What If the Money Aspect Were Removed from GTAO

[Big Molio]

Is this you??

Nah, I'm not that bad.

[Hécate-II]

Imo its not the currency itself which is a problem, I mean GTA is like a crime simulator for me, you're criminal to get money, very simple concept, like a bank robbery.

 

Its more R*'s fault who want to re-skin over and over the same PvP 15k fetch quest to the detriment of juicy PvE gamemodes like heists are.

Edited November 1, 2017 by Hécate-II

[B Dawg]

As someone with immense ill-gotten gains, I agree with Matrelith and The-Irish-Hunter that the game is actually better when money isn't on your mind.

 

There's far too many players who refrain from playing the game how they want or acting on their natural desires because they're dead focused on their bank account, ammo costs, potential insurance, etc. Can't fire this weapon, can't go after that person. Can't play XYZ mission because it doesn't pay as much. Players forcing themselves to play 2X Cash & RP adversary modes and races they don't care about simply to get an extra buck. Taking advantage of sales on things they'd rather not buy, but have to because money is tight and this is their only shot.

 

The price & grind structure of this game has burnt out nearly everyone I know simply because GTA has to become a job before you can play freely. It's very restricting.

 

Yet if money is not an object, you have the freedom to pick and choose what you want to play in real time. Not after you've grinded or budgeted with a multi-step itinerary of what to do hour by hour. The gameplay becomes smoother and there's more variety in jobs and activities when you don't care how much they pay or what your cut is. You can say no to the Pac Stand invite and yes to low-paying contact missions. You can say no to playing Headhunter or Piracy Prevention for the millionth time or you can decline any of these freeroam businesses.

 

By the same token, it allows you to take in much more risk than you normally would. I actually welcome the violence and destruction of freeroam when moving my own product in a packed public lobby. Actions like this can be exciting and suspenseful instead of nerve-wracking or stressful. Its not an issue blowing through ammo, vehicles, insurance and contact services to help other players sell their product. Or to assist friends who are in need. For all the talk of Oppressors and Hydras and Vigilantes, it's much less of an issue when you can afford to avoid it and when you can afford the burdens of a response.

 

Ultimately, if money wasn't an object, players could enjoy GTA for what it actually is. It gives control back to the player. There's a counter-argument that if there's no financial pay off and if everything comes easy then what's the point of even playing? But think about it, if you're only doing something because there's a carrot attached, are you really doing it because you want to or because you have to?. If the gameplay of any given mission, vehicle added, weapon, business, etc is worth it's weight in salt, you would play it regardless of the pay-off. It would be fun, organically! Something you naturally enjoy doing.

 

I think the quality of the DLC we get would be drastically improved if players weren't so preoccupied with every single expense and payout; their energy and time drained in repetitive grinds. Without a carrot in front of us, Rockstar would have to be much more innovative and the gameplay would need to be more fleshed out and lasting. I can't possibly predict what the playerbase at large would evolve into, because we all have different ideas on what GTA is and should be. But we can all agree that freedom of choice and a variety of options is what makes the sandbox great. Taking money out of the equation goes a long way towards that goal.

This post sums it up perfectly. If you're not playing the game for the fun of it, then you're really playing it for the wrong reason. The same applies to every other game.

That's what GTA IV Multiplayer did right. All deathmatches are equal, all Races are equal, all Mafiya Work/Car Jack City/etc... modes were equal, all Freemode sessions were equal, and that's the way it should be. I still play IV/TLAD because I love the game's driving, I love shooting up NPCs with friends, I love doing jobs for Petrovic and Angus, I love chasing a biker with an Annihilator, or being chased as one as part of the game mode, the gameplay itself is enjoyable and there's no bullsh*t holding you back from doing what you want to do, the way you want to do it.

 

So yeah, it would be a major improvement for the game, as it would be a lot more accessible.

Edited November 1, 2017 by B Dawg

[fw3]

 

As someone with immense ill-gotten gains, I agree with Matrelith and The-Irish-Hunter that the game is actually better when money isn't on your mind.

