On PC who is better? GTA Trilogy DE or modified GTA OG

[MasterEr]

I've always had this doubt, because everyone has a different opinion, but for console it's one thing and PC it's quite another because of the mods, the performance of the originals obviously demands less from the PC, but the Definitive has better graphics, achievements etc, while original is original and can be modified with Silent Patch, Skygfx etc, I just wanted to know in your opinion which one you would choose as the main GTA on PC

 

Update:  After the update, do you still have the same opinion? Well, years ago I tried to remaster mainly the original GTA3 and GTA Vice City on PC, but each graphic mod broke the game after some time of use, it always crashed, nowadays we have a ready-made remaster as a base and that worked very well, while the originals work well only with the essential mods without frills, what do you think?

Edited November 13, 2024 by MasterEr

[El Dorado]

out of the box, if you just want to click play and don't care about anything else - definitive

once you learn the basics of modding - originals

[GrudgefromSanAndreas]

i wish i could download a remake/remaster mod for og trilogy that actually works on windows 10 and 11

i only found anecdotal experiences regarding this on modern hardware

[Emmi]

The 'definitive edition' is a complete disaster so of course the original ones ... even if they aren't modded they are better.

[Silver]

Originals all the way and it's not even a question. The amount of mods available can easily improve the experience beyond what the Definitive Edition has to offer anyway.

[Moncastler]

2 hours ago, Emmi said:

The 'definitive edition' is a complete disaster so of course the original ones ... even if they aren't modded they are better.

I disagree, the unmodded original ones are a miserable experience on any modern system and in terms of content they're on par with all anniversary releases (except for VC radio). They're literally unplayable, mouse and keyboard feel awful, modern controllers aren't supported, SA runs at 25 FPS, frame pacing issues, widescreen not supported, etc. Without a doubt, one of the worst ways of playing these games.

IMO:

- If you want to play on console and hate PC with a passion: Definitive Edition

- If you play on PC, but don't want to mod: PS2 emulated / Definitive Edition

- If you play on PC and want to mod: PC

 

PC modded is easily the best way to play them so I would absolutely go through the effort of setting them up properly, it's well worth it.

[44Orca]

III and VC are fine with the definitive edition, just add back original soundtrack if you want or some better character models, optional. These two were the ones that needed more fixing.

San Andreas DE on the other still has a lot of issues and really in my opinion is the one that they didn't seem to have put a lot of work on especially on PC. The art direction is ruined too.

You can have fun with both if first time playing, so is up to you really.

Edited October 28, 2024 by 44Orca

[NightmanCometh96]

My thing is, if you have to want to mod the DE to get it back to a reasonable state anyway (e.g. restoring the radio stations or replacing the textures/character models), then you might as well go the extra step and just mod the originals. Most of the DE's changes have equivalent mods (many of which are better-implemented than R*/GSG’s official solutions). To name a few:

• ClassicAxis: Makes the camera in III/VC function like it does in SA, LCS and VCS. You can now control the camera on-foot (without having to use the "default" controls) and while driving. It also makes the gunplay (particularly the aiming) feel closer to the later 3D-Era games.
• GInput: Improves controller functionality compared to the stock PC ports. I mainly play the Steam versions (i.e. if a game doesn't support my DualSense, I can just use Steam Input to detect it as an Xbox controller), but this mod should just be a plug-and-play experience. Much like the DE, you can also swap between the original PS2 control scheme and a modern one that is based on IV/V (while this can only be done by editing an .ini file, it should be as simple as changing a number).
• An in-game map can be added to GTA III. It also adds waypoints a la SA (a change that also applies when you install the mod for VC).
• Xbox Version HD: Replaces many of III’s assets with their Xbox counterparts, such as higher-polygon character models (that have individual fingers!) and improved textures. And unlike the DE, the texture work here is not poorly-AI-upscaled.
• RoSA Project Evolved: A high-res texture mod for SA. Once again, assets are improved, but not ridden with AI-upscaling flaws and grammatical errors. IIRC, a variant of RoSA does exist for the DE, though.
• FramerateVigilante: Corrects many of the high frame rate bugs (something that, to my knowledge, was not done with the DE, despite being able to run above 30FPS on all platforms other than Switch and mobile). Do note that you still might want to cap your FPS at 60.
• (Unofficial) Achievements can be modded into all three games. Most, if not all of them should be identical to their PS2-on-PS4/360/DE counterparts. (III and VC, SA. These are the versions I know of, but there may be similar mods out there.)
• EDIT: A mod that adds a GPS to the radar (akin to IV, CTW and V) is available for all three games.

