Our next major build is coming along nicely, so we are keen to let you guys into the action ASAP.


Two of the main exclusive highlights of this release is the script support for custom IMG containers, and ability to set model flags. Big thanks to TheNormalnij for his efforts on making these happen!

There are also numerous other changes such as updated translations and main menu texts, new GTA skins, improved sync, improved GTA camera screenshot quality and many other bug fixes and improvements which you can find on our Wiki page at https://wiki.multitheftauto.com/wiki/Changes_in_1.6.

By having you join us to test 1.6 we can make sure we catch any new bugs and fix them before the full release.


1.6 is not compatible with the older MTA:SA versions (including the most recent release - MTA:SA 1.5.9). This means that you need to connect to a 1.6 server if you wish to test the 1.6 client. There were a bunch of technical reasons for this incompatibility and they were all necessary for us to continue improving the mod.

Currently 1.6 includes 10 backwards incompatible changes which you should be aware of. There may be more incompatible changes to be added during this testing phase. Please check out our preliminary release notes on our Wiki page.


We are hosting a number of official 1.6 public test servers during the 1.6 testing phase for you to try out. Welcome!

After the testing phase is over, our public test servers will be shut down.


We are planning a full release of 1.6 around May–June if testing phase goes well. To guarantee a smooth transition for your server, we recommend that you try out and upgrade your scripts on this new testing version before the full release.

There will be a new announcement once 1.6 is fully released.

In the meantime, please do download and test 1.6! We expect your favorite servers to start launching their own test servers on 1.6 soon.

Visit our forum post for more information and link to download 1.6 beta: https://forum.multitheftauto.com/topic/140285-multi-theft-auto-san-andreas-16-is-ready-for-testing/

Hello everyone!

We have prepared a special gift for you to celebrate Multi Theft Auto's 20th Anniversary!

We have published an exclusive interview with IJs (also known as IJsVogel), the founder and first developer of the Multi Theft Auto project.

Head over to our forums see his thoughts on the project in retrospective:
https://forum.multitheftauto.com/topic/139692-20-years-of-the-multi-theft-auto-project/#comment-1019345

Note: more details about Multi Theft Auto's history and timeline can be found on our Wiki article[wiki.multitheftauto.com].

Today is the 20 Year Anniversary of Multi Theft Auto! On the February 9th 2003, a rudimentary GTA3 multiplayer prototype was released by our founder, IJsVogel. It did not take long for contributors to join the effort and turn it into a real multiplayer mod.

The mod IJsVogel created was originally named “GTA3: Alternative Multiplayer”, but soon after it became “GTA3: Multi Theft Auto”. The Multi Theft Auto (MTA) name became the identity of all following projects. As new GTA games were released, new projects were created for GTA3, GTAVC, GTASA and GTAIV. Respectively, the main project names are: GTA3:MTA, MTA:VC, MTA:SA, MTA:IV.

The working experience on GTA3 laid the framework for the second project, MTA:VC. It did not take long after GTA: Vice City for the 1st version of MTA:VC to release. The MTA Team succeeded in creating the basic multiplayer functionality much quicker through past-experience. At this point, MTA was well-known and there were mentions on gaming websites, magazines and even a TV interview on the gaming channel G4TV. Even Rockstar Games developers, the creators of GTA, contacted the MTA Team[forum.multitheftauto.com] from time to time. The MTA:VC mod still offered a hard-coded deathmatch and vehicle stunting game mode that could not be altered. However, it had better synchronization and supported many new features.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQHK8h2XAg0

When GTA:SA came out, the contributors to the project were much more seasoned and mature. The 3rd project, MTA:SA, was much more ambitious. Although the first release was restricted to racing in vehicles, it was a proof of concept for a vastly superior framework that empowered users to make their own content. An editor was produced to allow in-game editing for the first time. When the full-featured product began development, a constantly evolving Lua-based scripting system accompanied it. This allowed the user to manipulate game code and modify various settings, elements and added features to create unique servers and game modes. Some added features include: voice chat, custom GUIs, web browser components. The MTA Team had the foresight to release this modification to the public as Open-Source code to attract future developers and embraced many new tools of game development that have become commonplace today such as installers, bug reporting, nightly builds, wiki documentation, anti-cheat, and Steam version support to name a few.

