Veteran Rockstar explains why GTA IV abandoned full NPC life simulation
Obbe Vermeij, former technical director of Rockstar North, continues to share stories about the development of various parts of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Recently, he recalled how former Rockstar Games producer Leslie Benzies wanted to implement a full character life simulation in GTA IV.
It was assumed that NPCs in Liberty City would have a plausible daily routine. However, the creators of GTA IV faced technical problems when trying to implement such an idea and, as the developer believes, such realism is not too important for the players themselves.
During a conversation with Edge Magazine, Obbe Vermeij said:
Leslie Benzies wanted all [NPCs in GTA IV] to have their own lives, a place of residence, a schedule, and they would go to work every morning. We worked on this for a while, but in the end, it turned out to be too problematic. According to the developer, “there were a huge number of bugs.”
Obbe Vermeij didn't like this idea of a full NPC life simulation, as he felt "it wasn't that important." In his opinion, players are fine with NPCs feeling somewhat fake:
I even think that psychologically, players are quite comfortable with NPCs being a bit "fake" and superficial. I don't think games necessarily need to strive for realism.
Grand Theft Auto IV continues to attract players to this day. While Rockstar Games is preparing a new installment of the GTA VI franchise, one tech enthusiast is developing unofficial RTX remasters of the game, improving graphics with modern technologies.
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