Dear Rockstar... (Money)

[Imbrium 6]

Just wanted to bring this up for anybody who's interested.

This subject has already been mentioned several times in this subforum, but I thought it's worthy of its own topic because it was something that was mentioned in the run-up to GTA IV as well.

So here goes.

Make it do something, Rockstar! We know you're reading this!

By the end of GTA IV (a game supposedly about going from rags to 'slightly better rags') I had over a $1 million sitting at the top of my screen and bugger all to spend it on.

You can't buy or customise cars, weapons are handed out during every mission and in every alleyway in the game, and the character customisation options are frustratingly limited. On top of that, it isn't even necessary to eat regularly like it was in San An. The odd $100 Pay 'N' Spray, or bowling game with Roman barely makes a dent in anything.

There are a million and a half ways to gain money (missions, side missions, odd jobs, pedestrian whack-a-mole) but honestly once you complete the storyline all the feeling of accomplishment just leaves the game, even for veteran 100% junkies such as myself.

One of the great joys for me of a game like True Crime: New York City was collecting your daily pay, and then spending it on a new car or a better pistol, to make your job fighting crime that much easier. Nothing essential, just nice upgrades that make the game more engaging to play; to give you something to aspire to.

In the name of absolute freedom, GTA doesn't prevent you from keeping second-hand weapons (like True Crime does), and nor does it prevent you from garaging stolen cars and claiming them as your own. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but GTA always makes such a big deal of the acquisition of wealth, like it's the most important thing in the world - then when you get it, you can't do anything with it. Why spend money if everything's free?

This, for me, is one of GTA's great design flaws (there are very few others, I'll admit).

I'm not suggesting for a second that Rockstar add anything as mundane or frustratingly limiting as safehouse rent money, or child support (our new protagonist has kids, after all), but something optional that adds direction to the post-100% experience (which is where a lot of us loners spend most of our time in GTA) would be super. Even lowering the amount of money we earn during the course of the game would be a start.

What ideas do you guys have on the subject?

(Pencils at the ready, R*)

Discuss.

[sahoff22 4]

I like the idea of buying vehicles, although I do spot a few flaws in being able to do so. For one, as you pointed out, why spend money on something you can easily get for free by stealing a car and garaging it. Another problem is how easy it is to wreck a car in GTA. Why throw down 100K on a car just to accidentally flip it over in 30 seconds? So, I would propose that the cars you purchase automatically spawn at one of your safe houses, a la the Infernus in front of the Vercetti Estate in Vice City. Maybe that takes away from the realism, but it would make buying a vehicle actually serve a point.

[Guest Marney1]

It's a bit late for GTA V wish lists now, the game is practically done. You can rest assured that you'll have plenty of things to spend money on this time round though - Rockstar wouldn't have said "Grand Theft Auto V focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar" if you weren't going to be able to make and spend money.

Grand Theft Auto V will revolve around money.

Welcome to the forums.

[grove_nz 41]

It's a bit late for GTA V wish lists now, the game is practically done. You can rest assured that you'll have plenty of things to spend money on this time round though - Rockstar wouldn't have said "Grand Theft Auto V focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar" if you weren't going to be able to make and spend money.

Grand Theft Auto V will revolve around money.

Welcome to the forums.

All GTA games have revolved around earning money, what we're hoping for this time around is the ability to spend it on a wider variety of items and activities once we've acquired it.

[Guest Marney1]

It's a bit late for GTA V wish lists now, the game is practically done. You can rest assured that you'll have plenty of things to spend money on this time round though - Rockstar wouldn't have said "Grand Theft Auto V focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar" if you weren't going to be able to make and spend money.

Grand Theft Auto V will revolve around money.

Welcome to the forums.

All GTA games have revolved around earning money, what we're hoping for this time around is the ability to spend it on a wider variety of items and activities once we've acquired it.

That's what everyone wants and I think Rockstar have listened. Have some faith.

Welcome to the forums!

*Bites knuckles & takes tablet*

[Imbrium 6]

Welcome back to the forums.

Fixed. I've been here since '04.

You can rest assured that you'll have plenty of things to spend money on this time round though - Rockstar wouldn't have said "Grand Theft Auto V focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar" if you weren't going to be able to make and spend money.

You'd think...

IV was partly about trying to get rich as well - and, well...

It's a bit late for GTA V wish lists now, the game is practically done.

