the same console at one time. But with a game so versatile, modders were sure to step in, refusing to take no for an answer. Soon "Multi Theft Auto" and other modifications allowed players to share in each others experience. With a game so robust, players felt compelled to get their friends in on the action. The interaction modes present in San Andreas are limited to Single Player vs. Game. I chose not to include Player vs. Player, Multilateral Competition or Multiple Individual Player vs. Game, because I have never really experiments with any of these modes and don't know how well they work or if there are mods out there for their specific mode of interaction.

The single player is put in charge of CJ, a retired street thug who is put through his paces on his triumphant return to Grove Street, his area of origin. CJ can be customized from the clothes he wears to his hairstyle and tattoos. There is a weight system in the game as well which performs brilliantly as feedback loop where eating more fast food causes CJ to gain weight and slows him down while not eating causes him to slim down fast and run around with greater speed. The player is additionally responsible for feeding CJ and making sure he eats enough or he will grow hungry. A lack of food reduces his body mass and causes him to die if starved for long enough. Going to the gym allows the player to beef up their character and enough time spent working out will lead to CJ bulking up significantly. The changes in CJ's body structure aren't just statistics, they are represented aesthetically in what CJ looks like. Other attributes like agility, lung capacity, etc. allow CJ to perform certain activities for longer periods of time (swimming under water, running without stopping, etc.). If he is taught to fight in a certain style, he will pick it up and melee his enemies with Karate, Muay Thai, boxing or Kung Fu. CJ may also purchase jewelry, hairstyles, clothes and tattoos by walking into the respective parlors, stores or barber shops. 

The player may enter or exit gameplay via saving and loading at any point when not on a mission at CJs house on Grove Street or any other safehouse the player buys or owns.

Objectives

The player's primary objective in San Andreas is completely story driven and is loosely based around Carl trying to find out who murdered his mom while getting his life and family back to a stable state. Along the way he meets several individuals who grow quite fond or completely resent him. These individuals are the source of plenty more secondary missions and create unique objectives and varying gameplay for the player. What I really admire about San Andreas is that they manage to cover every single kind of objective that the game could have. Territorial control is of major importance for as a gang member, it is your responsibility to look out for your own and to make sure that the Grove Street Gang is on top at all times. How would you do that if not to encroach on other gang territories and waste their members wave by wave until you claim their specific area of the neighborhood? Capturing is important as a few important storyline missions involve you having to go out and kidnap someone or chase them down and kill them or even to capture a certain amount of an item (like money) to complete the mission. Races are plentiful and are required for the completion of many storyline missions. These races are usually meant for you to prove your worth to someone or the other. 

Alignment objectives are few and far between with a couple of areas where you need to be very precise with parking a fragile vehicle or lifting a package and placing it in the right area or flying through floating red rings and landing a plane perfectly on an abandoned air strip. Rescue missions are really the meat of San Andreas are really well executed though can be long and drawn out if not done right. There are plenty of people you're going to have to rescue as Carl Johnson because naturally, the world depends on you. From damsels in distress to your brother and sister, there is always someone in a heap of trouble waiting for you to save the day. Even more bizarre is Carl's amazing ability to get his hand stuck in the pickle jar again and again forcing him to plan an elaborate escape after tripping the alarm or rescuing someone from a burning building. Construction is present in not only customizing Carl himself but in building an empire, collecting property and territory to be the wealthiest, leanest, meanest gangster in all of Los Santos. Exploration is one of the most attractive features in San Andreas as the game is a virtual playground and is made for the explorer at heart. There is so much to see and even more to do, with main story missions allowing players to move on to new areas of the map that are later unlocked as the game progresses. Often the player must even explore an area in search of a specific item or a number of them. Finding a solution is a common theme of the rescue or escape missions as there are literally hundreds of ways for some missions to be completed and in San Andreas the player is given absolute creative freedom to find a solution to the problem the mission presents them. 

Rules

With such an open game, it becomes interesting to define rules of gameplay and restrict players from certain actions. San Andreas, however, manages to pull this off gracefully although many players will find ways of overcoming these rules with the help of a couple of mods or cheats. For the purpose of this blog, I am going to refrain from mentioning cheats as virtually all rules can be negated through their use. I will speak about the game as the developers and designers meant it to be played, or at least how I would've understood the game atoms had I not used a ton of cheats...which I didn't of course. 

When the game begins, the player has no armor or weapons, as they progress through the story they pick up various items and are usually given weapons from characters on missions. Areas with armor are unlocked later in the game. Missions offer the player specific guidelines to follow along with several alternatives and a lot of freedom in getting from point A to point B. At the same time, should a player stray off the path, the mission is structured so that an event meant to be prevented will be completed before the player gets there, causing them to fail the mission instantly. Other rules that restrict player actions include road blocks at bridges that restrict access to other parts of the game world that haven't been unlocked yet and of course the faithful 5-0 that prevent the player from going too crazy with their weapons or vehicles. This rule works on the basis of 5 stars and is probably the most popular game mechanic in the GTA series. One star causes a police officer to show up and attempt to chase you down but eluding him will be enough to lose your rep. Two stars have cops shooting at you while three or more bring out additional reinforcement from helicopters to tanks and a S.W.A.T. team. 

