Difficulty in GTA Next

[raebbitos]

Difficulty has never been the most important factor in Rockstar's games, they actually have gotten easier as time went by with each and every appearence getting less difficult and a little dumbed down in comparison with the previous title, emphasizing cinematography over challenge ,wich for me is less enjoyable,this isn't affecting just Rockstar but the entire industry even though games like Dark Souls and Cuphead are praised by fans,but whatever I won't get distracted; for me and others ,maybe, some more strategy driven missions would make future titles more enjoyable ,for example:

 

1 Heists and General Missions

I love the concept of heists and how they worked in GTA V ,but they were too easy, the missions as well ;the AI just sat in one spot without rushing, you weapons were too powerful ,there was no recoil ,too much ammo ,and everything was scripted to make for epic trailers at the expense of gameplay ,you were also forced to switch from one character to the next instead of being let to finish a mission with one character from a different viewpoint ,wich is annoying; my solution:FREEDOM

 

Look,I don't want to come off as entitled or anything and I know that "more choice" is a pretty obvious request ,but this would really make the game more difficult especially in heists since you either have to improvise or you have to create your own strategy beforehand, instead of a premade choice,and you could control your heist members with voice commands like in SA "go there,cover me,group up" and so on ,combining TLAD's leveling system for your bikers and SA's commands for your recruits would make for a great mechanic putting more pressure onto the player,requiering more skill, you could still have the heist prep missions but instead of a shopping list that Lester makes for you based on the selected approach,it would be more like the Blitz Play prep ,I really liked those because it wasn't just a scripted mini mission ,you chose what to use in free roam like the getaway vehicle and the towtruck and the trashmaster, even though these were marked on the map you weren't forced to do those missions you could've just got some other one off the street and it would still count,(not sure about the trashmaster though)And the actual heist would emphasize more player initiative instead of a scripted "do this and now getaway" Heist like "The Jewelry Store Job"

 

Strategy adds Spice and Versatility

to gameplay

 

wich brings me to my next point:

 

 

2 Gameplay

 

There's nothing wrong with shooting and driving, literally nothing else can work so consistently as the literal backbone of the missions (except for yoga) ,every single mission includes at least one of these mechanics ,and it's a little hard to try to make the game more difficult,in theory at least,without making these elemental parts too convoluted ,so I'll try to break these down into two mini-points:

 

shooting&shootouts:everyone has a different opinion on this and especially on the next "mini-point" and I know that there's a thin line between a difficult game and frustrating piece of sh*t so I'll try to be be reasonable; IMO,what I think would work best in raising the skill ceiling a bit is recoil,I'm not asking for Counter Strike recoil ,but something like this:

would work,Powerful weapons would feel powerful and be more balanced,the more damage ,the bigger the gun, the greater the recoil,this would incentivize the player to use pistols and SMGs for reasons other than roleplay,most guns should have sight improvements ,scopes and suppressors to reduce recoil and incourage different playstyles; as for shootouts you should be more vulnerable (staggering,moving slower based on your health and stamina) and enemies should be smarter,flanking and covering each other, being more aggressive not dumb, a really bad example of this is how enemies act in GTAO if you choose hard mode, it just gives them aimbot and rubberbanding driving wich is annoying and frustrating.

 

 

driving&vehicle damage:this is extremely debatable half the fanbase want GTA IV driving and half want GTA V driving why not just have a setting that changes the driving like in Mafia III everyone will be happy ,and as for vehicle damage , I don't want to repeat myself so I'll just post this if it's cool: http://gtaforums.com/topic/897166-vehicle-damage-in-gtanext/

 

 

 

3 Proggression

 

Progression has always been the same in almost all GTA games "do these missions to do these next missions" and there's nothing wrong with that you can't really expect anything more out of it but what was done in San Andreas wich I really liked was how you needed to get a number of territories around the first quarter of the game in order to progress in the story and I think we should expand on that ;the concept could be anything,like competing against a rival gang or something like that you have to get a reputation or build a criminal empire in order to progress so you start dealing drugs/heists/smuggling/human trafficking/gang activity whatever you want in order to advance in the story and this should be a reoccurring activity, I go more in depth here: http://gtaforums.com/topic/897000-drug-trade-in-next-gta/

