Real World replica of New York City in Garry's Mod

no this is not unreal engine 5, and no this is not a tech demo for some video game.

Very few things can fool me this impressively, it is insane to think that this paticular map of New york city isn’t actual video, but rather gameplay from a 17 year old video game.

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https://steamcommunity.com/id/fishke/...

Garry’s mod map creator *Fishke* created the ambitious RP_NYCity_Day experience that over 58,000 people have already checked out themselves

Fishke is also responsible for two other similar maps that give vastly similar experiences to the Manhattan experience, one in which interprets a south side look to new york city skyline and another that includes dense concrete filled streets that are lined with buildings

The main map in question features 2 cities: a miniature version of Manhattan, and a “Union City” which could be a reference to the half life games or its custom and made up properties no to reference of actual new york city to fit the role playing structure, both sides of the maps are connected by a bridge and a subway system.

its impressive the amount of detail that this simple square section of New york holds in a y2k inspired time period. my immediate reaction upon finding this map was the wave of liminalality that even simple street signs to the dingy white sky box emotionally made me feel. alternatively every map designed by the creator has night versions that are equally spectacular to marvel at

maps like these new york city projects help with a sense of exploration for those who can’t experience it in person, which is what I believe VR will try to achieve in the future. Among many maps that early adopted this hyper realistic approach, RP Newyork city does what many map creators fail to do which is deliver on detail, just the skybox not being a bright sunny day, almost immediately promotes the map as a true liminal atmosphere. brands being slightly off, the signs in windows, to even texture work of buildings and streets would be great options to take photos and fool your friends. giant skyscrapers during the nighttime filled with textures of lights giving the illusion of human activity. the sirens going off in the distance, great vantage points high up to get new perspectives, this map is a must play for those looking to unlock memories within them as venturing through these streets helped me appreciate not only what the creator set out to provide for us, but how important the little details in map creation can really set the stage for hyper realistic works. I hear alot about how unreal engine 5 is getting to the point of photo realism, but this is a 17 year old game, with aging graphics. and this fascinates me.

I never once stepped inside of new york city as a person. I’ve seen enough videos, movies and videogames to piece the information together to come to a general observation of what to expect and that this is clearly a rendition of New york city. there’s key land marks like the statue of liberty, or the iconic twin towers.

the detail and accuracy to the modern world is no wonder why so many garry’s mod servers use this map to role play various genres with.

ofcourse there’s going to be pop ins, and graphical bugs, maybe even a few low quality textures, but nothing that really takes you out of the full experience.

growing up with video games where exploration wasn’t the main point of the plot of the video game, you’d spend hours walking around and coming up with stories in your mind, however games like these would have been a playground for me, as the sheer size and scope of this project would require atleast a few dozen hours to fully appreciate every little detail on this map.

the amount of options today, where you could play this map with friends, or drop your own items into the garrys mod map to create your own unique new york experience, or even play edited versions of this new york map created by others adds even more playability to what I wished I could of had when I was a kid, because the games today do most of what we would have had to imagine back then. I don’t know how this truly makes me feel as alot of modern day changes are a welcome such as the building mechanics in minecraft allowing for endless creations. its just bitter sweet knowing many future generations will rarely do what we had done for journeys

when I talk about games from my childhood where I had to implement this day dreaming type of exploration. I used to explore games like donkey kong 64 for hours upon hours more than what was intended. walking up and down paths that were similar the last time playing the game, but with a new twist of trying to find a new little hidden detail, or making a journey up in my head about what the characters are up to