Why the moon in Grand Theft Auto 3 and the other classic trilogy altered size when you shot at it has been revealed by an ex-Rockstar Games developer, while GTA 5 does have certain mysteries and easter eggs (such as the ghost that may be seen if you visit a certain murder scene and the UFO that can emerge atop Mount Chiliad), it pales in comparison to the original Grand Theft Auto trilogy. There would always be intriguing (and occasionally eerie) mysteries to discover whether you were playing San Andreas, Vice City, or Grand Theft Auto 3.
The Mystery of the Moon: Unveiling a Peculiar Easter Egg in the Original Grand Theft Auto 3
Not only is it really simple to find, but it’s one of the most bizarre easter eggs in the original Grand Theft Auto trilogy. The moon will alternate between being smaller and larger if you aim a sniper rifle at it and fire. Many people believed this was more of a programming error than anything else because Grand Theft Auto never mentioned it, unlike with other games’ easter eggs.
That is precisely what it is. The question of why the moon changes size was posed to former Rockstar Games developer Obbe Vermeij on Twitter. Vermeij has previously explained Claude’s silence in Grand Theft Auto 3. According to Vermeij, this was inadvertently left in the game after it was created, giving the creators the ability to customize the moon’s size.
The Moon’s Size in Grand Theft Auto: An Unintentional Feature Shaped by Artistic Indecision
Vermeij claimed that after receiving a texture for the moon in Grand Theft Auto 3, he ensured that it had a respectable size and could be seen at night. However, he was then contacted by several rock stars who wanted to alter the moon’s size. They weren’t sure what size they wanted, though; some wanted a larger moon for dramatic effect, while others wanted it smaller to seem more realistic.
Since I was working on the sniper rifle, I made it so that the moon toggled through 3 sizes (small, medium, large) as the player sniped it. The artists never got back to me so I just left it in. It was still there in SA
Vermeij added, “The artists never got back to me so I just left it in,” and that it was included in both San Andreas and GTA 3. As the first instance of the moon altering size in the Grand Theft Auto series, GTA 3 is perhaps the most notorious occurrence;. However, the effect may have been somewhat mitigated by the shifting lunar phases in San Andreas.
Vermeij’s Revelation: The Untold Story Behind the Moon’s Phases in Grand Theft Auto
In a reply to a Twitter user, Vermeij clarifies that he is not to blame for the moon’s many phases in San Andreas. The developer also discloses in a separate tweet that, for some reason, the three moon settings were retained in the Definitive Editions of Grand Theft Auto 3 and San Andreas. Perhaps there was a Rockstar employee who wished to maintain the functionality.
Vermeij’s solution was to alter the moon’s size so that the artists could choose which one they thought looked the best by firing sniper rifles at it. Finally, Vermeij decided to keep the moon in its original size, solidifying its status as a legendary Easter egg in Grand Theft Auto history, as the artists who had requested that it be altered never responded.