Emulating the PS2 versions is another great option, as @Moncastler mentioned, especially if you’re looking for more of an “out-of-the-box“ experience. PCSX2 was recently updated to integrate RetroAchievement support, so as long as you don’t mind signing up for an account, you’d be able to earn achievements in the PS2 games. (EDIT 2: Each game has way more achievements to earn than any official version of the Trilogy, delisted or not. SA alone has 219 of them!) There are also 60FPS cheats (and possibly texture mods?) if you have the hardware for it.

 

Personally, I’d only play the DE if you literally have no other option to play the Trilogy (e.g. if you don’t have a PC/laptop made within the last decade or so, and the only console you own is an unmodded Switch).

Edited October 31, 2024 by NightmanCometh96
Linked SA's RetroAchivements page.

[NoblePen]

There's things I like about the DE, such as the parallax interiors, and the improved lighting and shadows. It's actually incredibly frustrating, because there's some relatively minor changes they could make which would change my answer to this question.

 

Unfortunately I have to recommend the originals, simply because of many of the bugs that were never fixed in the DE (including the awful frame pacing), and the fact that the modding scene is so, so good for the original games. SilentPatch along with SkyGFX make them look as they were meant to look, and RoSA Project Evolved as mentioned by NightmanCometh96 makes San Andreas look really, really good. It's a very tasteful texture pack where you almost don't notice it in the best way possible. 

[GhettoJesus]

The original because you can customize it however you like. It's not even difficult to customize your game, especially with modloaders. You could get graphic mods that do a far better job at enhancing the games' visuals than the "definitive" editions do. Less annoying glitches too.

[suicidehummer]

TDE. Come at me.

[MasterEr]

After the update, many people's opinions must have changed, but mine is that the original is the original. If you want something remastered, especially for GTA3/VC, which never had so much attention to graphic mods and the ones that did have them crashed, the remaster is a great option.

Edited November 13, 2024 by MasterEr

[NoblePen]

Honestly, with the state of the DE now, I'd have to say the DE *unless* you specifically want mods (of which there are *many* excellent ones). 

 

There's a couple of things I still prefer about the originals, and the originals are still the original experience, as it was at the time, but overall I'd say the DE is the superior choice for most people now. 

[Gettin up]

I'm going to try DE for the first time this weekend now that people say it's fixed.

[NightmanCometh96]

I still prefer the originals, I don't see that changing any time soon. But now that VGD's fixes (and then some) have been implemented in the console/PC versions, I think the DE is now a serviceable (albeit, not quite perfect) way to play the Trilogy.

 

I'd still recommend at least trying to give the OGs a shot if you have any means of accessing them, though, be it through emulation; real hardware (+ an upscaler like the RetroTINK-4K if you don't have a CRT and/or money is no object); or PC with mods/downgrades/radio restoration/etc..

[The-Ghost]

On 10/27/2024 at 8:53 PM, El Dorado said:

out of the box, if you just want to click play and don't care about anything else - definitive

once you learn the basics of modding - originals

 

Even with the recent patch, the originals have their charm, especially SA with PS2 visuals.

[zanesix]

On 10/27/2024 at 3:54 PM, GrudgefromSanAndreas said:

i wish i could download a remake/remaster mod for og trilogy that actually works on windows 10 and 11

i only found anecdotal experiences regarding this on modern hardware

If you go to the guides section of the now-delisted GTA trilogy Steam pages one of the top rated guides on all 3 is a modpack called "The Improved Classic". I've never used it myself, but going by the mods list it looks like a really good pack. As for modern Windows, as long as you have silentpatch installed the games will just work hassle-free.

[Bizz913]

6 hours ago, NightmanCometh96 said:

I still prefer the originals, I don't see that changing any time soon. But now that VGD's fixes (and then some) have been implemented in the console/PC versions, I think the DE is now a serviceable (albeit, not quite perfect) way to play the Trilogy.

 

I'd still recommend at least trying to give the OGs a shot if you have any means of accessing them, though, be it through emulation; real hardware (+ an upscaler like the RetroTINK-4K if you don't have a CRT and/or money is no object); or PC with mods/downgrades/radio restoration/etc..

