Yearly VS 5 1/2 years

[brian.]

I get where T2 comes from when they say "GTA doesn't need to be a yearly title, it'll take the value out of it, make it stale" (I paraphrased, it's not exact words)

 

But the more I learn about this, the more I realize that while it may indeed be good not to release too many GTA's with too little change, I am sincerely worried this GTA is going to have too much change at one time to be appreciated fully.

 

Everything is different, everything is iterated - it's awesome, but will it truly feel like GTA? I'm sure it will... but will it feel like it's too different/too iterated/too changed?

 

1: Map is open from the start - no more reward for new places to explore, unless they somehow unlock things IN the map interiors, maybe there is something equally big as unlocking map sections, such as map locations - we'll see. But open from the start, okay. 1 big change. Not too much. Sounds cool.

 

2: Three protages - a list too long of worries, legitimate ones, but still, I think we all discussed most of what I'll mention in this thread's list, so I will be keeping it short, and another big change, MORE players, more "IV-like story intertwining" without having to buy DLC? Ok, that's new, but cool.

 

3: Now I am finding out the map is no longer top down on the radar, and has some transform applied to it to make it look more like a diagonal GPS. I am with the people who say "I hope I can just use classic top down radar" - because hey, what about tapping down for a wider view of the map? What about all kinds of things....

 

Why keep making the list bigger? The point of the topic is illustrated slightly enough that I can elaborate my point:

 

III to VC was one year. Not a lot of change, but fresh because of style/atmosphere/time/skin of the game - SA 2 years later was definitely enough change.

 

Now IV took 4 more years to be seen, and it was way beyond GTA III, and all the core mechanics from that game that were also in SA and VC, but lacked many things introduced to the series. And lost many things like true vigilante, paramedic, and fire missions, and so on.

 

Now, I am a big proponent for IV, saying it makes me happy because it is a natural evolution to Liberty City that I remember from III.

 

Now GTA V comes along, and it just looks like they spent WAY too much time iterating EVERYTHING when indeed, it may not have to release as often as cod, but it seems like it is changing so much it is going to really feel like a new experience.

 

I see they might want to be making it feel new, fresh, keep it relevant, but do it over the course of 5 or 6 years with 3 titles. Not one big plop of change 5 years after your last game. It's scaring me, to be honest. because no matter what: IF it is as different as it seems, no matter how good the game is, if it is THAT different, it's going to feel like it's not GTA anymore. Too much time iterating, not enough releases.

 

So I am worried that no matter how good the game is, no matter how fun the multiplayer, no matter how well received and critically acclaimed, are we going to end up feeling like "This is a great game, but GTA ain't GTA anymore. It's close, it's far advanced, it's new and fun and lots of similarities, but it just doesnt play through like GTA anymore"

 

What do you guys think? Is it the opposite of too-many-get-stale and now too-long-makes-it-too-different?

[MikeyBelic]

Chill. It'll be amazing.

[redx165]

 

I get where T2 comes from when they say "GTA doesn't need to be a yearly title, it'll take the value out of it, make it stale" (I paraphrased, it's not exact words)

 

But the more I learn about this, the more I realize that while it may indeed be good not to release too many GTA's with too little change, I am sincerely worried this GTA is going to have too much change at one time to be appreciated fully.

 

Everything is different, everything is iterated - it's awesome, but will it truly feel like GTA? I'm sure it will... but will it feel like it's too different/too iterated/too changed?

 

1: Map is open from the start - no more reward for new places to explore, unless they somehow unlock things IN the map interiors, maybe there is something equally big as unlocking map sections, such as map locations - we'll see. But open from the start, okay. 1 big change. Not too much. Sounds cool.

 

2: Three protages - a list too long of worries, legitimate ones, but still, I think we all discussed most of what I'll mention in this thread's list, so I will be keeping it short, and another big change, MORE players, more "IV-like story intertwining" without having to buy DLC? Ok, that's new, but cool.

 

3: Now I am finding out the map is no longer top down on the radar, and has some transform applied to it to make it look more like a diagonal GPS. I am with the people who say "I hope I can just use classic top down radar" - because hey, what about tapping down for a wider view of the map? What about all kinds of things....

 

Why keep making the list bigger? The point of the topic is illustrated slightly enough that I can elaborate my point:

 

III to VC was one year. Not a lot of change, but fresh because of style/atmosphere/time/skin of the game - SA 2 years later was definitely enough change.

