Filed under: Uncategorized
GTA4.TV have teamed up with Microsoft to offer one lucky member the chance to win a limited edition Grand Theft Auto 4 themed Xbox 360 Elite console. All members are eligible to enter, so if you’re not signed up on our forums, make sure you register to stand a chance of winning. Once you’re registered, you’ll need to fill out a questionnaire that we’ve posted on the forums. There are 25 questions in total covering subjects ranging from telling us about your experiences on our website, to your video gaming habits and Grand Theft Auto memories. Post your replies in the special topic we’ve set up, and one member will be drawn at random from all entrants.
You will be competing to win an NTSC Xbox 360 Elite console with a gloss black paint scheme and the GTA4 logo painted on both sides. Please be aware that the console is NTSC and therefore will only play NTSC (North American) format games, although we have been assured by Microsoft that the console will be shipped to the winner, wherever they may be in the world.
The contest will run until midnight UK time (GMT+1) on April 24th, and the draw will be made soon after, so make sure you get signed up and answering the questions that could give you a brand new GTA4 Xbox 360 Elite in time for the April 29th release of the game.
There are some important rules and regulations to read before you can enter, so we strongly suggest you look through them before answering any of the questions. You will also find these rules in the special contest topic.
The contest is open to all active members of our forums. This does not include members awaiting validation or banned members.
You are competing to win a GTA4 themed Elite Xbox 360 console.
The prize is an NTSC console, and will only play games in NTSC format (North American regions).
All members around the world can still enter for the chance to win this limited edition console, however before entering you must understand that it may not function correctly outside of NTSC regions.
The contest entry will end at midnight UK time (GMT+1) on April 24th.
You must fully answer all 25 questions in our questionnaire to be entered into the draw.
Your answers will not effect the outcome of the draw in any way, however you must answer all questions in as much detail as possible to enter the contest.
The draw will be carried out by an independent party, picking one name from all entrants at random using computer software.
Each member who fully completes the questionnaire will be entered into the draw once.
Members who create multiple accounts to enter the draw multiple times will be banned from entering the contest. Only one entry per person.
There will only be one winner. As more people enter, your odds of winning will decrease.
All active forum members, and website staff are eligible to enter. The only person who will not be taking part is Psy.
The end result is final and cannot be contested. If for whatever reason the contest winner cannot claim their prize, the draw will be made again.
The contest winner will need to provide Psy with full address details ASAP after the draw is made and the winner is announced.
The winner will receive the console directly from Microsoft after the draw has been made.
You should receive the console in time for GTA4’s release on April 29th.
You must agree to all terms and conditions mentioned here. Making a post and entering the contest ensures you understand all of the rules and regulations.
Good Luck!
Any further questions or comments, post in this topic. Otherwise head over to the Contest Questionnaire topic to enter!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Rockstar Games have kindly sent us another exclusive screenshot to add to our gallery. It shows off the games heads up display (HUD), as well as Niko taking cover behind a car while he takes part in a firefight with the cops.
Other fansites have received screenshots too. Check them out:
GTA4.net
TheGTAPlace
PlanetGTA
GTASite.net
GTA-Mania
GTA-Series
GTANetwork Italy
Stay tuned for more images and updates on GTA4.TV in the coming days
Filed under: Rockstar Games
The Official Playstation Magazine in the UK has released it’s review of the game just a few days after the Official Xbox Magazine released theirs. The news is good in terms of the console ‘war’ as both magazines have rated the game 10/10. There were a few new snippets of interesting information in the Playstation magazine, however we’re now so close to the game being released, we’ll leave out a few of them for you to discover in game on your own (or unless you decide to read the magazine yourself).
One of the main reasons that Niko visits Liberty City is to find the man who betrayed his old army unit.
If you leave Niko standing still for a few seconds, the first thing he’ll do is scratch his balls.
The PS3 Version will support Dual Shock 3 vibration controllers, with the control vibrating when your phone rings.
You can blind fire with any weapon but the sniper rifle.
The first girl that Niko hooks up with is called Michelle. She asks a lot of awkward questions.
You can whistle for a cab by pushing the L1 button.
Lazlow is back on the radio, hosting his own chat show once again.
There’s an advert for a website called babiesovernight.com. GTA veterans may remember petsovernight.com from GTA3.
Throughout the story, there are several times where you must choose whether an important character lives or dies.
