This article documents removed and changed content during the development of Grand Theft Auto.
Original Concept[]
Main article: Race'n'Chase
Race'n'Chase was the original concept of what would become Grand Theft Auto. The game consisted of an open world where the player would either take the role of a cop or a criminal in multiple game modes that, hence the title of the game, ranged from races to police chases. It was being developed as early as January 1995.[1]
Locations[]
San Andreas Tram Stops[]
While there are no subway stations in San Andreas, an equivalent feature was planned for the two chapters set in the city. There are two separate unused tramway lines in the northern portion of the city, with unique tram stop signs indicating the "stations". An unused vehicle sprite for the Tram also exists in the game files. In the final version, tramways are simply part of San Andreas' scenario.
UI and Textures[]
Compass[]
A 3D compass used in the HUD was removed entirely from the game, replaced by the yellow Location Compass. This is briefly seen in a BBC interview at DMA's offices in Dundee on May 16, 1996.[2]
Missions[]
Maid's Corpse[]
Unused entries in the ENGLISH.FXT file shows a third unused objective for the mission Heist Almighty - Porka Turbo. Originally, Bubby's wife Skye would have killed her house's maid for catching her having an affair with the "pool guy" (previously mentioned in Gangsta Bang - Taxi).
Skye hides the maid's body in the trunk of a car, and the player is tasked by Bubby himself with delivering the body to Reeve's place. This segment of the mission would have taken place after delivering Jimmy Waterson to Bubby's place in Northwest Kings, and before the player is told to assassinate Dumb Kurt.
[1319]I want Jimmy picked up NOW! He's at the National Reserve Bank in South Ardler. [1320]How ya doin', man? Let's get outta here! Bubby's place is in North West Kings. [1321]Shit. My bitch wife just wasted the maid. Musta caught her with the pool guy again. The body's in a car in Central Kings. ***(UNUSED)*** [1322]Now ya got the car, take it to Reeve's in North East Estoria. Mind the cops. ***(UNUSED)*** [1323]An overrated hitman called Dumb Kurt just hit town. Hit him with a rigged car. [1324]Murdered Dumb Kurt? I'm prouda ya. Now, if only we could get rid of The Man...
Characters[]
Reeve[]
Reeve was a garage owner in Northeast Estoria. There are no sprites or quotes associated with the character, aside from his only mention in the ENGLISH.FXT entry ID 1322. His only role in the game was to get rid of the maid's corpse in the aforementioned mission. Reeve is one of the many unseen garage owners associated with the Vercotti Crime Family.
Weapons[]
Petrol Bomb[]
An explosive weapon named "Petrol Bomb" was originally planned to appear. The ENGLISH.FXT entry for the weapon name is listed between the Flamethrower and the Speed Up power-up.
[petrol]Petrol Bomb
In addition, a HUD icon and the animated pickup sprites can be found in the sprite sheet files. The weapon would later evolve into the Molotov Cocktails in Grand Theft Auto 2.
Vehicles[]
Cut Vehicles[]
Tram[]
The aforementioned Tram (Vehicle ID 12) is listed in the ENGLISH.FXT file, between the Train and the Boat.
[car12]Tram
SWAT Van[]
An unused SWAT Van is listed under "The Special Car Lot" section of the game's promotional website. There are no text strings or sprites left in the final game.
.png "SWAT Van (GTA1 - beta).png (3 KB)")
Unnamed helicopter[]
An unnamed helicopter is found in the sprite sheet files. The vehicle can be obtained by editing the mission files; however, the Helicopter behaves like a normal land vehicle.
Unnamed tractor truck[]
An unnamed tractor truck is seen in Electronic Press Kit screenshots. This vehicle is no longer present in the game files.
Breakdown Truck[]
The ENGLISH.FXT file lists an unused Breakdown Truck (Vehicle ID 10) between the Coach and the Train. There are no remains of the vehicle left in the sprite sheet files.
[car10]Breakdown Truck
APC[]
The ENGLISH.FXT file lists an unused APC (Vehicle ID 36) between the Limousine and the Tank. There are no remains of the vehicle left in the sprite sheet files.
[car36]APC
Race'n'Chase Test Car[]
Used by DMA Design senior programmer Mike Dailly for testbedding the game engine. Not included in the final game.
Design Changes[]
| Vehicle | Changes description | Image |
|---|---|---|
| As seen in in-game media or files | ||
| Ambulance (Liberty City variant) | Originally had a "911" on its livery, as seen in the Electronic Press Kit screenshots. |  |
| Ambulance (Vice City variant) | Missing red details on its livery, as seen in the Electronic Press Kit vehicle spritesheet. |   |
| Itali GTO | Originally did not include an open roof, as seen in the Electronic Press Kit vehicle spritesheet. |   |
| Limousine (San Andreas variant 2) | Unused Japanese Yakuza livery, as seen in the Electronic Press Kit vehicle spritesheet. In the final game, the Yakuza drive a Chinese Triad dragon livery Limousine instead. | |
| Taxi (Liberty City variant) | Originally had a "69" number on its livery, as seen in the Electronic Press Kit screenshots. |   |
| Taxi (San Andreas variant) | Originally had an "04" number on its livery, as seen in the Electronic Press Kit vehicle spritesheet. |   |
| TV Van | Originally had a "5" number for all three variants, as seen in the Electronic Press Kit vehicle spritesheet. |   |
Radio Stations[]
Unused Rave Track[]
Small looped segments of existing tracks are heard in-game whenever a random sports car is seen passing by. One of the looped tracks does not match any of the in-game tracks:
Fergus Buckner[]
Fergus Buckner, the radio host of The Fergus Buckner Show FM, was originally voiced by DMA's in-house music composer Colin Anderson (who has also provided the voice of The Bleeding Stump lead vocalist Alex).
In the 25th Anniversary Composer's Mixes released on Colin Anderson's YouTube channel, the composer released an old demo track for the station's unique country song "The Ballad Of Chapped Lips Calhoun" dated May 13, 1996, featuring Colin Anderson himself as the voice of Fergus Buckner:
In the final version, DMA's music department decided to use the voice of Tom Wilson from DMA Design's studio in Boulder, Colorado.
Unused[]
Tiles[]
An unused "GTATIL2_195" tile image from the 24-bit tile set for the San Andreas map ("STYLE002.G24").
GTATIL2_195"References[]
- ↑
Race'n'Chase Game Design Document, Page 2 - ↑ GRAND THEFT AUTO 1996 Making Of - GTA - Retro Gaming - BBC Archive