 

Now IV took 4 more years to be seen, and it was way beyond GTA III, and all the core mechanics from that game that were also in SA and VC, but lacked many things introduced to the series. And lost many things like true vigilante, paramedic, and fire missions, and so on.

 

Now, I am a big proponent for IV, saying it makes me happy because it is a natural evolution to Liberty City that I remember from III.

 

Now GTA V comes along, and it just looks like they spent WAY too much time iterating EVERYTHING when indeed, it may not have to release as often as cod, but it seems like it is changing so much it is going to really feel like a new experience.

 

I see they might want to be making it feel new, fresh, keep it relevant, but do it over the course of 5 or 6 years with 3 titles. Not one big plop of change 5 years after your last game. It's scaring me, to be honest. because no matter what: IF it is as different as it seems, no matter how good the game is, if it is THAT different, it's going to feel like it's not GTA anymore. Too much time iterating, not enough releases.

 

So I am worried that no matter how good the game is, no matter how fun the multiplayer, no matter how well received and critically acclaimed, are we going to end up feeling like "This is a great game, but GTA ain't GTA anymore. It's close, it's far advanced, it's new and fun and lots of similarities, but it just doesnt play through like GTA anymore"

 

What do you guys think? Is it the opposite of too-many-get-stale and now too-long-makes-it-too-different?

I don't want a 1 year release and I don't like 5 1/2 releases too. I want one that takes about 3 1/2 years of making for them to release them. 5 1/2 years is way too long.

Edited May 12, 2013 by redx165

[Raavi]

Not happening, ever. Quality over Quantity, I rather have a master piece every 4/5 years than a mediocre GTA every other year. Rockstar has stated on multiple occasions they aren't going to release a GTA game more often. And if you think being innovative qualifies as "too much change" there's always COD for you to enjoy every single year.

[Mr.Arrow]

rockstar said that theywill release the game every 5 yearssand not anually

Edited May 12, 2013 by Cyberzone2

[Squishybubs]

I don't want a 1 year release and I don't like 5 1/2 releases too. I want one that takes about 3 1/2 years of making for them to release them. 5 1/2 years is way too long.

I wouldn't doubt if the one after V came out 3 1/2 years after. Everything since SA has been part of one linear improvement. IV was an unfinished game; the engine gave a vast improvement over SA in terms of graphics and physics, but it lacked a lot of features that Rockstar simply didn't have the time to implement. V will be the first game where they've started development with great knowledge of the engine and what they're capable of doing, as well as knowing what the players really want.

 

Honestly, it shouldn't take more than 4 years, even after the changes necessary for next-gen.

[Mr.Moffat]

People are way to cautious against change and get too stuck on ''tradition'' as an argument for not wanting certain aspects altered or changed. Yet COD is constanly thrown around left, right and centre as the 'perfect' example of a milked series that never changes and is the scapegoat for games that are always the same and never innovative, yet gta tries to shake things up a tad or modernise/streamline and people come in and start using the word 'tradition' as an excuse not to have things changed.

 

Just relax, and let R* make their game, 'Im almost certain that any worries people have will be quashed once the game comes out and prob realise that those changes they were so worried about weren't all that bad or 'life ruining' as some of the more melodramatic members like to proclaim ever chance they get.

 

I'd bet my left arm, that certain new features now that people are complaining about now, are the exact same features, that people will scream and petition for to return in gta6 if R* cuts them.

[73duster]

Rockstar knows what they're doing. You should be questioning the strategy of companies like Activision and EA sports.

Besides, there will be OTHER great games from Rockstar in between. I'm looking forward to the next RDR, and hoping that AGENT is still in the works.

Edited May 12, 2013 by 73duster

[Sgt. Foley]

I remember in NFS Most Wanted, the newer one, you had every car unlocked... BUT, there was a catch. You had to find them first in order to drive them.

 

I wouldn't mind if GTA V had a feature like this, it would be interesting.

[wwinterj]

 

What do you guys think? Is it the opposite of too-many-get-stale and now too-long-makes-it-too-different?

R* bring out a game every year more or less. Sure it isn't GTA very year but this is what makes me look forward to each release they have. You know you're going to get a quality product that will last you a long time because of all the things they have stuffed into it. It makes me appreciate there games more and they have earned by blind faith in them.

If we got a GTA every year it would become stale and get boring fast. There is no such thing as adding to much in any game.

[killahmatic]

I would never want a yearly game. Any game that only takes a year to make is most likely not worth the money. At the same time, I don't want to wait 5 years. I find that time frame ridiculous.

