How reVC & the New Browser Vice City Expose Traffic & NPC AI — Build GTA6‑Ready Route Control Strategies (GTA6)

What just happened (24‑hour recap)

Why engine visibility matters for GTA6 players

Seeing function names and spawn lists (e.g., CCarCtrl::PickNextNodeToChaseCar, CCarCtrl::ReconsiderRoute, vehCurrentVariations arrays) gives us repeating, observable mechanics: how cars pick nodes, how many model variants populate a zone, and where the engine will retarget routes when blocked. Those are the exact levers you can exploit in mission routing, ambush placement, and getaway planning. ^[4]

Core findings you can use right now

1) Vehicle spawn pools are zone‑based and predictable

Community dumps of decompiled data show per‑zone vehicle variation lists (zones often list 10–40 model IDs). That means: once you learn a zone’s top 8–12 models, you can plan which vehicles will arrive during a chase and what handling to expect. Use light‑turn obstacles to funnel traffic into the most advantageous model type for you (e.g., corral into slow trucks). ^[5]

2) AI pathfinding uses discrete node selection & frequent route reconsideration

Functions like PickNextNodeToChaseCar and ReconsiderRoute imply the AI recalculates routes often and will choose alternate nodes when blocked — but it prefers the “closest valid” node, not globally optimal paths. That creates repeatable chokepoints: block one node (shoot a tire or park a stalled car) and AI cars will U‑turn or pick a nearby node, creating jams you can predict. ^[6]

3) Pedestrian flow adapts to obstacles but is density‑limited

Peds will path around players and obstructions, but each zone has a cap on active peds. If you reduce vehicle flow or create visible hazards, you drop local ped pressure — useful for stealth pickups or quick civilian‑safe snipes. Test this by spawning/clearing traffic in the browser demo for measurable results. ^[7]

Practical example — Getaway Route Control (step‑by‑step)

Weapon & build recommendations (data‑driven)

Below is a short, practical reference using original Vice City base stats (use these as analogs for GTA6 — expect higher fidelity in weapon multipliers there). Numbers are from canonical fan databases and community tests; use for relative comparisons (stopping power, rate of fire, range). ^[13]

Community discoveries to replicate (quick tests)

• Spawn variation check: Drive a full loop of a given zone and record the top 12 models you encounter — that list will repeat across runs. Use this to pick which vehicle to target for tire shots to maximize jams. (Community Reddit runs confirmed repeatability.) ^[20]
• Node choke test: Place a stalled car at a node and time how long nearby AI takes to re‑route; results in the demo averaged ~0.8–1.4s before local cars performed a U‑turn. Repeatable across hardware. ^[21]
• Traffic density vs FPS: Browser demo users reported framegen/frame‑drop artifacts at low framerates; use this to your advantage by testing high‑density scenarios at different FPS to see how CPU‑bound pathfinding changes behavior. ^[22]

Pricing & access (what to buy / where to test)

• Steam: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition is on Steam; current discounted sale price observed around $19.79 (67% off) in mid‑December 2025 — useful if you want the official modern release for more accurate analog testing. ^[23]
• Browser demo: the Dos Zone browser demo is a quick way to run repeated traffic/AI experiments without install; demo uses ~56MB for the initial loader but requires original files past the first checkpoint. Use it for quick, repeatable tests. ^[24]
• ReVC / code mirrors: reVC sources and mirrors (and community mirrors) expose function names and model lists; these are legal grey areas but are the reason we can see exact AI function names and spawn lists. Use responsibly for understanding mechanics (not for distributing assets). ^[25]

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Assuming AI is globally optimal — it is not. Avoid long, sweeping block strategies; prefer short, local node manipulation (shoot tires, temporary stalls). ^[27]
• Overfocusing on one choke — AI often has 2–3 quick alternate nodes; force at least two adjacent nodes to fail to create reliable bunching. ^[28]
• Using high‑lag test environments to validate timing. Run experiments at stable FPS (60+) to get reliable route‑reconsideration timings. Community demo reports show frame‑rate artifacts below 30fps. ^[29]

Quick checklist to train for GTA6 using today’s tools

• Run the Dos Zone browser demo loop and record vehicle models by zone (5 runs per zone). ^[30]
• Use reVC code or community function dumps to identify the node names you can target (e.g., nodes near intersections and ramps). ^[31]
• Practice the 3‑node choke (stall + soft block + incendiary) until your slip‑through timing is repeatable in under 2 minutes. ^[32]

Community Discovery: players in Reddit’s PC and Vice City subs reported that once the browser demo went viral, the demo was rate limited and later required original game files to continue past the first story checkpoint — but that short window was enough for consistent AI/pathfinding experiments. Reproduce their short tests to build a catalog of node timings. ^[33]

Summary & next steps

Sources: Dos Zone browser playable demo reporting (Windows Central), reVC/re3 community and restoration reporting (PC Gamer, TorrentFreak, NME), multiple Reddit community tests and logs, vehicle/ped variation dumps and function names from community reverse engineering threads, and fan weapon stat databases (GTABase, GTAVice). Specific references: ^[38]