Grand Theft Auto V and its multiplayer version – GTA Online are truly great games. The online version is much better than any other co-op gangster game out there, even if slightly more expensive. One of the biggest achievements of Rockstar is their decision to transfer most of the features of a single campaign into the co-operative setting, which is really hard to do successfully.
However, there are still so many things in GTA Online that need to be addressed this year. The team of developers surely works hard, but they need to keep their ears open to the suggestions of their devoted community.
You could say that GTA Online looks just fine in its current state, but think about the potential this game has. It would simply make everyone happier, if it received as much new and exciting content as possible.
So, here are some of the biggest things that community wants to see added to GTA Online in 2016.
Factions
Have you ever wanted to join The Lost Motorcycle Club in GTA Online? What about working together with infamous street gangs, such as the Families or Ballas? It would be incredible if there was a way of creating your own mafia syndicate within the game.
Unfortunately, at this stage in the game all you can do is be a lone street gangster and nothing more. Rockstar needs to create new characters that would act as intermediaries between you and the factions. You could join one of the factions and accomplish a number of unique quests that would increase their trust in you. On the other hand, it would also increase the hostility of other gangs towards you, just like it was in GTA 2.
Counties filled with action
San Andreas is a great place, but there are also Los Santos and Blaine County that occupy a major part of the map. However, their potential has been misused by Rockstar. There are some beautiful places around like Sandy Shores, Grapeseed, and Paleto Bay, but there is no point in going to these places as they serve no particular purpose in the game.
The developers need to fill these great locations with some action. Right now Los Santos gives you only one reason to visit the area – Mors Mutual Insurance, which is a great place for recovering your vehicles. But that’s basically it and there should definitely be more to the counties in GTA Online than just pretty landscapes.
Vehicle customization
We’re talking about a full-blown editor here. It would be amazing if we could create unique logos and paintjobs in this editor with the possibility to upload and apply ready images from the hard-drive. This would turn a car or a bike into something of your own and distinct from the rest in the game.
This customization feature should not be limited to a few types of vehicles and needs to be available for boats and aircrafts as well. Vehicles with unique paintjobs also could be bought and sold, which would lead to a creation of a whole new market in GTA Online.
Better wardrobe customization
Now it’s time to look at the clothes of the characters. Most of them are there by default, including haircuts and tattoos. Rockstar has to add some type of institution in San Andreas where players could customize the features of their characters to the smallest details.
It would be nice to be able to customize every single detail of the wardrobe inside specialized fashion stores, and choose the most fitting styles and colors for your particular hero. The current system that exists in the game is extremely limited, so it needs to be improved significantly.
Wider range of life simulation options
GTA Online lacks a number of important life simulation features that have almost become classic in the previous games of the series, such as fast food restaurants - Cluckin' Bell and Burger Shot. Many fans were disappointed not to find these in the game. So, they need to come back, including the ability to make your character overweight.
Additionally, there has to be at least one gym that would allow you to get your character back in form again. GTA San Andreas had three of them in the city with a huge number of options, such as boxing ring, weight-lifting machines, treadmills, etc. All this is a huge part of life simulation process that needs to be implemented in GTA Online, too.
Parkour
Games like Assassin’s Creed, Mirror’s Edge and Dying Light prove that parkour is incredibly popular among gamers. You can see some aspects of parkour in GTA V, but it isn't implemented in its full form like in Batman: Arkham series or Sleeping Dogs. Even GTA IV had a much better and flexible parkour system.
Sometimes it’s just so important to have an ability to jump up high walls or quickly move from one building to another using the roofs and ropes between them. The shootouts in GTA Online would be so much fun if characters could utilize parkour to its fullest.
Employment and business
Why can’t we get hired for a job in GTA Online like it was in GTA III? It would be fun to become an ambulance or a taxi driver, a cop or a firefighter. This approach perfectly fits the multiplayer setting of GTA Online, which could result in a lot of unexpected and exciting moments.
Other business opportunities should be available as well, although it is possible that Rockstar deliberately holds off these opportunities in the game in favor of microtransactions. But at times it’s really difficult to make any kind of money in GTA Online, so any small in-game business would be just excellent. And, how about casinos and card games? Community wants them badly.
More exploration opportunities
Let’s go back to GTA IV once again. It had a huge number of fun buildings, which you could explore endlessly. Just take a look at the Statue of Happiness that allowed you to get inside and explore its interiors. It had a lot of other cool buildings you could freely roam in and out. And, if you needed to get on top of the roof – no problem, you always had access to the top floor. Unfortunately, GTA Online has almost none of this.
Now you can get to your apartments, shops and restaurants at most. But what about everything else? How about Fleeca banks with fully detailed interiors or that skyscraper in the middle of San Andreas? Why can’t we get inside them yet? All this needs to be addressed.
More fun activities and mini-games
Right now GTA Online has a few excellent mini-games you can play, such as tennis, golf, and arm wrestling. But where’s the rest? The first thing Rockstar needs to bring back is a game of pool by putting a few tables in the clubs and bars that, to be honest, look empty without them.
Another great suggestion is bowling. Can anyone imagine walking into a modern club and not being able to play some bowling? Well, in GTA Online you still can’t do that.
Alternative lifestyles
Being a gangster is great, but sometimes you just want to get out there and do something completely different. GTA Online has such a huge and varied world that it would be a waste to keep it only for shooting and driving fast cars.
What this game needs is a whole new system of interaction with NPCs, which would provide a possibility to develop an alternative lifestyle for your character rather than making it strictly a gangster. There are so many ways to make it work and at the same time not to turn it into just another The Sims.
The developers really need to think about all these different ways how to diversify GTA Online and turn it into something really big and enjoyable.
What other ideas do you have? What things would you like to see the most in GTA Online? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Published: Jan 14, 2016 06:25 am