 

There's far too many players who refrain from playing the game how they want or acting on their natural desires because they're dead focused on their bank account, ammo costs, potential insurance, etc. Can't fire this weapon, can't go after that person. Can't play XYZ mission because it doesn't pay as much. Players forcing themselves to play 2X Cash & RP adversary modes and races they don't care about simply to get an extra buck. Taking advantage of sales on things they'd rather not buy, but have to because money is tight and this is their only shot.

 

The price & grind structure of this game has burnt out nearly everyone I know simply because GTA has to become a job before you can play freely. It's very restricting.

 

Yet if money is not an object, you have the freedom to pick and choose what you want to play in real time. Not after you've grinded or budgeted with a multi-step itinerary of what to do hour by hour. The gameplay becomes smoother and there's more variety in jobs and activities when you don't care how much they pay or what your cut is. You can say no to the Pac Stand invite and yes to low-paying contact missions. You can say no to playing Headhunter or Piracy Prevention for the millionth time or you can decline any of these freeroam businesses.

 

By the same token, it allows you to take in much more risk than you normally would. I actually welcome the violence and destruction of freeroam when moving my own product in a packed public lobby. Actions like this can be exciting and suspenseful instead of nerve-wracking or stressful. Its not an issue blowing through ammo, vehicles, insurance and contact services to help other players sell their product. Or to assist friends who are in need. For all the talk of Oppressors and Hydras and Vigilantes, it's much less of an issue when you can afford to avoid it and when you can afford the burdens of a response.

 

Ultimately, if money wasn't an object, players could enjoy GTA for what it actually is. It gives control back to the player. There's a counter-argument that if there's no financial pay off and if everything comes easy then what's the point of even playing? But think about it, if you're only doing something because there's a carrot attached, are you really doing it because you want to or because you have to?. If the gameplay of any given mission, vehicle added, weapon, business, etc is worth it's weight in salt, you would play it regardless of the pay-off. It would be fun, organically! Something you naturally enjoy doing.

 

I think the quality of the DLC we get would be drastically improved if players weren't so preoccupied with every single expense and payout; their energy and time drained in repetitive grinds. Without a carrot in front of us, Rockstar would have to be much more innovative and the gameplay would need to be more fleshed out and lasting. I can't possibly predict what the playerbase at large would evolve into, because we all have different ideas on what GTA is and should be. But we can all agree that freedom of choice and a variety of options is what makes the sandbox great. Taking money out of the equation goes a long way towards that goal.

This post sums it up perfectly. If you're not playing the game for the fun of it, then you're really playing it for the wrong reason. The same applies to every other game.

That's what GTA IV Multiplayer did right. All deathmatches are equal, all Races are equal, all Mafiya Work/Car Jack City/etc... modes were equal, all Freemode sessions were equal, and that's the way it should be. I still play IV/TLAD because I love the game's driving, I love shooting up NPCs with friends, I love doing jobs for Petrovic and Angus, I love chasing a biker with an Annihilator, or being chased as one as part of the game mode, the gameplay itself is enjoyable and there's no bullsh*t holding you back from doing what you want to do, the way you want to do it.

 

So yeah, it would be a major improvement for the game, as it would be a lot more accessible.

 

So, all that said, why then doesn't R* understand this? I mean, if a bunch of knucklethwumping chumps like us are sitting around the proverbial campfire discussing it, why then aren't they? Or is it possible they are?

 

I think they've got too much invested in this model to disrupt it now, especially with the holidays coming and the kiddies asking for XB & PS gift cards.

 

Should be interesting, too, to see where Red Dead Redemption 2 takes the whole methodology and business model, how they will/will not improve on it, and if it will be well-received.

 

Then, of course, there's all kinds of GTA6 speculation we could indulge in, but really... why? lol!

[CarimboHanky]

i think this hypothetical move would cause the demise of the game...

 

many people play the game to gain/glitch money to buy the most opulent items, the constant grind, hustle to have funds for that next item, for that next dlc is what keeps the game going for many, if you eliminate money from the equation, you pretty much killed the game for those players.

