How to truely change things with the next game

[HOW'S ANNIE?]

This is an idea I've been thinking about the last few days now, that could really change the series even more than what multiple protagonists were supposed to. And the idea is...

 

Multiple time periods

 

How would this work though? Basically the idea works similar to the protagonist switching, however you never actually change who you play as, just when you're playing as them.

 

The best example I can think of is that you've got this guy, lets call him Tim, who moved to Vice City in the 80's when he was young. You play as his younger self in 80's VC, all the while you can switch to an older version of him in modern Vice City. The story would work, literally, non-linear, with you seeing Tim make his way up through the underworld in the 80's, all the while you're controlling him in the 21st century while he tries to keep everything he owns.

 

Sorry if I may have lost anyone here, this isn't the easiest thing to explain, nor am I great at explaining things in general. But what do you think of the idea.

[Hodgey.]

You basically mean that it would work similar to Assasins Creed 2 with Ezio?

[HaythamKenway]

That's a pretty good idea. I'd love it if R* do something like this. I sort of miss period pieces, but at the same time, want R* to continue with contemporary settings. This way, we could get both.

 

Another cool twist to this would be if the "flashback setting" was completely different from the contemporary one. Current day Vice City and 80's Liberty City, anyone?

 

And yeah, we also need a cop protagonist already. I'd love to see a GTA game with two protags - one criminal and the other cop, hunting each other down.

Edited February 9, 2014 by SFPD officer

[BLOOD]

And yeah, we also need a cop protagonist already. I'd love to see a GTA game with two protags - one criminal and the other cop, hunting each other down.

This would be Cool.That why the 3 Protagonists System is SO INNOVATIVE.and i am sure they could expand the System with alot of mechanics including flashback era etc.

[universetwisters]

I'm not sure how a time-switching game would work, plot-wise. Let's say you're in the present day and you did a mission. What do you do then, do you just go back in time to do some missions and then go back to the present?

 

Feels kinda silly to me.

[DarrinPA]

The game Driver: Parallel Lines did this. It wasn't bad nor overly complicated. GTA could do, but the next GTA will be on these new consoles so I wouldn't expect too much from it. III and IV were first of their console generations, which means most the effort is on making a new engine rather than new features.

[universetwisters]

The game Driver: Parallel Lines did this. It wasn't bad nor overly complicated. GTA could do, but the next GTA will be on these new consoles so I wouldn't expect too much from it. III and IV were first of their console generations, which means most the effort is on making a new engine rather than new features.

 

You gotta remember that Parallel Lines started in one time era and finished in another, with no "back-and-forth" gameplay, as the OP suggests.

[Tycek]

I don't see that happening to be honest. Only way it could work would be two or more eras, but without possibility to go back as it was in already mentioned Driver: PL. Otherwise it would create confusion and problems with flow of the gameplay. It can be done as a forced retrospection during mission (something like during Burying the Hatchet in GTA V, but with gameplay instead of audio) or mission done in the past in prologue (as in V again).

 

Giving player opportunity to jump back and forth would create nothing but problems (with cash, guns) not to mention that you need more maps, cars and radiostations (as many as eras). Not worth all the problems made by it imo.

[Staten]

It might be an interesting feature if they could get it to work, but I don't think it would change the game too much, except for removing one of things that made the character switching mechanic work so well in V, that is the switching between characters during a mission.

[DarrinPA]

 

The game Driver: Parallel Lines did this. It wasn't bad nor overly complicated. GTA could do, but the next GTA will be on these new consoles so I wouldn't expect too much from it. III and IV were first of their console generations, which means most the effort is on making a new engine rather than new features.

 

You gotta remember that Parallel Lines started in one time era and finished in another, with no "back-and-forth" gameplay, as the OP suggests.

 

and

 

without possibility to go back as it was in already mentioned Driver: PL.

You can travel back and forth through time eras in Driver: Parallel Lines and complete side missions once the storyline is finished. But I get what you guys are saying.

 

It would make for interesting choices as to 'kill or let live'. Those choices never really made a huge difference in GTA games so far, but changing the past to help in the future would allow them to create very interesting storylines that could vary drastically.

[ObsydianRaven]

Personally, if we are to truely change the series we need new locations and we need to take a break from a modern setting. I'd like to see the 70's, 80's or 90's get a chance with the next game in the series.

[Hodgey.]

Personally, if we are to truely change the series we need new locations and we need to take a break from a modern setting. I'd like to see the 70's, 80's or 90's get a chance with the next game in the series.

 

If I could choose a time period I would go with the 70's. I just think it will be a change and its a time period that the GTA series hasn't visited yet.

[BLOOD]

 

 

Personally, if we are to truely change the series we need new locations and we need to take a break from a modern setting. I'd like to see the 70's, 80's or 90's get a chance with the next game in the series.

If I could choose a time period I would go with the 70's. I just think it will be a change and its a time period that the GTA series hasn't visited yet.

GTA did the 60s but back in the 2D days with

GTA:London 1969 and GTA:London 1961 (1999).

Edited February 10, 2014 by Blood-Is-in-Diamond

[Hodgey.]

 

 

Personally, if we are to truely change the series we need new locations and we need to take a break from a modern setting. I'd like to see the 70's, 80's or 90's get a chance with the next game in the series.

If I could choose a time period I would go with the 70's. I just think it will be a change and its a time period that the GTA series hasn't visited yet.

GTA did the 60s but back in the 2D days with

GTA:London 1969 and GTA:1961 (1999).

 

 

I know I played them but they still aren't the seventies

 

I would go for the the years around 1976, 1977, 1987 or 1979 so it is moving towards the 80's but we aren't quite there yet. That way we might have a feeling of the 80's (Vice City like) but it woul be slightly different.

[BLOOD]

 

 

 

 

Personally, if we are to truely change the series we need new locations and we need to take a break from a modern setting. I'd like to see the 70's, 80's or 90's get a chance with the next game in the series.

If I could choose a time period I would go with the 70's. I just think it will be a change and its a time period that the GTA series hasn't visited yet.

GTA did the 60s but back in the 2D days with

GTA:London 1969 and GTA:1961 (1999).

 

I know I played them but they still aren't the seventies

 

I would go for the the years around 1976, 1977, 1987 or 1979 so it is moving towards the 80's but we aren't quite there yet. That way we might have a feeling of the 80's (Vice City like) but it woul be slightly different.

True talk bro.

[Blennerville]

The city/world wouldnt work unless it was New York or Chicago or LA imo - they are the only city that has good atmosphere in past and present time periods and could pull it off.