Real comedians can be found performing in the comedy clubs.
Many of the games locations have been built especially for firefights, including the Libertonian museum with dinosaur fossils and exploding vases.
OPM say that GTA4 is influenced by the movie ‘Eastern Promises’, Fast Food, Celebrity Culture, Fox News and the TV show ‘Brotherhood’.
OPM also state that the game is not perfect, and that there are sometimes problems with the aiming system occasionally locking onto incapacitated enemies rather than those who are shooting at you, but that it’s a massive improvement over the previous aiming systems.
Helicopters are said to be very difficult to fly, and bikes are very fragile meaning you’ll most likely be flying off it every few seconds.
In addition to this, all of the GTA4 radio stations have been revealed:
WKTT - We Know The Truth (right wing talk radio)
San Juan Sounds (latin)
Integrity 2.0 (chat show, hosted by Lazlow)
Liberty City Hardcore (punk/hardcore)
Liberty Rock Radio 97.8 (classic rock)
The Vibe 98.8 (soul/R’n'B)
PLR - Public Liberty Radio (radio phone-in)
The Classics 104.1 (old-skool hip-hop)
Jazz Nation Radio 108.5 (jazz)
Vladivostok FM (eastern european music)
Radio Broker (alternative rock)
Tuff Gong Radio (reggae/dub)
Electro Choc (dance)
Massive B Soundsystem 96.9 (dance hall)
IF99 - International Funk (funk)
The Beat 102.7 (contemporary hip-hop)
K109 The Studio (disco)
Fusion FM
The Journey (ambient/chillout)
Credit to raidenraider2006 and Asthenia.
Filed under: Uncategorized
have updated their Social Club splash website with a new date indicating when you’ll be able to pre-register your account. The website was originally unveiled to go live on April 15th, however we now know that the pre-registration will take place from Thursday 17th of April.
If you’ve been living under a rock for the last month or so, and you’re wondering what exactly is R* SC, then here’s a few snippets of what we’ll be looking at for GTA4:
The LCPD Police Blotter will feature a map of Liberty City that tracks the criminal activity of the many players connected to the internet. It will feature information such as the more dangerous areas of town and which weapons are more common the others.
The Story Gang will be a leaderboard that will not only show who completed the main story arc of the game first, but also how long it took. People who become a member of this club will receive special online widgets and merit badges.
The 100% Club will be extremely popular as it will show who out of the millions of players will reach 100% completion first. The first 10 people to do so will be sent an ultra-rare commemorative ‘key to the city’ to mark their accomplishment! Later on it will rank members based on who will be able to get to 100% in the shortest amount of time.
The Hall of Fame will recognize those elite players who have reached the top of various different statistical leaderboards, and will also contain a personal awards display of awards earned in Social Club competitions and via reaching various in-game achievements.
The Liberty City Marathon will be a ranking of special physical milestones achieved in the game, from the number of miles walked, driven, or swam to the number of bullets fired and stunt-jumps jumped. Other events will be added as time goes on.
These are only a small sample of what’s to come. In the weeks and months following the release of GTA IV more events, challenges, leaderboards and competitions will be rolled out regularly so there will be much to see and do.
DEFINITION: The Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP Registry is a complex, unified, system wide, continually referenced during operation database, used for centrally storing, locating, editing and administering system, hardware, software and user configuration information, following a hierarchical structure.
It was introduced to replace the text/ASCII based MS -DOS configuration (.BAT, .SYS) and MS Windows initialization (.INI) files.
Structure of Registry in windows 9X is Different from that of Windows NT,2000 and XP.
Windows 95/98/ME :In these operating systems Registry is stored in these 5 files, with the Hidden, Read-only attributes for write-protection purposes, usually located in the %WinDir% folder (default is C:\Windows) .
SYSTEM.DAT = stores persistent hardware and software settings related to the system it resides on, contained in the (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT = Windows 95 and 98 only) and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Hive keys.
USER.DAT = stores user specific and software settings contained in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER Hive key. If more than one user, then multiple user profiles enable each user to have their own separate USER.DAT file, located in %WinDir%\Profiles\%UserName%. When a user logs on, Windows OS (down)loads both USER.DAT files: the one from the local machine %WinDir% (global user settings), and the most recent one from the local machine %WinDir%\Profiles\%UserName%, or from the central (host) server if user profiles reside on a network (local user settings).
