Would GTA:IV be better on PC?

[Rakiesh]

Well would it? In my opinion I would have to say YES (emphatically), about 100 times better, and below you'll find my reasoning for this:

 

Let's start on the graphics, something that consoles will always be second rate to PC's in, without arguement. Yes the game looks 'good' in High Definition, but not 'great', and the reality is only about 2 in 10 people actually own a TV capable of HD, then of those who don't have a HD capable TV only about 1 in 8 could afford to buy one within the next six months or more considering the price of HD capable TV's and decoders. Not to mention my own PC is capable of HD Video and HD sound with a 7.1 Surround Sound environment and the whole thing only cost me $1500 to buy, build and get running, FAR less than it costs for a HD TV, surround system and PS3 combined. So essentially for about 80% of GTA:IV players the whole visual experience will be ruined by limited resolutions and the lack of clarity provided by HD. That doesn't make it unplayable but it does seriously impact upon the all the hard work R* has put into the graphics, so for those poor souls with only a standard TV they won't get much better graphics than what they had with San Andreas or even Vice City. When I blew up a bunch of cars and caused some havoc I had hoped it would do so smoothly, unfortunately the game slightly chugged through the biggest explosions and suffered drastically from massive ambience effects.

 

My next point is the semi-realism, while it's great to make the game more realistic in respect to vehicle physics and such the fact is there are so many 'little things' which seriously kill R*'s attempts at realism, simple things like water spray off tires while driving under bridges, where are the dry patches? That is simply unrealistic and I judge that based on 10 years of driving in the real world. Also the whole game seems to be considerably slower than real life, both on PS3 and Xbox360, whether this is by design or due to the reduced abilities of a console CPU it simply kills the realism factor. I have played the game extensively on both platforms and that part really quite annoyed me, knowing that when I run in Real life I can get a lot further in less time than I can in GTA:IV, not only that I can crank my simple 2002 Hyundai Elantra up to 100km/h in just over 12 seconds (not bad for a stock import), whereas cars in GTA:IV by comparison seem to be lumbering hulks that are unable to accelerate quickly, again this may be by design or due to limited CPU resources but either way it seriously dampens the fun you could have while driving, after all I can't speed like a bat out of hell in real life so I do so in computer games, hard to do it when the car barely goes faster than a crawl after 20 seconds or more of driving, even the 'fast' cars seem to have extremely limited acceleration rates and a horribly annoying tendency to wheel-spin at low revs. Another point is the over-emphasis on body roll, do any cars in GTA:IV actually have sports suspension or are they all fitted with longer springs and raised shocks to allow the car to tilt at unrealistic angles around corners and kill the ability to take a corner at high speed, even my Elantra doesn't have that much body roll and I've put it through its paces a few times, though not as much as I'd like. The increased realism is great but as I've always said "If you are going to do something, then do it right!" But then these things probably aren't possible on a console simply because of limited resources in disk space, processing power and graphic power.

 

The next point is police pursuit, and a number of things which have always annoyed me with GTA games, I have never known a police officer to break off pursuit of a vehicle simply because it has gone out of visual range, police procedure dictates they must report the vehicle registration number, make and if possible the model of the car back to dispatch, making it so if the vehicle is lost in pursuit it can be tracked down later, not only that Police tend to speed up if you try to get away, not cruise along and a rate slightly faster than normal traffic to let you simply drive in a straight line without hitting anything to get away, adding these things would make chases and getaways that much more real and in my opinion enjoyable, as you would need to ditch the car somewhere along the way if you wanted to get the cops off you for good. I'm not saying make it hellishly hard to get away, just make it so you need to turn down a few side streets at high speed then bail and leg it to a new mode of transportation. Another annoyance is the fact you automatically stop and put your hands up when a Policeman gets close, now seriously any criminal faced with a copper would simply try to attack before surrendering, this is shown on so many of those reality TV shows where you see a copper trying to catch someone, they very rarely give up unless they're seriously injured or their judgement is imparied by some other means. Maybe a batter idea would be an option to 'surrender and attempt bribing' if the officers get too close, grease a palm and off ya go, it fits with the GTA theme and again in my opinion would be a bit more fun than just standing there with ya hands up like a dumba**, especially after committing a veritable hoard of Vehicular crimes including hit and run, manslaughter and vehicular assault. The fact of the matter is these things probably aren't possible on a console because of extremely limited resources, both in the form of limited disk space and processing power.

