The City of Carcer, commonly known as Carcer City or simply Carcer, is a major city in the United States mentioned in the 3D Universe of the Grand Theft Auto series, featured as the main setting of Manhunt.
The city is said to be located in the heartland, the Rust Belt area of the United States of America, and near Liberty City[4]; however, it is not confirmed if it is located in the same state.
The city's motto is "This is what the heartland is all about".
Description[]
Carcer City is the setting of Manhunt, a Rockstar North game which features mass murderer/vigilante James Earl Cash as its protagonist. Carcer City is a decayed and crime-ridden city located in close proximity to Liberty City. It is depicted as having a dysfunctional and corrupt police force and large swathes of neglected and abandoned neighborhoods that have become overrun by violent gangs.
Being an extreme caricature of a Rust Belt city, Carcer City appears to have taken inspiration from Detroit and Flint, Michigan; Camden, New Jersey; East St. Louis with Chicago, Illinois; and Gary, Indiana. It is implied that Carcer City was a booming industrial center in its past, with steelworking as a major industry, before it became crippled by crime and depression. This shift seems to have happened by 1992, if not earlier.
A news segment from Grand Theft Auto III describes Carcer City as being "nearby" Liberty City, and briefly mentions Carcer City police chief Gary Schaffer, a character from Manhunt.
In Manhunt, one of the gameplay segments takes place in a subway system, which is very unusual for a city located in the Rust Belt region — the only cities from this area that have significant subway systems are Chicago and Philadelphia, although Cleveland and Cincinnati also have smaller subway systems, with Cincinnati's never having been completed. Additionally, the Darkwoods Penitentiary with its psychiatric hospital seen in Manhunt are architecturally very similar to the Eastern State Penitentiary located in Philadelphia.
The black-and-white color scheme of the police vehicles used by the city's police is commonly found in many American cities; however, among the aforementioned cities from the Rust Belt region, it bears the most similarities with the colors used by the Cleveland Police from the 1980s until the 2010s.
References are made to Carcer City in the Grand Theft Auto series, and GTA car models and prominent businesses (i.e. 24/7, Sprunk, Tarbrush Café, Maibatsu Corporation) are seen in the Manhunt games, confirming that Carcer City exists within the same continuity as GTA, with the events of Manhunt being set in the 3D Universe timeline. A few characters from the 3D Universe, including BJ Smith and Phil Cassidy, are also mentioned by the gangs of Carcer City.
Carcer City is also mentioned to exist in the HD Universe as an alternative universe version of the city not related to the Manhunt setting.
Geography[]
Although it is not specified where on the east coast it could be, it is presumed to be near Liberty City. A news segment from Grand Theft Auto III describes Carcer City as being "nearby" Liberty City. However, a radio advertisement from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas encouraging visits to the city states that Carcer City is located in "the Heartland", which contradicts with it being located nearby Liberty City, as Liberty City is located on the East Coast of the United States.
The same radio advertisement from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas mentions a polluted river located in the city that catches on fire, a reference to the Cuyahoga River. The terrain is mostly flat aside from surrounding hills that house the wealthier neighborhoods. Not much else is known or revealed about the environment in Carcer City.
One of the stations mentioned on the subway map in Manhunt is called "Rocksnorth Bay", which implies that Carcer City is located on a major body of water, similarly to the Rust Belt cities being located near the Great Lakes of North America.
Etymology[]
"Carcer" likely derives from the Latin word carcere, meaning "prison", which was also the name of a prison in Rome in the ancient Roman empire. This is the source of terms like "incarcerate" (meaning "to imprison"), and "carceral state", a state modeled on a prison.
"Carcer" is one of the seven figures of Western Geomancy. It is the figurative outline of an enclosure or prison cell, and presumably also derives from the Latin carcere.
Residents[]
- James Earl Cash - The protagonist of Manhunt, he is a violent criminal and death row inmate who was given a second chance at life in order to star in a snuff film centered around his brutal slaying of Carcer's gangs. He was apprehended for an unknown crime while in Carcer City and held in the deserted Darkwoods Penitentiary under the pretense of being on death row. In reality, he was hand-picked by a powerful snuff movie ring that allowed him to live as long as he took a leading role in one of their films.
