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[YCoCg]

This has been gaining interest on GitHub but it appears that Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City have been fully reverse engineered and made open source. There was some news floating around in the past about these games appearing on the Nintendo Switch but they've now shown off a Wii U and PlayStation Vita build of these games, as well as listing native Linux and Mac versions (along with 64-bit Windows). The project went "public" recently and the team who have worked on it are open to helping out with ports to other platforms, you just need a copy of the games files from the PC version (either from the original discs or via a digital copy from Steam/Rockstar, etc). Here's the info blurb from their page:

In this repository you'll find the fully reversed source code for GTA III (master branch) and GTA VC (miami branch).

It has been tested and works on Windows, Linux and FreeBSD, on x86, amd64, arm and arm64.
Rendering is handled either by original RenderWare (D3D8) or the reimplementation librw (D3D9, OpenGL 2.1 or above, OpenGL ES 2.0 or above).
Audio is done with MSS (using dlls from original GTA) or OpenAL.

The project has also been ported to the Nintendo Switch, Playstation Vita and Nintendo Wii U.

We cannot build for PS2 or Xbox yet. If you're interested in doing so, get in touch with us.

You can find the projects on GitHub at the following links:
re3 (Grand Theft Auto III)
reVC (Grand Theft Auto: Vice City)

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Wait what?

 

[wordslaughter]

DrBeef .... paging DrBeef

Pls make a Quest 2 VR version of Vice City

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[Max_Po]

-_-

 

[Shakka43]

Played a bit of GTA3 on my Vita and it runs surprisingly well on it.

 

[01011001]

I mean, port it to Xbox One/SX

Open Lara and ports of tge Whitehead versions of the Sonic games already have been ported to that

 

[CamHostage]

Pretty rad.

Played a bit of GTA3 on my Vita and it runs surprisingly well on it.

If they get down to the third game, I would be very happy to finally have the world of GTA San Andreas on my Vita or Wii U after hoping in vain back in the day for some kind of GTA San Andreas Stories (to complete the GTA Stories trilogy from PSP/PS2) on those two platforms.

 

[Soodanim]

Forget ports, I want to see some engine level upgrades. Give me arbitrary frame rate support on PC and all that good stuff, frame rate tied to physics is just about the only thing holding the PC versions back these days.

 

[Kupfer]

If they get down to the third game, I would be very happy to finally have the world of GTA San Andreas on my Vita or Wii U after hoping in vain back in the day for some kind of GTA San Andreas Stories (to complete the GTA Stories trilogy from PSP/PS2) on those two platforms.

You probably can play GTA:SA on your mobile console in some time.

The android version of Max Payne running on my Vita works also pretty well.

 

[FranXico]

Cloned. Thank you OP.

 

[Redneckerz]

Was aware of this for a while, its reverse engineered, so it can't be axed that easily really. The Wii U port is a new one to me, though.

The Vita port is coming along very well thanks in due part to Rittegatamante who practically ported every game under the sun to Sony's handheld.

What may also help is that the engine behind it, Renderware, has seen its source code released and people can build programs for Xbox/PS2/NGC now.

 

[TVexperto]

So what does that mean? The game is already available on every plattform? Are those reverse engineered versions better?

 

[Redneckerz]

So what does that mean? The game is already available on every plattform?

Where am i saying this?
Im saying that the engine behind it has seen its SDK released which may help this reverse engineering effort.

Are those reverse engineered versions better?

Better as in that the GTA games can now be ported to different problems, only requiring the game data.

 

[Hudo]

Interesting. Was wondering how some things were possibly implemented. Now I can go look!

 

[FranXico]

Interesting. Was wondering how some things were possibly implemented. Now I can go look!

Wish that it had been R* who released it themselves (like C&CR), but reverse-engineered code will have to do.

 

[Hudo]

Wish that it had been R* who released it themselves (like C&CR), but reverse-engineered code will have to do.

Yeah, then we truly would have the "real implementation" but this will do, I guess.
I'd love to get my hands on the GTA 2 engine source code. Yeah, I know it's nothing that's surprising or hard to guess how they might have implemented it. But I always found it to be quite neat regardless.

 

[YCoCg]

Are those reverse engineered versions better?

Strictly on PC, yes, the new versions have proper aspect ratio support (so you can play in 21:9 for example) and have all the broken graphical effects restored, along with native controller support with UI prompts and the ability to cycle through controller options (Dualshock 3, 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, etc). And work has begun on lifting the framerate caps and untie the physics to framerate, I was playing an earlier build at 144fps and the it looked insanely smooth, they just need to fix some more physics related stuff and timings and it'd be perfect. And of course it's native on Linux and Mac now too instead of running through WINE.

Give me arbitrary frame rate support on PC and all that good stuff, frame rate tied to physics is just about the only thing holding the PC versions back these days.

