Crime Spree!

[Deffpony]

The most commonly voiced concern with GTA IV is the lack of things to do. But this is more so evident when you are on a crime spree.

 

Any avid GTA player has at one time or another created self challenges in the form of crime sprees. But in GTA IV there wasnt much variety in criminal activities or scenerios, This lead the player to eventually feeling like he is just driving in circles shooting an endless barrage of cops with no self goal or in game goal. Yea it is still fun, but after all the GTA's that have been released I think we have evolved past that.

 

GTA is a game about crime... duh. So there should be alot of crazy paths and outcomes when the protagonist develops a wanted level. There are alot of things that GTA IV left behind from previous installments that were pivotal to the thrill of crime associated with GTA. Well I, like most of you, hope and expect GTA V to be the culmination of all the good of the previous titles, while taking the franchise to new places.

 

In order to establish how crime sprees can be most enticing in GTA V we need to look at previous GTA's and recognize the great moments that each title created. However we should split this into categories that effectively inhibit maximun crime spree potential. These categories are as follows.

• Strategic Interiors
• Goal Oriented Tasks
• Arbitrary Tasks

 

Strategic Interiors

 

This one is fairly simple. As we can see GTA V will be the most diverse in terms of setting. But its important that these settings still allow for some extra criminal activity. One of my fondest memories is driving a dirtbike through the mall in Vice City killing everyone in sight. A mall in GTA is a MUST have IMO and with the rudimentary detail of Vice City it was a blast, so imagine how much fun it would be at today's standards.

 

 

 

Another fun thing to do in VC was leading the police back to your mansion. Not only did it create that classic scarface atmosphere of you against the world, but it was also useful. In the mansion there was plenty of cover and you even had a stash of weapons, armor, and a chopper to escape with. This is the best example of a SAFE house. I know property purchasing is out of V but a proper safe house is a must.

 

 

 

Business interiors are also a great source of carnage. Whether its a strip club, a burger shot, a night club or a full blown casino, like the mall, these places can be a great source of criminal role playing. Being held down inside the Cluck'n Bell in IV was a blast. The nightclub in VC was always a favorite location for massacres. And the Casino in SA was fairly large, and provided with plenty of space for rampages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goal Oriented Tasks

 

 

Now, crime is fun no matter what the motive, but that doesnt mean that there shouldnt be any goals or accomplishments along the way. Most GTA players will make tasks to do during their spree. They will try to complete their task and then lose their wanted level. Vice City had the amazing store robbery feature that was just as fun as it was useful. Here is a video of someone robbing every store in the game.

 

 

 

GTA IV had home robberies that were set up as missions. Would it be possible to make this system more free roam oriented so that you could run into someone's home and rob them at gun point while the police are chasing you? Trailer one showed a house with a clearly open window.

 

 

Heres SA's robbery system

 

 

 

 

Arbitrary Tasks

 

 

 

Some players like to create arbitrary challenges for themselves during wanted sprees. A popular one is to complete all the stunt jump challenge in San Andreas or IV with a 6 star wanted level in the same vehicle. While this isnt THAT Arbitrary, the stunt jumps are kind of a random thing to do during a spree, and arent really criminal related.

 

 

 

Another is to travel from one side of SA to the other with 6 stars

 

 

 

And in IV alot of people enjoyed setting up a road block on the bridge with a bus, gaining 6 stars, and then escaping.

 

 

 

A classic gameplay feature of GTA is the rampage missions. This is also less arbitrary then some, but a meaningless killing spree is hard to constitute in game, and since its absence GTA players have been trying to recreate these missions themselves.

 

 

 

 

Implementation

 

 

Some of these things are easier implemented than others. If rockstar ensures that there are plenty of interior locations we are garuanteed to have that much more fun when we are wanted. But its also important that you can do criminal activities during these sprees as well. Store and home robberies are a must IMO, and the would add a great deal the the crime spree potential. Rampages need to return as well. While they may seem unrealistic Im sure there is a way to implement them realistically.

