GTA Online, E&E, VI - Thoughts on the future

  • 2021-02-22

    2022-11-22

    Sebastian Sela

  • gta

    grand theft auto

    suggestions

    thoughts

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Wishes, thoughts, and tips on how the game can be improved for the new generation, and other random thoughts

  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Fixes and improvements
  • 3. Additions and suggestions
  • 4. Thoughts and speculation

1. Introduction

I’ve been playing GTA V and its online component on and off since the game was first released on 360, most of the time spent on the latter. Because of this, I believe I have a good understanding of what works well and what doesn’t work as well in the game, so I’ve been thinking.

With the upcoming release of GTA V on next gen consoles, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about it, wondering how it’ll be. As the difference between the original version and its remastered counterpart were few in the grand scheme of things (excluding all updates to GTAO), I think the new expanded and enhanced (E&E) version of the game will largely remain the same, especially since we’re closing in on the next installment of the series with every day that passes.

However, one can dream, and so here I’ve compiled most if not all of the thoughts, hopes, and wishes that I want implemented, fixed, or changed in one way or the other. Some may only apply to V / Online, and some may be wishes for the next GTA game. If any point is specifically meant for one game or service, it will be noted. These are listed in no particular order. At the end is also a list of random thoughts on various GTA-related things.

  • GTAO - Grand Theft Auto Online
  • E&E - Expanded & Enhanced, referring to PS5/XSX versions of GTA V
  • SP - Single Player, a.k.a. Story Mode
  • LSC - Los Santos Customs
  • RDR - Red Dead Redemption
  • RDO - Red Dead Online
  • QoL - Quality of Life

2. Fixes & improvements

General improvements to the overall experience, such as bug fixes and QoL additions.

2.1 Ability to set default weapons (GTAO)

This refers to setting which weapon will show up by default for each slot in the weapon wheel. There is technically already a way to do this: For each slot on the weapon wheel, select your weapon of choice in SP, then quick save. The selected weapons will then be the default on your weapon wheel in GTAO. However, GTAO has weapons that SP doesn’t, and the Mk II versions of weapons available in SP are treated as new weapons and can therefore not be used to set Mk II versions, meaning the choices for default weapons are limited.

In RDO, you can choose which weapon to switch to when using quick-select. Implementing a system similar to this to instead select the default weapon for each of the slots in GTAO’s weapon wheel would probably solve this.

2.2 Add all vehicles’ spawnable modifications to their customization options

Patriot’s bullbar and six rooflights. Phoenix without a spoiler. Infernus with the spoiler it can spawn with. The various items on the Sadler. The list goes on. These modifications can be on vehicles as they spawn in traffic, but can’t be manually put on by the player, some even disappearing as you customize a vehicle that has them. Please add them to the list of available modifications.

2.3 Improve on-foot gameplay (GTAO)

After having played RDO, I can safely say it has much better on-foot gameplay than GTAO. It’s faster, more responsive, and you can crouch, plus it’s easier to rotate your character. I would like for these improvements to be added to GTAO to lessen some of the frustration one might get when e.g. trying to sit at the computer in any property. Just doing what RDO did compared to its SP compartment (speeding up all animations) would likely greatly improve the experience.

2.4 Balance first person/third-person perspectives

Playing in first person has so many advantages over third person: Always at least jogging, less animation based movement (which leads to faster/easier movement), tap to sprint instead of hold (with left stick for sprinting). Some, if not all, of these advantages should be added to third person gameplay. This is essentially point 2.3.2, so just look at the point above for tips.

2.5 Fix the scoop of the Nightclub delivery vehicles

At the very least the Speedo Custom, but also the Mule Custom and Pounder Custom. As it stands, they're mostly in the way as they make the vehicles longer but will still make it behave as if it was a regular crash. I expected it to function similar to the Phantom Wedge or the Arena vehicles, albeit weaker, so the fact that it doesn't do anything at all is very disappointing.

2.6 Fix inconsistencies with various services (GTAO)

I’m referring to things like the Mechanic and e.g. the CEO Buzzard. The mechanic takes about 5 seconds to spawn the requested vehicle, while the CEO Buzzard spawns in an instant. Pegasus vehicle requests also cost $0, while Lester calling off the police costs FREE (at least after the Doomsday heist). Small inconsistencies that make you wonder.