See above.

I mean, port it to Xbox One/SX

Open Lara and ports of tge Whitehead versions of the Sonic games already have been ported to that

I think they'd require someone who knows UWP, as far as I'm aware they currently don't have anyone on the team for that, but they are open to people joining.

 

[Soodanim]

Strictly on PC, yes, the new versions have proper aspect ratio support (so you can play in 21:9 for example) and have all the broken graphical effects restored, along with native controller support with UI prompts and the ability to cycle through controller options (Dualshock 3, 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, etc). And work has begun on lifting the framerate caps and untie the physics to framerate, I was playing an earlier build at 144fps and the it looked insanely smooth, they just need to fix some more physics related stuff and timings and it'd be perfect. And of course it's native on Linux and Mac now too instead of running through WINE.



See above.


I think they'd require someone who knows UWP, as far as I'm aware they currently don't have anyone on the team for that, but they are open to people joining.

Fantastic, thank you. Going to look at this tomorrow.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

I always wanted to replay these games, if not a brand new GTA, on the PS Vita. The handheld should have supported the PS2 Classics library. Nowadays I just replay them on Steam. But it's very cool to see the old source code finally made open source. The GTA 3D era trilogy are some of my all-time favorites.

 

[lmimmfn]

Ill be honest, i tried replaying Vice City(probably my fav game ever) and the dying in water ruins it, if they sort that im all in.

 

[01011001]

Ill be honest, i tried replaying Vice City(probably my fav game ever) and the dying in water ruins it, if they sort that im all in.

how does that ruin it? how often did you try to jump into the water?

 

[theclaw135]

So what does that mean? The game is already available on every plattform? Are those reverse engineered versions better?

I don't know III or Vice City much, but the San Andreas PC port was garbage. Rockstar's multiple updates improved some details (controller support) and worsened others (the soundtrack). I'm not even sure whether modders have **fully** restored the PS2 lighting/atmosphere.

 

[MeatSafeMurderer]

Gone in 3,2,1...

Pffft. It's legal. Clean room design. Nothing Rockstar or Take2 can do because these projects don't include any of their code.

I'm not even sure whether modders have **fully** restored the PS2 lighting/atmosphere.

They have, long before these projects in fact. SkyGFX.

 

[gamingforum1]

DrBeef .... paging DrBeef

Pls make a Quest 2 VR version of Vice City

wait... so does this mean the game can be modded for first person? anything with an android port can technically be modded by him to work on the quest, right?

 

[YCoCg]

They have, long before these projects in fact. SkyGFX.

Fun little fact, it's the same guy who's the lead for the re3/reVC project that did SkyGFX all those years ago.

 

[Later Alligator]

wait... so does this mean the game can be modded for first person? anything with an android port can technically be modded by him to work on the quest, right?

with a complete, functional source code like this anything goes

 

[celsowmbr]

I really would like to see a possible port to Dreamcast too

 

[KuraiShidosha]

Absolute insanity. This is going to blow the doors wide open on modding potential.

 

[YCoCg]

It's been good to see some gaming sites mention this! There's a few more ports in the works apparently.

 

[Kupfer]

Just tested it yesterday and the setup works like a charm on the Vita.
30-24 fps for me @500mhz, didn't recognize a difference to 444mhz, so I'll stick with that. It even feels like playing it in 2003 on my old Desktop that way.

 

[MadchesterManc]

You mean I can play Vice City on the go with the Vita instead of settling for the PSP's Vice City Stories? I'll be taking a look at this later

 

[Stitch]

wait... so does this mean the game can be modded for first person? anything with an android port can technically be modded by him to work on the quest, right?

this has been possible for a while now



now with the game code being open source someone could do a better first person mode with motion controls

 

[horkrux]

welp, the fools at T2 have had it all taken down

https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2021/02/2021-02-19-take-two.md

Please provide a detailed description of the original copyrighted work that has allegedly been infringed. If possible, include a URL to where it is posted online.

The content in the links below consists of copyrighted materials owned by Take-Two. The use of our copyrighted content in these links are unauthorized and it should be removed immediately.

https://www.rockstargames.com/games/grandtheftauto3
https://www.rockstargames.com/games/vicecity

lol so detailed

 

[M1chl]

welp, the fools at T2 have had it all taken down

https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2021/02/2021-02-19-take-two.md



lol so detailed

Uploading that to GitHub wasn't really wise, better would be to set up private GitLab VPS hosted in China, Russia, there it would probably not be taken down.

 

[Kupfer]

Strange. I thought if something is reverse-engineereda and doesn't contain any of the licensed data, companies can't do anything about it. That's like the "Big Cars" company suing you for putting the engine of your "Big Cars" car into a chassis you built yourself, isn't it?