CLASSES.DAT = stores persistent data contained in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Hive key, found only on Windows ME.
SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0 = automatically created backups of SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT from the last successful Windows GUI startup, and found only on Windows 95
Windows NT/2000/XP :Registration Database is contained in these 5 files located in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder (default is C:\Winnt\System32\Config for Windows NT/2000 or C:\Windows\System32\Config for Windows XP):
DEFAULT = stores the HKEY_USERS\.Default key.
SAM = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Sam key.
SECURITY = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Security key.
SOFTWARE = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software key.
SYSTEM = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System key and the HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG Hive key,
these files located in the %SystemRoot%\Profiles\%UserName% folder:
NTUSER.DAT and USRCLASS.DAT (Windows XP only) = store the HKEY_CURRENT_USER Hive key,
Editing Registry
Always make sure that you know what you are doing when changing the registry or else just one little mistake can crash the whole system. That’s why it’s always good to back it up!
To view the registry (or to back it up), you need to use the Registry Editor tool. There are two versions of Registry Editor:
:To modify the Registry, you need to use a Registry Editor:
Regedit.exe (Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP) = located in %WinBootDir% (%SystemRoot%) has the most menu items and more choices for the menu items. You can search for keys and subkeys in the registry.
Regedt32.exe (Windows NT/2000/XP) = located in %SystemRoot%\System32,enables you to search for strings, values, keys, and subkeys. This feature is useful if you want to find specific data.
Registry Structure
For ease of use, the Registry is divided into five separate structures that represent the Registry database in its entirety. These five groups are known as Keys, and are discussed below:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
This registry key contains the configuration information for the user that is currently logged in. The users folders, screen colors, and control panel settings are stored here. This information is known as a User Profile.
HKEY_USERS
In windowsNT 3.5x, user profiles were stored locally (by default) in the systemroot\system32\config directory. In NT4.0, they are stored in the systemroot\profiles directory. User-Specific information is kept there, as well as common, system wide user information.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
This key contains configuration information particular to the computer. This information is stored in the systemroot\system32\config directory as persistent operating system files, with the exception of the volatile hardware key.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
The information stored here is used to open the correct application when a file is opened by using Explorer and for Object Linking and Embedding. It is actually a window that reflects information from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software subkey.
HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
The information contained in this key is to configure settings such as the software and device drivers to load or the display resolution to use. This key has a software and system subkeys, which keep track of configuration information.
REG Files
.REG file, which can be in:
plain text/ASCII format in Windows 95/98/ME and NT/2000/XP or
binary format in Windows 2000/XP.
Text .REG files can be easily viewed/created/edited by hand using any text/ASCII editor, like Notepad
Their purpose is to add, modify or delete Registry (Sub)Keys and/or Values.
Writing .Reg Files
1.) Header line: this FIRST line is mandatory. MUST contain only these exact words (case sensitive = character capitalization required!):
REGEDIT4 = for Windows 95/98/ME and NT 4.0 or
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 = for Windows 2000/XP.
This is the only way Windows OS can recognize, validate and run a .REG file.
2.) Empty (blank) line: this second line is optional. Similar to inserting a carriage return (CR).
3.) Remarked (comment) line(s): optional. MUST begin with a semicolon ( 
which may be followed by a space (optional). May be inserted anywhere in the .REG file, but NOT before the header, which MUST be present as FIRST line.
4.)(Sub)Key line: MUST be preceded and terminated by square parenthesis ([]). (Sub)Key name MUST start with the Hive Key name (left end) and MUST contain entire Subkey pathway leading to the current Subkey name (right end). Consecutive (Sub)Key names MUST be separated by SINGLE backslash marks (\).
(Sub)Key names not present in the Registry will be automatically created when the REG file is merged into the Registry. Exception: new Hive (Root) Keys can be created ONLY in Windows NT4/2000/XP, but NOT in Windows 95/98/ME.
5.) Value line: MUST contain these elements in this exact order:
Value name: MUST be preceded and terminated by quotation marks (”").
Equal mark (=): separates Value name from Value type.
Value type: MUST be specified (Dword [REG_DWORD], Binary [REG_BINARY], etc) if Value type other than String [REG_SZ].
Colon mark (:): MUST exist if Value type other than String.
Value data: MUST be in the same format as defined by Value type: text/ASCII, Unicode/ANSI, (alpha)numeric (decimal, hexadecimal or binary) etc. MUST be preceded and terminated by quotation marks (”") ONLY IF Value type is String.