I will always love the og games, but now since I really want to see how it is in ue4, after all I haven't seen a single modern open world game like gta in ue 4 or ue 5. Plus I did managed to get RDR 2 after I deleted GTA 5 for few days but man GTA 5 and 4 and mostly 5 is king for because Michael De Santa And Amanda (I know I know I f*cking love GTA V then any game I played). RDR 1 is ok too, reminded me of Smugglers Run series somehow (Tried in Pcsx2).

Edited November 14, 2024 by Bizz913

[BS_BlackScout]

TDE.

No, I don't fully believe TDE is better. But even from the perspective of someone who can mod the game, TDE is just better.

I have recently tried to mod my SA. Kept the mods safe, tried to go one by one. Asked for help (to no avail, in some ways I'm not a big fan of the modding community for this game but alas).

 

Reason: I keep getting crashes.

 

I'm on the verge of reinstalling Windows because, although my system runs every other game fine, SA crashes consistently once it allocates around 430-450MB of memory (according to Open Limit Adjuster's debug). I've tried numerous mod combinations, but nothing seems to prevent the constant crashing.

• No SilentPatch can fix it
• No self-building debug builds of script mods fix it.

And to say more about the general modding experience:

• Some mods are no longer being actively maintained.
• There's no mod index or cohesive "Definitive Experience" mod like a game such as OG Silent Hill 2 has.
• You're lost to finding the actually GOOD mods yourself. (No nonsense, mods that are vanilla friendly, etc)
• There is a thread for a Mod Index but most of the links are dead.
• Some mods aren't proper consolidated.
• There isn't a good, an actual, good website to download SA, VC, III mods where you feel fully safe.
• There is a lot of weird actors on the scene that despite having good mods. It all makes you question if it's safe to even download their stuff. (Some getting involved in drama in the past, which I hate)

 

It's a mess. I'd rather play something that doesn't require me to spend hours to work on to later find out is crashing and I can't figure out why.

Is it Windows? Is it bad mods? Is it my fault?

 

It gets tiring. So, in a way, just play TDE, it's simple and just works out of the box, even if it's not ideal, not truthful to the original artstyle or even buggy.

Edited November 15, 2024 by BS_BlackScout

[zanesix]

I have to say I disagree. Seems like a lot of that is based off of your own personal experience, which is, while valid, not necessarily representative of what getting them working for most people is actually like. I would say the bare minimum to play the OGs on modern PCs is just SilentPatch and widescreen fix, and *maybe* skygfx if they are into that. One of the benefits is that someone can go as deep or as shallow as they want to go. If someone just plays with SilentPatch and nothing else, I doubt they would run into many issues. As for modpacks, in my last comment I gave one example of one that uses basically everything I do in my normal, manual install that I've painstakingly crafted:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1956640711

 

After posting my last comment I went and tested it on a clean install and it is shockingly close to my main souped up game. You don't even have to downgrade it, it includes all of the files. It's great that someone can quickly transform their game to this level. The only bad thing is that the person has to actually find it first.

 

Also, these games have been out for forever and understood inside and out at this point (even to the point of being reverse engineered, but don't get me started on that). Because of that, it's a lot less hostile to mod if someone does want to make changes themselves. Unlike DE, every file is just out in the open, and judging by how the DE community cant even create a bug-free radio downgrade mod, it's probably a lot less hassle, too.

 

There's the simple way, and then there's the best way. Anyone that has access to the original PC versions should at least give it a shot there first. If it doesn't work for them, oh well, but writing the whole thing off because of the possibility of tech issues is kinda robbing the player of potentially having the best experience. GTA is frankly lucky to have this much community support over the years to make it run as smoothly as it does. For other games that don't have a full decomp or source release, they would kill for what people have managed to do here.

 

I also recommend the original on PC because I would never want anyone to be subjected to those awful keyboard flight controls on DE. Also, what the hell happened to my super sprint mechanic in SA? Literally unplayable.

Edited November 15, 2024 by zanesix

[SquoniX]

You are asking this question on a site which is overwhelmingly puritan and represents a tiny but vocal percentage of the player base. 
 

Of course they will choose the originals. This isn’t meant as a diss but it’s natural for only the veteran fans to be active on the forums for a game. 