Glad I just updated gta3/vc/sa yesterday on my Vita, but a huge drawback for the people keeping such awesome projects and hardware (Vita) alive.

 

[YCoCg]

It seems like Eurogamer were the ones who went and asked Take-Two about this project to get a comment. Gg.

 

[MeatSafeMurderer]

welp, the fools at T2 have had it all taken down

https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2021/02/2021-02-19-take-two.md



lol so detailed

I wouldn't count on it staying down. If the team can prove they followed clean-room protocol (and if they're undertaking such a project they will be able to) then what T2 just did was actually illegal.

 

[CuteFaceJay]

It seems like Eurogamer were the ones who went and asked Take-Two about this project to get a comment. Gg.

They've yet to bother putting the collection onto the Switch yet so doubt they'll give a shit. Heck they prolly already knew about it anyways.

 

[SurprisedPikachu]

Thank god I downloaded a zip of the branches.

 

[PnCIa]

Could anyone pm me those files please?
Would love to play those games again.
Opensource implementations of old games should be encouraged...OpenMW is a prime example!

 

[MadchesterManc]

Got around to installing Vice City on the ol' Vita yesterday. Runs pretty well considering and looks good on the portable screen, might even do the mod that switches the car models for the higher quality ones in the Xbox version.

Shame it's been taken down as I was looking to do GTA III & San Andreas too, Wouldn't surprise me tho if the files are still out there on some Vita homebrew site for now.

 

[Hari Seldon]

I wouldn't count on it staying down. If the team can prove they followed clean-room protocol (and if they're undertaking such a project they will be able to) then what T2 just did was actually illegal.

That is assuming that the people doing this for fun can spend the money to fight this. It doesn't have to be legal if one side will sick lawyers and the other side will not.

 

[Kupfer]

Could anyone pm me those files please?
Would love to play those games again.
Opensource implementations of old games should be encouraged...OpenMW is a prime example!

Read this article very carefully. There's a link still providing the files on vitadb.

 

[MeatSafeMurderer]

Read this article very carefully. There's a link still providing the files on vitadb.

Not much help unless P PnCIa happens to be wanting to play it on Vita. That being said I took the liberty last night of aquiring the repos and all the various 1.0 PC builds for archival purposes just in case...so I know they're still out there and available, though for obvious reasons I'm not going to say exactly where.

 

[amigastar]

Already taken down.

GTA 3 and Vice City reverse-engineering fan project hit with DMCA takedown

The Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City reverse-engineering fan project has been hit with a Digital Millennium Copyright A…

www.eurogamer.net

 

[YCoCg]

And back up?:

Lone Developer Stands Up To Grand Theft Auto DMCA Claim, Wins

Earlier this year fans reversed engineered the source code to Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. They released it to the web, but Grand Theft Auto copyright holder Take-Two pulled it offline via a DMCA claim. But one fan stood up to the publisher and has now succeeded in...

kotaku.com

 

[YCoCg]

Full thing is back up now:

GTA 3 and Vice City reverse-engineering fan project back online after Take-Two takedown

A Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City reverse-engineering fan project is back online after Take-Two issued a takedown earl…

www.eurogamer.net

Reverse-Engineered Grand Theft Auto Games Are Back, Baby

Take-Two hasn't legally responded to the original takedown notice (yet)

kotaku.com

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

Grand Theft Auto modders have decided to fight Take-Two’s lawsuit | VGC

The creators of the re3 project are willing to take the matter to court…

www.videogameschronicle.com

In September, Take-Two filed a suit aimed at 14 programmers from around the world who have been working together to make derivative source code for both GTA 3 and GTA Vice City.

The result was the re3 project, which offers “the fully reversed source code for GTA III and GTA VC”, as well as ports of the games for Switch, Wii U and Vita.

The project also includes some improvements to the original games, including bug fixes, a rotatable camera, XInput controller support on PC, widescreen support and no loading screens between islands.

Take-Two’s lawsuit claims the programmers who worked on the project “are well aware that they do not possess the right to copy, adapt, or distribute derivative GTA source code, or the audiovisual elements of the games, and that doing so constitutes copyright infringement”.

However, the modders have responded by denying the claims made in the lawsuit, replying: “Defendants deny that Plaintiff is entitled to any of the relief sought in its prayer for relief. Defendants respectfully request that the Court enter judgement in their favour and against Plaintiff, denying Plaintiff all relief sought herein.”

The response denies Take-Two’s claims that it “has suffered and continues to suffer damages” as a result of the mod’s distribution.

One of the reasons for this is because although the mod itself contains reverse-engineered source code from the original games, it doesn’t actually contain any Rockstar-created assets such as music, dialogue and imagery, meaning players need to own a copy of GTA III to build their own port.