Games
As Rockstar continue to add new features to GTA V, we had a chat with a modder who’s already light years ahead.
Since its launch in 2012, Grand Theft Auto V has managed to stand apart from its peers in many different ways. The story, while not perfect, is comprised of movie-quality set-pieces and some of the most authentic voice performances we’ve heard, and the Online mode – after a rocky start – has grown into an entirely separate entity almost worthy of its own genre.
But in addition to what Rockstar have added and tweaked over the years, GTA V has also benefited from the love and attention of a thriving modding community who constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible in-game. GTA IV was no different, seeing the introduction of superhero mods that allowed players to traverse the city as, among others, Spider-Man. However, with a different architecture and a far more advanced engine, GTA V is a much steeper challenge, even for veteran modders.
We recently spoke to JulioNIB, one of the most prolific modders working on GTA V today. Previously responsible for GTA IV mods including the aforementioned Spiderman IV, Harlem Shake IV, and the ED-209 mod (which added RoboCop’s nemesis to the streets of Liberty City), this Brazilian keyboard wizard also offers tutorials and work-in-progress videos on his YouTube channel. A modder since around 2010, Julio has plenty of experience to pass on to the next generation.
“My very first experience creating something for a game was with custom maps creation for Counter Strike 1.6,” he told us. “I made two Deathrun maps.” For those not in the know, Deathrun maps randomly assign players to be either Runners or Death, with the former trying to outwit the latter by making it through an obstacle course filled with traps that the Death team are able to remote-trigger. But it was when he downloaded the Open Source Nemesis Script that Julio started experimenting with Rockstar’s game. “I opened the script with a text editor, and saw what was possible, and how easy it was to make things happen in-game.”
With so much scope for mayhem, it’s easy to imagine why the GTA franchise holds such appeal for modders, but as Julio explains, it’s also one of the best ways for a modder to showcase what they can do. “I guess people go to GTA because of its fame,” he says. “I make mods for [GTA] V now because it’s more popular and we have more FX, better graphics, a much bigger city and other things. In terms of performance, when compared to V, GTA IV was actually much harder because things were more complicated. Issues with game performance and memory, game crashes and disappearing effects made it very hard.”
Watch Julio's Iron Man battle his Green Goblin mod:
When asked about his best work, JulioNIB tells me that “the Spider-Man mod I made for GTA IV with Boblester was my best, but my favourite in GTA V is the Iron Man mod.” But in regards to someone else’s work? “The Grand Theft Space mod by GTS Space is by far the best,” he admits. “Considering how much work went into that mod and the idea used to simulate the space environment, it’s a very interesting result.”
Mods like Grand Theft Space highlight just how far talented mod developers can go and offer a compelling argument that the only limitation is imagination. With titles like No Man’s Sky, Fallout 4 and Skyrim offering the public the opportunity to tweak existing features and create brand-new ones, now more than ever modding looks like the future of PC gaming. JulioNIB agrees with this view. “Modding has been popular for a long time. People seem to like it. It lets you make a game into something else; it lets you go beyond.”
But while modding seems to be prevalent in open-world RPGs and adventure games, Julio would like to see mod developers expand their horizons. “I would like to see the modding capabilities of GTA IV and V in many other games,” he says. “That would be amazing to have the same modding power that we have in GTA IV or V in an FPS or racing game, but unfortunately, this would probably depend more on hacking a game than working with its existing functions.”
As the modding scene continues to grow, more and more rivals are arriving all the time, but Julio isn’t concerned. “I only consider them as rivals if they ‘attack’ me,” he laughs when asked about peers in the community, “but so far, in GTA V modding, I’ve had no issues with anyone. Back in the beginning there were problems with a few people, but I see the modding community as a healthy community. People help each other where possible. I helped a lot of people back when I was modding in GTA IV, but now I stay away from the forums!”
The big question of course is whether or not Julio will ever turn his attention and skills to “legitimate” game development. It’s not a common leap, but given the success of people like Brendan 'PlayerUnknown' Greene, it’s something that must cross the minds of mod developers. “Yeah, that would be amazing!” Julio says, but sadly, it’s not that simple. “The problem is work here in my country. There are not a lot of Brazilian game developers. I helped in the development of a Brazilian game some time ago, but had to leave the project due to personal issues.”
Although, he isn’t letting that hold him back and is quick to tell us about his upcoming projects. “I intend to make some of the mods that people always ask for. Zombie mods are popular and ones based on other properties like Spider-Man, Batman, Skate, Prototype. The biggest problem is that we can’t make custom animations for GTA V like we could in GTA IV. That limits some mods, like Spider-Man for example. It’s really hard to make a mod look legit without the proper animations.”
So what advice can an accomplished vet like JulioNIB newcomers? It’s simple really:
“Don't pay attention to destructive critics. That’s my advice. Some people only see the worst part of you or your work and those people have nothing useful for you. Positive feedback, constructive criticism, these are all you should pay attention to.”