[NightmanCometh96]

On 10/28/2024 at 9:47 AM, NightmanCometh96 said:

Emulating the PS2 versions is another great option, as @Moncastler mentioned, especially if you’re looking for more of an “out-of-the-box“ experience. PCSX2 was recently updated to integrate RetroAchievement support, so as long as you don’t mind signing up for an account, you’d be able to earn achievements in the PS2 games. (EDIT 2: Each game has way more achievements to earn than any official version of the Trilogy, delisted or not. SA alone has 219 of them!) There are also 60FPS cheats (and possibly texture mods?) if you have the hardware for it.

As an addendum to this, I started a new GTA III playthrough on PCSX2 earlier this week, with the intent of earning RetroAchievements. It's way more in-depth than the PS2-on-PS4 version and the DE; I'd go as far to say R*'s official offerings pale in comparison, even if it's nice that trophies/achievements are earnable in the first place. There are a lot of missables (such as delivering a Flatbed or Bus to the Portland Import/Export Garage before unlocking Staunton); others require multiple runs of a certain mission (e.g. for "The Fuzz Ball", there are separate achievements for dropping off all 8 girls at the same time like in the DE and delivering each of them one at a time). It almost seems tailored towards people who are familiar with the original game, especially if you have any interest in going for everything. Right now I'm trying to complete all of Shoreside Vale's Unique Stunts using the same vehicle without exiting/destroying it (repairing it at the Pay 'N Spray is thankfully allowed); for those of you who know how fragile GTA III's vehicles are, and how easily they flip over, it's as brutal as it sounds. Some of them aren't worth bothering with, though. Completing Paramedic in Shoreside Vale? Yeah, no thanks. 

 

Still, if the majority of III's achievements are anything to go by, then the rest of the PS2 games (yes, that includes LCS and VCS!) should be an interesting revisit. Don't sleep on emulating the PS2 versions if you're a fellow trophy hunter.

 

Edited November 28, 2024 by NightmanCometh96

[E Revere]

Not sure what the intent is with the "Defacative Edition for out of the box" answers. There is no reason for anyone to play DE ever for any reason, perhaps other than checking on the dangers. Even without any mods or fixes, the original games are better. And besides, as someone else pointed out, all you really need is widescreen fix and maybe resolution fixes if you don't have the steam version. SP is optional, not mandatory.

 

On 11/15/2024 at 2:45 AM, BS_BlackScout said:

There's no mod index or cohesive "Definitive Experience" mod

Well, you do have a point but it's important to bring up that there was going to be until R* forced it to pull the plug. I'm actually surprised by your comment here. I don't get any such issues when I open my steam versions on my Windows 10. Are you Windows 11 or using the CD versions or something? Is that the difference?

Edited November 29, 2024 by E Revere

[Moncastler]

I highly suggest watching this video from Joshimuz, these are the highlights of an entire SA DE playthrough:

 

It's kinda been eye-opening after all the positive things of this update that have been outlined by basically everyone, TDE still has a lot of problems. Don't get me wrong, this update was absolutely a step in the right direction and at least the overall look is IMO decent, but even now I don't see why you would want to go with TDE instead of the modded originals if you're on PC. Sure, you have to mod them, but the final result will be miles better than this. I hope VGD still works on TDE, because there's much more that needs to be fixed. And it's not like you need a huge list of mods, mine is extremely minimal (I don't even use modloader and CLEO!) yet I'm getting a close-to PS2 experience with all the benefits of playing on PC.

Spoiler

 

16 hours ago, NightmanCometh96 said:

As an addendum to this, I started a new GTA III playthrough on PCSX2 earlier this week, with the intent of earning RetroAchievements. It's way more in-depth than the PS2-on-PS4 version and the DE; I'd go as far to say R*'s official offerings pale in comparison, even if it's nice that trophies/achievements are earnable in the first place. There are a lot of missables (such as delivering a Flatbed or Bus to the Portland Import/Export Garage before unlocking Staunton); others require multiple runs of a certain mission (e.g. for "The Fuzz Ball", there are separate achievements for dropping off all 8 girls at the same time like in the DE and delivering each of them one at a time). It almost seems tailored towards people who are familiar with the original game, especially if you have any interest in going for everything. Right now I'm trying to complete all of Shoreside Vale's Unique Stunts using the same vehicle without exiting/destroying it (repairing it at the Pay 'N Spray is thankfully allowed); for those of you who know how fragile GTA III's vehicles are, and how easily they flip over, it's as brutal as it sounds. Some of them aren't worth bothering with, though. Completing Paramedic in Shoreside Vale? Yeah, no thanks. 