- Lionel Starkweather - A powerful and wealthy snuff porn director and Vinewood reject with many underground financial backers. He profited from Carcer City's decline by completely buying off its police force and government who, in turn, allowed him to transform the city into a playground for his sadistic movies and projects. Most of Carcer City's gangs appear to be on his payroll.
- Gary Schaffer - The corrupt chief of the Carcer City Police Department, who was bribed by Starkweather into letting him use multiple locations in the city as the setting of his snuff movies. He was first mentioned in a Grand Theft Auto III news report on Lips 106 as being cleared of charges of corruption, an event that occurs before the events of the Manhunt storyline.
- Piggsy - A man driven insane by Lionel Starkweather who has starred in many of his snuff movies.
- Ken - A man who calls in to Electron Zone on LCFR and complains about his internet connection, reveals he has downloaded pornography, and says he was visited by the FBI several times.
- Geraldine - A patriotic woman who calls in to The Wild Traveler on WCTR. She questions why anyone would travel to other countries, mentioning how there is war, famine, depression, and pollution right on her doorstep.
- Brian Van Ginsberg - a member of the Epsilon Program.
- Marcel Crayon - a man who supports the Citizens United Negating Technology For Life and People's Safety.
- See Also: Individual gang members in Manhunt
Locations[]
Notable locations in Carcer City include:
- Wapona Hills: A wealthy residential enclave located in the outskirts of the city, it is home to Starkweather's sprawling estate.
- Carcer Zoo: A large, abandoned zoo that featured many exotic animals in its past. It became the hunting grounds of the sadistic paramilitary gang, the Wardogs.
- Darkwoods Penitentiary: A massive prison complex that featured an asylum for prisoners deemed too insane for the general population. The Penitentiary has become disused and overrun by its former inmates and asylum patients.
- Carcer Church: A deserted gothic church located in the East Los Albos district. It is connected to a graveyard and houses the base of operations for the satanic Innocentz gang.
- Carcer City Mall: A multiple-story shopping mall that appears to be either abandoned or under construction. It is considered to be turf of the Innocentz.
- Dentons City Junkyard: A massive scrapyard located in the industrial district of the city, it was taken over by a white supremacist gang. It features a magnetic crane and compactor along with many warehouses and piles of scrap metal.
- Carcer Point Station: A big subway and railway station. There are many freight carriages seen here and a train depot. It is a place where Carcer City Police Department and Carcer City SWAT patrol.
- Unnamed river: A river referred to as a "flaming river", only mentioned in a radio advertisement in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
- Unnamed airport: An airport, with the only known destination flights being to Los Santos International Airport. Its existence is only mentioned by the arrival board during In the Beginning in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Districts[]
Police Department[]
First mentioned in Grand Theft Auto III, the Carcer City Police Department plays a major role in the storyline as a group of hunters. The corrupt unit seen in-game is led by police chief Gary Schaffer, who is being bribed by film director Lionel Starkweather to use certain areas of the city as movie sets for his snuff films.
Shortly before the events of Manhunt, Schaffer enlisted some of his corrupt CCPD officers as actors for the snuff film ring while under Starkweather's payroll. They were featured as actors for the direct-to-tape snuff films CCPD Brutality Caught on Tape and In-Carcer-ation Blues, featuring real footage of police brutality.[5]
The police department also has its own Special Weapons and Tactics unit, who appear as hunters as well; however, there is no evidence of the SWAT unit being involved with the snuff film ring.
Carcer City Police Department officers patrolling the streets of Central.
