Been really anxious lately to see what Rockstar will do to utilize it's open world better for GTA V. I think we all can pretty much agree that GTA IV's Liberty City bosted some nice views, but was pretty shallow in terms of interaction. Obviously RDR came around and fixed this, and was at least in my mind the single best use of a open world to date.

Now the questions remains, what mechanics from RDR would you like to see make an apperance in the next Grand Theft Auto?

Personally I would just like to see a lot of that radiant stuff return. Just helping out the random people in town who got robbed and stuff like that. Obviously stranger missions were great, I mean, who'll ever forgot the "I know you" quest line? Simply magnificent. Most importantly though, I'd like to see the same kind of visual fidelity while still maintaing the frame rate that RDR managed.

And I know this might be a little controversial, but I'd certainly like to see the game have a clear direction. GTA IV was all over the place, blending humor, action and seriousness in a pretty tasteless way. RDR on the other hand maintained that dead serious tone all the way, but still managed to sprinkle in a little humor. Basically the radio channels need to reflect the more serious tone of the game, or I'll just end up losing any and all immersion.

Soo, sound off below if you have any suggestions.

EDIT: Shooting and movement mechanics obviously.

I liked that there was actually stuff to do online in free roam in RDR. In GTA IV free roam was pointless but in RDR there were hideouts to clear out and public enemies to hunt down.

Horses.

Only this time, you can shoot RPG's from on horseback.

As ridiculous as it is, I'd like to see something similar to a zombie themed expansion pack or something that's totally bananas. Something non-canon.

@mscupcakes: I know! When the expansion for RDR came I just couldn't understand why they didn't to something like that for GTA IV. I mean, that would make it an entirely new game, while also being presumably easy to make. Reusing assets and so on. Well, let's hope we get it for GTA V.

I think a dead serious tone for GTA would absolutely kill the game.

The problem with GTA is that the whole concept of the game is absurd. You're a walking death machine who mows over random pedestrians and guns down random individuals. After the year or so you spend in the game, it's not uncommon to have murdered thousands upon thousands of people.

Not to mention the absurdity of the way the cars handle and the way your character hops around.

We're a long way off from videogames being able to take themselves 100% seriously, if they ever should. Afterall, people who take life seriously are generally thought to be disconnected and unentertaining.

@believer258 said:

Horses.

Only this time, you can shoot RPG's from on horseback.

You stole my god damn idea sir!

Bears and cougars. Rampaging through downtown LA. And only if I can ride them

Everything... Already jonesin' for a new Red Dead!

But yeah, more dynamic stuff; I want to actually see someone else go and hijack a car, followed by a police chase racing off into the distance. Or something like a robbery taking place and you can choose to ignore it, or help out by gunning down any nearby cops, possibly for a small share of the cash.

Poncho.

Skinning.

@sthusby said:

Obviously stranger missions were great, I mean, who'll ever forgot the "I know you" quest line? Simply magnificent.

Those were already in GTA IV. Off the top of my head, there's a serial killer you can help track down. There's another where a guy thinks his wife is cheating on him, and you help get proof. He has a few missions actually, and I think it ends with him killing her and Niko telling him to fuck off.

@sthusby said:

GTA IV was all over the place, blending humor, action and seriousness in a pretty tasteless way. RDR on the other hand maintained that dead serious tone all the way, but still managed to sprinkle in a little humor. Basically the radio channels need to reflect the more serious tone of the game, or I'll just end up losing any and all immersion.

I think everything in the game can be fairly serious and be fine, but the radio stations, TV shows, and advertisements should be just as ridiculous as they are, because, let's face it, in reality the media is practically as ridiculous as the parody.

Trains.

A likable lead character who you can't contradict his/her own character arc by shooting pedestrians maybe?

No fucking cellphones.

Cowboy hats.

In all serious though, I'd rather they take some of the lessons they learned from Max Payne 3 and use them for the shooting mechanics.

@Wrighteous86: They were somewhat reminisent of stranger missions, but they weren't nearly as fleshed out or meaningful. I want the GTA equivalent of "I know you". Most epic line in any video game...

"Damn you!"

"Many have..."

Spoiiiler: He was the devil, or at least that's what I figured.

@JazGalaxy said:

I think a dead serious tone for GTA would absolutely kill the game.

The problem with GTA is that the whole concept of the game is absurd. You're a walking death machine who mows over random pedestrians and guns down random individuals. After the year or so you spend in the game, it's not uncommon to have murdered thousands upon thousands of people.

Not to mention the absurdity of the way the cars handle and the way your character hops around.

We're a long way off from videogames being able to take themselves 100% seriously, if they ever should. Afterall, people who take life seriously are generally thought to be disconnected and unentertaining.

GTA works because of its serious style. It still has humour and some silliness, with the radio stations and such, that works, but taking it in a different direction now would be very bad for the series, especially as Saints Row now has a firm foothold on the completely insane style of open world game.

If you think running around, killing hundreds of people inbetween missions breaks the immersion.. don't do that.

