A minimalist approach to playing GTA Online

[Xnox]

So with all the pay walls around and the sheer amount of content available in the game I decided to adopt a minimalist approach to playing. Meaning owning less, less clutter, less stress and intern and enjoying the game much more.

How I went about doing it and what I found:

I started with selling most of my cars and downgrading garages, I now own a 2 car garage in paleto bay with just one car which I can fully concentrate on, and one bike for taking to cars shows and cruising around the map, taking photos etc, I found that I do genuinely enjoy the game more, I feel more peaceful. Also being able to enjoy playing the game more with missions, races etc and playing with friends.

There are numerous benefits to this playing style which include:

-More money in game

Your not having to constantly grind for that latest car, or flying rocket bike thing etc... and can get a better, thus owning high quality items and getting a more enjoyable experience out of the game.

-Less grinding, more time

Owning less stuff means that you don’t have to grind all day, thus meaning you have more time to truly enjoy the game and experiences within the game.

-More money irl

Adopting a minimalist approach playing style to GTA Online means that again, owning less stuff thus in turn you don't have to purchase shark cards and ths having more money irl and still being able to enjoy the game.

-Being able to enjoy the map more

Owning less stuff means that you can concentrate on other things the game provides, like the beauty of the map, taking snapmatics and ingame photography for sharing on the forums etc…

-Having more value in your belongings

With having less stuff, you can truly value what you do have, your not overwhelmed and can appreciate it and concentrate on it much more.

It’s hard to describe but I do genuinely feel more happier after adopting this playing style, has anyone else ever decided to adopt this style of playing?

Edited March 9, 2018 by Xnox

[Gettin up]

Well good for you. I wouldn't enjoy the game without the stuff but I don't understand people who have to own everything either.

[Volganor]

I do like the idea behind this and may try it myself once I am done accomplishing everything I want with my main character.

 

I'll simply create a second one and only own a couple of things, and see where that takes me. I truly do think it may make the game more challenging and fun. Plus, a chance to start over and just enjoy the simple things.

 

I think this gives you a meaning to have a secondary character, by the way, and that you can simply delete or invest more time into in case you find out this play style isn't suited for you.

 

Good points in the OP too, Xnox. Welcome. Thanks on the idea of what to do when I reach endgame and have no ideas of what to do next.

Edited March 9, 2018 by Volganor

[CarimboHanky]

glad it works for you, but i wont be able to enjoy the game without my toys

[Guest]

Like I said in another thread, I’m at the point of selling every unused car sitting in my garages and keep only 4 of them for use. Going minimalist is impossible on my character, because the game does not allow us to sell yachts, offices, MC’s and such. I have most of the stuff and never use it. Only filling it up with vehicles I never use. I’m not intented to keep a museum. Selling them seems the best option to me.

 

Of course, as a minimalist you’d have no need for money in the game, since you won’t buy anything. No need to grind, no need to have. This would make playing the game a bit senseless, unless the environment is all you need to be a happy camper.

 

On the other hand, everyone is entitled his/her own interpretation of the game. So, if this is the style you prefer, go for it. I myself wouldn’t choose anything like it, nor the other extreme way to play.

The only minimalistic aspect I have in my gameplay is other players. I play in solitude and appreciate that greatly.

[HailHydra]

I've enough money in this game from "illegitimate source"(or glitching, to be exact.) So i don't have to grind again. As the result, i have been adopting your playstyle too. I'll usually just drive around sightseeing, roleplaying as a businessman that sells weapon and tech, roleplaying as a young LA player with hypebeast attire, etc. I also find that throwing away grinding does make you appreciate the game detail and map more.

Edited March 9, 2018 by HailHydra

[REXX]

Just another playing style to be honest. For some its great. As for me, no way I'm dropping 4 years of earning and playing

[Sanches]

Lol yes, that's me.

I never grind anything, nor buying anything (rarely purchasing some stuff). Mostly because im not really into cars, my last purchase was Comet Safari because it has rusty Pisswasser livery.

And im sorta value things that i own. Just like my Akuma. It's clearly not the best bike now, but i just love it.

Edited March 9, 2018 by Sanches

[Zader]

Honestly, I don't even play to make money anymore, I play to help friends grind and ride around on my bike popping hostile NPCs with an Uzi.

I've still got toys, but never bring them out unless I absolutely need to.