Probably, yeah.

Can't hurt to give them some free ideas for next time though. Maybe even if V gets delayed like IV did, they might have time to add a few things and change some binary values to make it more interesting.

...So, I would propose that the cars you purchase automatically spawn at one of your safe houses, a la the Infernus in front of the Vercetti Estate in Vice City. Maybe that takes away from the realism, but it would make buying a vehicle actually serve a point.

Really like this idea. You could have several pre-set parking spots outside your safehouse to purchase respawning vehicles for. I rarely ever used my garaged vehicles for anything risky, because they're strictly one-use.

[HB_Sauce 20]

Some extravagant weapons would be nice (not Saint's Row crazy, but something that one can go on rampages with) as well as buying properties(with fully fleshed missions, not a simple courier route) over the course of the game.

Or...you could buy perks/modes that you can pay to unlock that are ridiculous but fun (pedestrians go crazy, constant adrenaline until you die, insane physics, etc.) like cheats, but that can be in the form of a power up that you walk through to trigger. If you could replay missions you having these modes on would make things interesting.

Gambling was always a good time waster, see how much you could lose until you were in the red.

Exotic vehicles as well, always good to have.

[Truth 429]

It would be nice to go to the casino again. $3 million on black

[Guest Marney1]

Rob from the rich and redistribute it to the poor. Become the hero of the hood.

[rm80rams 62]

I like the idea of buying vehicles, although I do spot a few flaws in being able to do so. For one, as you pointed out, why spend money on something you can easily get for free by stealing a car and garaging it. Another problem is how easy it is to wreck a car in GTA. Why throw down 100K on a car just to accidentally flip it over in 30 seconds? So, I would propose that the cars you purchase automatically spawn at one of your safe houses, a la the Infernus in front of the Vercetti Estate in Vice City. Maybe that takes away from the realism, but it would make buying a vehicle actually serve a point.

they could make it so you cant park stolen cars in you garage, and if you trash the car you bought, it will appear back in your garage later

[DiO 4730]

Yah SA had stuff to drop money on.

car customization, gambling, houses. and a lot of that stuff took you awhile to get too. it was a lot to look forward too.

[Rayge 689]

(our new protagonist has kids, after all)

Why does everyone seem to think he's the protagonist? It sounds as if Rockstar have announced it themselves, the way everyone is casually like " since the old guy is the protagonist, _______." Nothing about the protagonist is confirmed yet, so stop saying it like it's fact when it's not.

But yeah I had way too much $ in IV, especially TBoGT I achieved max money. It was too easy!

[Iconoclast 6]

It's very plausible that you'll have to pay monthly rent on all houses you own (unless you buy) and it gets detracted from your onscreen wallet automatically. Also water/gas/electricity bills that need to get paid.

You may start off in a little ordinary rented house or appartment, but as you acquire more property, you could actually sublet those properties, so you'll gain some income as a landlord while still having to pay for the property taxes. (this begs for a feature to kick your tenants out if they don't pay) I can see this going very far like in the end owning several businesses (eg. capitol records) and keep the profit flowing or having to lay down the books. (which would expand on the profit feature introduced in VC)

Ofcourse it's not meant to become a simcity-type simulator, but they'd figure out a way to incorporate this on the side without getting it in the way of the basic GTA formula.

My two cents... (get it... cents? money? ah well...)

[Guest Marney1]

It's very plausible that you'll have to pay monthly rent on all houses you own (unless you buy) and it gets detracted from your onscreen wallet automatically. Also water/gas/electricity bills that need to get paid.

You may start off in a little ordinary rented house or appartment, but as you acquire more property, you could actually sublet those properties, so you'll gain some income as a landlord while still having to pay for the property taxes. (this begs for a feature to kick your tenants out if they don't pay) I can see this going very far like in the end owning several businesses (eg. capitol records) and keep the profit flowing or having to lay down the books. (which would expand on the profit feature introduced in VC)

Ofcourse it's not meant to become a simcity-type simulator, but they'd figure out a way to incorporate this on the side without getting it in the way of the basic GTA formula.

My two cents... (get it... cents? money? ah well...)

While I see what you're getting at most people want to sit down and play GTA to have a break from real world worries like their utility bills and rent arrears. Just sayin'.

Welcome to the forums.