 

The easiest way I see this implemented is through either a set of side missions or trophies/achievements.

 

The missions can be simply put, like rob every store in Los Santos. But who would give you these missions? My idea is the most simplistic method to make this happen. Here is a concept.

 

In a shack in the desert you come across what appears to be a mad mans hideout. There are crazy pictures of plotted map points, hit lists, and conspiracies. In this shack you find a "To-Do List" and it has a whole set of crazy sprees this maniac has planned to do in Los Santos and surrounding. From that point on you are able to access the list and pick one of the tasks to do as a mission.

 

This makes it so Rockstar doesnt have to waste time with creating character models, and cut scenes, and animations, and voice work for whatever character would give you these missions. You just find them, and do them.

 

Another way to implement this is to just make the tasks achievements or trophies. If you do all the stunt jumps with a 6 star wanted level you get a trophy.

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

Having more potential for crimes sprees is probably my No 1 priority for V. Players should be able to dynamically create their own crime sprees with a variant in locations and crimes. They should be able to do these on there own for trophies, or even through missions to get that much desired 100%.

 

[Peregrin Brandytook]

omg i just noticed that house in gta 5 with the open window is ryders house

 

 

Removed unnecessary massive quote - Kirsty

Edited January 14, 2013 by Kirsty

[GTA-King]

Great topic man! +Respect

 

It's tradition for me to go on killing sprees in every GTA. Have to admit, it felt weird doing it as morally challenged characters (Like Vic, or Niko), so I'm glad we will get to play as a psycho in V so we don't have to justify our actions.... as the character of course. But for other criminal sprees, it would be cool to go on a string of robberies... like as Trevor robbing 24/7's or something. That would be pretty fun.

[Deffpony]

Im really hoping that they integrate it into the 100% complete factor. Like I said they can be implemented fairly easily using little resources other than what they have already created. Anything to add to the game after the fact.

[GTA-King]

 

Im really hoping that they integrate it into the 100% complete factor. Like I said they can be implemented fairly easily using little resources other than what they have already created. Anything to add to the game after the fact.

Yeah, I think store robberies need to make a comeback.

 

 

Edited January 14, 2013 by GTA-King

[Peregrin Brandytook]

thats ryders house

Edited January 14, 2013 by gtafan899

[BUT THE BENZ]

No it's not

 

 

[meta187]

I'm all in on dynamic interiors and possibly additional stock ones as well. I really don't think we'll see it in this generations of consoles but I've said in the past that I feel the next big leap forward for Open World Games will be the significant increase of interiors. Nothing generic, or static, no backdrops. Everything, or a majority of things enterable whether they are relevant to the story or not. Skyrim's come the closest to that goal thus far but actually implementing this in a modern urban environment is going to be expensive and time consuming to say the least, all processing power concerns aside.

 

The fact that IV and San An didn't have a decent shopping mall like the North Point mall in Vice City really irked me. If they could make larger interior areas like this with opportunities for mayhem I'd certainly be willing to trade off on the smaller buildings not getting as much focus.

 

I made a formal and very poignant complaint about the lack of Night Clubs in my formal public review of IV after it's release and as if in direct answer to this eight months later they made The Ballad of Gay Tony. The places you can go to get up to no good need to seem fun and lively or dangerous and risky to seem compelling.

 

In regards to an actual crime spree, bringing back burglaries and armed robbery seems like a given. Rampages are a thing of the past because they don't fit this slightly more realistic world but there HAS to be a way to recreate a hectic scenario that allows you to do some slightly more ridiculous or violent things and be rewarded for it. Yusef Amir's missions in TLaD were a direct answer to that humor and chaos that we all craved from past games. Hopefully they'll create those same type of oppurtunities going forward.

