How can I work up the courage to play on public online?

[FaultyDroid]

My ridiculous opinion on public sessions vs. invite-only sessions:

 

Public sessions

 

* "Toughens" you to PvP combat, slowly honing your skills (albeit painfully)

* You will encounter griefers and cheaters

* All VIP/CEO work can be done, in the right circumstances

* Weapon pickups spawn

* Free mode events available with enough players

* Can be easier to find matches for Jobs/Quick Jobs (adds current players from session)

* Get interrupted frequently from what you are trying to do

* Spend more GTA$, lose more time in general on PvP

 

Invite-only sessions

 

* Limited VIP/CEO work

* Free of griefers and cheaters

* Weapon pickups do not spawn

* Free mode events unavailable

* Harder to find matches for Jobs/Quick Jobs

* Easier to focus on a specific task

* Saves GTA$ by limiting money spent to LSPD-only encounters

All of the above is not really a ridiculous opinion, its pretty much the truth

[DentureDynamite]

^^ Thanks. But how someone interprets "toughening" in regards to PvP will be subjective. Sometimes if just feels more like a merciless beating than a GTA Online boot camp.

 

I default to public sessions partly because I'm too lazy to launch an Invite-Only session; plus I like knowing what kinds of things are going on these days...darn my curious nature.

Edited February 7, 2017 by DentureDynamite

[Chang]

Reminds me of the good ole days of day 1.

 

There are some recommendations here and glad as a community we can lend each other a hand instead of lead, all the time.

 

1. Complete story mode, get a feel for the game

2. Dip Into online, wet ur toes.

3. Take ur lumps, we all do...try not dwell on it, then start rollings with the punches

4. Check out the gtaforums section to be active in a car meet, or others doing activities online. Safety in numbers theory.

5. Before u know it ur hesitation for online will turn into enthusiasm.

6. Go from a green cute kitten, transformed into an old scratchy alley cat.

 

I Chang

[Malibu Club]

Start out in passive mode until you get comfortable with the chaos unfolding around you.

[We Are Ninja]

I limit myself to private games, invite only, but there seems to be so many more benefits to public games. I'm mostly scared of getting killed / losing money / having my personal vehicle destroyed. Any suggestions? Should I just try not to care? I'm still relatively new (only rank 36), so I'm not really sure what to expect.

If you're on PS4, I'll get on with you and show you the lay of the land. I get what you're saying; I used to have EXTREME anxiety about interacting with other players in public lobbies. It's not bad once you get your sea legs. It's actually pretty fun.

[CuteFaceJay]

I treat public almost like an RP environment. I get so many people telling me to "Shut the f*ck up" but been doing it for around 1200 hours now and it's still fun with some of the interactions I have with people on it.

 

Keep in mind there will always been those Zentorno drive by fools that just keep on coming for you.

[guster-von]

I like to keep it mellow on PC...

 

Rarely do I play in a massive session. I will either bounce around until I find a small session or find my own public lobby.

 

The friends I've made on GTAO play the same way I do...cooperatively. They will either join me or I'll join them.

[flexcreator]

If you play Battlefied you expect to get killed.

If you play something like Second Life you don't expect any violence to happen.

The "problem" (should I call it so?) with GTA Online - people have mixed expectations about the game. Therefore they have different set of internal rules.

When I was a newbie like you I got killed a lot (was an easy target, lol). But it's not the killing itself, it's the killing style that got me mad!

You show a player that you are friendly - he doesn't shoot, turn your back to him to enter a shop and get a bullet a second later. Then a player drives away. Good luck chasing him.

Had a boring fight in a hill with a strafe-sniper-griefer, got shot dozens of times and decided to quit. A guy spent his time to find my Social Club profile (!!!) and write a PM, something like "Idiot Hahaha".

I was like "Cmon, is it all the game has to offer?"

I played several multiplayer games before including Battlefied, CS, CoD, L4D, GTA IV Multiplayer but never had such toxic situations as in GTA:O.

I'm not gonna lie, you will have negative experience with this game.

Poor design choices, lags, crashes, losing money, wasting money, griefers, insults, morons, etc.

You know what? Take it as a challenge, like it is a part of the game.

There are diamonds in a rough, you may find new friends or a crew that fits you play style.

Don't rush into anything, especially "grinding" money. Take every advice you see with a grain of salt.

Instead, take small steps and try a little bit of everything. Some people can win races and suck at shooting. Vice Versa.

I have friends that spend most of the time exploring the game world. Rarely seen them on missions.

Try Heists or a Contact Mission if haven't yet. It doesn't matter if you are low level. Communication is the key - just tell your partners that you never played it before and listen for a plan (tell it before you ruin the mission, not after )

If you are worried about getting killed - try accepting the random Deathmatch or Adversary Modes invite - you will get used to PvP. And you won't get insulted as well, because everyone has the same expectations.

[ALifeOfMisery]

Could always join a peaceful crew. What platform are you on?