 

It seems a lot of things that could improve gameplay and realism are simply not possible on a console due to limited resources, from additional gameplay features to stunningly realistic graphics, and let's face it a PC these days is capable of so much more in ALL these area's. The fact of the matter is that in the previous GTA releases it was 'all the little things' which added up to a great experience, the gameplay was the same but what was often considered a minor feature often made an activity a great thing as opposed to just a good thing. With a PC these 'little things' are easily possible, and in the end would give this game an incredible feel.

 

There are a number of other points I could add to this post but I believe they would probably over-lap with the points I have already made so I'll leave it at that.

 

Now don't get me wrong I am having fun playing GTA:IV, both single and multiplayer, but I believe I could have had 'an experience of a lifetime' if only the game had been made to its full potential and released as a PC game to begin with, instead we'll most likely recieve a simple "port" of the same game on PC with so much missing that a computer could handle. Personally I believe 'porting' games from console to PC should be anathema to ALL game developers and separate releases should be the highest priority, otherwise no console game ported to PC will EVER satisfy an audience. Then again since R* have made no reference to a PC release at all then we may not even recieve a half-done port, for that matter every day it looks more and more likely that R* will turn away from Quality simply for Quantity, much like most other companies in this world, making a profit instead of making an impact seems to me a simple waste of effort.

 

My summary: If you're going to do something, then do it right the first time.

 

 

 

I would appreciate other people's thoughts on this and I also request that you DO NOT FLAME FOR THE SAKE OF FLAMING! Flaming is plain immature, unless you have a point to make then don't bother posting in this thread.

 

 

 

Please note: My limited post count is due to the fact my posts are usually quite long and the GTA Forums seem horribly unstable, many of my posts have been lost due to the fact the forums have somehow died during the time I was making my post, leaving me irritated to the point of not bothering to repost. So no I'm not a troll, just someone with a lot to say and limited patience for faulty things.

Edited May 1, 2008 by Rakiesh

[lbcitezen]

dang you wrote all that, i say post this later everyone is busy playing gta 4 right now which iam about to as well

[Rakiesh]

I needed a break, my eyes were burning in their sockets...Besides that was only a 15 minute post...I have a hellish type-rate.

[Copilot]

I will for sure be buying it once it comes out for PC. I was a PC SA stunter and want to keep doing that on the PC. Frankly I hate console gaming, except for games where you play with friends. Like guitar hero and rockband. Those are fun on console to sit around with 3 other friends and play it in front of a big tv screen but not GTA. There is a such a good PC gaming community be it the multiplayer that was created for SA (SA:MP and MTA) or the stunting. There was also the great mods done to the game and the skins people created.

[Irrati0nal]

Although the controls system for 3RD person games on a PC are usually have done, i have a gampad so i'm set i just wanted to point that out. Yes GTA will always continue to live on the pc through mods and other content allowing R* to make money off the game for years to come, many of the problems that are faced by the console game today could be fixed, and it would be a better game for it. And let's face it there are MILLIONS of more pc gamers or enthusiasts than there are console gamers and most of them wouldn't go out of thier way to spend money on a console and everythign that goes with it just to play one game. Please Rockstar bring this game to PC.

[StanMarsh]

Well DUH. Of course it will be better if/when t comes to PC. The game is fine on the 360 and PS3, but just the pure modding chance makes the PC version more appealing.

[m0rgan]

People keep saying disk space was an issue but that's purely a load of crap. The 360 version was 6gb (a spare 2gb left over)... I don't know how much they didn't compress on the PS3 version to use up space but the Blueray disc is 25gb if they wanted to compress the same as the 360 disc then that's 19gb spare. Honestly disc space was not a problem but obviously other limiting factors such as the consoles themselves.

