GTA4 to be massivly multiplayer, and in Miami? (1 Viewer)

[BrianShort]

Saw a bit over at Link Removed saying that there are now rumors floating around that GTA4 could be massively multiplayer, and take place in Miami. Here's a link to the snippit: Link Removed It's at the bottom of todays news update (2.1.02)

The latest EGM just hit the stands today, and there's an interesting tidbit tucked away in the Game Gossip section. Apparently there are whispers circulating that Grand Theft Auto 4 is ready to make the leap to massively online multiplayer gaming...yep, that's right. Those people you like to mug, run over, and blow up may just be other players in the next installment. (Hmm...that adds a whole new layer of controversy to the 'whack-a-hooker' issue...) Furthermore, it's rumored that the next game will take place in a real-world city. I've heard talk that Rockstar developers were spotted in Miami recently taking reference photos, which makes sense if you consider the guy in the toilet who shouts 'See ya in Miami!' when you drop him off at the airport. Will there be monthly fees? Will it require the hard drive? (I suspect a yes to both...)
We'll keep you appraised of any developments.

 

[Ike]

Sweet.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

Sweet.

Hmm, I guess you could call it sweet if you enjoy paying upwards of $150 for the modem and hard-drive plus some outrageous fee to play it. I don't care how good a game is, I won't pay more than 50 bucks for it, and I bet a lot of other people feel that way, which is why online console gaming will be a gigantic failure in a "Crystal Pepsi" kind of way.

 

[Romier S]

One thing that worries me about this kind of setup is player griefing! One thing that I always hated about online games is general is that you always have your immature snots who need to cause trouble because they can. Whether it be killing newer and inexperienced players (or n00bs as they are called..I hate internet terminology sometimes) for sheer enjoyment or just being immature pains in general.
Mind you, no matter what you do there will be these kinds of players in all online games but GTA as an MMOG really lends itself to this kind of exploitation. I'm curious as to what measures the developers will take to combat this type of behavior and make the game enjoyable for everyone.
I never really like online games and I swore I'd never pay for one. (until recently that is). Dark Age of Camelot and Anarchy Online both have me hooked (though I may be cancelling my AO account, not enough time to play both.) so I am a bit more open to the MMOG experience. I'll definitely give GTA a shot if it is an MMOG but I dont know if I would pay for it. I loved PSO and I refused to buy V.2 because it was pay for play.
As Andrew said above you also have to consider the costs of getting the PS2 online. I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see but the prospect of an online GTA is exciting...

 

[JasonKrol]

online gaming - crystal pepsi...umm...HA HA HA!

right..i guess you never played QUake or Counter Strike online etc...or...for that matter Halo...

online gaming is a fact of life...get used to it.

and so is paying for it.

i for one would probably pay 20.00 /month to play gta4 online if were any better than gta3..considering ive played gta3 sooo much that i think ive played wayyy more that just 50.00 worth. consider it an arcade game if you will...god knows how much money i sunk into Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat in the arcade...alone..

 

[Dave F]

...I guess you could call it sweet if you enjoy paying upwards of $150... ...which is why online console gaming will be a gigantic failure ...

Of course that $150 fee is applicable to only some of the consoles out there. Phantasy Star Online was a huge success, with no additional fees, hardware or software charges (this changed in v2), and the Xbox already has a hard drive and a network jack.

-Dave

 

[BrianShort]

Since I didnt put in my optinion with the original post, here it is. As long as the game has a good single player mode, I really don't care if it's mass multi or not. This game would be fun multi, but I would like a mode I could play singleplayer without having to pay any extra for.

Also, what advantages is the future HD gonna have. Just quicker loading times, or what?

Brian

 

[Romier S]

Also, what advantages is the future HD gonna have. Just quicker loading times, or what?

Quicker loading times, Ability to store patches for online games, ability to store downloadable content such as additional levels, characters so forth and so on. As of right now the HD for the PS2 cannot be used to save games but I hope that changes. Honestly I don't see any reason for Sony to not implement this feature (except of course monetary..those memory cards are 35 bucks after all).