[Deffpony]

I'm all in on dynamic interiors and possibly additional stock ones as well. I really don't think we'll see it in this generations of consoles but I've said in the past that I feel the next big leap forward for Open World Games will be the significant increase of interiors. Nothing generic, or static, no backdrops. Everything, or a majority of things enterable whether they are relevant to the story or not. Skyrim's come the closest to that goal thus far but actually implementing this in a modern urban environment is going to be expensive and time consuming to say the least, all processing power concerns aside.

 

The fact that IV and San An didn't have a decent shopping mall like the North Point mall in Vice City really irked me. If they could make larger interior areas like this with opportunities for mayhem I'd certainly be willing to trade off on the smaller buildings not getting as much focus.

 

I made a formal and very poignant complaint about the lack of Night Clubs in my formal public review of IV after it's release and as if in direct answer to this eight months later they made The Ballad of Gay Tony. The places you can go to get up to no good need to seem fun and lively or dangerous and risky to seem compelling.

 

In regards to an actual crime spree, bringing back burglaries and armed robbery seems like a given. Rampages are a thing of the past because they don't fit this slightly more realistic world but there HAS to be a way to recreate a hectic scenario that allows you to do some slightly more ridiculous or violent things and be rewarded for it. Yusef Amir's missions in TLaD were a direct answer to that humor and chaos that we all craved from past games. Hopefully they'll create those same type of oppurtunities going forward.

I think rampages can be brought back in a somewhat realistic manner. Like the example I gave, you can just find a crazy man's todo list and try to accomplish all his tasks.

 

I mean it will still fit the moral code of the game since we will all be doing rampages anyways

[ill-thoughts]

all GTA4 had to do was add the Mafiya Work, Turf War and Cops and Robbers mode to the single player....along with unlimited hitman missions. why were these things in the multiplayer but none of them made it into the single player??? GTA4 had the potential to be the GREATEST VIDEO GAME OF ALL TIME and for questionable reasons, it just lacked Everything important.

 

im GUESSING GTA5 will get back to what made San Andreas such a great game and combine the realism of 4 with the activities of SA.

[DeafMetal]

Very nice post man. I would also suggest adding more types of law enforcement (like the Army from III-era). For me, IV's law enforcement felt like it was just changing clothing as stars went up; there wasn't too much difficulty added unless the SWAT team flanked you which was pretty rare if you just kept moving. In SA or VC, though, as soon as you'd see that last star light up, you knew you were screwed.

[meta187]

 

In a shack in the desert you come across what appears to be a mad mans hideout. There are crazy pictures of plotted map points, hit lists, and conspiracies. In this shack you find a "To-Do List" and it has a whole set of crazy sprees this maniac has planned to do in Los Santos and surrounding. From that point on you are able to access the list and pick one of the tasks to do as a mission.

 

This makes it so Rockstar doesnt have to waste time with creating character models, and cut scenes, and animations, and voice work for whatever character would give you these missions. You just find them, and do them.

 

 

This sounds pretty similar to the missions James Wood's character agent Mike Toreno would hand out in San Andreas. Outlandish conspiracy theory stuff with a little alien technology and stealing military fighter jets thrown in for laughs.

 

I'm not sure how far out there the writers would want to take this kind of idea but it would be cool if you got these missions and did them througout the game not knowing who the "madman" was an upon completion of the final task there's this big reveal and the guy is a surprise cameo or not at all what you expected.

 

 

Another way to implement this is to just make the tasks achievements or trophies. If you do all the stunt jumps with a 6 star wanted level you get a trophy.

 

 

Honestly, this seems like the more practical approach.

 

No we won't take your psychotic killing spree and sociopathic tendencies as actual cannon in our main storyline as in anything halfway realistic you'd be seen as a national terrorist with no hope of a normal life but YES we will recognize those Rampage type actions with Achievements and Trophies. Seems like a reasonable compromise.

[Deffpony]

In a shack in the desert you come across what appears to be a mad mans hideout. There are crazy pictures of plotted map points, hit lists, and conspiracies. In this shack you find a "To-Do List" and it has a whole set of crazy sprees this maniac has planned to do in Los Santos and surrounding. From that point on you are able to access the list and pick one of the tasks to do as a mission.