The release of GTA:IV did result in the beginning stages of MTA:IV, but once Rockstar released their official multiplayer, many of MTA’s most seasoned developers and contributors were ready to move on with their professional lives. Providing the same level of quality to GTA:IV would have been an extreme undertaking. It was decided that the best course of action would be to discontinue further projects and continue making MTA:SA better. The MTA:SA project still receives Open-Source contributions and still retains a consistent player base that is large enough to make developers of new games jealous!


We would like to thank everyone who helped and participated over the years: developers, community/clan leaders, moderators, patch contributors, helpers, donators, testers, translators, scripters, mappers, server hosts/owners, streamers, players and fans. There were hundreds of thousands of such people over the years and they all had their place here. Many people have come and gone. Some are still very young and some are quite old now!

Some of us have even developed life careers from our experiences working on this modification. We had the honor of befriending a lot of wonderful people in various stages of the project and many were just as enthusiastic about MTA as we were. Multi Theft Auto would not be here right now, had it not been for their hard work, interest and dedication.

The social aspect has always been strong in MTA. No one knows what the future will bring, but there are things that will remain regardless of anything - and that is the time you all have spent here and your memories. Feel free to share your MTA stories in the comments! Feel free to say hi to us in Discord[forum.multitheftauto.com] as well!


Thank you all past and present MTA staff members, players and fans for sticking with us!

Happy Birthday, Multi Theft Auto! Onwards to the next 20 years or more!

-MTA Team

(you can find the original post here: https://forum.multitheftauto.com/topic/139692-20-years-of-the-multi-theft-auto-project/#comment-1019345 )

Hello everyone!

The holiday season is well under way, so there is one thing left to do before we say goodbye to the year - and that is to check out our "A year in Recap" post!

Like the last time, we have prepared a brief summary of the year for you. We have gathered recollections of some of the most important news and events that happened in 2022 from an MTA fan's perspective. We have also included a couple more things that might be interesting to you, so be sure to read the full post!



This was a more quiet year for us, but otherwise a lot has happened in the GTA community:

• In early February, Rockstar Games have confirmed on their Newswire[www.rockstargames.com], that the next game in the GTA series is in development, although without disclosing any other details. The last game in the series - Grand Theft Auto V - was first released in 2013, so it has been quite a wait since then.
  
  
• In April, we have published first server builds for the ARM architecture. Botder has worked hard on this feature, which allows you to run the MTA:SA server on your Raspberry Pi-s or other similar devices without too much hassle. These builds come in many flavours (ARMv7 arm32 & ARMv8 arm64; Windows & Linux) and should work just fine. Your mileage may vary though, as they are still considered to be experimental. If you want to give them a shot, you can find them on the nightly page[nightly.mtasa.com] or the Linux page[linux.multitheftauto.com]. Be sure to report any problems you run into - either on our Github[github.com] or Discord[forum.multitheftauto.com].
  
  
• Staying on the server topic, we have released a small security update[forum.multitheftauto.com] for the MTA:SA server in May. This update fixed a vulnerability, that could be exploited to crash the server process.
  
  
• Also in May, a sad news has come, as Ray Liotta, the actor who voiced Tommy Vercetti (the iconic protagonist of GTA: Vice City, who is also present on the MTA:SA's logo and icon) has passed away. He has also starred in several movies, such as an Oscar-winner and all-time classic "Goodfellas", which served as one of the inspirations for Vice City and other GTA titles. Rest in peace, Ray.
  