[Big Molio]

This has pretty much been my play style since the beginning. Even more so now since the Zimbabwe style prices of everything.

[whywontyoulisten]

I tried this with my second character, but soon got bored with having nothing. I've found a happy medium by having a small apartment with my three most driven cars as my main residence, with everything else "hidden" in larger properties that I rarely visit.

[IceDree]

That's interesting approach & I'm glad it worked out for you.

 

Just another playing style to be honest. For some its great. As for me, no way I'm dropping 4 years of earning and playing

Word!

 

No way in hell I get rid of my cars, sure I can downsize, but I have limits lol

[Watain]

I've always played more towards this style rather than just buying and keeping everything the game has to offer. When the Bikers DLC dropped I sold literally all of my cars, which was about three full garages back then. I have since filled my primary garage at my Eclipse tower apartment with my ten favorite cars, a bunch of old muscle and sport classics, and I have an extra 10-slot garage for a few racing vehicles as well.

 

I also find it peaceful to to live by a "less is more" approach. I only buy any new cars that I really want, or to try some out before selling them again. I mean, I mostly drive the same two cars and three bikes all of the time anyway, so I don't see the point in owning 70+ cars and other vehicles. I have never used any illegitimate ways of recieving cash either, so it definitely saves me a lot of stress not having to grind like a maniac for 10-15 new cars per update.

Edited March 9, 2018 by Watain

[Guest]

I tried this with my second character, but soon got bored with having nothing. I've found a happy medium by having a small apartment with my three most driven cars as my main residence, with everything else "hidden" in larger properties that I rarely visit.

I just gave it a try too. Swapped to a new character and have him live in a Journey, but you’ll need a garage for it. Bought one, but the mechanic won’t bring it to me, since there is no car in the garage..... without having a garage and house, how do I have a mechanic which I just paid 75 daily fee to as wel as 225 properties money, without having properties at all.......

 

Either way, I stole the RV and drove around a bit dressed up like a hick for an hour orso and got bored quickly. He can rob stores for money or do races. None of them earning much, but then again, he wouldn’t need much. Then it struck me I am not much of a roleplayer and playing a slacker isn’t my thing at all.

Back to the wealthy main with all conveniences, either in use or not.

[Jenkiiii]

OP, your post reminds me of the cosmic question: Is there a God? Some people will say yes, while other people will say no, but most of us sit somewhere in between and have no idea.

 

You've now become an extremist and are testifying to how having nothing is better than having everything. A yes/no type of person. Why not sit somewhere in the middle and be satisfied with what you've got? You've already established that having everything is impossible for you, but that doesn't mean you have to become the complete opposite.

[Willy A. Jeep]

The glory and allure of an open world game like GTA. You can do what you want.

 

For me, it's always been more about having fun and enjoying the escapism. No reason to grind - I don't really need all the latest, most expensive cars. I'm perfectly happy with what I've got, and when I've come into some cash and buy what I do want, it's something I can love and cherish and enjoy. The most expensive thing I own is probably the Deluxo, and that was a heavy purchase for me. I mostly make money only when I've got friends to play with, because they make the grind fun. Otherwise, if I'm playing and think about it, I'll go to Larry's RV Sales and spawn a Sandking XL to sell. I still haven't come into the money for all the planes I want from Smuggler's Run, but that's OK. All in due time.

 

Obviously, this is a bit different from the "poor man's" lifestyle. I do own three house properties, and then garages fill the rest of the slots. I do like to collect cars, and I do like to take each one out for a spin when I can, but I don't feel rushed or like I need to be competitive with other players. I'm here to enjoy myself, and if I find I'm growing bored or annoyed with GTA, I go play some other game, or do some writing, or catch up on reruns of M*A*S*H. It's always good to come back.

 

Also, McGhee, you don't store the Journey in a garage. It's a Pegasus vehicle. Gets delivered to their drop-off points around the map. It's a good car to do this kind of thing in, though it won't be climbing any mountains!

[CaliMeatWagon]

But, but, but, the only way to "win" GTA is kill other people with the newestest stuff.....

 

/sarcasm

[Guest]

I gave it some more though. Nowadays I could be better classified as frugal. I don’t spend more on maintaining things than necessary, like using the bare minimum on ammo during missions or never upgrade a car at LSC with damage to it. I already pay a mechanic 300 a day to repair my cars when I park in my garages. Why pay LSC an additional few hundred to get the same job done as the custom autoshop at the office garage while I have one?