 

everything would become evem more pointless.

[Big Molio]

You should start off with $1,000,000,000,000,000 and have to get rid of it all, like Brewster's Millions

[Kyoto]

So that now, the only reason to race is to win. The only reason for a Survival is to beat it. The only reason for any job, mission, adversary, etc. would be to simply win the competitive aspect of it and to gain RP.

Would RP become the new denomination for players to strive for?

I'd call it an endgame if Online just started rewarding RP because I believe having high amounts of it is a curse. I already get accused of being a modder because of it, and playing the game to earn more will just make things worse.

 

Oh, but no money? Buy every *free* car, clothing item, and high end apartment and call myself the Great Wolfsby as I watch the city burn with Oppressors, Vigilantes, Hydras, Savages, MOCs, Molotoks, and Explosive Bullets at every corner.

[wehweh01]

This is exactly how it was the first year I played. So many glitchers and modders giving money drops on PS3. I wondered why I was grinding at all. I came so close to quitting that first year...

[spincther]

Well considering that LS is supposed to be a representation of LA, it wouldn't work. LA is a city that revolves around money, your status depends on money, your toys depend on money. Its a city of living breathing superficial materialism and the glorification of it.

 

You remove the money, it removes the immersion of being in a materialistic city that only cares about what you drive, whats in your bank account and what you can afford. It also removes the need to want to play the game to make whatever a mount of money you need for whatever new shiny toy/weapon your looking at, at the time.

 

Plus fishcards would have no reason, which would be good for us....but R* isn't in the business of looking out for whats best for their player base lol.

 

Really though, a materialistic city doesn't make sense without the currency to brag about OR complain you dont have. Now if the set piece was Sandy Shores trailerpark and LA was nowhere to be seen. Yeah, the no money idea would work lol

Edited November 1, 2017 by -RP-

[AboveAndBeyoncé]

Freemode lobbies would be WW3

[*Lola]

What If the Money Aspect Were Removed from GTAO

I wouldn't mind if money wasn't a thing in GTAO. Although, I would mind if they removed leveling up.

It's nice to play RDR and not have to buy ammo or weapons. Same with GRW.

Multiple accounts in all 3 games to keep me from getting bored.

[HamwithCheese]

Well, couple things could happen. If the game were to exist in its current state but without money, players that play to accumulate would go. Players that play to kill would never leave. Just keep giving them kill machines, they'll keep playing.

 

Eventually, only tryhards will play the game when more and more people get tired of killing/being killed.

[Sanches]

Everyone's gonna be a rich hobo.

 

 

 

[septimoose]

You should start off with $1,000,000,000,000,000 and have to get rid of it all, like Brewster's Millions

 

God dammit.

 

That's genius!

 

I'd love to play Brewster's Millions as GTA. Having to spend every last penny with absolutely nothing to show for it.

[Samwell]

40 years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes and the dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!

[Skeve613]

The game might well become an all-out war between Oppressors, jets, and explosive snipers... probably with lots of passive mode abuse thrown in.

 

With no insurance in play to cost people money, a lot of people might also be getting sent to Bad Sport on an express train.

[M*A*R*I*N*A]

If that happened GTAO would be a griefers sandbox

[Semaj 2JZ♢]

IMHO: I think the playerbase would not only completely change, but you'd actually end up with less players. Very few of GTAO's current population are concerned with fairness and equality. It's all about 'what do I have that my opponents don't', for the majority. 'What can I brag about, for a sense of superiority?'

 

Take away the ability to create the differences between the haves and have nots (money and no money), and watch as all the miscreants, abandon ship.

[Xiled]

Gta online would be turned off and they would instantly become bankrupt. lol

[B Dawg]

IMHO: I think the playerbase would not only completely change, but you'd actually end up with less players. Very few of GTAO's current population are concerned with fairness and equality. It's all about 'what do I have that my opponents don't', for the majority. 'What can I brag about, for a sense of superiority?'

 

Take away the ability to create the differences between the haves and have nots (money and no money), and watch as all the miscreants, abandon ship.