@sthusby said:

@Wrighteous86: They were somewhat reminisent of stranger missions, but they weren't nearly as fleshed out or meaningful. I want the GTA equivalent of "I know you". Most epic line in any video game...

"Damn you!"

"Many have..."

Spoiiiler: He was the devil, or at least that's what I figured.

While none in GTAIV were as... eerie or metaphorical as the ''I Know You'' stranger mission in RDR, most were still on par. And some which were surprisingly emotional, like one that I think transpired across two 'encounters', as Niko saves a drug-addled teenager from a life of prostitution by giving her enough money to return to her family; I remember that she also sends you an email to say thanks.

@sthusby said:

GTA IV was all over the place, blending humor, action and seriousness in a pretty tasteless way. RDR on the other hand maintained that dead serious tone all the way, but still managed to sprinkle in a little humor. Basically the radio channels need to reflect the more serious tone of the game, or I'll just end up losing any and all immersion.

I disagree, I think GTA IV was the biggest leap forward that Rockstar has taken in storytelling in the GTA universe. More importantly, it seems weird that you are complaining about the 'seriousness' of GTA, a game that defined the over the top craziness that could be achieved in an open world environment.

Sure, that wouldn't work in RDR, but that's because it was a clear homage to classic westerns. I'd hate for GTA to become too serious for its own good. By all means, deepen and expand the story arch in V, but it wouldn't be GTA without ridiculous commentary blaring on the radio while gunning down cops and running over hookers.

But what would I want to be borrowed from RDR? Skinning animals... and people, for money.

@sthusby said:

Obviously stranger missions were great, I mean, who'll ever forgot the "I know you" quest line? Simply magnificent.

Those were already in GTA IV. Off the top of my head, there's a serial killer you can help track down. There's another where a guy thinks his wife is cheating on him, and you help get proof. He has a few missions actually, and I think it ends with him killing her and Niko telling him to fuck off.

Yep, Jeff had three missions: Get pictures of his wife, dump her body once he'd killed her and then refuse to kill his new wife (he then gets hit by a car and killed).
 
Sara (the woman who thought she was no longer hot) is interesting in that, while I had no problem with giving her a ride home and punching out her husband for being a jerk, her second mission brings up the biggest problem with these kind of games: the "being led around by the nose" effect. When you meet her the second time she doesn't remember you but insists you go pick up a package for her. Once you've triggered the event there's no way to tell her "Pound sand. I'm not your errand boy." This isn't hard to fix with random character missions, but it's much harder to deal with in the main story and all these games have those moments in them...

That guy randomly getting hit by a car was probably one of the coolest moments in GTA4.

Also forget RDR, I want the fuckin melee system from Bully to show up in GTA. The fighting in that game was top notch and it hasn't been in any rockstar games since.

@WinterSnowblind said:

@JazGalaxy said:

I think a dead serious tone for GTA would absolutely kill the game.

The problem with GTA is that the whole concept of the game is absurd. You're a walking death machine who mows over random pedestrians and guns down random individuals. After the year or so you spend in the game, it's not uncommon to have murdered thousands upon thousands of people.

Not to mention the absurdity of the way the cars handle and the way your character hops around.

We're a long way off from videogames being able to take themselves 100% seriously, if they ever should. Afterall, people who take life seriously are generally thought to be disconnected and unentertaining.

GTA works because of its serious style. It still has humour and some silliness, with the radio stations and such, that works, but taking it in a different direction now would be very bad for the series, especially as Saints Row now has a firm foothold on the completely insane style of open world game.

If you think running around, killing hundreds of people inbetween missions breaks the immersion.. don't do that.

GTA is only as serious as any Quentin Tarintino movie, it mostly just a black comedy.

I am still waiting on a PC RDR and I would like to play that about a 100 times more then a new GTA

@CptChiken said:

@believer258 said:

Horses.

Only this time, you can shoot RPG's from on horseback.

You stole my god damn idea sir!

@wmaustin55 said:

Bears and cougars. Rampaging through downtown LA. And only if I can ride them

Why not? There should be a zoo and you can bust the animals out and watch hilarity ensue. I'm gonna go out on a limb though and say skinning is not likely...probably no bear riding either *tears*

Bonnie.

Skinning things you kill.... oh wait.

I'd much rather a Red Dead Redemption sequel, overall. 
 
To add an actual response, a protagonist as well done as John Marston. Free Roam that had things to do, like the little missions of clearing out a camp of bandits. Better co-op missions. 
 
I just want more Red Dead Redemption! Haha.

Mexicans.

@hoossy said:

@sthusby said:

GTA IV was all over the place, blending humor, action and seriousness in a pretty tasteless way. RDR on the other hand maintained that dead serious tone all the way, but still managed to sprinkle in a little humor. Basically the radio channels need to reflect the more serious tone of the game, or I'll just end up losing any and all immersion.

I disagree, I think GTA IV was the biggest leap forward that Rockstar has taken in storytelling in the GTA universe. More importantly, it seems weird that you are complaining about the 'seriousness' of GTA, a game that defined the over the top craziness that could be achieved in an open world environment.