Minimalist no, frugal yes.

[StangOne50]

I have an account like this and it sucks. I have only 1 mill and just the weapons and vehicles I feel are needed.

I had to grind a bit to get to this point but then Im like now what. There is no point and no goals. You are so limited in this game without money.

I much prefer to play on my main account where I already have everything.

After playing on 1 account for so long its hard to play on another. Like in old gta games you become attached to the character you are playing.

I am also a completionist so I am one of the players who like to have everything and I have grinded my ass off for 4 years to get everything.

So to throw away 4 years of work and start again with just the bare essentials just does not make sense to me. I would not spend 4 years building a home so I could go live in a trailer once its complete.

[SqualidCoyote]

I joined the Altruists and now have no possessions whatsoever. Including pants.

Edited March 9, 2018 by SqualidCoyote

[Cadtruck]

I play PS4 and most definitely do not have the minimalist approach. I play with friends very regularly.

 

I also own an Xbox One that I use mostly use for single player and offline games. I have seriously thought about getting GTA again on the Xbox and taking this minimalist approach. I love playing contact missions but on my decked out character with CEO businesses and the bunker, it really feels like a waste of time. If I could do contact missions on my minimalist account while letting my PS4 run AFK and make the big bucks with the bunker, I think I would enjoy it more.

[The Wandering Hunter]

i'll stick to glitching

[whywontyoulisten]

 

I tried this with my second character, but soon got bored with having nothing. I've found a happy medium by having a small apartment with my three most driven cars as my main residence, with everything else "hidden" in larger properties that I rarely visit.

I just gave it a try too. Swapped to a new character and have him live in a Journey, but you’ll need a garage for it. Bought one, but the mechanic won’t bring it to me, since there is no car in the garage..... without having a garage and house, how do I have a mechanic which I just paid 75 daily fee to as wel as 225 properties money, without having properties at all.......

 

 

Journey is a Pegasus vehicle, so I don't know what you were doing with a garage and mechanic. Pretty sure you can own a personal vehicle without having a garage, as long as you don't mind it getting blown up a lot...

[septimoose]

Part of me wishes I had the courage to get rid of most of my stuff, but the hardest part of this game for me in the past week was cutting down my 138 vehicle slots on Character 1 to 121 vehicles. Each "thing" I have in the game tells a story. I've still got the rusty BF Surfer I got when I started the game, the Karin BeeJay XL that I won my first GTA race with (in fact, I won quite a few races with that piece of rubbish back when people raced in whatever they wanted and it wasn't either a Super race or Sports race), even the Luxor Deluxe which serves as a huge cautionary tale to think with my head rather than letting the collector in me get the best of me.

 

I don't think I'd ever go the minimalist route. It erases too much of my character's history, and I like it the way it is.

[Guest]

 

 

I tried this with my second character, but soon got bored with having nothing. I've found a happy medium by having a small apartment with my three most driven cars as my main residence, with everything else "hidden" in larger properties that I rarely visit.

 

I just gave it a try too. Swapped to a new character and have him live in a Journey, but you’ll need a garage for it. Bought one, but the mechanic won’t bring it to me, since there is no car in the garage..... without having a garage and house, how do I have a mechanic which I just paid 75 daily fee to as wel as 225 properties money, without having properties at all.......

 

Journey is a Pegasus vehicle, so I don't know what you were doing with a garage and mechanic. Pretty sure you can own a personal vehicle without having a garage, as long as you don't mind it getting blown up a lot...

Well, that’s the point. i have no home or garage, but I get charged for it on this character. Johnny on the Spot is in my phone contacts, somehow and I can call him. No white safehouse icons on the map, yet when I buy a small garage, the game asks me if I want to trade in Tinsel Tower for it for $0. This character never bought anything yet, besides a hick outfit and a Journey to live in.

It all matters not, though. It’s not my playstyle, so I will delete the hick again.

[DentureDynamite]

As a natural minimalist (except for my writing *ahem*) and hard-core realist, I'm a bit of a mixed bag--I keep whatever is practical or just makes sense to retain in the game.

 

Some examples:

 

* I keep one of each NPC-modded car as "bait" for spawning others (Sentinel XS, Dubsta 2, Blue Dominator, etc.)

