Fan shares in-depth report on how lights work in old GTA games

GTA fans are some of the most dedicated in the gaming community. They have followed all of the GTA games since they began almost three decades ago. So, it is safe to say that several members of this community have explored these GTA games in a very in-depth manner.

Recently, YouTuber and GTA fan TJGM has made a video explaining the exact mechanics of how light works in older GTA games, games explicitly from the 3D universe, such as GTA San Andreas.

It is a fascinating video that is very well written, as TJGM can convey all of the critical information unambiguously, thus, making this video accessible to any GTA fan. This article will highlight some of the interesting points made in this video.

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GTA Online fan reveals all of the mechanics that make the lights function in older GTA game

In the video, TGJM only uses Grand Theft Auto San Andreas as an example. However, whatever they discuss also applies to other older Grand Theft Auto titles. For visual reference, they chose street lights to showcase all the elements that go into the functioning of lights in the game.

The first and foremost thing that makes the lights in the game work is Coronos, a type of 2DFX. Then they explain that lights are attached to an object, and thus their coordinates are mapped out for correct positioning.

Lights in older Grand Theft Auto games generally have a spirit called the "coronastar," which is also in the center of the light and can be customized. The area that gets lit up by the light particles is called the "corona shadow."

Another exciting thing TGJM pointed out is the use of point lights. These elements are not visible to the players and mainly light up dynamic objects such as cars, the player character, and other pedestrians. It has a similar positioning to the "coronastar" spirit, which is also present in the center of the light.

They even changed the point lights' placement to showcase how they light up dynamic objects further or nearer to the center of the light. Furthermore, if players decide to change the light color, this will also result in the spirit, shadow, and point light changing their color.

TGJM also mentions that as the light is attached to an object, if the object itself disappears, it will disappear with it.

Thus, players who are messing around with draw distance should keep this in mind, as many Grand Theft Auto fans have complained that their lights might not be working correctly when in reality, it might be a problem with their draw distance.

Finally, TGJM talks about how each light in the game may have been attached to a specific "Flag" that provides them an additional property, such as flickering, enabling the light during the day, and even creating a foggy atmosphere.

There is a "Flag" that even creates lens flares, so it is pretty clear that lights are an integral part of the older Grand Theft Auto game, especially when it comes to making the game more immersive for the players.

There are many other technical points that TGJM has made in this video, so if players want more information about the lights in older Grand Theft Auto games, then their video is highly recommended.

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