"Ghost Tower" remained a myth in GTA Vice City for a long time, until players came to the conclusion that the mysterious building on the horizon was simply a texture of the tower of the Fort Baxter airbase. But recently, fans of the series found out what its original purpose was. The object earned its mythical status due to its unusual ability to disappear as soon as the player approaches the building. At the same time, it is clearly visible on the horizon.
Recently, gamers finally solved the mystery of the tower. It turns out that it belonged to the control building of the Escobar International Airport before this section of the map was replaced with Fort Baxter Air Force Base. We found this out by comparing the model of the “Ghost Tower” and the control tower of Francis Airport from GTA 3, parts of which the developers reused in GTA: Vice City to create the air harbor building. Fans were also able to restore the textures, showing what the building could have looked like in the end.
It also became clear why she disappeared when approaching. The tower belongs to the LOD model of the mainland of Vice City, the map of which is loaded when crossing the border of neighboring zones. Since the tower texture was not made or cut out for a fully detailed map, it disappears. Most likely, the developers forgot to remove the “remnants” of the airport from the unloaded version of the map. In addition to the tower, you can also see the runway there.
Recently, the developer of GTA 3 spoke about the canceled multiplayer in the game.