* I tend to buy one each of most limited edition cars just because they might not be available for purchase again (Halloween and Valentine's Day cars).

* The only duplicate vehicle I own (Armored Kurumas) for each character is for fast spawning of another in case one gets destroyed and I don't have time to call and wait for Mors Mutual to respawn it.

* The only thing I really use my apartments or CEO office for is location respawning convenience or making weapon wheel adjusts via the gun locker. Otherwise they're really just a novelty; though the Maze Bank helipad is handy for launching I/E missions from, since you have decent access to the map--especially with the height.

* The only value I see in the Bunker and Facility are extra storage, free weapon ammo refills (Strike Team room) and features like the Strike Team--which I would much prefer get moved to the phone, like Merryweather's Mercs. So I rarely use them.

 

IMO, Rockstar simply needs to focus on adding and improving interaction with the world of Los Santos itself--that stands to boost game play more than anything else they could add at this point.

 

 

 

Things like:

 

* Adding and expanding waterways throughout the map to allow watercraft to get in on more mainland action.

* Implementing unused elements like cable cars, shipping crane and building elevators, South Los Santos drawbridges (some cool game play here!), opening up smaller side tunnels and ladders to the surface off of the main underground tunnel (for more interesting PvP evasion, Mugger and Merc encounters, etc.)

* Expanding the mine shafts, connecting them to create useful routes for transporting I/E vehicles, greater variety in losing the LSPD in Blaine County and/or lesser-known shortcuts between Blaine County and the city, etc.

* Robbing the five(?) Fleeca banks for, say, ~$15k (with a cool down).

* Write new code and add the random Armored Vans/Cars back--but this time without an icon--so if you see one, you get lucky and rob it before it disappears.

* Write new code and bring back random/special event Crate Drops--or just copy and modify the existing code for Merryweather's Ammo Drops--they've never failed me yet!

* Randomly spawn a few rare higher-value NPC-modded cars into the map for a while; same routine like the Armored Cars. See it, steal it, and profit.

* Making Muggers slightly harder to catch, but persist longer in the map after they steal your money. Could make for some nice chases, with the potential for other players to beat you to it.

* Giving the Mercs and Strike Teams access to air- and water-based vehicles, so players can't easily escape them.

* Ditch the Orbital Strike for a single NPC "Assassin" who is not on the radar, but players are warned of his pending attack. Would be like a cross between a Mugger (no warning) and the Strike Team (warning) but still pretty tough, and still very expensive to use. Would be less tacky, more immersive and plausible with the world of Los Santos.

 

 

Edited March 9, 2018 by DentureDynamite

[whywontyoulisten]

Well, that’s the point. i have no home or garage, but I get charged for it on this character. Johnny on the Spot is in my phone contacts, somehow and I can call him. No white safehouse icons on the map, yet when I buy a small garage, the game asks me if I want to trade in Tinsel Tower for it for $0. This character never bought anything yet, besides a hick outfit and a Journey to live in.

It all matters not, though. It’s not my playstyle, so I will delete the hick again.

Icons can be hidden. You sure you weren't gifted Tinsel Towers when you started the new character? Yes, that is a thing.

[Guest]

 

Well, that’s the point. i have no home or garage, but I get charged for it on this character. Johnny on the Spot is in my phone contacts, somehow and I can call him. No white safehouse icons on the map, yet when I buy a small garage, the game asks me if I want to trade in Tinsel Tower for it for $0. This character never bought anything yet, besides a hick outfit and a Journey to live in.

It all matters not, though. It’s not my playstyle, so I will delete the hick again.

 

Icons can be hidden. You sure you weren't gifted Tinsel Towers when you started the new character? Yes, that is a thing.

Could be. I deleted him already. Wanted to give him one more chance, but got spammed with the usual selling phone calls from Ron, Agent 14 and the sort again. Heck, I forgot how annoying that is and now keep it in mind when I might get the stupid idea to start from ground up again

[ash-274]

It's like the people that want those Tiny Houses.

 

Glad it works for you.

[wehweh01]

What was described here in the author's post pretty much covered the Freeaim 1% Motorcycle Club community as a whole. Those guys literally run around with just a rifle fully loaded and their favorite motorcycle. They wouldn't be able to make the cash to do much of anything other then pay for bullets.

Edited March 9, 2018 by wehweh01