I’m pretty sure everyone knows that special effects are
widely used in video games nowadays as well as the past. These special effects
make games realistic, believable and interesting. Special effects also add a
fun visual element to the game. Weather you are playing a un realistic game, or
one that is supposed to be as close to reality as possible, you will see things
like weather climates.
One of my personal favorite things that I always loved in
video games was the rain. Rain during gameplay has always had that visual
effect of entertainment for me. Not only is this visually stimulating, but also
effective on gameplay. For example, the Grand Theft Auto games have that point
where rain seems to fall from the sky. Depending on which GTA game, the rain
has an effect on things like driving, walking, running, and the clarity of the
screen gameplay. I like that aspect of bringing realistic situations to this
particular video game.
Now on Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, rain happens
sporadically throughout the game. This can be random, or controlled when using
cheat codes. This particular GTA game actually has poor quality of rain. It
looks like the rain was not given any effort from animators. The path of the
raindrops cannot really be determined. The rain is scattered and falling at
random angles all at once when in actuality, you will see all raindrops fall in
the same angle. This bothers me and takes away from the realistic situations
that are supposed to be included in this game.
This special effect was not complex at all. You can tell that
one sequence of raindrops was used for every scene that it rains in the game.
There is no variation between light rain and heavy rain, which is also
unrealistic. The rain in this game is coming down rather lightly, and the
raindrops are at a very low frequency. The raindrops look white, and are
strobing more than anything. The frequency is off, as well as the velocity and
the rain has no effect on driving traction. The ground should be wet and
footsteps should make a splash when walking or running, but the rain has no
effect on gameplay. All of these things take the fun out of the game for me.
Now Grand Theft Auto 5 rain is way more realistic. You can
tell that the special effects were paid close attention to in this latest GTA
game. There is difference in frequencies of rain, light rain and heavy rain,
and all the raindrops fall at a consistent angle. Even in the game if you are
driving by and making a sharp turn, you can see that the rain is consistent
with that angle even with a change in perspective. It’s very believable and
adds a little more fun and realism to the video game as a whole.
The frequency of the rain here is very believable and even
directly affects the gameplay. When it rains light, there is little to no
effect on anything except the small splashes from the drops hitting a surface.
When it rains heavy, the cars slip and slide more, the puddles are big and
noticeable, and when someone walks or runs, you see splashes. Even driving
cars, you can see the water rolling off the back of the tires. This is so fun
because it’s realistic, relatable, interactive, and fun. The sound of the rain
even sounds like real rain. All this together creates an experience in the
virtual world.
These two games came out years apart from each other, but
have distinct differences as stated above. When it comes to the rain in the
gameplay, it’s obvious how far video games have become as far as quality.
Something as simple as weather can be a big difference in a game and it’s
gameplay. GTA San Andreas is and was a fun game with unrealistic
characteristics such as rain, but it’s always great to compare with what they
are currently doing and how they evolved. GTA 5 is clearly better and more
realistic with believable weather. Weather is a big deal in video games, and
GTA San Andreas and GTA V shows why and how to appreciate it.
