Post Description

Grand Theft Auto: United Russian Mod (Criminal Russia)

Grand Theft Auto: URM (CR) is a modification for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which was started in 2004 by a group of people, located mainly in Russian Federation. This ambitious modifications is aimed at replacing the whole GTA world with a custom map, new vehicles and a new storyline. The development process is still ongoing at the moment. Two demo-versions are available at the moment. Tons of information can be found below - please find some time to have a quick look through it!

Name usage
The correct name for the project at the moment is:
- GTA: United Russian Mod
- GTA: URM
- United Russian Mod
- Criminal Russia
but not GTA: CR or GTA: Criminal Russia. This is done to avoid the confusion with the original project, developed by a different team who had different ideas in mind. Likewise, the first demo of this project is GTA: CR and it should be referred to in such a way.

History and the effect

It all has started in 2004 when a person known as Labukh, Ukraine, set up a small team whos aim was to create a small Russian town for GTA Vice City. In notime the project became popular and many other people, considered as the best modellers on RuNet, joined the team. Unexpected success gave the developers faith, and the next important stage of the project was the decision to replace the whole map.

Summer 2006, GTA San Andreas came out for PC and that was another important stage. The team has decided to change the platform from VC to SA due to the large amount of new features, endless possibilities regarding the map and the weather conditions as well as many other things. Since then and until October 2007 the team worked hard to archive its ambitious targets.

During 3 years of development there were enough models produced to replace at least half of San Andreas map. However, the main problems that the team encountered was that many developers were too busy with their private life; did not find the project successful or were in deep conflict with the manager of the project, who, on a number of occasions, has expressed his concerns regarding Ukraine and Russia's today's and past relationship. Every time the developer left, the team lost its models, which sometime made up over the half of the map. One of the most discussed moments was when Predator, Lioshenka and GexoDiver left, almost at the same time, leaving the team with no map at all. Another problem was that at that stage there was no one in the team left who knew how to convert models into SA. The team had only couple of months to finish off the promised demo-version and they have successfully managed to do it, although not without some troubles. Developer ED, who has done most of the modelling for demo-version, has done the impossible, learned to import models and made a new town basically from scratch within the strict time limits.

It would be unwise not to mention that the team hasn't influenced the GTA modding community. For its 3-year old history the team had almost all well-known Russian modellers working for them, who, despite the fact they left, brought even more public attention to the project. The countries, where the modellers came from include, but are not limited to: Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belorussia, Kazakhstan, Moldavia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Armenia, UK, USA, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria. The team has build the confidence and faith in itself and the project is considered as one of the most successful of all time together with GTA: Myriad Islands, GTA: United and GTA: Gostown. It is the only global Russian mod that has reached the successful demo-version stage.

Location and storyline

According to the project's spec the game was planned to take place in Russia and Ukraine with slight variations depending on the number of team members willing to participate. Timewise it was year 1991-1993 - the time, when CIS countries were at their worst stage ever regarding crime and corruption.

The map includes 3 large cities (a capital in Russia, a small city in Russia and yet smaller city in Ukraine); over 100 new missions, Russian vehicles (including aviation, railway transport and boats), new pedestrians and characters, new and improved Russian wireless stations.