Value Data syntax
String Value [REG_SZ] (API Code 1):
“ValueName”=”ValueData”
Value Data is expressed here in Unicode or ANSI formats: simple text/ASCII, expanded or extended.
Dword Value [REG_DWORD] (API Code 4):
“ValueName”=ValueType:ValueData
Value Data is expressed here in Double WORD (4 bytes = 32 bits) formats: decimal, hexadecimal or binary.
o Large Binary (hex) Value (any Binary Value API Code):
“ValueName”=ValueType(API Code):ValueData,ValueData,\
ValueData,ValueData
Large Values can span onto more than one line. Each line (except the last one) is terminated by a comma (,) followed by a SINGLE backslash mark (\). Consecutive lines are separated by carriage returns (CR).
Separators and delimiters used in REG files on path name lines to separate drive letters, directory (folder) names and file names, or used on command line parameters lines etc… MUST be typed as DOUBLE backslash marks (\\).
6.) Empty (blank) line: this LAST line is mandatory for proper operation. Similar to inserting a carriage return (CR) at the end of file.
This is how a generic text/ASCII .REG file looks like:
REGEDIT4
; Comment line:
[HKEY_KEY_NAME\SubkeyName1\SubKeyName2]
; String Value format:
“ValueName”=”ValueData”
; Dword or Binary Value format:
“ValueName”=ValueType:ValueData
Example of actual .REG file:
REGEDIT4
; First Value below displays MS Windows version:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion]
; String Value format:
“Version”=”Windows ME”
; Dword Value format:
“CacheWriteDelay”=dword:00000320
; Binary Value format:
“OldWinVer”=hex:00
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: google earth, Google Maps, Mapquest, Tags: Google
With a few tweaks, you can convert Google Earth’s direction finding functionality into a flyover tour of the main streets and back roads of your community. As discovered by the Google Earth Hacks blog, simply click on “Tools” in the top nav bar, then “Options,” and click on the “Touring” tab. From there, check “Driving Directions Tour Options” and input the following settings:
Camera Title - 80 degrees
Camera Range - 150 meters
Speed - 50 to 75
From there, input directions in the top-right search box, allow Google Earth to calculate the route, and hit the play button at the bottom the “Search” window. Sit back and enjoy Google Earth zooms along the highways and byways.
Filed under: google earth
Just now downloaded Google Earth Version 4.3 (beta) off the Google servers!
[UPDATE: You should be able to go to the official download page to get 4.3 now. You won't need to use the trick below.]
In order to get it, I had to go to the old way of downloading Google Earth. Please note: the following method will bypass the Google Updater method, but will enable you to get an early look if you can’t wait to see the new version. Further note: Not all the servers will have the new version. You may not get 4.3 when you try this! So, if you’re in a hurry, click here to download old method. If you’re more patient, the better way is to visit the official Google Earth download page after waiting a few hours for the servers to completely deploy.
Real quick, here is a couple of screenshots to whet your appetite. I will begin writing a mini-review of the main new features next and developing some videos. So…here is what Google Earth 4.3 looks like:
Notice new day/night lighting, new nav gadgets in upper right 
Street View in Google EarthNotice in the second shot this is a close-up view of Street Views (normally you see gold camera icons). You click on a sphere and you enter inside and can look around (or double-click a camera icon). You can then double-click on camera icons to be flown to other views (from within the sphere). This is done through the GE Photo Viewer interface, and works pretty well. Turn on the Street View layer to see the icons, and then fly to a city with the icons to see them up close.
Filed under: google earth
[UPDATE 2145 ET: I've created a quick video demo of 4.3 and put it on YouTube .... And, here is a YouTube demo by Google of 4.3].
Google Earth 4.3 (beta) is now available. You can download it from the Google Earth download page. The Google Earth web site has been updated, and the User Guide now reflects 4.3 tips.
This is Google Earth 4.3 (beta) - an incremental update with new features and some pretty cool new data as well. Based on the last release, we’ll probably see an update to this version, fixing any problems that surface for the beta, and an official 4.3 will be released in a few weeks. Also, this is NOT a major new version (which presumably would be called GE 5.0 - and would contain a whole suite of new capabilities, data and interfaces). However, as mentioned in my earlier post, there are some significant new features.
