Criticisms of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
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Most criticisms of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas have stemmed from the PC version of the series. Most criticisms are a result of the difficulties encountered when porting the console version of the game. These include control issues, graphical mishaps, and awkward camera angles.
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[edit] Controls
Some PC users have strongly criticized Rockstar for not substantially reworking the console-based controls for the mouse/keyboard computer gaming. Many users have discovered that a mission requires the user to press three or more keys at the same time, something the typical keyboard is simply unable to do. The best way to solve this problem is to use a PlayStation 2-style USB joypad (e.g. Logitech Dual Action). This way, the console-based controls can easily be mapped to joypad buttons. The resulting gameplay is virtually identical to the PS2 version. The problem with this "solution" is that PC players expect to be able to play using a mouse and keyboard for gameplay similar to what they are used to. Many feel using a controler as inferior because it doesn't have the same accuracy in some settings. Proper coding for use of a joystick is sorely lacking from the game as many joystick commands aren't even recognized. The most salient example of this issue is in the mandatory flying-oriented missions. In one of the most infamous missions in the series, the player must circle an airfield. Because the mission was designed for a console game, some PC users believe that three hands are typically required to complete the mission under a mouse/keyboard setup: one to control the camera, one to control the plane, and one to control commands such as landing gears, weapons, and precise flying controls. However, most people should be able to effectively fly a plane with the default controls after some practice, as they will rarely need to control the camera in mid-flight. Some will require the joypad however and in any case, being able to control the camera effectively, as with a joypad, is likely to make the mission easier for many players.
[edit] Vertical Bird Mission
Another example is in the "Vertical Bird" mission, near the end of the game. The player must fly an extremely fast plane, aim and fire missiles at four ships and three armed aircraft, launch countermeasures, and then land the plane safely. Some are finding that, without another person to control one or more aspects of the plane, the mission is essentially impossible. While some have completed this mission by remapping the entire control scheme, some players have found that the effects of "key jam" - the inability of a keyboard to understand more than three simultaneous keys - preclude this as a viable option. However, the difficulty of this mission is often overstated. It is fairly simple to take on each of these targets individually - the difficulty occurs when one attempts to engage them all at once and in the wrong order. In addition, launching countermeasures is usually an unneeded feature, as missiles are easy to shake off. The aiming of your weapons is also automatic provided you press a certain key, which locks on to the target. For the ships, one can switch to VTOL mode so as to hover while destroying them.
[edit] Stowaway
One mission, "Stowaway", is impossible on some PCs unless video quality is dropped to the lowest setting (640x480, 16-bit color), as the plane will otherwise always leave the runway well before you reach it. The mission can be completed without that: If you start your bike and thrust CJ back, so the bike can accelerate on the back wheel - you should have no problems getting on the plane, or alternatively, tapping the "Lean forward" control, causing CJ to lean down, but not shift the weight to the front, increasing the speed of the bike. Even if the plane "jumps" up the runway. This problem also happens at the final mission "End of the line". At this mission the player must follow a firetruck that, if the graphic setting is not at 16-bit color, will run away without any chances to get behind it. A similar problem also exists in missions that require dancing or lowrider car bouncing. Unless the resolution is set to minimum, the visual cues for when to move will be out of synch, rendering success or failure a matter of luck.
Another performance issue with San Andreas is that the game engine is not efficient at producing smoke effects. As a result, the frame rate can drop dramatically when you are in a situation where fire is present. The most noticeable missions in which this is apparent are the mission where you have to rescue a girl from a burning building, and the final story mission of the game which takes place in a torched factory. This mission is made more frustrating as you are being attacked at the time.
[edit] Camera
A new criticism of San Andreas lies in its camera. Previous editions of GTA games had the camera 'slaved' to the player. In San Andreas, however, the camera is freeform. As such, a number of players have complained that this new 'feature' makes much of the controls more complex than is required. There is an in-game cheat that allows players to drive-by through using the mouse camera, but doing so will harm your record in the in-game statistics. However, you can still fully complete the game. Others feel the freeform camera is a very powerful tool once the player is used to using it, and some find it difficult to go back to the fixed camera of Vice City and GTA3 afterwards.
[edit] Graphics
Although some gaming websites like GameSpot have praised the graphics in San Andreas, there is some criticism of the graphical aspect of the PC version of the game. The engine used for the game is essentially the same as the engine used for Grand Theft Auto III. When the game came out for PC in early June 2005, titles such as Half-Life 2 were already available. Compared to what was possible at that time, the game looked slightly dated, but nevertheless better than the console versions.
The PC version of the game also provides many graphical options. The game has a visual effects option which can set the details of graphic effects in the game. Low will disable all detail shadows, real time grass/stems, and will lower the quality of highway signs and smoke. Medium will give objects real-time shadows (such as vehicles, buildings, and trees) and will make smoke a higher quality. Grass is also rendered in real time. High will give CJ a real-time shadow in addition to the improvements in "Medium." Very high will give every character in the game a real-time shadow in addition to the improvements found in "High." Graphic effects are on par with the Xbox version of the game. Also, real-time shadows aren't rendered at any setting in 16-bit color mode.