If an attempt is made to go beyond the boundaries of the current playing field, the player is automatically given 5 stars and powerful reinforcement (including fighter jets) are sent to shoot you down and prevent you from encroaching into a "restricted area". Certain missions make it difficult to complete objectives unless done in a certain way. This includes being silent when robbing a house (forcing the player to control their character slowly and carefully), using a specific vehicle that matches the speed of a train, or having to wear a specific outfit or drive a specific car in order to start the mission. Other missions still are only unlocked when the player buys certain properties. Rules causing effects include dying if the player neglects to protect or feed themselves. If a player doesn't complete enough of the story missions they will not be able to open up new areas and new game states. A lot of the time a mission can't be complete with a particular weapon or vehicle based on boundary and enemy type restrictions. This could be anything from narrow passages or ramps (requiring a bike to traverse) to enemies with thick armor and strong weapons (requiring a more tactical approach such as a sniper). Other rules include needing to visit your girlfriends often for them to remain in a relationship with you or beating all of your opponents in anything from a race to a dance battle in order to gain respect and resources.

Resources

The resources in GTA: San Andreas are plentiful and are received from all kinds of sources. Money can be gained from completing a mission or simply running over a pedestrian. The harder the mission (or the longer it takes to complete) the greater the cash reward. Some missions provide additional benefits such as territory control which is a bonus since territory is a significant resource and determined gameplay in a huge way. Health and armor are equally as important and are what I would consider more scarce because the player has to go around looking for vending machines and health drops or vests just to protect himself. This forces the player to often play more strategically than most would. Vehicles are also a resource but are more of a luxury and are treated by most players as prizes. However, having the right vehicle is crucial to the completion of several missions that require various cars, planes, trains and automobiles. Weapons are an invaluable resource as they influence how the player plays the game as well as how easy or difficult certain missions can be. Weapons may be received from certain characters in the game or bought at "ammu-nation" stores scattered throughout San Andreas. Special weapons may be found at random spots in the game world. Once the player dies, however, resources are reset - armor and weapons are taken away in addition to a small amount of money that pays for your medical bills. 

Some missions make time an extremely valuable resource forcing gameplay to become more tight and specific in order to get somewhere on time or to stop an event from occurring. Properties and safehouses are also resources and are only available for purchase after the player has progressed to a certain stage in the game. This information is not known until the player reaches the stage where he must buy a property in order to complete a mission. Secret packages spread throughout the game map are scarce but valuable resources, allowing certain weapons to spawn at the player's safehouses or introducing an attribute to assist the player in some shape or form. These packages are hidden well and will take a good amount of the player's time to find. Food may also be considered a resource as it is needed to keep the player alive and determine his skills and abilities. Weapons may be collected and placed in the player's inventory although collecting weapons of the same type replaces the current weapon with the new one. 

Game State

GTA: San Andreas explores various game states and manages to switch it up between them frequently enough to keep players interested and wanting more. The main game state is being idle. Here the player is running, jumping, navigating the world. Another game state is shootouts where the player engages in conflict with random civilians or legitimate opponents the range from drug lords and police to prostitutes and gang members. There is, of course, the driving game state where the player is placed behind the wheel of a car , the handlebars of a motorbike or the controls of a helicopter and is restricted by the physical limitations placed on the vehicle. This isn't saying much since a lot of vehicles can do a lot more than you can imagine and where the player goes is only restricted by gravity and the game world's boundaries. Cutscenes are another game state where the player has no control over their action and are guided through scripted parts that progress the game or indicate important information in missions. Cutscenes are denoted by the game going into widescreen mode with the introduction of the two thick black lines on the top and bottom that are commonly seen in cinemas. Other game states include walking into a store or the player's wardrobe and getting dressed, getting a haircut, getting tattoos or getting jewelry. Skydiving and swimming may also be considered game states and often move the player to new parts of the map. The shooting range, golfing, going out on a date, working out, learning a new fighting style and controlling miniature toys are all additional game states that offer tremendous variety in gameplay and help round the game out as a whole. 

While the switching on of radio stations or the change of focus on the camera are used to portray the change in game state from idle to vehicle or conflict, most game state transitions take place in the form of loading screens or special animations.

Information

For the most part, the player is taken through various game states slowly and very deliberately in a manner meant to induce learning and have the player gradually get comfortable with the game world. A lot of game states are initially hidden from the player and are unlocked through progression. The designers did a great job of introducing the player to basic mechanics of game state, before putting them into the thick of the action. For example, missions require the player to learn how to drive or fly a plane in order to do these tasks efficiently in later missions which introduce the same mechanics with added difficulty. As far as the story goes, more and more information is revealed at every main story mission and many questions are answered solely through game progression. Some information like the statistics of various cars in the game remain hidden to the player who is made to learn these things through experience. A lot of areas are hidden to the player and remain that way until the player reaches a certain checkpoint or is meant to complete a certain mission within the area. However, once most areas are unlocked, the player is free to return whenever they please. 