  
• In, what some have described as the biggest leak in the history of gaming, a bunch of never seen before footage from the next GTA game have been leaked online[apnews.com] in September. The videos have confirmed some of the speculations that fans and game journalists had in regards of the game - eg. its possible setting; but also shown some new details - eg. a pair of new protagonists or possible features.
  
  
• Thourough the year, we have been also working on improving our infrastructure and Discord server with various tweaks here and there. While you may not notice these changes at first, they help us provide you the best MTA experience.

[DM] sora v22 - Snowy Mountain - by sora
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-jM276fIeI

MTA:SA Easy Hydra Stunts #MTASA - by TNT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4UZi2Kbo8I

* nX_ & hUGAOXD * Mona Lisa Overdrive * - by FFS Gaming / -ffs-Micra | map by nX_ & hUGAOXD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APHh-1lLN1A

Model 3D Breaking Bad Laboratory For MTA Server ( RockStarMTA ) - by Selective Modeling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDdr7cLLCts

MTASA: Skygfx Test - by Nurupo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDf6Rn2aabY

[MTASA:TACTICS] REALITY - by Obito & Lucas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSLu1LIYaJg

MTA: Water Puddles & Rain - by XaskeL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxo53Br9OpQ

Mystery City - NEXCITY - by Nebla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UBZKy7rAF0

PARANOID | NON-STOP MTA DAYZ [4K RES] - by supraaa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZW4hLZm4zc





The numbers are slightly smaller than in the last year, but we are still good on that front.

As of 25th of December, 2022:

• 58,440 members have joined our Discord server[forum.multitheftauto.com] - went up from the ~40,000 in the last year
  
  
• we have got 13,748 followers on Twitter
  
  
• and 59k followers on Facebook[www.facebook.com]
  
  
• and our Steam Community group has 29,345 members

And here is the part that we omitted last year, but we actually have things to say this time!

• A while has passed since the last MTA:SA release. Patrik & other developers did some work towards the next one, but it still needs some fine-tuning. We are also still looking for the best way to approach it, as we would like this release to be the first one in the 1.6 series and we expect some compatibility-breaking changes to be included in it. We will let you know once we have it sorted.
  
  
• Continuing on the development side of things, one of our community members, Merlin, has been working on cleaning up and refactoring some of the Project's source code. Thank you - clean code is important, so we really appreciate your contributions on that front!
  
  
• Community-wise, it has been a good time for our players. Our AC team led by Dutchman101 have been cracking down on paid cheats. Thanks to their efforts in the recent months, the cheating problem should be now less noticeable than ever.

Last, but not least - we will be celebrating Multi Theft Auto's 20th Anniversary next year.

Yes, you have read it correctly - we have been running the MTA project for two decades now. Many staff and community members have come and gone since then. Some of them still follow the Project, some no longer do. We have made so many releases during that time, and there are also so many memories and stories that go along with them.

Stay tuned for more details about the Anniversary! And for just 20 Claudecoins[forum.multitheftauto.com], you can get yourself an early access to the... nah, we are still keeping it free



Happy holidays and we wish you all the best in 2023!

-- MTA Team

Credits for the content submissions: Dutchman101, Nebla, patrik, -ffs-PLASMA, srslyyyy.

(you can find the original post here: https://forum.multitheftauto.com/topic/139110-2022-a-year-in-recap-and-season-greetings/?do=findComment&comment=1017884 )

Hi people!

Same drill as usual. The year is nearing to an end, so here is a freshly baked summary post for you. Read on and learn about all the interesting things that happened in the MTA community in 2021.

• Early this year, we have restructured our Moderation team a bit by adding the Specializations divisions (such as: Management, Tech and Infrastructure, Social Media). The aim of this was to refine extra talents of our Moderators and put them to a better use.
  
  
• As one of the results of that, the Management division has introduced a new way for more-involved-but-not-quite-there-yet MTA supporters to contribute - a Helper role. Curious about what it is? Check out the post[forum.mtasa.com] by Tut.
  
