GTA2 Removed Content

--- Map Objects ---

Map Objects are items that can be easily placed in a specific location within a level using the GTA2 Editor. For some reason, many of them were cut from the final game but still exist in the code and can be spawned using the trainer, custom mission scripts, or level editor. In the documentation of the .STY format (used for storing graphics in GTA2), these objects are referred to as map_obj's. Projectiles always fly above them leaving them untouched.

BENCH

Wooden bench. It has an animation for tipping over

Object ID			Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving	Destroyed / Tipped over
22	45	46	map_obj/0-7	SFX_COLLISION_BENCH

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Blocks pedestrians
Vehicles	Rolls on the ground

BIN

Trash bin. Despite the presence of tipping animation in the .STY files, I was unable to achieve it in the game. The BIN_LID object suggests that, upon tipping, the lid was supposed to detach from it.

Object ID		Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving
7	157	map_obj/8-11

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Blocks pedestrians
Vehicles	Needs a lot of force to be moved, sometimes rotates but doesn't tip over

BIN_LID

Lid from a trash bin. Similar to the bin itself, despite having animation for rolling on the ground, it moves in the game without utilizing the animation.

Object ID		Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving
1	158	map_obj/12-17	SFX_COLLISION_TRASHLID

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be pushed around, but no animation is played
Vehicles	Can be pushed only if it sits on top of a BIN, but no animation is played

BLASTER

Sound blaster. Until pushed, it plays a looping melody (SFX_GHETTO_BLASTER_LOOP).

Object ID			Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving	Destroyed / Tipped over
5	156	54	map_obj/18-20	SFX_COLLISION_PLASTIC

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Rolls on the ground and the music stops
Vehicles	Rolls on the ground and the music stops

BOXES

Stack of boxes.

Object ID			Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving	Destroyed / Tipped over
4	-	52	map_obj/22-23	SFX_COLLISION_CARDBOARD_BOX

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be stepped on. The sprite permanently changes to the crushed version
Vehicles	Can run over. The sprite permanently changes to the crushed version

BUSH

GTA1 looking bush.

Object ID			Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving	Destroyed / Tipped over
11	123	55	map_obj/24-27	SFX_COLLISION_PLASTIC(?)

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground
Vehicles	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground

CRATE

Wooden crate. Can be destroyed.

Object ID			Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving	Destroyed / Tipped over
12	50	51	map_obj/32-37	SFX_COLLISION_BENCH

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be stepped on. The destroy animation is played
Vehicles	Can run over. The destroy animation is played

FOOTY

Football. Can be kicked around.

Object ID		Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving
13	56	map_obj/38-42	SFX_COLLISION_PLASTIC

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be kicked and rolls on the ground
Vehicles	Can be kicked and rolls on the ground

HARDBOX

Wooden box.

Object ID			Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving	Destroyed / Tipped over
14	57	58	map_obj/43-47	SFX_COLLISION_BENCH

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground
Vehicles	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground

HYDRANT_LID

Fire hydrant lid.

Object ID		Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving
18	49	map_obj/48-54	SFX_COLLISION_TRASHLID

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground
Vehicles	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground

HYDRANT

Fire hydrant. The lid can't be detached by pushing it (maybe with mission scripts?)

Object ID	Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base
19	map_obj/55

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Blocks pedestrians
Vehicles	Blocks vehices.

HYDRANT_UNLID

Fire hydrant without the lid.

Object ID	Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base
20	map_obj/56

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Blocks pedestrians
Vehicles	Blocks vehices.

NEWSDIS

News dispenser.

Object ID			Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving	Destroyed / Tipped over
15	59	60	map_obj/58-60	SFX_COLLISION_BENCH(?)

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground
Vehicles	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground

OILDRUM

Oil drum. The oil doesn't spill out when pushed around.

Object ID			Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving	Destroyed / Tipped over
16	61	62	map_obj/67-70	SFX_COLLISION_BENCH

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground
Vehicles	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground

PACKAGE

Package. I'm not sure whether it indeed does not appear in the final game.

