Grand Theft Auto Online will launch next Tuesday. It’ll be a “fully realized and living world for multiple players that will continue to grow and take shape over time”. Rockstar will be relying on our feedback in order to develop future content, of which there will be a “constant stream”.
They seem to be worried that the servers may not be able to handle the load at first, due to a significantly higher number of people buying the game than they were expecting, but they’re prepared, working constantly to get more servers up and running before Tuesday, and apologise in advance for any issues we may face at launch.
So what they’re wanting is feedback – “experiences, findings, likes, loves, dislikes and hates” – which they’ll be looking at closely in order to grow and evolve the game. You can give feedback either by sending it to the dedicated email address, which is [email protected]Â or by posting it on the Social Club forums.
Anyway, onto the details, some of which are new but there will naturally be some bits of information we already knew about. Firstly, there’s all the open-world activities, including movies, the shooting range or mountain biking and the crimes – robbing convenience stores, taking down gangs and even stealing from armoured trucks.
There’s a plethora of dedicated missions too, which Rockstar obviously aren’t keen to spoil, as well as street, off-road, sea and even aerial races. There’ll be a new rally mode where a driver and co-pilot have to work together. The sports also translate over to multiplayer, including tennis, golf and base jumping, all of which add to your reputation and cash.
As for that reputation, it’s essentially a form of XP which will be gained from everything you do in GTA Online, allowing you to rank up and open new features in the process. The cash you’ve gained can be spent on cars, clothes, guns and properties, and there are plenty of ways to make cash online. As rumoured, you can also buy denominations of this cash instantly, but you’ll still have to work to up your reputation. Rockstar assure us that the game will remain balanced, with these cash payments only serving to get items a bit quicker.
Over the next few weeks, they’ll be focusing on fixing any glitches and making sure the game is completely balanced, but will also be adding more content too, including:
- The Content Creator: The Content Creator will launch with tools to tailor and publish your own Deathmatches & Races.
- The Beach Bum Pack: Featuring 4 new amazing beach fun vehicles, over 300 new items of incredible down tempo leisure wear and 2 new but not remotely relaxing weapons.
- Capture the Flag: GTA Online’s take on the classic CTF mode including the ability to make your own using The Content Creator.
- Heists: This update will introduce full-on cooperative Heist missions that will require careful planning, teamwork and sharp execution – along with the Heist Planning Board for your apartment.
All of this content will be free, but there’s no word on whether more substantial DLC will come with a heavy price tag. Sounds good to me, better get the story completed before Tuesday!
Source: Rockstar Newswire
flatspikes
This seems to put my mind at rest, I do trust these guys to get it right and ‘balanced’.
Kevling
Hang on, a “significantly higher number of people buying the game than they were expecting”?
Why did they manufacture so many discs then? We’re they expecting them to sit on the shelves for six months?
KeRaSh
Haha, already making up excuses for the inevitable launch with not enough servers. :D
Kevling
Seriously though, if they’re happy to bleat about being the fastest game ever to take $1 billion, they should not claim surprise at how well it sold.
Sorry, you can’t have it both ways. You *must* have been expecting that many sales or you wouldn’t have pressed that many discs for the launch week – an incredibly huge number of games have been sold in a very short time and they still haven’t sold out… Yet they weren’t expecting that many sales?
Smacks of trying to put a positive spin on a negative event. Sorry you can’t connect, it’s obviously because the game is too awesome, people bought it too fast…
freezebug2
I’ve yet to come across a game that doesn’t have initial online teething problems it’s just a part of the process.
Those different online modes sound fantastic with so much variety that I don’t think there could ever be any chance of repetition syndrome creeping in. If the servers are strong enough to withstand the strain and all of the inevitable teething problems get patched up this could be something special!
E8_BALL_
Bring back crouch & the ability to exit a vehicle, with light &or engine running, will be my first post. Missing these features alot.
E8_BALL_
sorry… *radio, lights &or engine.
bigchrissyc
I second this. Trying to make a quick getaway when you have too start the engine up doesnt quite work.
Id expect there too be teething problems. Just think about how many people will be trying to access the online portion the minute its released. Is there a patch that they are sending down too unlock the online portion?
hazelam
finally get to play as a woman in GTA, great.
yeah i know you could play a women in multiplayer in IV, in the deathmatch type modes, but in some modes it strangely forced you to play as a man, in the mode i enjoyed the most annoying enough.
anyway, i’m looking forward to playing the online mode when i get the game.
it seems like an evolution of the online mode for RDR, which was actually pretty good.
other than the time i ended up on a raft with some team killing fucktard who kept throwing molotovs on the raft trying to kill me, because he couldn’t just shoot me.