Privileged information comes in the form of property purchases and missions associated with these purchases as the player is not allowed to participate without sufficient funds. Private information includes characters' motives and plot reveals which are all unraveled as CJ sees fit. Other hidden information includes the life of characters outside of missions they go on with the player. In such an open world, the player is meant to presume that various characters' lives continue as intended although this information is completely hidden as the player cannot simply walk into an NPC's house and see what they are upto. 

Sequencing

Sequencing in San Andreas is simple but very effective as far as gameplay goes. When the player walks into a red marker signifying a mission what immediately proceeds is a cutscene that sets up the mission and provides a premise for the player's motivation. Most of the time Carl is either doing something for someone or trying to get revenge or helping a mutual friend out for some kind of monetary reward. The player will then travel to where the action is taking place or navigate themselves to a specific area where another player is picked up or an item crucial to the mission is acquired (this is usually a weapon). The player will then proceed to the center of the action where they commit the deed, complete their objective or sneak into where they need to be. On completion of the first objective, there is usually another cutscene and another objective with either gets CJ out of the area or forces him to move elsewhere in order to complete a supplementary objective. When the mission is finally completed, the characters that were joining CJ on the mission will have a quick dialogue with the player and then go their separate ways disappearing as soon as the player is given control once more. 

Since the game is a tremendous sandbox, the potential for sequencing is limitless and when in freeplay, the player is quite literally free to do anything they want as long as they stay alive and don't get busted by the police.

Player Interaction

Since San Andreas is a primarily single player game, there is close to no player interaction. In the multiplayer component of the game, players are allowed to exchange information freely and have the same objective which usually ends up being killing as many people as creatively as possible (rampage missions). Information is shared through the player's interaction with NPCs and missions are triggered through dialogue with these characters.

Theme & Setting

San Andreas follows the trials and tribulations of Carl Johnson and his struggle to stay true to his family while learning to stand on his own two feet and make a name for himself in Los Santos. It is easy to understand Carl's struggle but not-so-easy to relate to it on every level. Carl is living the real-life and has several obstacles in his way to finding a stable career and settling down. What plagues him most is, of course, finding out who murdered his mother and dealing with those responsible. He is also driven by the need to make sure his family and friends are taken care of and that the neighboring factions don't take over Grove Street, his hometown. With a game that simulates life in a very realistic manner, it is difficult to see how this type of setting couldn't be based off true events. The player is attracted to the idea of mimicry in living someone else's life and making them out to be everything they want from life. Personally, I found myself making my character workout, eat right and look suave because these were traits I wanted to see in myself without any of the work. It is so much easier to press buttons and have a better body than to painstakingly work at crafting the body you want. This is the reason why players are able to immerse themselves into San Andreas - it allows them to have all of the fun without any of the consequences. They are able to step into the shoes of Carl Johnson and escape their own lives in living his. 

How it comes together

With a game so big and so much to do, there is little room for error in trying to snap a piece that doesn't fit into a perfect puzzle. San Andreas does not run into that problem at all. Ever since the game first came out, the reviews have been magnificent and the game has managed to be everything it wanted to be and more. The single player mode works perfectly with the mission structure and objectives that remain dynamic throughout gameplay. The rules set in place would not work with any other interaction mode than single player vs. game which is the reason why multiplayer was never successful and remained restricted to a very specific mission-type. The game states are so varied and interesting that the player truly feels like it is real life and that they can walk into a clothing store, spend their money on clothes and walk out feeling fresh and clean. The information available from start to end creates a reasonable learning curve and the designers ensure that the player understands the rules of certain mechanics before they are introduced with significant challenge in a new game state. Resources are plentiful where they need to be and are scarce enough to work with in single player mode. They are also spread out far enough not to get in the way of objectives and goals but to keep things interesting and give the player sufficient aid if the mission is played right. 

The lack of player interaction works well for this kind of game where the single player is free to explore to their heart's content and complete objectives in any order they wish as they aren't restricted by the abilities or wished of another player. It is the theme that truly drives the game and being in someone else's shoes introduces unique motives and goals for every individual. Some players enjoy collecting scarce resources while other attempt to push the boundaries of the rules and gameplay mechanics. At the end of the day, each player is allowed to play the game the way that suits them best without being limited by another player. The sequencing of missions and the variety present in the game states does a great job of pacing the game out without making things boring. There was never a point when I felt that CJ wasn't being true to his character and as the player's objectives change, the theme does a solid job of tying in the need to veer off the main plot path in order to allow the protagonist to experience life on his own. And as the player's goals change, so do the rules of the game and the information available to the player. San Andreas is the kind of game that rewards players for exploring and progressing through the game in the most unique manner possible. Often the player is able to complete missions in a manner completely averse to the designer's intentions, but in an open world like San Andreas, how can we really know what those intentions were to begin with?