First off, we have new day/night lighting effects. You can turn on a real-time sunlight which shines on the new atmospheric lighting Google has added. Look for the new sun icon in the upper middle (next to the new Sky button). Once it loads, you will see the current position of the sun. You can grab the time slider to change the sun over the course of a whole day so you can see the sun from sunrise to sunrise. Note that the lighting effects the atmosphere, so you actually get color changes near the horizon, and on clouds (if you turn on the Weather->Clouds layer). Here are some sample screenshots showing the lighting effects:
Day / Night Shot from Space 
Sunrise in Denver with 3D BuildingsI expect there will be some pretty screenshots showing some cool lighting effects in the coming days…
Keep reading this post for more details and screenshots.
Continue reading “Google Earth 4.3 First Impressions and Screenshots”
Filed under: google earth
Today Google will be releasing a new version of Google Earth: Version 4.3. The download isn’t available yet, but will be sometime later today. Based on past experience, the download will be available in some areas of the world sooner than others (many servers are needed to distribute to the millions of world-wide GE users). GEB will release full details and screen shots as soon as possible. Here are some of the more notable new features expected in GE 4.3:
- Street View inside Google Earth - As rumored weeks ago, Street View will be here soon. And, yes - the images will be viewed with the Photo Viewer. That answers that question.
- Imagery Dates - You will now be able to easily see the dates when imagery was taken for most imagery (but, not all - simply because the date data isn’t always available from the many imagery providers delivering to Google).
- New navigational controls - New features enabling better ways to look around at 3D buildings and 3D terrain using new navigation gadgets and your mouse or keyboard.
- More 3D buildings, faster loading - Faster loading 3D building models, and faster rendering as well. New photo-textured cities (it will be interesting to find out how they were made, where they came from, and how many new cities are included).
- Day/Night Lighting - Real-time sunlight lighting option. Time slider control of the sun position. Expect a more realistic looking view of Earth from space. This has been done before by others, but now will be available built-in and supported by Google.
- Flash Support for Mac - That’s right, you’ll now be able to play YouTube videos and put other flash apps inside Google Earth placemarks just like on Windows. There may be a couple of caveats though from reports I have. More on this later.
- Switching to Sky Faster - Switching between Sky and Earth modes will be much faster
Filed under: google earth
Google Earth 4.3
- License:Free
- Editor’s Rating:
- Average User Rating: (out of 834 votes) Rate it!
- Downloads: 2,802,605
- Requirements: Windows 2000/XP
- Limitations: No limitations
- Date Added:April 15, 2008
Publisher’s description of Google Earth
Google Earth puts a planet’s worth of imagery and other geographic information right on your desktop. View exotic locales like Maui and Paris, as well as points of interest such as local restaurants, hospitals, and schools. Google Earth combines satellite imagery, maps, and the power of Google Search to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips. With Google Earth you can fly from space to your neighborhood–just type in an address and zoom right in, search for schools, parks, restaurants, and hotels. Get driving directions, tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain and buildings, save and share your searches and favorites and even add your own annotations.
Version 4.3 adds day and night lighting, Street View, more 3D models, and faster rendering speeds.
Note: Google Earth is a broadband, 3D application that not all computers can run. Windows-based desktop PCs older than four years may not be able to run Google Earth and Windows-based notebook PCs older than two years may not be able to run it.
Editor’s review of Google Earth
The latest version of Google Earth continues to set the mapping paradigm. Accessible enough for casual users, Google has been added features that make it a necessity for those whose topographic desires are more serious.
Most of the interface’s real estate displays a rendering of the globe, which slowly zooms in on a satellite image of your destination once you’ve keyed it in. The control panel has changed again, but the real draw is the addition of Street View, an on-the-ground 360-degree look at the premises that users may recognize from Google Maps. Also gracing the virtual globe is an option to illuminate it in real-time.
Everything from roads and restaurants to crime statistics can be displayed; subcategories and individual items can be unchecked to show only what you need. Google’s driving directions are incorporated, and the user community has produced several nifty mods, including historical maps. There’s also integration with Google’s 3D rendering program SketchUp, which you can use to place buildings and other ornamentation in a real-life setting.
The only downside to the program is that it can consume a large amount of RAM, so as the developer notes, older machines might experience performance issues. But everyone else is bound to love Google Earth, both as an entertaining novelty and an informational tool.