2.7 Fix inconsistencies with various vehicles

This mostly has to do with helicopters. Example: Compare the Buzzard and the Sparrow. Both nimble, fast, and agile helicopters. The biggest difference between the two is that the Sparrow cannot land smoothly at all, as the landing skids are very stiff. Make them more flexible, as landing the Sparrow always feels dangerous. Other things include the customization items, as addressed in point 2.2.

2.8 Rebalance vehicles

This includes the vehicle’s class and/or its stats.

For classes: Some vehicles behave exceptionally well for its class, like the Itali GTO which probably should be moved to Supers. Some behave exceptionally poorly, like the Blista Compact which should be moved to Compacts (as its name implies).

For stats: it may just be me, but some of the DLC vehicles behave very artificially compared to others. For example the Virgo, it feels like it has unbelievably good traction and handling, especially for a Muscle car. Sort of feels like driving with a “perfect handling” cheat enabled.

2.9 Add more vehicle categories

The Sports category has over 70 vehicles in it. That's a bit much. The bottom of them can't compete with the top, and considering the huge difference in the amount of cars in each class it'd be nice to have some either moved or placed in entirely new categories. For instance, Sports Classics could probably be split into Sports Classics, Retro Sports, and Vintage Sports. An extension of the point above.

2.10 Add non-raceable cars to races

Deluxo, Ardent, Stromberg, Toreador, and so on. Mostly normal vehicles and not huge or weird ones like Rhino, APC, and Phantom Wedge. I both do and don’t understand why they aren’t raceable in normal races. Just disable any weapons, nitrous, jumps, hover/submersible modes and most of them should be fine.

2.11 Add DLC vehicles to traffic (GTAO)

The traffic has been the same since launch on PS3/360, with the exception of a few rare spawns such as the Panto. Why not add more variety by including later DLC vehicles, such as the ones found in SP or vehicles such as Cognoscenti, Faction, Jugular, Faggio Sport, or Club, in the rotation? There already exists measures in place to not store/sell cars found on the streets worth GTA$100,000+, so what's the harm? Personally I'd also like to see that bar raised to maybe GTA$200,000 considering how much newer cars cost, but that's not as important.

2.12 Improve the vehicle stores

Considering how many vehicles exist on e.g. Legendary Motorsport now, a slow scrolling website displayed in a three-per-row grid might not be the best alternative. They could also do with new sorting options, like vehicle class, manufacturer, or name, at least on Legendary Motorsport. It seems the old websites already had smaller icons so the scrolling wasn’t an issue, maybe revert somewhat?

Update: As of 2022's summer update, the stores have been made somewhat better. You can now filter on some websites to only display e.g. 2-door cars, but it's not as extensive as I would've hoped. Still, proof they know something needs to be done.

2.13 Display hidden stats

For vehicles, hidden stats like weight, weight distribution, or drag may or may not affect much, but as they do have an impact it would be nice to have the option to view them and even easily determinable things like AWD/FWD/RWD in game somehow, maybe by pressing a button in LSC to view "Advanced Stats".

2.14 Better sorting of clothing + other improvements

Look at RDO for inspiration, and by that I mean, basically copy it. Sort by layer first (e.g. Shirts, Coats, Hats), then model (e.g. Parkas, Sweaters, Fitted Suit Jackets), then color, with pictures instead of text (quicker, easier, and more detailed than text).

Also remove some of the clothing restrictions, such as you can’t wear a tank top with a jacket, or you can only have smart shoes with some Suit Pants. Only thing they do is limit your customization options.

If clipping is the issue: If it bothers someone, they won’t equip it. If it doesn’t, they get more customization options.

2.15 Improve passive mode (GTAO)

Passive mode works great, but it sucks that you can't interact with the world to the same degree. Take a look at RDO's Defensive mode for inspiration, or how it works with CEO’s and their Associates. A combination of them in some way would be good.

2.16 Show RGB/hex of vehicle color (Social Club)

I had a very good Crew Color that somehow got reset and I haven't found it since. Luckily I have a Sentinel with that color, and so I could go to Social Club and see its color there, right? Unfortunately not, as it simply says "Unique Color". I don't know how the site handles that information, but would it be hard to add the specifics of its RGB there? Alternatively, show RGB in game somehow, or allow one to see previous Crew Colors on Social Club.

2.17 Color slider for vehicles

While it's nice that we have so many color options to choose from, there could be more. The current vehicle colors are so varied yet so restricted. There are seemingly no color options between the vibrant Lime Green and the comparatively dark basic Green. Well, there’s Pea Green, but only for wheels for some reason. Adding an RGB system like what can be found when changing the Crew Color of a crew would give users many new choices. Maybe charge a premium for this option? In GTA$, of course.

