Grand Theft Auto III - The community patch.

[Tharon]

Since the release of the definitive (defective) edition of Grand Theft Auto III, many have dusted off the original superior version of the game. Unfortunately, the PC version of GTA3 presents a fair number of problems related to its years to a porting that was not already excellent at first.

There are several fixes and mods that improve the GTA3 gaming experience on PC, but these require a good level of knowledge to be used. Alternatively, you can use ready-to-use mod bundles, but which leave little room for customization.

This patch was born from the need to put order among the most popular fixes and changes, and at the same time make installation and customization easy and understandable.

The patch is divided into five ranks:

Rank 1 - Basic Fixes
Allow you to start the game and solve the main problems.

Rank 2 - PS2 Restore
Make the PC version as similar as possible to the Playstation 2 version.

Rank 3 - Basic gameplay enhancements
Mods that improve the quality of playability.

Rank 4 - Graphic enhancements
Improve the graphics of the game, mostly based on the Xbox version.

Rank 5 - Extra enhancements
Additional optional improvements.

A comparative video of the various ranks is available at this address:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRj31nmj__U

To install the patch download the entire _Build Patch folder at this address:
and copy it inside the GTA3 folder (you must have the _Build Patch folder inside the GTA3 folder for the installer to work).

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zNAfMd3VJO_WVTNYWHtFLy6l5CyhFauA?usp=sharing

(alternative link on MEGA. Link divided in three parts to avoid Steam censorship) :
https
://mega
.nz/folder/NANEjRba#c07GUcIBtPO9_MkrjMFnNw

Then launch the CommunityPatchInstall.bat file from the _Build Patch folder.
It is important that the patch is applied to a clean version of the game to avoid conflicts. The patch will create a backup copy of the current installation, so you don't have to re-download the game every time you want to change something.

It is possible to manually install the various mods, in order to completely customize the gaming experience. Just extract the compressed file of the mod you want in the game's main folder.
The important thing is to always follow the installation order.

Here is the list of mods included in the patch:

Remember, if you plan to use the provided installer (CommunityPatchInstall.bat) you need to download the whole "_Build Patch" folder.

Basic Fixes

1_01 - Downgraded exe
First version of the game. Necessary to be able to install subsequent mods.

1_02 - Ultimate ASI loader
Required to install ASI scripts.

1_03 - Silent Patch
Fixes most of the problems in the game.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

1_04 - RunDLL32 and DEP fix
Allows the game to start in the presence of crashes related to the DEP or the GAMEUX of Microsoft. Only install it if you have trouble starting the game.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

PS2 Restore

2_01 - Car Color Fix
Fixes the bug of dark cars.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

2_02 - Intro Fix
Workaround to restore the game's introductory movies. It may have problems with Windows 10.

2_03 - SkyGfx
Restore the look and feel of the game on PS2.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

2_03x - SkyGfx (XBox config)
Restore the graphics of the game on XBOX (requires the installation of SkyGfx)
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

2_04A - Fixed Sound
Reset some incorrect game sounds.

2_04B - Original Sound
Change the sounds with the original PS2 versions. It is an alternative to Fixed Sound and should not be installed together.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

2_05 - Dispatch Voices
Change the voices of the radios to those of the PS2 version.

2_06 - Modloader
Needed to load next mods. Essential.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

2_07 - PS2 Leftovers fix
Restore missing or changed files in the PC version of the game.
(requires Modloader)

2_08 - Restored generic textures
Restores some downgraded textures.
(requires Modloader)

2_09 - Sit in boat fix
Fix for character sitting in boats.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

Basic gameplay enhancements

3_01 - Widescreen
Allows for an effective enlarged view.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

3_02 - GInput
It allows a better use of the gamepad.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

3_02x - GInput (PS2 icons)
Button icons based on playstation gamepad.
(requires GInput)

3_03 - SaCarCam
It allows you to rotate the camera while in the car, and adds a variable FOV depending on the speed of the vehicle.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

Graphic enhancements:

4_01 - HQ Elements
Improve the quality of radar, icons and fonts.
(requires Modloader)

4_02 - HQ Screens
Improve the quality of the loading screens.
(requires Modloader)