[Johnny Spaz]

Checkpoints should be removed, they make the game easier and make it feel shorter

[raebbitos]

well not necessarily removedbut a restart mission button would be welcome imo

[MojoGamer]

Hey Moderators, Neon_Dreaming just made a Topic like this called "Additional Hardcore/Survival Mode" about the same thing.

Which 1 was 1st and should they merge?

[raebbitos]

coincidence really,I noticed this too.

 

also mine was made 11 hours ago while his was 5 hours ago

Edited October 20, 2017 by raebbitos

[The Time Ranger]

I think our threads differ, they focus on two different concepts.

 

But to answer the question a gang or territory mechanic could be a good addition. It was satisying expanding your gang turf in SA and your criminal empire in VCS. It's something that could add a lot of replay value.

 

You bring up good points on recoil on weapons and better enemy and ally AI. This is something I'd like to see inproved, there should be more emphasis on tactics and placing your shots.

[PwnageSoldier]

Yeah it needs to be harder, but in the sense the AI has to be more tactical, so they flank more, attempt to get the drop on you. I hate AA bots and driving is fine as it is now because 75% of the playerbase still can’t drive.

[Racecarlock]

Checkpoints should be removed, they make the game easier and make it feel shorter

No. It's already bad enough dying on a long mission without having to replay the whole thing from the first step every time a lucky bullet kills you. That's not difficulty, that's busywork. There's a difference.

[Algonquin Assassin]

 

Checkpoints should be removed, they make the game easier and make it feel shorter

No. It's already bad enough dying on a long mission without having to replay the whole thing from the first step every time a lucky bullet kills you. That's not difficulty, that's busywork. There's a difference.

 

 

Checkpoints should stay, but the "You failed this part three times so you can now skip it" should go.

[Racecarlock]

 

 

Checkpoints should be removed, they make the game easier and make it feel shorter

No. It's already bad enough dying on a long mission without having to replay the whole thing from the first step every time a lucky bullet kills you. That's not difficulty, that's busywork. There's a difference.

 

 

Checkpoints should stay, but the "You failed this part three times so you can now skip it" should go.

 

I'm sorry, but I have to say no to this too. I actually had to use the skip a few times because some of the parts got so "Enemy with gun" crazy that I couldn't finish them.

 

The other thing is, you don't even have to use the skip. The only reason you'd want to take it out is if you've somehow confused games with jobs and features like this with welfare. You don't have to use the skip, and furthermore, avoiding the temptation of using it might even add to the challenge.

 

And if your argument is going to be "Gamers are too coddled", I would like to tell you to f*ck off. A lot of people, myself included, do not play games to get frustrated. A lot of us play games to have fun. I get that you play a game to be challenged, and that's fine. That's perfectly valid. But I do it because I get a sense of pleasure and hedonism from playing them, whether it be rampaging in GTA, blowing up asteroids in asteroids, or getting a multiball in a pinball game. Yes, those still have challenge, but it's not stupidly frustrating.

 

Frustration, for me, does not improve payoff. It probably does for a lot of people around here, and that's fine. But for me, when I'm angry and frustrated, even when I beat the challenge, I don't feel fulfilled or satisfied. Because here I sat down to have fun with a game, and instead I'm sitting there angry and frustrated after dying 706 times. I shouldn't have to be good at games to enjoy them. Nobody should. I know that's controversial, but playing games for reasons other than challenge is something I and many people do.

 

They shouldn't be forced to get through something incredibly frustrating and infuriating to them just so you can feel superior to them when you beat it on the first try or whatever. That is not how gaming should be. Or at least not how GTA should be. The dark souls and bloodborne games are fine for that stuff, but that's not what GTA is. GTA is not a skill test, it's a freedom simulator. Specifically, the freedom to do crazy criminal acts and insane stunts without fear of consequence.