 

[Chris Bardon]

You could buy all those extras...or just get the xbox version.

Sorry-had to add it...

 

[Sean Eldridge]

You could buy all those extras...or just get the xbox version

If an xbox version is made.

Sean

 

[ChrisV]

ability to store downloadable content such as additional levels, characters so forth and so on

OK, now we're talking.

 

[Ike]

I think if done right, GTA 4 could be exactly what their audience is looking for. Imagine it-a city filled with online goons. Huge gang gun fires. Random car jackings. Flying between online cities.

Oh man, I'll reiterate-sweet.

 

[Romier S]

Aaaagh! Please nooooo!!!

I agree with you about patches. I don't want to see them anymore than you do but if you are dealing with an MMORPG like FFXI where you have class balancing issues, bugs that make it through the beta test, other unforseen events you may end up seeing them.
PSO for the Dreamcast circumvented most of those troubles by providing a very fun game for a limited amount of players with 4-5 set environments. There really wasn't much in the way of class balance to worry about as the game was very much a "diablo-esque" type hack and slash (PS I love PSO and played it for months,so dont anyone go thinking I'm bashing it!:frowning. You look at FFXI and they are reaching to make a huge persistent world with a large amount of races and jobs that all need to be balanced. Its a daunting task for any developer. I just hope the practice of releasing unfinished product and then covering your ass by releasing patches doesn't filter down also (ahem...Anarchy Online....cough...Pools of Radiance)
With the complexity of allot of the online games that are coming I think patches truly will become a part of the ONLINE console gaming experience. There is no need whatsoever at all for a console game that is not online to require a patch IMO. Developers are not working to get 300 different hardware combinations to run these games so there should be no excuse. Of course in the PC world you have your bug patches and your content patches. Though the fact that there needs to be a bug patch bothers me, the flexibility of the PC to allow you to add content patches satisfies me very much!

 

[JasonK]

While the prospect of GTA4 online sounds fantastic, I'm still apprehensive about Sony's online plans. As you guys have said, the cost to get into online gaming with the PS2 will prove problematic.

History shows that add-on's never take off in the US. From the Sega CD and 32X, to the 64DD that never saw the light of day, Sony will have to really work hard to convince John Q. Videogamer that the hard drive and broadband adapter are something they *need*.

Perhaps GTA4 and FFXI are the 2 killer-apps that Sony is counting on, but if those games are pay-to-play, I'll probably pass. Maybe I was just spoiled by PSO for free for hours on end with the HTF folk, but paying X amount of dollars a month on top of a $50 game could get too pricey for most people (myself included).

-Jason

 

[Jason Seaver]

Would it necessarily be a $50 game, though? If they're planning to charge $5-10 a month, it might make sense to sell the game itself for $10 (Hey, the marketing strategy works for crack ); don't PC MMRPGs tend to do that?
Also, Sony might plan on charging $x/month for their online gaming service, which includes any online game released for the PS2; the pricing model isn't known yet.

 

[Romier S]

it might make sense to sell the game itself for $10 (Hey, the marketing strategy works for crack ); don't PC MMRPGs tend to do that?

Here are some prices:

Everquest Shadows of Luclin-29.99

Dark Age of Camelot-39.99-44.99

Anarchy Online- (release day)39..99 (now)29.99

Those are the three latest MMORPG games on the market. The average price usually is in the 29.99-39.99 area.

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

I wouldn't be surprised if GTA4 comes out on the xbox first or a version of it, GTA X or something. A combo of 3 and 4. The reason being that every xbox is online ready without the need for expensive add ons. I also think the reason could be because they keep giving a 'no comment' to the rumors of GTA3 coming to the xbox. Add in the pure power over the PS2 which would give Rockstar alot of extra room for features and what they can versus doing it for PS2. Then they could just cut back stuff that the PS2 can't handle when they port it over.

 

[AaronP]

I've been playing MMORPG's since 1998, and online games since about 93 (anyone remember Usurper and Red Dragon?) and here's what I've learned.

