circa: 2003 (2002 for Playstation 2)
genre: action-driving simulation
developer: Rockstar Games

engine: Criterion RenderWare

• atmospheric/environmental effects
  • water: mist, ripples & splash (+ rain: street and vehicles), sparkles
  • weather: fog, lightning, rain (+ bows); dynamic, gradual
    • wind: clothing, helicopters, sand kickup during storms, street debris (leaves & newspapers), swaying trees
  • other:
    • broken fire hydrants shoot water
    • car alarms (some) go off on impact and when broken into
    • cranes: some move around
    • bodies: replaced by body outline tape if not revived by medics, twitch when hit/kicked
    • feet impact dust/splash
    • fence gates sense characer/vehicles (type-dependent) and open/close?
    • footprints (blood, sand)
    • incremental vehicle damage
      • glass breaks (+ windshield pane detaches)
      • bumpers & front left/right fenders dent, break, and detach
      • body dents/scrapes
      • doors/hoods/truck gates/trunks dent, open, flop in wind, and detach
      • radiator leaks steam
      • catches fire and explodes if too much damage
      • tires can be shot out and will affect vehicle handling
    • location-specific NPC body damage: limbs fall off, blood spurts, body falls over, twitching
    • sea wave height varies with weather
    • slow motion during pill powerups
    • smoke: chimneys, fire, exploded vehicles, gunshots, tire skids, vehicle exhaust
    • sparks: bullet impacts, vehicle impacts/scrapes
    • steam: radiators
    • stop-/streetlights go out when dented/broken
    • tire kick up: dirt, grass, water
    • tire skid marks: dirt, blood (+ tire tracks), grass, road
    • water drops appear on/drip down screen when raining or near water splash
    • weapon fire tracers
    • explosions, fire, street debris; see particle effects
• collision detection: 2D
• lighting: dynamic, colored, day-night cycle, flickering, lens flare (airplane lights, sun); headlights, helicopter (police), lightning, stoplights, streetlights
• particle effects: birds (seagulls), blood spurts, debris (street, vehicle), explosions, fish schools, fire, insects, paint spray, rain, smoke, sparks, steam
• physics
  • boyancy (float): boats, bodies, buoys, skimmers (seaplanes), vehicles
  • friction/gravity (player, enemies)
  • explosion force blows out glass and up vehicles (+ debris)
  • slippery wet roads affect vehicle handling/traction
  • tank cannon blast pushes tank
  • vehicles: bounce, handle differently, shocks; 2-wheelers can pull wheelies and stop on front tire ("stoppies")
• reflection: building interior floors (static), coronas (wet street), water (fountains, pools?; buildings only); see environmental texture mapping
• shadows: polygonal ovalular masks: character, NPCs, vehicles (multiple depending on light sources); in-texture: airplanes, bridges, streetlight poles, trees
• texture: 16-/32-bit depth
  • filtering: bilinear
  • mapping: environmental (vehicles)
  • decals: blood puddles, footprints, tire skids/tracks
• transparency: fire, glass, light beams, LOD object fading, smoke, steam, tire skid marks, weapon fire tracers
• other: location-specific body damage (limb falls off, blood spurts), skeletal animation, skin

player character

• character: Tommy Vicetti
  • changeable clothes (bank heist, casual, cop, coveralls, country club, "Havana"--Cuban gangster, purple suit, street, "Mr. Vicetti" suit, tracksuit)
  • customizable skin texture
  • footstep sound: dirt/gravel, grass, pavement, water, wood
  • hunches over and heaves to catch breath after running
  • in-vehicle: looks behind when backing up, shuts door if it comes open, turns (+ leans up depending on vehicle) to aim/shoot gun, turns steering wheel
  • makes comments
  • turns head: to look at people/vehicles, when looking behind
• moves: crouch, hit/shoot, jump, run, sprint, strafe; in-vehicle: honk horn (+ hold for different sirens on some vehicles), lean back/forward (2-wheel vehicles only), look left/right/back, raise/lower hydraulics (Haitan Voodoo only), shoot left/right (Uzis only)/forward (2-wheel vehicles only), shut door, turn/shoot: turret (tank only) & water nozzle (fire truck only)
• view: 1st-person (in-vehicle, some guns), 3rd-person (multiple camera angles: 3 zoom levels, cinematic, top-down)
  • pan: keyboard/mouse (depending on view)
  • zoom: keyboard; 5 levels (3rd-person), continuous (scoped weapons)

level/world design

• # levels: 2 areas (50+ missions)
• location: Vice City; urban (like Miama, Florida)
• cutscenes: yes, every mission
• full-motion videos (FMVs): no
• level editor: no
• linear progression: some
• environmental interaction
  • break: cardboard boxes, crates, glass windows (some), parking (lot pipe gates, meters), streetsign poles (some), vehicles
  • knockover/move/push objects: benches, construction sawhorses, dumpsters, fire hydrants, gas pumps (some), mailboxes, newspaper vending machines, picnic tables (+ dent)?, pizza boxes, stop/streetlight poles (+ dent), vehicles; see breakable objects
  • ride: escalators, vehicles
  • drive: vehicles, planes, helicopters
  • other: buy real estate, jump out of moving vehicles, lower boat, pick up people on bus, rob stores, steal cars (carjacking), taxis take Tommy back to where he was prior to being busted/wasted, throw pizza boxes from pizza delivery scooter
• outdoor landscaping/terrain design: outdoor, indoor; LOD; see location
• puzzles: blow up things, get to places, kill people, put out fires in firetruck, race, retrieve items, transport people
• traps/hazards: explosions, falling, fire, getting hit/shot, water (sea)

weapons: baseball bat, bazooka, brass knuckles, chainsaw, fists/feet, flamethrower, grenades, guns (MP5, pistols, rifles, submachinegun, Uzis), hammer, katana, knife, meat cleaver, Molotov Cocktails, screwdriver

• bullet shells: eject, fall, hit surface, and disappear
• tracers
• shoot forward on 2-wheel vehicles

other

• enemies/animals: humans, dolphins (non-threatening)
• AI
  • pedestrians:
    • attack when attacked
    • gangsters: fight/shoot character (on-foot and in-vehicle) and rival gangs
    • get into fights
    • look at dead bodies and exploded vehicles
    • jump out of vehicle's way
    • make comments
    • run away and scream when gunshots fired
    • running into on-foot causes them to stumble or fall
    • sit down, look around, and stand up
    • steal vehicles
  • cops: throw out spike traps to pop character vehicle's wheels
  • prostitutes: approach vehicles, get in eventually, and increase health
  • vehicles: catch fire when flipped over, get out of way or stop when siren nears, when shot at (speed up or stop and passengers get out)
  • ambulance usually comes when someone dies
  • fire truck sometimes comes when a vehicle is on fire
• inventory: ammo/weapons (see weapons)
• sound: stereo, EAX; doppler effect, "dynamic acoustic modeling"