2.18 Make rust removable

Some vehicles only exist as rusty variants, such as the Bodhi. While some may like the rusty aesthetics, some don’t (this includes me). As there already exist some clean vehicles that have liveries which make them appear rusty, why not allow rusty vehicles to be cleaned up?

2.19 Streamline vehicles (VI)

For Online, I can understand why some vehicles essentially get a clone. Time has been spent developing various modifications and such, and it'd be a shame for them to be distributed freely for vehicles people already own, vehicles such as the Faggio and Roosevelt. But for VI, vehicles such as Faggio Mod and Roosevelt Valor (or basically every Custom variant) have no real reason to exist, as they can easily be merged with the standard versions of each.

2.20 Add convertible functionality to more vehicles

Toggling whether a convertible's roof should be on or not is a mechanic that's been in the game since launch, yet few cars have it, even if they have the option to have a roof or not, such as Stallion and Peyote. I guess it’s logical for hardtops, and for soft tops my guess is that logically they can't have them as those cars may be older than the ability to change with a switch, but since when should that stop them when flying cars exist?

2.21 Fix mission markers for the Cayo Perico heist setup missions (GTAO)

With this I mean when you’re told to do something at a place but you’re too quick, you’re not allowed to progress for a little while. When you find the helmet during the Cutting Torch mission, a pop-up appears that makes you wait before you can pick it up. In the Fingerprint Scanner mission, if you barge into the first warehouse, you have to wait for Pavel to stop speaking before you can hack the laptop. Things like that.

2.22 Fix coronas not being enterable (GTAO)

There’s been a patch since I last experienced this, but when you’re doing e.g. Heist preps, or selling your Bunker or Nightclub stock, sometimes the game won’t trigger you arriving at the destination, leaving you unable to sell it and having to leave the server somehow, resulting in loss of stock and/or progress. It seems to be caused by Business Battles somehow, but I’ve even seen it happen when two people fly in the same plane to Cayo Perico to scope out, where one of them got to the island unable to scope anything, and the other remaining in Los Santos.

3. Additions and suggestions

Various suggestions on content that can be added, e.g. vehicles and customization.

3.1 Add more hairstyles

There is a decent amount of hairstyles as of Cayo Perico, but there haven't been any new additions for many updates, and since so many of the hairstyles are themed it'd be nice to have more "generic" ones.

3.2 Add a “GTA FM”

By this I mean a station composed of songs made exclusively for previous GTA games. As far as I understand it, a majority of the songs from the first 2 GTA games were created by someone at Rockstar, and there should therefore not be any licensing issues with them. There are songs from other games that could be added as well, such as 3 and Liberty City Stories.

3.3 Add Worn + other color types

My default color yellow Buffalo I found on the street looks very cool and it would be cool if I could paint other vehicles with that color, however it is unique. Therefore it would be neat if the color types that exist in game but not at LS Customs were added, such as matte + pearlescent.

3.4 Vehicle suggestions

Can't have a GTA wishes/improvements etc. post without suggesting some cars.

  • Kuruma Classic - I really liked the original Kuruma's design in GTA 3, so seeing it in HD would be nice
  • Sentinel 4-Door - With what would likely now be a variant of the Oracle, I loved the 3D-era iterations of the Sentinel. I'm a sucker for 4-door vehicles, so having a "true" Sentinel Classic would be a dream come true.
  • Savannah - This lowrider from GTA SA is another favorite of mine. A convertible with 4-doors, with the only other one being the Windsor Drop. So cool. Please stay faithful to the original design if added.
  • Regular ZR-380 - The Arena War ZR-380 is cool, but I prefer my cars to be basic and clean-looking, so a standard version of it would be great.
  • Freeway - I can't believe GTA Online has been active for over 7 years, yet it still doesn't have the original GTA chopper.
  • NRG 900 - The game could always do with more bikes similar to the Bati.
  • Vincent - A car I really liked in IV and would happily buy if added to Online.
  • Turismo - The standard one from IV. Was a nice car in that game, would probably be nice here as well, plus we don’t have many cars of that style (can only think of F620)
  • Huntley Sport - Similar to the older Baller, yes, but still cool and unique.

3.5 Update idea - Roman's Taxi Service

Roman has grown tired of Liberty City, and so he and Mallorie move to Los Santos to start a new branch of his taxi company.