 

Ideally, 2.5-3 years would be good.

 

 

PS2's GTA's came out every other year, current gen GTA's took about 4-5 years.

I fear that the next gen will take 7-8 years.

[.dre.]

Vice City was released a year after GTA 3 and it was a good game, and San Andreas came out two years after (LCS a year after SA, VCS a year after LCS), so it is possible to make a good game yearly or at least every two years, but I can also understand that it can get stale after awhile. I say there should be a GTA every three years. That should be reasonable.

I think the main problem is that technology is getting harder and harder to use. It was easy with their old engine to make a GTA every year.

Edited May 12, 2013 by .dre.

[zainzombie]

No matter how different GTA games are from each other, they always give that GTA vibe that every GTA game has. V will be no different. It will just raise the bar.

[stobe187]

 

I fear that the next gen will take 7-8 years.

 

The next gen consoles are a LOT closer to PC rigs, so I believe that development will be easier all around.

 

 

Regarding big changes in GTA, some of those should've been in a loooooong time ago. I actually wrote an article for a gaming site we are workin on with my boys, but the recent info dump pretty much rendered that particular article obsolete. Funny thing is, pretty much all of it was dead on.

 

This was the article I wrote a couple of months ago:

 

 

"Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto series is one of the most awarded video game series in history. Multiple awards, almost universal praise and nearly 120 million units sold – but still lugging around annoying relics:

 

The weapon selection system is archaic, and there is no way around it. It's slow and cumbersome, and in desperate need of a revamp. If Rockstar has the balls (and they should) they will redo this whole section of the game.

 

Movement, and especially aiming will definitely need to be smoother and more dynamic. Taking a look at Read Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3 is quite reassuring, and I'm hoping for a very Max Payne-ish focus on gunplay fluidity, minus the whole shootdodge thing. Would love to be able to lie on the ground and still be able to continue shooting.

 

The movement and fluidity of the protagonist has to also improve, I don't want to see the main character jumping towards a fence and then suddenly reverting to a climbing animation mid-jump anymore..

 

Fix the damn "bug" of seeing almost exclusively similar rides to the one you are driving in..

 

A more flexible melee system. GTA IV had a very stilted and scripted melee combat system. Sleeping Dogs did it a lot better but still had its annoyances. More variation, less cumbersome. Maybe even have different fighting styles for all three protagonists?

 

All in all, I'd like to see much improved and "smarter" animations: in IV, if I shoot a driver through the windshield just a moment before he starts the animation to get out, he will get out and THEN fall down. The animations were way too rigid in some instances.

 

The driving physics in IV were a big step up from the train-like mechanics of old, and I hope they just refine that part of the game. I wish they don't go crazy on the realism because IV was a good balance between fun and weighty physics.

 

A smartphone that you could use to browse the silliness of the GTA internet.

 

All in all, I'd like to see them boldly take some relics out and streamline a couple more things but this being Rockstar, I am pretty sure that I'll love the game.

 

Can't wait."

 

 

 

Rockstar puts out brilliant games in addition to GTA, which is their crown jewel. It's only fitting that they take the time they need to make it shine!

[Just To Clarify]

I do want 5+ year gaps!

 

I mean every GTA game is so great and full of content that you can easily spend 5 years playing the game and still enjoying it.

 

Also Rockstar usually releases every year a new game - AN AMAZING GAME - they never ever released a game where I thought, hm, I don't like that. They always release amazing games, that also helps going through the 5+ year gap.

[MuXu96]

I just want that they use all the time the need, it's really hard to wait that long tho..

If GTA VI will come out in 10 years.. well that really would be weird.. but I guess I would stop playing games until then^^

[HudS]

I would like a 2 1/2 release or 3 years release.

[LotusRIP]

Who knows, there might be a GPS On/Off option where you can disable it from doing that. It only happens when you enter a car too from what I read.

[Honest Bill]

Things like the radar are merely cosmetic. Rockstar always gets the feel of the GTA world right because they have built it up over time to become it's own little world. Basically i can't see that any of the changes they are making, would make it feel any less like a GTA game.

 

Sure the usual three island progression will be missing, but that's something which affects your for only a short time, then it's forgotten about and the game still remains GTA. Plus the map will be so much bigger there will still be a natural progression to it. They can always find other stuff to unlock as you progress..

 

It does piss me off to have to wait 5 years per game now though. That's why it's very important they get this one right, and they know that full well, which is why they're pulling out all the stops.