4_03 - Xbox HQ Graphic
Texture set of the XBOX version of the game. Dramatically improves texture quality.
(requires Modloader)

4_04 - LODLights
Enhance the lighting effects of the game.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

4_05 - ParticleEX
Reset PS2 version particle effects (not fully compatible with Real Effects mod)
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

4_05x - ParticleEX (Xbox config)
Change the particle effects to those of the XBOX version.
(requires ParticleEX)

Extra enhancements

5_01 - Real Effects
More "realistic" environmental effects. Darker nights, brighter lights and more smoke.
(requires Modloader)

5_02 - Money Messages
It adds a GTA2-style touch by inserting visual pop-ups when collecting money.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

5_03 - Burstable Tires
Allows you to puncture vehicle tires.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

5_04 - Breakable Windshields
Allows you to shoot passengers inside vehicles.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

5_05 - Sharptrails
Removes the blur effect present in the PS2 version of the game.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)

5_06 - Vigilant Framerate
It blocks the framerate at 60 frames per second and limits (but does not completely solve) the problems related to the high framerate.
(requires Ultimate ASI loader)


Feel free to experiment and provide feedback and suggestions !

[Batman]

The game is requesting me to insert disc 2. lol

[Tharon]

D'oh, maybe i've missed something when compiling the batch file. What have you installed ? I didn't have any issue in my tests.

[Batman]

Just basic fixes without the 4th one rundll32 and dep fix.

Do I have to install all the files using the batch file?

[Tharon]

No, the batch files is only for the automated process. It's not needed. I'm testing it just now with only the basic fixes ad a clean installation....

[Tharon]

I have cleared my save game and downloaded the game from scratch, then installed only the basic fixes and everything works.

That message usually only appear if there are missing audio files. Are you using the Steam version of the game or the Disc version ?

[Batman]

I am using the steam version.
Lets me see if reinstalling works.

Edit: Ok, after reinstalling and applying the basic fixes, everything is working fine.

I will install the rest of the mods. Thank you so much for proving all this mods in one place.

[Jarvey Air]

I CANNOT get a controller to work for the life of me. Everything else is great. Any tips? Perhaps something within the Steam Controller settings? I'm using a Series X controller. Not even registering at all.

[Tharon]

From my experience Steam Controller can cause a lot of issues with controllers. IMHO it's better to disable controller setting on Steam and just use windows to manage controllers.

Anyway, GTA3 works really well with controllers using the GInput ASI plugin. It recognize every xinput controller, so the Series X should work well.

Do this :
Download the downgraded exe, Ultimate ASI Loader, Silent Patch and GInput. You should be able to play the game with the controller.

[Turner D Century]

*************************************************
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*** GRAND THEFT AUTO III : The Comunity Patch ***
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Can't find 7z.dll. Closing.

Press any key to continue . . .

[Demaeter]

Tried it but the backup tool seems to try to make a file with all of my installed games instead of just GTA3.

[Tharon]

@turner D Century
You need to download 0_01 - Utils folder, sorry i forget to mention it.

@demaeter
You are launching the file from the wrong folder. All the files needs to be in the "_Build Patch" folder.
I've updated the batch file to give an error if launched from the wrong folder.

[Demaeter]

Thanks I put the files in the correct path and it works now. Everything seems to be ok just MC face seems to bug out on cutscenes like when recieving missions and such but ingame looks fine.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2668363320

[Tharon]

This happen when the PS2 leftovers mod conflicts with another mod, because the wrong texture is applied to the new models.
If the mods are installed in the right order there shouldn't be any conflicts. Can you tell me what mods do you have installed and in wich order ?

[Demaeter]

That was it seems I still had some other mods from my last time I played it. Nuked the whole folder and now it works perfectly. Thanks for the help!

[Iggy Wolf]

Originally posted by Demaeter:

That was it seems I still had some other mods from my last time I played it. Nuked the whole folder and now it works perfectly. Thanks for the help!

I mean, if you still want to use the PS2 Leftovers mod, then just extract Claude's "playerh.txd and playerh.dff" from the original gta3.img and replace the ones in the gta3.img that Leftovers mod uses.