A Police Cruiser of the Carcer City Police Deparment. (Rear quarter view)
A SWAT Van of the Carcer City Police Department. (Rear quarter view)
References to Carcer City in the 3D Universe[]
Grand Theft Auto III[]
- In a news segment on Lips 106 (after the song "Bump to the Music" by Fatamarse) Andee reports that "Carcer City police chief Gary Schaffer was cleared of corruption charges in a controversial decision by the courts". This suggests that the CCPD police chief has been corrupt for two or more years before the events of Manhunt, presumably accepting money from Starkweather. The same news segment mentions Carcer City as being "nearby" to Liberty City.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[]
- A mattress store has a poster that reads, "Joe's Beds: The Best Mattresses in Carcer" in Little Havana. The same sign can be found in the first mission of Manhunt.
- There is a store in Little Haiti called Ryton Aide. The same store can also be seen in Manhunt during the first scene of the game and in the opening movie. However, it cannot be entered.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas[]
A box of Morrice Ammunition
A box of Brian's Nails.
A series of "Carcer Gas!" propane tanks located around a trailer park in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
- In Ammu-Nation stores, ammunition used by James Earl Cash in Manhunt (like Morrice Ammunition and Brian's Nails) can be seen for sale.
- A radio advertisement for Carcer City makes references to steel mills being closed and "dining in the glow of the Flaming River". This mimics the real-life Steel crisis of the 70s and 80s, which cut up to 38% of steel jobs for the US and Europe, and directly converted the Steel Belt into the Rust Belt. Furthermore, many steel mills in the Midwest and Northeast closed during the 80s and early 90s, including those in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Detroit. The "Flaming River" is a clear reference to the "Burning River", a period in the 1970s where the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio was so polluted that it caught fire.
- There are blue propane tanks with "Carcer Gas!" printed on them, which can be found in certain trailer parks.
- The Carcer newspapers can be found inside some buildings, such as the Jefferson Motel and some police station interiors.
- A woman named Geraldine calls into The Wild Traveler show on WCTR, mentioning that she is from Carcer City.[6]
- When bumped into, some pedestrians say, "Hey! This isn't Carcer City, okay?"
- On the shores of Palomino Creek, north of Los Santos, around The Panopticon, and behind the Marco's Bistro in Liberty City, there are several large, wooden, spool-shaped objects with the almost-indistinguishable words "J Arthur Cable Company", a cable company from Carcer City.
- In Zero RC, there are action figures of the Manhunt characters James Earl Cash and Piggsy.
- After witnessing Carl Johnson kill somebody, some pedestrians may say "I'm moving to Carcer City".
- In the first cutscene at the airport, the arrivals board shows the flight "MH516" incoming from Carcer City. "MH" stands for Manhunt.
- Female pedestrians in the street can be overheard saying "I studied in Carcer City".
- The strip club dancer with a police outfit has the badge of the Carcer City Police Department on her cap and belt.
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]
- A man named Ken calls Electron Zone on LCFR and states that he is "calling from Carcer City."[7]
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories[]
- Various pedestrians claim to have previous occupations in Carcer City; some say, "I was a plumber in Carcer City!", and others say "I was a bank teller up Carcer before I retired".
Miscellaneous[]
- There are a few GTA vehicles seen in Carcer City in Manhunt. The Stallion makes a cameo appearance as a burnt out wreck, and the Virgo appears as a picture in Starkweather's mansion. The large police vans located throughout Manhunt, where the protagonist can pry open the back doors to find supplies, closely resemble the Boxville vans from the GTA III era games. The box trucks with lights beaming during some levels resemble the Yankee from the 3D Universe games. Hollowed-out, roofless, rusted shells of cars resembling the GTA III Idaho can be found widely around the junkyard in Manhunt, as well as being seen throughout the GTA III era. A version of the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City police cruiser except with black paint is also present.
Trivia[]
- In the early development build of Manhunt (v0.69), the original character models for The Smileys from the Darkwoods Penitentiary originally worn a prison jumpsuit bearing the name "Dolmen State Pen", an early name for Darkwoods Penitentiary.
- This may imply that the "Dolmen State" may have been also the name of the state where Carcer City is located. Regardless, this is scrapped material and not true to the final product.
See Also[]
- Carcer City (HD Universe) – HD Universe counterpart, mentioned since Grand Theft Auto IV.
- Cottonmouth – A Dixie city appearing as the setting of Manhunt 2.