  
• At the end of July, our developer and designer, Patrik, has revived the live streaming idea a bit and played some MTA:SA on our Twitch channel[www.twitch.tv]. He focused on visiting various servers ran by the community. In case you have missed it, you can check the stream capture here:
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2KcspT0F0A
  
  
• There were a few recurring requests that you guys have kept asking us about over the years. One of them was to release the mobile version of MTA:SA - apologies, but unfortunately that is still not going to happen :p. But another request was to make it possible to buy some official MTA merchandise. And guess what - we have listened to you on that one! Patrik has prepared some neat designs and we have put them for sale - although please keep in mind, we do not make any profits of these sales. Want to see the goods? Check them out here[multitheftauto.myspreadshop.net].
  
  
• Not that long ago, in early October, we have released Multi Theft Auto: San Andreas 1.5.9. This release was focused on wrapping up the contributions made to the mod so far and put them in a single package for your convenience.
  
  
• Same month, Rockstar Games has announced an upcoming release[www.rockstargames.com] of "Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition", a remake/remaster of the original 3D era GTA trilogy (GTA3, GTA:VC and GTA:SA). Not only was it a sudden announcement, but also the release was coming really soon.
  
  
• * The remastered games were released, but received mixed reactions from gamers and reviewers. Technical-wise, they are a feat, as games were remade in a different and well-estabilished game engine and are available for multiple platforms. Sadly, the same could not be said about the actual quality of these games as it was inconsistent. Hopefully, the improvements planned by Rockstar will bring them up to the quality they deserve.
  
  It is important to note that MTA mods (GTA3:MTA, MTA:VC and MTA:SA) do not work with the remastered games from the GTA: The Trilogy.
  
  We currently have no plans of making them compatible, as it would require an insane amount of effort, considering the technical differences between the original games and their remastered equivalents.
  
  
• Lately, our Development and Infrastructure divisions have been working on improving the reliability and performance of our web services. You may have noticed that for instance, our forums have been running faster - it is all a result of CiBeR's hard work.
  
  
• One of our distinguished community members, Haxardous, has prepared a list of interesting MTA:SA servers. If you are looking for a new MTA:SA server to play on, then you might want to check out one of his recommendations. You can find them here[forum.mtasa.com].
  
  
• ModDB has recently featured all of the mods that won the "Mod of the Year" award in the last 20 years. We had won this award ten years ago[http//We+had+won+this+award+ten+years+ago], so naturally we are on the list too!

[DM] NikotiN ft. Lost ft. Driver ft. SKooD - Enormous Cataclysm - video by CHRS / map by Nikotin, Lost, Driver and SKooD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od4LQIWc9EQ

MTA-SA: Welcome to San Andreas Trailer (WTSA) #1 by ヌルぽ / Nurupo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrcPyRd2JCo

#MTA:SA: ~ TACTICS / STEALTH by notzz & the_bestteam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXMKehwdz2c

Grafuroam drift handling update by Unity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYEy7cmXu_Q

SHORT ONE | NON-STOP MTA DAYZ by BuczU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBGYtYktQr8

YouTube in Car - Interactive Dashboard (MTA:SA) by Chemical Creations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTA4AL6q9a0

MTASA Dangerous Experiments by Toliak Purple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoTVjQiIkgc





Still looking good.

On a side note, our community on Discord keeps growing. We went from 20k users last year to nearly 40k this year. Our presence on social media (Twitter, YouTube, Twitch[www.twitch.tv], Facebook[www.facebook.com] and Reddit) is improving too - thanks to work done by Patrik and the Social Media division.

---

Enjoy the holidays and hope to see you back in the next year!

-- MTA Team


(you can find the original post here: https://forum.mtasa.com/topic/133654-2021-a-year-in-recap-and-season-greetings/?do=findComment&comment=1004679 )