 

This makes it so Rockstar doesnt have to waste time with creating character models, and cut scenes, and animations, and voice work for whatever character would give you these missions. You just find them, and do them.

 

 

This sounds pretty similar to the missions James Wood's character agent Mike Toreno would hand out in San Andreas. Outlandish conspiracy theory stuff with a little alien technology and stealing military fighter jets thrown in for laughs.

 

I'm not sure how far out there the writers would want to take this kind of idea but it would be cool if you got these missions and did them througout the game not knowing who the "madman" was an upon completion of the final task there's this big reveal and the guy is a surprise cameo or not at all what you expected.

 

 

Another way to implement this is to just make the tasks achievements or trophies. If you do all the stunt jumps with a 6 star wanted level you get a trophy.

 

 

Honestly, this seems like the more practical approach.

 

No we won't take your psychotic killing spree and sociopathic tendencies as actual cannon in our main storyline as in anything halfway realistic you'd be seen as a national terrorist with no hope of a normal life but YES we will recognize those Rampage type actions with Achievements and Trophies. Seems like a reasonable compromise.

Yea the trophies idea works better but some sprees aren't really capable of being streamlined like that and might require actual initiation

[Ferocious Banger]

Fantastic topic man!

 

The "crazy man in a shack" sounds brilliant as it wouldn't feel as "meaningless" as it did in Vice City.

 

..and yes, I'd LOVE a bustling North point-like mall in GTAV; it was sorely missed in Liberty City.

 

As for more crime, I'd like to have a Manhunt-esque gory and creative slaughtering crime spree in V, for a Trevor. In other words: a mash up of assassination missions from IV and the rampages from III era games with added psychotic flavor

Edited January 15, 2013 by Ferocious Banger

[AdvanceTrak RSC]

 

omg i just noticed that house in gta 5 with the open window is ryder

 

No sir

Edited January 15, 2013 by AdvanceTrak RSC

[epoxi]

Great topic. I am almost certain we will see a shopping mall considering the size of the map. Further to this in a random character encounter with Ivan (I think) in GTAIV in Alderny, Ivan says Alderny is more like the 'real America' to which Niko replies "I hear the real America is all strip malls and clinical obesity."

 

This is just minor dialogue and isn't likely to have a heavy influence on the game, but it illustrates that R* do have the strip mall and/or shopping mall in their field of view when it comes to their caricature of the modern USA.

[meta187]

Honestly, this seems like the more practical approach.

 

No we won't take your psychotic killing spree and sociopathic tendencies as actual cannon in our main storyline as in anything halfway realistic you'd be seen as a national terrorist with no hope of a normal life but YES we will recognize those Rampage type actions with Achievements and Trophies. Seems like a reasonable compromise.

Yea the trophies idea works better but some sprees aren't really capable of being streamlined like that and might require actual initiation

I think that's safe to say and with things like burglaries, Store robberies and even police chase insane stunt jumps there's certainly a platform for a formal initiation sequence because that's all within the characters range on what they might do but for the Rampage type of activities it would be very out of character for even a loose cannon like Trevor to walk into a crowded mall and start murdering large groups of innocent people at random as opposed to an actual enemy or someone he felt dissrespected him. He obviously doesn't seem to give a [email protected] but if the former were completely true he'd be dead or in jail already so we have to strike a balance on what the game is and isn't while keeping it fun and full of options.

[Andrewjr]

omg i just noticed that house in gta 5 with the open window is ryders house

 

 

Removed unnecessary massive quote - Kirsty

OMG I actually just realized this. This clearly is Ryders house

[PowerstrokeTurboDiesel]

omg i just noticed that house in gta 5 with the open window is ryders house

 

 

Removed unnecessary massive quote - Kirsty

OMG I actually just realized this. This clearly is Ryders house

as we have stated before no characters from the III era will return