 

I don't see anything which is radically different which i would feel justifies the concern that the game will feel 'too different' But then again i embrace changes in gaming. Gaming should evolve as it goes along. Modern gaming has become very stale. There is little diversity in AAA titles, so anything that the big developers like Rockstar can do to shake things up and show the industry not to be so incredibly boring, is a good thing in my opinion.

 

There are some things about GTA which need changing to be fair.

[wallis]

The longer the wait, the higher the expectations.

 

[GTAaLEX117]

The "GTA isn't GTA anymore" argument doesn't really work, the series is used to huge changes. GTA II - III transition was massive, and it was still GTA. And SA - IV transition was also massive.

As long as the core elements are still there, GTA will always remain GTA.

[Andreas]

I am, like everyone else on this forum, a GTA fan but I would definitely not want a new GTA every other year. It was a different story with the 2D/3D games. Releasing a new title every year or two was not a problem at all, and at the same time it was enough time to create great games. It's not that simple though in the HD-era, because the details increased, engines are more complexe to program, the programming of the consoles is also more difficult, and so on. It is possible to release a new game of a certain game series every year, even today and I think nobody would ever doubt that, but the quality certainly suffers from it and you could not compare that to titles that have been in development for a third or even half a decade.

 

IV was an unfinished game; the engine gave a vast improvement over SA in terms of graphics and physics, but it lacked a lot of features that Rockstar simply didn't have the time to implement.

Yeah... not really. GTA IV did not have as many features as its predecessor but that doesn't mean that Rockstar didn't have time to implement more features, let alone IV being an unfinished game. What does a GTA game define? The amount of features? No, not even close. It's the freedom and the uniqueness of each game. Every game is special in its own way and each of them has a different 'target'. San Andreas' target was it to give the player the ability to do what he/she feels like on the biggest map that Rockstar has ever created. The game has the by far biggest amount of features and it's bigger than everything before when it comes to the quantity. On the other hand, the storyline wasn't the best one, it had its flaws and it could have been better, much better actually.

 

GTA IV does without a doubt have much less features but it did a number of things well; things that are the actual focus of this title. The new cover-system, the extremely well detailed gameworld, the story that had depth like no story of any game in the GTA series before, and a bunch of other things are what made IV a great game. You should not worry about a certain game not having something that the predecessor have, you should enjoy what the game offers.

Edited May 12, 2013 by Carl CJ Johnsons Brother Brian

[jamieleng]

I don't look at each game as a separate franchise, I see R* as one big franchise that releases one game a year from their stable of IP's. This prevents each one of their ip's from becoming stale & gives each one lots of development time & resources. Each team learning, borrowing & developing on each other's games.

 

The fact that this long development time has made them change a lot & add even more, which for some reason you see as a bad thing, means value for money in my eyes. Why have we come to accept that a sequel requires little more than a change of venue (in some cases not even that) & a handful of new features. They are taking risks & that's the only way you remain fresh in this business.

[The Milkman]

Well I wouldn't mind if they'll release some sort of stand alone episodes for V shortly after the release, but I also don't mind long gaps between every major title. I don't like how developers (or publishers) flood the market with the same things every year.

Edited May 12, 2013 by The Milkman

[kj2022]

We had intertwining stories in the 3era too, not as much as IV, but it was still there. the 3 characters thing is nothing new, the rest will be awed at over time.

[stobe187]

And it's not like Rockstar is throwing in new game mechanics willy-nilly: they've brought them out in the games they released after IV and tested em not just in-house but with the audience as well.

 

V will be a culmination of all the experience, talent and confidence that they've gathered during this entire console cycle.

 

And it makes me pretty f*cking stoked about what they can achieve with PS4/new Xbox...

[DS 17]

I share your opinion completely. Anyway I see a "gtfo" war coming up here lead by some of the fanboys.

 

Anyway the development time not in relation to a good game. They would just need to hire more staff. I am tired of waiting for a new GTA and that's caused by their huge gaps between these titles. It was a long time to wait from Vice City to San Andreas. If I remember correctly it was also delayed. But they created a big hype, everybody was looking forward to this game, everybody has known it. Nowadays I am not hyped about V. It's a nice game to play for sure, but nothing special for me. R* doesn't meet my expectations since they are releasing their "so special" titles only every 5+ years. That's not what I want and so is my mood.