  • Customize your taxi company
    • Is your company for the rich or for the poor? Select the taxi vehicles you want, from regular Esperantos, to 3D-era style Cabbies, to luxurious Super Diamonds, or why not be a limousine company with Stretch E's? (Mostly a cosmetic change, doesn't alter what missions you can do)
    • Set your own fare prices. Set it to low for short fares but small rewards, or set it to high for long fares but higher rewards.
  • Participate in two different mission types - Regular and VIP
    • Regular - Pick up NPCs from the street and take them to their destination. No fuss, no worries. The reward isn't the best, but in exchange it can be done while in Passive Mode.
    • VIP - More mission-like, maybe similar to Lazlow's VIP missions at the Nightclub.
    • There’s also the possibility of a freemode event - a VIP target needs a ride, whoever delivers them gets a big cash bonus.
  • Rise through the ranks. You are more of a worker than a CEO, as you simply invest in Roman's pitch, rather than purchasing it for yourself. By completing taxi jobs, you gain points similar to Arena War, after which you unlock various rewards. Unsure if I want a rank system here myself, but it's an idea.

3.6 Update idea - Throwback Tour

It’s currently 2021, GTA 3’s 20th anniversary, the series’ as-it-is-now-anniversary. I’ve read that there’s about 700 vehicles currently in GTAO, about 500 of which are completely new, meaning roughly 200 are ones from previous games. With how many vehicles there have been in the previous games that haven’t made it to GTAO yet, I’d like to have an update which focuses on bringing existing car names to the game. Whether they’re taken straight from IV or reimagined from their appearance in the 2D or 3D universe. Maybe start with 1 vehicle from each of the games prior to V/Online, I dunno. Some suggestions:

  • Original: Regal
  • London ‘69: Raver
  • London ‘61: Ferocious 312
  • GTA 2: Jefferson
  • GTA III: Idaho
  • Vice City: Oceanic
  • San Andreas: Vortex Hovercraft
  • LCS: Hellenbach GT
  • VCS: Polaris V8
  • GTA IV: PMP 600
  • TLAD: Revenant
  • TBOGT: Floater

To be honest, other than that I don’t really have any ideas. This could be an update similar to Los Santos Summer Special in that it was mostly vehicles. Maybe bring Rampages to GTAO somehow?

Update: It's currently late 2022, GTA as a series' 25th anniversary. The winter update is soon upon us, but what will it bring? Rumors suggest making your own music á la Beaterator, but we'll see.

4. Thoughts and speculation

  • What if some of the vehicles released for GTAO were cars designed for GTA VI, but added to GTAO as sort of a preview?
    • What if e.g. Dominator GTX, Gauntlet Hellfire, or Landstalker XL will be the default versions of those names in VI?
  • Could E&E mean that some of the planned DLC for the Story Mode could return in some form? I know it’s been stated that The Doomsday Heist was supposed to be for SP.
  • I’ve been wondering what new gameplay things have been added to GTAO post-launch, so here’s a list of things I can think of:
    • 3-wheeled vehicles
    • Open-Wheel class
    • Spoilers add traction
    • Various advanced handling flags (downforce, bounciness, anti-curb boost)
    • Hydraulics
    • Jetpack
    • Karts
    • Hybrids (flying car/bike, sub/car, floating plane/heli/car)
    • Muscle car wheelies
    • Various vehicle upgrades (jump, boosts, armor, glide, scoops, various weapons)
    • Dancing
    • Arcade games
    • Peyote plants
    • Casino
    • Stunt races
    • RC vehicles
    • Stealth helicopters
  • Connections between GTA and Red Dead:
    • Navy Revolver, Stone Hatchet and Double-Action Revolver are weapons in both games.
    • Madam Nazar is a character in RDO, but also appears as the mascot for the arcade cabinet. Fictional creation or real-life inspiration? (from the perspective of the GTA world)
    • Various photos in El Rubio’s compound are taken from Red Dead.
    • John Marston as GTAO protagonists’ potential relative.
  • Not really GTA, but what if Mexico isn’t in RDR2 is because of the rumored RDR1 remake? What if part of the reason they split RDO and RDR2 SP was to implement a system where you can buy SP as DLC so they could add RDR1 to that list? Release RDR1 remake as part of RDR2/RDO’s DLC list, add the map of Mexico to RDO. People wanting to play RDR1 get to do that, and RDO gets a boost with a new region.
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