Sun Sep 15 10:35:54 UTC 2024: ## GTA: Vice City Speedrunner’s World Record Attempt Sabotaged by Glitching Cop
A GTA: Vice City speedrunner’s world record attempt was recently derailed by a glitching cop, prompting an explanation from one of the game’s original developers.
During Joshimuz’s ‘No Major Glitches’ Vice City Any% run, they encountered an unusual situation where a cop, upon witnessing a minor traffic violation, warped directly to their ice cream truck and arrested them. This unusual behavior, referred to as a “panic code” by veteran Rockstar developer Obbe Vermeij, caused a significant setback in Joshimuz’s run.
Vermeij explained that the glitch was caused by a bug in the game’s AI, where the cop, despite having a clear line of sight to the truck, failed to identify a viable path to reach the driver’s door. This triggered a “panic code” resulting in the cop teleporting to the vehicle.
Vermeij highlighted the complexity of the game’s code, emphasizing that it was not his doing. The code for NPC vehicle navigation has to take into account various factors like the environment, other characters, vehicles, and even the status of the car door.
While this glitch was an unfortunate event for Joshimuz, it provides an interesting glimpse into the intricate workings of GTA: Vice City’s AI. It serves as a reminder of the often unseen complexities that go into crafting a seemingly straightforward game mechanic.
First Piper 