[K.Walters]

I prefer 5 years between the games. GTA shouldn`t be released every year. Just look at CoD, it`s released every year and I get little hyped about it, but when a new GTA comes out, I get really excited. Of all the games I was hyped about GTA5 is the winner. Releasing it every 5 or so years is great, because they will make a great game, we get a great game, we get some real excitement about a game. GTA5 is going to be amazing, none of the previous GTAs was a dissapointment and this one won`t be too. Can`t wait to get my hands on it

[Dick Justice]

As long as Rockstar release great games like RDR in between, I'm completely fine with the wait. I don't expect to see a next-gen GTA title for quite some time.

[The New Blueguy]

I don't see a problem with waiting 5 years for a new GTA because Rockstar's entire stable of games over the course of this generation has been a study in refining GTAV. Everything from GTAIV to Table Tennis to Max Payne 3 has helped set the playing field for GTAV and taught Rockstar more and more about how to mine these consoles for all their worth.

 

GTA IV - The most obvious influence of this generation of games, GTAIV set the bar for open-world games for this generation. Everything from Saints Row to Batman Arkham owes GTAIV a little nod for showing what this generation would be capable of early on. Everything from mission pacing to a new combat system to vehicle physics was a lesson to be learned and polished. The biggest credit that can attributed to GTA IV and seen easily in GTAV is the three point story structure inspired by films like "Pulp Fiction", "Traffic" and "Crash", which told the story of a stolen bag of diamonds through the eyes of Niko Bellic, Johnny Klebitz and Luis Lopez. Three radically different men all entangled in a journey to a better way of life. This unique style of storytelling has now set the stage for GTAV as we prepare to pull off the mother of all heists as Michael, Franklin and Trevor.

 

 

Midnight Club: Los Angeles - Another heavy influence on GTAV, MCLA taught Rockstar a lot about just how well vehicle physics could be handled by the powerful and diverse RAGE engine. With GTAV said to lean more towards an arcade driving experience while keeping realism a focus by way of real-world physics applications, I'm sure all the hard work put into MCLA in the early years of this generation will pay off resulting in a new way of approaching how we handle the lay of the road in GTAV. In addition, Rockstar will be bringing over a set of MCLA's robust vehicle customization features to GTAV; a long requested addition since we last bounced on hydraulics and hit the NOS in San Andreas.

 

 

Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis - Releasing two years before GTAIV, Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis was a study in physics and the finite movements of their characters. The first game to test the limits of the RAGE for this generation, Table Tennis showcased just how well the RAGE engine and Euphoria could handle the twitch-based gameplay of a game of table tennis or even... a shootout to come in GTAIV? The way characters moved, turned and adjusted with lightning precision proved to be an experience Rockstar could lean on when developing even the most subtle movements of its characters in games to follow. It also probably doesn't hurt that this experience also more than pushed forward the decision to add a fully playable tennis court in GTAV.

 

 

Red Dead Redemption - The tale of John Marston was a finely crafted story that saw Rockstar expand its open-world ambitions tackling simulations in animal AI, physics, structure and animation; as well varying environments and weather systems. All of which will be seen in GTAV. From the mountain ranges of northern California, to the broad and sprawling prarie lands and down to the flat, yet reaching desert of Northern Mexico, Red Dead Redemption taught Rockstar a lot about varying terrain environments. Which is already evident in GTAV when taking into the consideration the varying starting points of each of our protagonists. From the desert towns of Trevor's Blaine County, to the inner-city of Los Santos Franklin calls home and all the way up to Michael's lush mansion in the Vinewood hills; Rockstar's experience with Red Dead Redemption has definitely paid off. And again, they tweaked the gunplay just a bit.

 

Max Payne 3 - The cinematic presentation of the story of broken, former officer of New York City's finest escaping the pain of losing his family and the betrayal of former friends and comrades to a private security detail for a Brazilian politician, gave Rockstar the chance to flex its storytelling muscle like never before. Also, a refinement of all its lessons learned to date, the intense gunplay, attention to detail and artistic use of physics systems can already be felt in GTAV's early previews when describing the visceral feel of its gunplay. Lending its three-tier aiming system, robust cover system and varying stances as well as a new combat jog and prone roll, Max Payne 3 has had a heavy, almost exact influence on GTAV's shootouts as previews are saying. Michael and Franklin even borrow a little of Max's swagger in the form of bullet time and speed time (the ability to slow down time for precision turns maneuvers while driving) special abilities respectively.

 

 

So again for all those worrying about just how long of a wait the next GTA game can be, let's just remember that Rockstar never seems to do anything without reason when developing their games. If you ask me, GTAV will be well worth the wait.

Edited May 13, 2013 by The New Blueguy