San Andreas Multiplayer (SAMP) is a multiplayer modification for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on Windows that is both free and closed-source.
The SAMP team, consisting of two lead programmers with nicknames Kye and spookie, developed the project voluntarily. SAMP’s development generated considerable interest among fans of the GTA series. The developers opened their forum in April 2006 after the section on the GTAForums became insufficient. The development became a full-fledged multiplayer at the end of March, followed by three public beta tests in April-May, leading to the release of version 0.1b, with numerous bugs that an update addressed a few days later. The developers disappeared for a while after that, but they announced in a blog post in late June that they were still working on the project, showing several screenshots with the ability to add objects to the map. There were rumors that version 0.1c would be released soon, but no new information was available until September.
You can try playing San Andreas Multiplayer yourself. This SAMP server list includes all the available servers that are currently running the SAMP modification, along with information about the server’s location, player count, game mode, and more. You can filter the servers by various criteria, such as country, game mode, or server type, and join the one that suits you best. Whether you’re looking for a role-playing, racing, or deathmatch server, you’re sure to find one that matches your preferences. Thanks to the flexibility and ease of use of the SAMP modification, there are countless servers available, each offering a unique gaming experience.
SAMP allows any user with some programming knowledge to develop their own game modes and filter scripts using the integrated Pawn scripting engine. Several free-to-play game modes, including large RPG/MMORPG/DRIFT modes such as PEN1:LS, The Godfather, or GTO, are available at the moment. PAWN allows users to create entire missions within the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game world. Each game mode or filter script is used by the server as a separate file. The server can launch only one game mode and up to 16 filter scripts at any time. The game mode typically handles the primary gameplay functions, while filter scripts are responsible for third-party server functions that can be enabled/disabled at any time without affecting the gameplay. However, it’s possible to transfer all functionality to a mode or vice versa. The server scripting API contains both active functions that run at a specific moment and event hooks that run automatically on certain events, such as connecting a player to the server, starting/stopping a mode, etc.
The standard server package includes several simple modes and filter scripts that demonstrate the use of the primary multiplayer functions. Many modes now commonly used are modifications of the standard modes to varying degrees. Game commands are set by the mode script and are used to make the game easier, starting with the slash (/) symbol. For example: /kill (suicide), /stats (statistics), /help (help). Each mode has its commands, including commands for teleportation, help, and other actions (starting a race, creating a marker, administrator commands, etc.).
