Grand Theft Auto V is something of a nightmare for modders already, but this hasn’t stopped the community from figuring out ways to make it easier.
Earlier today, modder GooD-NTS revealed that they have managed to access the Grand Theft Auto file archives. GooD-NTS is the lead developer of OpenIV, which is the team that created the Open IV tool that made modding GTA IV on PC a lot easier. Now, that team is going to work on GTA V. This comes after a number of community members on PC complained that Rockstar put some serious security measures in place to make modding the open-world crime game difficult.
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On the website GTAforums.com, GooD-NTS posted several screenshots of him breaking into GTA V’s files. With this data exposed, modders can now do just about everything they were able to do with GTA IV.
Community creators will now have access to character models, A.I. scripts, and the variables that control stuff like physics. This will enable modders to replace textures on vehicles, pedestrians, and buildings. They can also make mod menus so that you can quickly adjust the game to your liking.
At this point, most people are waiting for GooD-NTS to release an updated version of OpenIV that will work with GTA V. This will enable people to quickly manage the background files while also editing them. For example, with a tool like OpenIV, someone could find and export various 3D models from GTA V so that they can make changes to them in a 3D art program.
Here’s what the OpenIV tool looks like:
So GTA V modding is about to break wide open, and we’re only about 48 hours out from its launch on PC.
Of course, this does present a potential problem: Rockstar is likely worried about mods on PC because they may make it especially easy for people to cheat in GTA: Online, which is the persistent multiplayer mode. People can spend real money to get in-game items in GTA: Online, but cheaters could destroy that economy. If mods enable that, Rockstar may have to crack down.