The games that I've played that take a huge time dedication, (Everquest and DAoC) are really fun for a month or two, and I find that I can't get enough of em and can waste a whole weekend (or a college semester) playing em, but eventually I hit a breaking point, when instantly, like a switch turning off, I get completely sick of em. I played EQ hardcore (like 20 hours a week or more) for like 4 months straight back in 1998, then all of a sudden I woke up one day and couldn't stand to even look at it, I didn't renew my account and haven't touched it since. THe same thing though to a lesser extent happend with Camelot. I just get burned out, I think a lot of people are like this.

Then there's the other, more casual, less deep online games, Diablo and Diablo II, Half Life (and its mods) Madden online, etc... the ones that don't need the huge time commitment, those are the games that I find are the best, and most fun in the long run. I still play Diablo II 18 months after it came out, and I played Diablo 1 on and off for 3+ years.

Now getting to GTA. I think this game could work, and become REALLY popular if they do it like a FPS game on PC, where people host servers, then an amount of people, from 1-30 or whatever can join a game and play in one city. There is no need, for it to be massivly multiplayer, and DEFINITELY no need for it to be 10 bucks a month. The only problem is that its on PS2, and not PC and I don't think it can happen that way on PS2.

And yes, online games are the way of the future. Single player gaming is in a terminal state. Of course, it is still a rare treat to play a great single player game, like No One Lives Forever or Front Office Football (god FOF is addicting).

 

[Romier S]

The games that I've played that take a huge time dedication, (Everquest and DAoC) are really fun for a month or two, and I find that I can't get enough of em and can waste a whole weekend (or a college semester) playing em, but eventually I hit a breaking point, when instantly, like a switch turning off, I get completely sick of em. I played EQ hardcore (like 20 hours a week or more) for like 4 months straight back in 1998, then all of a sudden I woke up one day and couldn't stand to even look at it, I didn't renew my account and haven't touched it since. THe same thing though to a lesser extent happend with Camelot. I just get burned out, I think a lot of people are like this.

What you have just described is what is commonly referred to as a powerleveler in an MMORPG . 20 hours a week on one game? How could you not get burned out??
I play Dark Age of Camelot on average about 5-6 hours a week. I also throw in 2-3 hours of Anarchy Online if possible. I enjoy both games the time that I play them and I honestly do not see the need to dedicate my life to any one of these games to enjoy them. 5-6 hours is just fine with me and I've been playing DAOC for about 3 months now. There is no reason a casual gamer can't enjoy these games. So I completely disagree that these games require an enormous amount of dedication.
OFF TOPIC:
Not too focus too much on MMORPG's but people have really forgetten the point of what an MMORPG is. Have you ever logged into AO, DAOC, or Everquest and heard some person chatting and this is the typical statement "Dude, I was over at my moms house and I got a PS2..My buddy and I were playing GTA3 all night". Forgive me but I though the point of a roleplaying game was to ROLEPLAY!!! The leveling treadmill (in MMORPG's) is something that is so embedded in gamers mind that they cant see past it. I dont need to gain a level to enjoy myself. I log into DAOC, join up with my guild and we have a great time doing battle with creatures, sharing stories all IN CHARACTER. Its like the old days when graphical MMOG's were a fantasy. You simply typed. You had to use your imagination and you had to be a good roleplayer (anyone up for some tabletop D&D). MMORPG's are useless to me without a good community that really understands what a roleplaying game is. Thankfully I think DAOC is the one game I have found that has that (at least the majority of its players).
BACK ON TOPIC:
The biggest monkey wrench in getting these type of games onto consoles it quite simply people do not want to deal with monthly fees. Period. I understand the need for monthly fees. Servers are expensive. Maintaining those servers and staffing people to handle customer service and maintain the servers is expensive. I'm sure allot of gamers understand the need for these fees but that does not mean that they want to pay them.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

wouldn't be surprised if GTA4 comes out on the xbox first or a version of it, GTA X or something. A combo of 3 and 4. The reason being that every xbox is online ready without the need for expensive add ons.

This makes sense, but I remember reading on Gamespot that Rockstar had promised to release all subsequent GTA games for PS2 first, just like they're doing with GTAIII. Could've been a rumor though, so you might want to check.