[Iconoclast 6]

Thanks

And yeah, ofcourse, and I'm one of them aswell, but it's a direction that could be taken if you think about the money issue. I'd be very pro if it were like this only for businesses you'd own. The rest of the payments we'll do in real life

[Guest Marney1]

Thanks

And yeah, ofcourse, and I'm one of them aswell, but it's a direction that could be taken if you think about the money issue. I'd be very pro if it were like this only for businesses you'd own. The rest of the payments we'll do in real life

In a way I think having to earn the money to keep your businesses afloat could work, I wouldn't mind having that worry over my head in the game. Usually businesses tend to pay for themselves but if not then maybe you're best robbing a jewelry store to get the money needed to save your business from going under.

Hmm I dunno now I've said that, it just seems too complicated and would probably become a boring and tedious distraction.

[GhostWryter 1]

My opinion only but to make the game attractive especially post-storyline:

Ability to lose money. Drastically. There needs to be expenses. Money coming and going.

Now the tricky part for a programmer is how to implement this concept.

Buying and Selling houses? What for? Once you bought all the houses in the game, why would you sell them and buy them again afterwards? If you could rent them to NPCs that's a different story. I'd rather rent houses at a fair price depending on whether it's a shed or a mansion. The more luxurious life you want to live, the more the costs. And you have to find the money for your chosen lifestyle.

What we want is to interact with the game even after completion. Apart from the vital killing and cop chases.

What could these expenses be?

Owning a gunshop, renting houses and cars, importing drugs and selling them to smaller dealers. But it shouldn't be a constant, it should be a challenge. How? Maybe some other crooks have the same business (competition!) and you sabotage their deals or rob their suppliers. And/Or even, the products you are selling are perishable, buying too much you make a loss or buying too few you don't make profit. (Playing with balance!)

Rented services? If you start small and become a boss wouldn't it be nice to rent one or several Escort/Bodyguard/Driver. Your account debited monthly (ingame time) after paying employees

Extra activities: Racing champion - being sponsored by a series of companies. $

One thing to avoid is easy money. If it was real hard to get even a grand ($1,000) and you manage to work your way to the top wouldn't the game have more value?

Another concept which I think might be interesting is spending GTA money (earned without cheating) in Multiplayer Mode.

Buying a Bugatti Veyron Supersport, Rossi's MotoGP bike, Ken Block's rally car etc etc and a series of gears and clothes making you unique during Multiplayer. And Weapons! Let's put it another way; showing off your riches amongst real players. Rather have a rare and spawnable at will Supercar in multiplayer than a Level 10 badge.

The risk of losing it all. How? Natural hazards, can't pay rent, not making profit (competitors killing your employees or you being dumb in business), forced to lower your lifestyle, sell your cars, be a tramp and start all over. Maybe not to this extreme but you get the idea. (Regression!)

Remember when Roman first called you and said ''Cousin let's go bowling'' You thought, hey why not cousin. Game completion later, same call, You Ignored.

Even the peds annoyed you with always the same sentences, same songs on the radio. The perfect game doesn't exist. If NPC dialogue had about a hundred phrases each maybe people would play the game a little longer. That's maybe far-fetched but it could keep you going until the next GTA.

Downloadable Goodies? New weapons, cars, clothes, peds, pets? I dunno.

This is what I think might be interesting regarding Money. Hard to get, easier to lose.

Let us not forget, although game developers have immense creativity they are themselves limited by platform capacity.

[Iconoclast 6]

Perhaps, that's the risk of trying to innovate, it could be a win or bomb completely... I wouldn't wanna be the R* employee who comes up with an idea that completely misses its mark, they'd be using you as the office dartboard for years!

[Qdeathstar 1763]

I think they should make you a hobo that spends all your money on crack and if you don't buy any crack the screen shakes until you buy more crack because i think crack is good and i i like crack, don't you want the next gta to feature crack, i think that if it did feature crack it would take care of the money thing because you'd have to spend all your money buying crack or you would go crazy because you wouldn't have any crack to smoke so i hope they put crack and the ability to smoke crack in the next game.

[LOSSANTS04 1]

I think that buying cars and spending money on things that you had before is a GOOD thing if you and ur items could get robbed or maybe it customization u can apply a alarm thar alerts your ipod when your car is getting stolen

your house also and all the other buyable things

Just an idea

but GTA V is well underway

[Guest Marney1]

Was just checking out the 'Safe Houses Guide' at GTA-SanAndreas.com - 29 safe houses!! I forgot there were so many to buy.