[smokeythedemon]

The better question would be... What console game wouldn't be better if it was released on the PC?

[V41N]

The game is never the same on console compared to pc. I absolutely despise not being able to control the camera on console, with a mouse this is fixed instantly. Not to mention the silly auto-aim crap. The only thing that is a downside on pc is the cheating factor. Though to me, rockstar didn't make their games nearly as fun as the community has. If they don't port it to pc they would be forfeiting a lot of cheap (cost of a port) income, and more focused fans. Without mods the community would wither and die, it's the customization which brings us all together. It seems to me that rockstar attempted to add some of the things which were missing for many of the mods ppl wanted to make, and if the port leaves plenty of room for additions we may be in for some serious creativity for years to come. If they don't port it, they will never get another cent from me...

 

Maybe it's just me, but I recall back when the original game was being modded and the community really was first forming. There was so much optimism and hope for what could be accomplished. With every port the vision has only become greater. If they don't port it, the game will die with the console and all those hopes and dreams will die with it. (sounds corny i know, but that's me as a gamer)

 

[Rakiesh]

 

I will for sure be buying it once it comes out for PC. I was a PC SA stunter and want to keep doing that on the PC. Frankly I hate console gaming, except for games where you play with friends. Like guitar hero and rockband. Those are fun on console to sit around with 3 other friends and play it in front of a big tv screen but not GTA. There is a such a good PC gaming community be it the multiplayer that was created for SA (SA:MP and MTA) or the stunting. There was also the great mods done to the game and the skins people created.

 

While I'm not so biased against consoles (I own an Xbox360 myself), I understand this view, the superiority of PC's itself is often enough to drive many people away from buying a console, especially these days when you can build a PC with HD capabilities for much less than setting up a console with the same HD abilities. Also you hit the nail on the head in relation to modding, it is the core of PC Gaming and although most Game Developers don't really endorse such things they would be foolish to deny that it extends a games shelf life, in some cases more than doubling it's period of sale, you can't get bored with a game if you can give it something new and fresh through a mod, and the ammount of PC owners makes this a thing which will never end, there will always be a fair number of modders and mod users, even many years after the games initial release.

 

 

Although the controls system for 3RD person games on a PC are usually have done, i have a gampad so i'm set i just wanted to point that out. Yes GTA will always continue to live on the pc through mods and other content allowing R* to make money off the game for years to come, many of the problems that are faced by the console game today could be fixed, and it would be a better game for it. And let's face it there are MILLIONS  of more pc gamers or enthusiasts than there are console gamers and most of them wouldn't go out of thier way to spend money on a console and everythign that goes with it just to play one game. Please Rockstar bring this game to PC.

 

I have to agree with the controller point, I really don't mind using the gamepad, sure a Mouse and keyboard make aiming easier and camera control more refined but in the end the gamepad is efficient in its design, enabling a person to play with a more easily handled set of controls, because not everyone has the co-ordination to use keyboard and mouse simultaneously...I remember from my Quake days exactly how hard it was to adapt to using a KB/M setup, took me a good month and I was quite young then with an increased learning capacity.

 

 

People keep saying disk space was an issue but that's purely a load of crap. The 360 version was 6gb (a spare 2gb left over)... I don't know how much they didn't compress on the PS3 version to use up space but the Blueray disc is 25gb if they wanted to compress the same as the 360 disc then that's 19gb spare. Honestly disc space was not a problem but obviously other limiting factors such as the consoles themselves.

 

I understand your point and would like to clarify what I said, my comment was in relation to Hard Drive capabilities, something which hasn't been fully explored or implemented in consoles, the ability to install data to a hard drive allows for MUCH faster transfer rates of data allowing more in-game processes to be running simultaneously, it also allows the ability to implement massive game patches which can fix bugs, create new experiences or simply enhance gameplay. While DVD's are a working media they simply aren't the best form of data storage because of a number of reasons, the first is that most DVD drives only spin at a maximum of 16X which is around an eighth of the speed of a PC SATA drive, also once written they are finalised meaning no further writing is possible, disallowing massive patching and modding, this in itself is half the problem behind consoles not being able to match a PC's performance. When a Hard Drive is utilised the potential for data transfer is massive and allows for smoother gameplay in most instances.