Object ID			Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving	Destroyed / Tipped over
23	43	44	map_obj/71-75	SFX_COLLISION_CARDBOARD_BOX

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground
Vehicles	Can be pushed and rolls on the ground

RUBBISH

Trash pile. Breaks apart into several pieces.

Object ID			Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving	Destroyed / Tipped over
6	151	152	map_obj/84-87	SFX_COLLISION_RUBBISH

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Breaks apart when stepped on
Vehicles	Breaks apart when run over

Unknown object

Object with a crossed-out sprite. It's still present in GTA2 Editor and .STY files, but spawning it crashes the game.

Object ID	Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base
24	map_obj/88

TYRE

Tyre. Has no animation

Object ID		Sprite IDs	Collision sound
Base	Animating / Moving
17	63	map_obj/89

Subject	Behavior
Pedestrians	Can be pushed around
Vehicles	Can be pushed around

--- Code Objects ---

Code Objects are elements used by the game engine and mission scripts, such as tank turrets, phones, collectibles, or tire tracks. Many of these are either no longer utilized or not visible in the game. Of course, they can be spawned using custom mission scripts or the trainer.

BLOOD

Blood from GTA1.

Collectibles of unused weapons

See: Weapons

Bloody skids and footsteps

Bloody trails left behind cars and underfoot. Suggestive of a potentially more brutal vision for the game than the final version. This is further indicated by a note in the early GTA2 documentation below.

ID	Internal name	Sprite IDs
118	SMALL_RED_SKID	code_obj/528-531
121	MEDIUM_RED_SKID	code_obj/524-527
253	BIG_RED_SKID	code_obj/516-519
114	HUGE_RED_SKID	code_obj/520-523
256	RED_FOOTPRINTS	code_obj/15(?)

From the early GTA2 documentation:

Body parts

In the .STY files, you can find sprites of dismembered bodies, suggesting the possibility of tearing pedestrians apart (e.g., with a car or in a mission similar to 'Body Harvest' in GTA: San Andreas). These objects are not (at least to my knowledge) spawnable.

Bomb

Bomb as an in-world object. It features a similar sprite to a car bomb but without the outline. It's unnaturally large, likely the reason it was replaced with a spinning suitcase.

CROSS and GRAVE

In the documentation for the .MIS language used in creating missions for GTA2, in the Object types section, there are two object names that didn't appear in the final game - GRAVE and CROSS. Attempting to create a script that spawns them results in an 'Illegal Object Model' error. The sprites for these objects are not present in the .STY files.

--- Vehicles ---

There are at least 5 vehicles that were cut from the final game. They were removed at different stages of development, so some of them have more content left in the game than others.

Tanker

It's a tanker trailer that can be attached to a truck. Its sprite and physics are still present in the game, but it doesn't spawn anywhere in the game. It's possible to spawn it using the trainer or custom mission scripts.

ID	Internal name	Sprite ID	Wreck type	Physical size
55	TANKER	car/49	WRECK01	40 x 128

In the NYC.GCI file, which defines vehicle physics, it features entries nearly identical to other trailers (and wrecks). However, unlike them, it includes specified maximum speeds for each gear.

Missing IDs

There are no entries in the .STY and NYC.GCI files for vehicles with IDs 9, 15, 20, and 43. They were most likely cut at a relatively early stage of the game's development.

Early vehicles' sprites

Early sprites for the vehicles that were changed to less shiny versions after their creator, Ray Larabie, left DMA Design. Some of the vehicles didn't appear in the final game at all.

Green police cars

Originally, police cars had light green remaps, but they were replaced with blue versions in the final game. Interestingly, the green remap is still listed for them in the .STY files.

--- Interface ---

The GTA2 user interface underwent significant changes throughout the game's development. Thanks to pre-release gameplay footage and remnants in the .STY files, we can learn more about the game's early visual design.

UI versions from various stages of the game's development. The first screenshot likely comes from a prerelease recording for the German magazine GameStar. The source of the second image is unknown. The third is from the final version of the game. The graphics are from this article.