 

Skipping does not ruin your experience. It does not ruin your game since you don't ever have to use it. I don't see why it should be taken out.

[Algonquin Assassin]

 

 

 

Skipping does not ruin your experience. It does not ruin your game since you don't ever have to use it. I don't see why it should be taken out.

 

 

Just because it doesn't have to be used it doesn't mean I have to agree with its implementation. I didn't like the sh*tty RPG elements in San Andreas and although technically I didn't have to utilise them I was glad they didn't make their way into GTA IV.

 

The thing is though how far can this go? In GTA VI what if entire missions can be skipped without even trying them? Yes the players don't have to "use it", but it kinda gives the impression the developers don't trust their fan base enough to think for themselves to solve a problem. I can give checkpoints a free pass because I agree it's frustrating to die or whatever and having to go all the way back to the start, but this can go as far as I'm concerned.

 

Not even corridor shooters are hand holding to that extent.

[HeteroDahmer]

As far as the skip mission feature implemented in RDR & V goes I have no issue with it myself, though I never used it, with that said I understand the frustration when you're stuck on a mission whilst being gripped by a game's narrative so I'm pretty much neutral. removing checkpoints is a big NO though, as that would be going backwards.

 

 

What I would like are more difficult gunfights, I think MP3 did this well, as they were challenging and therefore more intense than any other R* game IMO.

[xXxKAMIKAZExXx]

I don't want to see auto-aim return to GTA. I'm surprised it's still around since most open-world shooters don't have it. Max Payne 3 demonstrated how well a third person shooter can work as well as an FPS game. For me, I find games more fun when there's skill is involved.

 

I also want to see homing missiles and explosive cannons removed (at the very least for online). Shooting down a plane from the ground or shooting one down from another plane just isn't fun; there's no challenge pressing a button to automatically give you a kill. I think aircraft should be limited to MGs, bombs and rocket pods.

 

Another thing I'd want in GTA is more realistic bullet physics. I think automatic weapons should have a huge recoil, RPGs fire unpredictably and sniper rifles have bulletdrop from far distances. Nothing too major of course, since GTA is a casual game, but it needs some sort of high risk, high reward factor, otherwise the game will become boring very fast.

[B Dawg]

Death to Auto-Aim!

[Typhus]

Make it as difficult as Grand Theft Auto III. Not out of any sense of elitisim, as with the Dark Souls series, but because giving players a challenge builds strong memories. I bet a lot of us remember The Driver in Vice City. And that's because so many of us probably broke the f*cking controller trying to complete it. That's how you get people to remember your game, and build a passionate community who cares about the product.

Replaying III, I am amazed at how much more I enjoy it when compared to V. And trust me, that isn't nostalgia talking.

[B Dawg]

The Driver in VC was easy

What's important is that they don't do bullsh*t, artificial difficulty (as was done in V).

[MARKUS.]

I think the bullet damage about the same as V, it is realistic but at least you can recover health to a 50%, but this time include the system of GTA Online of having candy bars or something for you to eat to full recover it (as well as smoke) which I found very convenient.

 

How intense the gunfights can be I think something as Max Payne 3, something hard, but not as so difficult as GTA Online missions, please, they are shooting with UZIs not with telescope snipers.

 

Checkpoints is a must for me (but including alternate cutscenes like IV had before the MISSION FAILED Screen) and about the skip... I don't see it as a big deal, after three times why not? but maybe would be interesting is just including that ONCE every mission, if you want another opportunity of skip you have to re-start the mission from the very beginning ​(or micro transactions lol)

Edited November 26, 2017 by Markhosdangerous

[Tonesta]

With regards checkpoints, I don't see why you couldn't have a tickbox in the options menu to turn them on or off.

 

Different players like different levels of difficulty for their games. In the present day, there's absolutely no reason why a game developer can't cater to all of those at the same time.