 

Still, if the majority of III's achievements are anything to go by, then the rest of the PS2 games (yes, that includes LCS and VCS!) should be an interesting revisit. Don't sleep on emulating the PS2 versions if you're a fellow trophy hunter.

Uhm I should give PCSX2 another shot, RetroAchievements is something that I've always overlooked but it seems extremely interesting. How's SA now? Because I remember it having blur problems, as the effects scaled scale with the increased resolution.

 

11 hours ago, E Revere said:

Even without any mods or fixes, the original games are better.

No I disagree here, the unmodded PC versions are a miserable experience and one of the worst ways of playing them. But SilentPatch + Widescreen Fix alone are enough to solve 95% of the issues, so it's not like you need a dozen mods to have a functioning original PC version.

[E Revere]

18 minutes ago, Moncastler said:

I highly suggest watching this video from Joshimuz, these are the highlights of an entire SA DE playthrough:

Wow. He cut his hair.

 

  

18 minutes ago, Moncastler said:

No I disagree here, the unmodded PC versions are a miserable experience and one of the worst ways of playing them. But SilentPatch + Widescreen Fix alone are enough to solve 95% of the issues, so it's not like you need a dozen mods to have a functioning original PC version.

Maybe it's down to taste. I always prefer getting the authentic experience when I'm playing an older game. It's a crucial part of it. I want to play it exactly as people back in the 2000's had it. Even if I hadn't played GTA in the 2000's and was a late comer, I still would've played the original form first.

 

18 minutes ago, Moncastler said:

Don't get me wrong, this update was absolutely a step in the right direction and at least the overall look is IMO decent,

Gonna get dogmatic here but I will never forgive DE as long as it exists. Even if they released a five-year-developed patch that fixed literally everything, the idea of re-releasing this game just to improve its graphics a notch is still a massive insult. I don't understand why they didn't just hire the Re mods' creators. If the old games should get a re-whatever, they should get more quality of life support than just a fresh coat of paint. They deserved new features, perhaps updates to the map, more modernization. A full blown remake! I can understand why Tomb Raider's remasters didn't take that road since that franchise has always been made by a small group of people. But R* has no excuse. Even if they did it all correctly from the beginning without any of this nonsense, what they did to Re would invalidate it. It's like trying to debate whether it's okay to have abusive parents if they feed, clothe and bathe you. I don't think it works that way.

Edited November 29, 2024 by E Revere

[NightmanCometh96]

45 minutes ago, Moncastler said:

Uhm I should give PCSX2 another shot, RetroAchievements is something that I've always overlooked but it seems extremely interesting. How's SA now? Because I remember it having blur problems, as the effects scaled scale with the increased resolution.

I'll have to take another look my settings, but I think this video should help with some of the blur issues:

 

Disabling dithering may also be a good idea.

Edited November 29, 2024 by NightmanCometh96

[Bizz913]

13 minutes ago, NightmanCometh96 said:

I'll have to take another look my settings, but I think this video should help with some of the blur issues:

 

Disabling dithering may also be a good idea.

Is there like a cleo mod for GTA Trilogy on pcsx2 like that for lcs and vcs by @ThirteenAG? I would love to get back in the trilogy ps2 with cleo, for vehicle spawner.

Edited November 29, 2024 by Bizz913

[NightmanCometh96]

1 hour ago, Bizz913 said:

Is there like a cleo mod for GTA Trilogy on pcsx2 like that for lcs and vcs by @ThirteenAG? I would love to get back in the trilogy ps2 with cleo, for vehicle spawner.

Not that I’m aware of.

[Bizz913]

8 minutes ago, NightmanCometh96 said:

Not that I’m aware of.

Yup, thats why I pinged ThirteenAg too in same post. Basically for ps2 versions of trilogy games though since LCS and VCS already have them.

[Dock]

Original + mods all the way. TDE is convenient for sure, but that's really all its got going for it imo.

 

You get the added bonus of fleshing out your game with all the great content the community has made over the years if you take the time to mod the game properly.