Sounds good to me.

[Milesinho]

It's about saving up for stuff, always having something to work towards. If everything's free, when it comes out you just buy it, drive/fly/wear it for five minutes, chuck it in the garage never to be used again.

 

GTA isn't the best driving game, isn't the best shooter, isn't the best flight sim, isn't the best action game but it's being able to do all these things in combination, along with the freedom for self expression while working towards different goals that makes the game ultimately compelling. Just getting everything for free would make it all very 'meh'. The game is about the hustle.

 

The other outcome of course would be, as someone else pointed out, lobbies full of squeakers in jets, oppressors and APCs.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Milesinho

[Bruce Khansey]

I also thought about this idea, it would be awesome. But it should also be measured carefully. I mean, one of the reasons I still play GTAO is that even if the price jack-up is insane, I managed to find many ways to earn money and I enjoyed every single thing I bought. No pain no gain.

 

So yeah, it would be great. I think they could just raise the money you get with AM, races ecc and, most of everything, increase the associate payoff with bonuses too.

 

Combine this with new vehicles, clothes ecc once in a while and no one is going to leave. Of course, this won't happen.

[CosmicBuffalo]

I think the limits created by money on certain activities such as pvp, ghost org, bribe authorities, explosive spam, ewo, pv destruction keeps these behaviors in check.

 

So undoubtedly these kindve behaviors would increase, I think if money was removed most people would be sitting in their ceo garages and hangars modifying vehicles, respraying and test driving them. So no money would probably discourage interaction. I know since I have had alot of ingame money, I am much less inclined to help others in game.

Edited November 2, 2017 by GenericGTAO

[Hécate-II]

I know since I have had alot of ingame money, I am much less inclined to help others in game.

 

For me it depends, I don't need anymore to grind, but clearly, it bothers me to play anything that doesn't reward decently/or features some BS component.(MC, Smuggler, filling a 111 large warehouse for someone else than myself...etc)

 

I'd like to help more low levels with their first heists, but most of them kick me or try scam me by lowering my payout because according them high level=work for free.

[SkylineGTRFreak]

Well, I ranked up to Level 10 in IV on Ps3 and to 9 on X360. I agree the MP was very fun with no strings attached and an equal playing field throughout the game. I have had a lot of hours of great fun in IV.

 

That being said, I don't know if I'd still enjoy that kind of game still. Not to mention playing the same game for 4 years without a sense of progression really...

I mean, I would love if Rockstar just implemented an Arcade mode of GTA Online. You could play with your character and have all your clothes, but weapons and cars are cluttered around the map only.

Sometimes I'd just love to take a break and have a simple freemode with all sorts of shenanigans, no rank, money or anything like that. Many people would make use of that while still coming back to the regular Online. Pretty sure of that.

[CrysisAverted]

Remove money aspect

and bring back crate drop aspects

 

No new dlc is released through websites where you can buy sh*t and have it delivered to you

we end of days now (haha get it cause gtav is on its way out) all remaining dlc is dropped in limited supplies

you gotta fight everyone else in the lobby to get the latest car/heli/boat/gun

and the events that drop em last a week, would make the stupid staggered release make sense

[Giantsgiants]

I don't think the money aspect should be completely removed from GTA Online but the prices should be significantly reduced. I agree with those who say GTA Online feels like a job. If you want to get anywhere in this game, you're limited to just a few money making activities. Lower prices would help relieve the burden of grinding and open up more ways to make money. This in turn would allow/encourage players to try different things, and thus access/utilize the freedom and diversity that attracted people to this game (hell, even the whole franchise) in the first place.

Edited November 3, 2017 by Giantsgiants

[Dragon_Of_Tragedy]

I would love for something to completely backfire on Rockstar.

 

Will never happen since they must test new content on preteen 20 year old apes that are autistic with adhd.

[SHADOW OPS]

nvm...

Edited November 3, 2017 by ragedandcaged

[saintsrow]

People would just blow each other up, money or no money.

Indeed, my first thought was, "The only reason to play is to grief."