 

 

The better question would be... What console game wouldn't be better if it was released on the PC?

 

Yes, yes good point. Hehe

 

 

The game is never the same on console compared to pc. I absolutely despise not being able to control the camera on console, with a mouse this is fixed instantly. Not to mention the silly auto-aim crap. The only thing that is a downside on pc is the cheating factor. Though to me, rockstar didn't make their games nearly as fun as the community has. If they don't port it to pc they would be forfeiting a lot of cheap (cost of a port) income, and more focused fans. Without mods the community would wither and die, it's the customization which brings us all together. It seems to me that rockstar attempted to add some of the things which were missing for many of the mods ppl wanted to make, and if the port leaves plenty of room for additions we may be in for some serious creativity for years to come. If they don't port it, they will never get another cent from me...

 

Maybe it's just me, but I recall back when the original game was being modded and the community really was first forming. There was so much optimism and hope for what could be accomplished. With every port the vision has only become greater. If they don't port it, the game will die with the console and all those hopes and dreams will die with it. (sounds corny i know, but that's me as a gamer)

 

You make some good points there, although I don't place so much emphasis on the camera control I can thoroughly agree with the auto-aim feature, often it is cumbersome and slightly retarded, I have often shot the wrong thing on my Xbox simply because of the damn auto-aim selecting a 'closest target' instead of the target with the 'highest threat value', for example I've shot peds instead of shooting the guy next to them who's busy blowing me away with a shotgun, it's a source of infinite frustration during some missions.

 

I have to disaggree with the porting though, very strongly. I despise porting of console games to a PC because it speaks of a lack of care and consideration for the better platform, while users can mod the game to add some of the extra things it really shouldn't be necessary, complete 'builds' would be a much better idea simply because then things could be added at a retail level and it would save a lot of modders a lot of time so they can focus on bigger and better ideas than simply putting in what should be there to begin with, developers should really take advantage of the resources available to them. It would also allow refinement of controller systems and graphical interfaces, not to mention gameplay elements like more peds, something many people are annoyed about with GTA:IV is the lack of peds to give the streets a more realistic impression, especially in major area's like Plaza's and parks. A PC can do these things whereas a console can't so porting a console game to PC is simply limiting it's abilities and only doing a 'half-a**ed' job.

 

I can also remember the dawn of the GTA age and the enthusiasm shown by the community for its overwhelming mod potential, even simple mods like adding a Speedometer were considered awesome and worthy projects (Man I wish they would give us a speedo when in cars and for S**ts and giggles maybe a pedometer as well, lol). The majority of GTA gamers especially love the game because they can mod it later when they've finished it and desire something new, if R* were to turn their backs on such enthusiasm it speaks of an out of touch mentality that is concerned more about selling a few copies in a short period of time than creating a product which will sell for years and give gamers the enjoyment and will to continue playing, sure money is great, so a good idea would tot make a product which will keep selling for years instead of just another disposable console game that will dissappear in a couple of years when the next-gen consoles appear.

 

 

 

 

Thanks peeps for ya comments...Keep em comming...You never know the demand for a PC release along with idea's brought up here may actually find their ways into the R* development rooms and be strongly considered...We can live in hope

 

If a Rockstar staff person see's this thread then know that while I own GTA:IV on Xbox360 already I will not hesitate to PURCHASE it for PC when/if it is released, so pass that along the grape vine.

 

One last thing: DEATH TO SOFTWARE PIRATES WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR GAME DEVELOPERS NOT RELEASING PC GAMES!!!!!!! GET A DAMN JOB AND BUY THE THINGS!!! PIRATES ARE PARASITES!!!