Sure, that wouldn't work in RDR, but that's because it was a clear homage to classic westerns. I'd hate for GTA to become too serious for its own good. By all means, deepen and expand the story arch in V, but it wouldn't be GTA without ridiculous commentary blaring on the radio while gunning down cops and running over hookers.

But what would I want to be borrowed from RDR? Skinning animals... and people, for money.

I just feel it doesn't mesh well. The absurdity and over-the-topness worked for the older games, because they were more ludacris overall. But with GTA IV they tried to make a heartflet story about a guy wanting to change his life, and it was very serious in both the visuals and the tone. Pretty grim stuff. But then you get in a car, and the radio starts playing a crazy talk show talk completly breaks the feel of the game. I'm not saying they should abandon humor, but they should be less in your face about it. Saints Row has a monoply on the crazy shit now, so GTA should focus on being the mature epic it has the potential to be. Satire only works until you're just a parody yourself.

I change my answer to scrap GTAV and make Bully 2 instead.

I want horses, ponchos, donkeys/mules, revolvers, and dynamite.

Lasso people off of motorcycles. It would be hilarious. And be able to lasso from a car. Instead of hiring a hooker then running them over to get your money back, just lasso them and drag them behind your car.

I'd love to see the return of the weapon wheel.

All I've ever wanted in life is to realistically crash a truck into a horse, or vice versa.

Checkpoints during missions. I stopped playing GTA4 after while because the mission became longer and wherever you would die you had to start at the beginning. Was a game ruining decision.

The shooting and checkpoints. At this point I'm far more interested in another Red Dead.

This thread is giving me the urge to turn on my dusty PS3 and motherfucking play RED DEAD REDEMPTION. I had forgotten how indescribably VERSATILE and AWESOME playing that thing was. 

I agree with what some of you have been saying about the story differences between RDR and GTA4, but for reasons other than tone. I think that while RDR did have a less comedic tone than GTA4, it's not its seriousness that puts John (and Jack) Marsten's tale heads and shoulders above Niko's, it's the cohesive theme. RDR is a game about the inescapable cycle of violence; that no amount of killing, bribing, or repenting can redeem you. Hell, not even a generational gap can stop the cycle. I feel like the theme of cyclical violence is a particularly apt one to explore in the context of a medium that seems similarly shackled to it. In addition to that, the simple act of having John repeat the mantra "I'm no good man." over and over throughout the game goes a long way to alleviate the cognitive dissonance inherent in this type of story-driven open world game.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd like to see the smarter writing of the overall construction of the game to carry over.

I would like music to play during missions when you're outside of a car in a firefight. For RDR they nailed that with buckets of suspense.

@JazGalaxy said:

The problem with GTA is that the whole concept of the game is absurd. You're a walking death machine who mows over random pedestrians and guns down random individuals. After the year or so you spend in the game, it's not uncommon to have murdered thousands upon thousands of people.

Not to mention the absurdity of the way the cars handle and the way your character hops around.

You know you could play the game without running down those people or killing randoms. Try playing it where you follow the road rules and it won't break your concept of how the game should be. Also the cars handled fine. Its a lot better than 'arcade mode' feel that Saints Row has.

I like punching horses in RDR, so that.

I didn't think it was that good of a game. I can't really think of anything they should carry over.

Horses. I want to do a drive-by with an uzi on horseback.

@Jack268 said:

I didn't think it was that good of a game. I can't really think of anything they should carry over.

Your opinions are bad and you should feel bad

the early-1900's western setting.

I was going to say the mechanic that let you hold down a button that let you keep pace with the person you were traveling with...but then I remembered cars kind of solved that problem...

The more I play GTA IV, the more I enjoy it. The things that still bother me are the characters and the writing. I wasn't interested in any character in the game, at all. No one was appealing... Niko is by far the worst protagonist we've had, Claude, a mute, is much better. 
 
The missions were pretty cool, and the driving, although at first I didn't enjoy it, is great. Much better than Saints Row's. 
 
The game just needs a better story. Vice City level. 
 
Also, for the people who are saying the past games were completely ludicrous, well you're crazy. They weren't. Sure they were more upbeat than IV, but I wouldn't say they were anywhere near the level of Saints Row 3. GTA III was like the godfather/goodfellas. I really enjoyed the story. Vice City was, obviously, like Scarface but with a lighter tone. San Andreas was a little more crazy, yeah. With some great characters though, boyz n the hood vibe. 
 
A lot of these games had great stories, IV didn't start the serious tone. It just escalated it.

I just don't want the guy to control like a tank. 
 
Seriously, they need to change their control scheme or something

I hope NOTHING from RDR is in any new game.

I would guess all the graphical stuff will make a come back for GTA so the one thing i could say is the shooting mechanic from RDR. I felt GTA4 was a bit on the stiff and chunky side when it come to shooting and aiming. so if the aiming and shooting system returns from RDR i would be happy.