Blacksmith Features
August 6th, 2012 by panel

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Grand Theft Horse

By Madaste

This month we will be taking a look at a rather different kind of scenario. Some designers have tried to recreate the atmosphere and gameplay of a particular game using AOK (yours truly included), but the most ambitious of these projects is probably Grand Theft Horse, by Madaste.

There’s no need to tell you what game this scenario takes inspiration from, and you’re probably chuckling already at the title. For many Grand Theft Auto fans, one of the biggest attractions of this game franchise is the freedom it gives you to make your own story and progress in any way you want, in a free-roam environment. This held true especially for GTA2, which was probably the main source of inspiration for Madaste’s game. Preserving its spirit, Grand Theft Horse – Trazeng has no main quest, instead allowing you to explore the city of Trazeng as French army deserter Guy Josselyne, and get money by completing random missions or just by killing people, in pure “family friendly” GTA style. The game is won by earning a certain amount of money or by performing 250 kills, but the vastness of the city and the amount of quests and things to do will probably make you forget about that objective pretty fast. Keep in mind though, the city is basically run by the Saracen Mafia, and the Police will also be watching your every move. Good luck, stranger! For any GTA fan it probably feels very familiar already. And that’s exactly the game’s strength, the ability to recreate the GTA atmosphere.

Now, why did I decide to feature it at this particular time? There is indeed a very simple reason – and that’s the release of GTH’s sequel! Yes, Madaste (“I told you he was alive!”) has made his comeback in scenario design by submitting a beta version of Grand Theft Horse 2 – Jihang. If you’ve enjoyed the first game, you’re bound to love this one. You will step in the shoes of Guy yet again, this time visiting the Japanese city of Jihang, and meddling in the affairs of two opposing mafia factions!

For some more insight on this new upload, we’ve had a short dialogue with the author, that you can read below:

Hello, Madaste, and great to see you back. How did you first get involved with designing for AOK and AOK Heaven?

Madaste: I have been playing around with the AOK scenario editor from the moment that I played the game for the first time. That would be around 2000 – 2001 when I got the game for Christmas. I have always been more interested in custom scenarios than just the regular random map matches.

I first found out about AOK Heaven around 2005, when I wanted to play scenarios made by other people, and also to find inspiration for my own projects. My first uploaded scenarios were really bad, but hey, I guess you need practice to get better 🙂

How did you come up with the hilariously creative concept of Grand Theft Horse? Was it easier or harder than you expected to translate the GTA concept into AOK?

Madaste: The idea of the first Grand Theft Horse came from GTA2. I was playing it with some friends and we were all into AOK at the time. I had just started making some very simple RPG projects for AOK, and thought that I’d at least give this idea a try. The first GTH was a much more time consuming project than I had thought, because I really didn’t know what could be done in the editor and what just simply couldn’t. It was pretty much just trial and error all the way.

What are the main differences or improvements that the new GTH (Jihang) shows compared to its predecessor?

Madaste: The biggest difference between GTH 1 and 2 is the fact that I actually kind of knew what I was getting myself into when I started making it. I wanted to make it more mission based, because the first one was just mostly random killing. I decided to go with the Japanese theme just because I think their buildings look quite awesome in AOK.

I started planning and designing GTH2 just a couple months after releasing the first one, but somehow managed to forget about it for almost four years.

Name your favorite AOK games/designers or the ones that have influenced you the most.

Madaste: Great Emperor and Berserker Jerker. Great Emperor’s Vlad Dracula is one of my all-time favorites.

Now, if you’re beginning to feel nostalgic, what you need to do is download either GTH Trazeng or GTH2 – Jihang (or both), and start your adventure in the big city of your choice!

Oh, and remember, respect is everything!