Initially, respect bars featured the faces of gang leaders instead of gang logos. The design of these bars also underwent slight changes.

Weapon Icons

The icons for the currently selected weapon were initially positioned on the left, and the graphics were much more realistic. In the fstyle.sty file (containing user interface sprites), three of them have survived. There were more, but they were likely added after the decision to move these sprites to the .STY files of individual game levels and were overwritten by newer versions.

Claude's face

In earlier versions of the game, the protagonist's face was constantly displayed in the top right corner of the screen. The sprites for this are still present in the .STY files. Interestingly, there are versions with open mouths, suggesting that Claude Speed probably wasn't mute back then.

Policeman's face

The face of a police officer is displayed when the brief text prefix is p!. However, unlike prefixes like k! for Krishna or l! for Loonies, p! is not utilized in any mission. Of course, it can be restored using custom mission scripts and changes in the .GXT files.

Policeman's face from GTA1

The face of a police officer from GTA1 in the fstyle.sty file used as an indicator for the wanted level.

--- Tiles ---

There are several tiles that were cut from the final game. They are still present in the .STY files, but are crossed out.

wil.sty - tiles #31, #357, #447, #779

bil.sty - tiles #169, #177, #178, #366, #367, #368

--- Weapons ---

In the game, there are placeholders for 15 handheld weapons (11 have sprites) and 13 vehicle weapons (9 have sprites). The sprites for the unused fields are simply colored alphabet letters. Additionally, two weapons with sprites are not used in the game: ELECTRO_BATON and CAR_BOMB_INSTANT.

Unused handheld weapons

UI placeholders for unused handheld weapons #11 - #14:
Sprites IDs user/96-99:

Collectibles of unused handheld weapons #11 - #14:
Sprites IDs code_obj/106-109:

It is possible to spawn placeholder weapons using the trainer or custom mission scripts. Sprite of the character holding the weapon is displayed correctly, but the weapon doesn't emit any projectiles. Picking up a collectible doesn't play any sound and the displayed weapon name is always "na".

Unused vehicle weapons

UI placeholders for unused vehicle weapons #9 - #12:
Sprites IDs user/109-112:

Unused collectibles of vehicle weapons #4 - #12:
Sprites IDs code_obj/142-150:

Note that collectibles for TANK_GUN, WATER_CANNON, CAR_FLAMETHROWER, JEEP_GUN and CAR_BOMB_INSTANT also have placeholder sprites, even though these "weapons" are present in the game.

It is possible to spawn placeholder car weapons using the trainer or custom mission scripts. If the weapon is not complatible with the vehicle (e.g., a tank gun on a car), fireing it will result in a crash. Picking up collectibles #9 - #12 doesn't equip the weapon.

ELECTRO_BATON

ElectroBaton is an unused handheld weapon. It can be obtained using the trainer or custom mission scripts. It seems to function like a taser. When fired near another ped, it shocks them as with a regular ElectroGun, but the victim doesn't take any damage, and the ammo doesn't deplete. If there are no peds nearby, a single 'bullet' is fired, which doesn't cause damage itself but allows for shocking at a greater distance if it hits someone. The ElectroBaton doesn't affect vehicles, lacks sounds (including the collectible pickup sound), and is also visible in conceptual graphics as the default weapon for police officers.

CAR_BOMB_INSTANT

The Instant Vehicle Bomb functions like a regular car bomb but detonates immediately upon activation. Its sprite features an exclamation mark on the right side. The collectible lacks a sprite (uses a placeholder 'I') but has a pickup sound.

--- Power-ups ---

Work in progress

--- Gangs ---

Work in progress

--- Sounds ---

Work in progress

--- Texts ---

Work in progress

--- Concept arts ---

Work in progress

--- Sources and tools ---

• The Cutting Room Floor
• Article about removed content on gta.fandom.com [PL]
• Graphic files (.STY) using STY Viewer
• GTA2 Trainer
• Official GTA2 Editor
• Documentation for .STY and .GMP formats
• Documentation for .MIS language (Scripting)
• Early GTA2 documentation