Multi Theft Auto (MTA) have announced a preview release of MTA: San Andreas Deathmatch, a free multiplayer modification for the PC version of GTA: San Andreas. The release is aimed at community members who wish to create game modes, maps, and other resources.

"The key emphasis of this initial release is to get your help in making MTA the mod you want. We're not going to be taking feature requests - initially, but we want you to help to find bugs, create game-modes, maps, resource web pages and anything else you want! We're going to remain focused on fixing bugs until we have a release that we're happy to call a final 1.0 release."

In order to play, you require the MTA: San Andreas Deathmatch Client, which can be obtained from the Multi Theft Auto website. Dedicated servers and release notes are also available there.

Related Links: GTAForums, MTA IRC Chatroom

The Chain Game is something which has been running successfully at our forums for more than 20 months now, so we are now giving it some much-deserved recognition. It is currently run by JAJ, and the objective of the game is quite simple - to start a new game from the beginning and achieve 100%. Anybody can contribute by "calling" the mission that they want to do, and then completing it before re-posting the save game file for others to contribute. There are some basic guidelines however which you must comply to, and you can find these over in The Chain Game topic.

In some rounds, the save game files contain special features such as new vehicle spawns, new weapon pickups, and new safehouses. The latest round features additional unique stunt jumps, and future rounds will see more (new, and cooler) features. These saves were developed by OrionSR and pdescobar.

The Chain Game is currently in its 20th round, and to take part you must be a registered member of our forums. Once you are registered, visit The Chain Game topic and be sure to read the guidelines thoroughly so that you know what's going on.

Related Links:

• Chain Game's Racing Discussion
• The Chain Game Link Collection

GTA: Treasure Hunt is a contest organized by PatrickW and Dutchy3010, which involves searching for hidden packages and other tasks using a specially created GTA: San Andreas modfication. The contest will be hosted simultaneously on GTAForums.com and GTAForum.nl. To take part simply register at our forums and post in this topic. You will then be added to the list of participants. To take part you need a copy of GTA: San Andreas (PC version 1) a free save game slot, and of course, time to search!

For more details on the time schedule and to learn how points are awarded, visit this topic.

A new version of San Andreas Multiplayer has just been released, so be sure to download the new client if you want to continue playing on the best servers. This is mainly a bug-fix release, with some minor features added. See a full list of the new features below, and use the download links at the bottom of this post (or visit SA-MP.com.)

Client features/fixes:

• Chat window is now scrollable with upto 5 pages of text (50 lines).
• Chat window now wraps text properly over multiple lines.
• Chat entry improved, it allows upto 128 character messages, supports selection, copy and paste etc.
• All text rendering has been heavily optimised. Chat text now has no noticable impact on framerate.
• Name tags cannot be seen through walls/objects.
• A car mod shop crash applying certain car mods has been fixed.
• Player head movement sync added. Player's characters will look in the direction their camera is looking.
• A new cellphone action enables players to hold a cellphone and look like they're on a call (useful for pen1 based scripts).
• New usable skins; Tenpenny, Pulaski, Hernandez, Ryder, Smoke, Sweet, Mafia Boss.
• Bandwidth and ped sync improvements. 0.2.2 will consume less server bandwidth than 0.2.1.
• Fixed bug with setting player colors of players 100,101,102.
• Increased timeouts to prevent connection loss.
• Decreased CPU time required to process vehicles on the client.
• Fixed animation problem with fire hydrant and spray can.
• Fixed nametags with no player issue.
• Fixed an issue where the client wasn't displaying "You are banned", "Server is full." messages.

Server features/fixes:

• Pickup limit increased to 400.
• The server can now disable all interior entrances/exits.
• Native sqlite database support for pawn. Sqlite is a lightweight alternative to the mysql plugin.
• The name tag drawing distance can be set from the server.
• Insane stunt bonuses can be toggled on/off by the server.
• Various netcode security updates.
• 0.2.2 will use the second major version of SAC.

Client: Download
Linux Server: Download
Windows Server: Download

Tanks, sniper rifles, trains, trams, gang zones, bug fixes and more...

> Download Client: Download from SA-MP.com

> Download Linux Server: Download from SA-MP.com

> Download Windows Server: Download from SA-MP.com

If you have a question or are experiencing problems, head over to the SA-MP forums.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was released in Japan on the 25th of January, 2007, and sold 227,261 units in its debut week. San Andreas outperformed the second best seller, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, by over 120,000 units.

The game has undergone multiple edits, as a result of scrutiny and complaints by the media. The japanese version makes it, among other things, impossible to hit dead civilians, and has been given the strictest age rating - Z. [Gamasutra]

Rockstar has previously had successful launches with both GTA3 and GTA Vice City in Japan. All-in-all a successful launch for Rockstar and Capcom in Japan.

Related: GTA San Andreas Japan, EG and Media Create Japanese Charts.

For all you SA-MP fans out there you'll be glad to hear that the team have been making good progress with the development of v0.2. I got the chance to test it out on Friday, and I compiled a short video showing some of the latest improvements and features, which you can check out over at SA-MP.com

(some) improvements/new features:

• Sniper Rifle and Rocket Launcher now synched.
• Improved aiming accuracy of M4/AK47/Country Rifle etc.
• "Friendly fire" option - to prevent team-kills.

Head over to SA-MP.com for full details.

Sean Penn - the brother of Chris Penn, who voiced Officer Eddie Pulaski in GTA: San Andreas - insists his brother's death in January was due to obesity and not down to drink or drug abuse.

Sean Penn (left) and Chris Penn (right)

"He had certainly been a fantastically self-abusing guy over periods of his life, but that wasn't the case in the end. He died a natural death that was brought on by some hard living, but particularly weight".

-- Sean Penn on CNN's Larry King Show

Source: BBC News

"You can now create and manipulate objects on the fly through the scripting in SA-MP"

The loop-de-loop and boxing ring are examples of objects which can now be placed in-game

Head over to SA-MP.com for full details..

Wish you could be on the show floor of E3, snooping around for bits of info about GTA4, GTALCSPS2, Bully, or Table Tennis? Did your plans to sneak in with a Photoshopped press-pass and/or ninja rope fail? Well, after you accept the fact that we all can't get in, perhaps you will take some comfort in knowing that the GTA community has its own proverbial inside man. Jordan from our partner site Planet Grand Theft Auto is once again at the Expo, providing extensive coverage with a focus on all things Rockstar. For fast-breaking updates, keep an eye on his blog. And check out his image gallery for photos from around the convention (including a few early shots from inside Take Two's meeting room..) and any screens he may come across. Larger articles, videos, or possible interviews can be found through his E3 index.