Grand Theft Auto Grieving Thread - Yep, I've been drinkin' again...

[LifeAlert]

I must say, this homebrew Dreamcast port of GTA III port is looking pretty good.

Cubebros...is there hope?

 

[lego racers]

I know people bitched about it a lot but fuck dude the physics in IV were just so much better too.

who knew having interesting travel would be fun in an open-world game? honestly, 4 feels so much more like a sandbox than 5 does. 5 is so rigid and stiff in just about everything it does, compared to 4's more liquid take on everything. i think it's one of those things where players think they want something but they don't actually want it. having complete 100% perfect control over you and your car's exact position works in smaller scale games, but for an open-world it makes so much more sense for the traversal to be it's own challenge to tame. it just makes exploration so much more fun.

 

[Bob Barbas]

who knew having interesting travel would be fun in an open-world game? honestly, 4 feels so much more like a sandbox than 5 does. 5 is so rigid and stiff in just about everything it does, compared to 4's more liquid take on everything. i think it's one of those things where players think they want something but they don't actually want it. having complete 100% perfect control over you and your car's exact position works in smaller scale games, but for an open-world it makes so much more sense for the traversal to be it's own challenge to tame. it just makes exploration so much more fun.

Not to mention the map design and the driving physics make driving more engaging. I'm never bored while driving in IV. But for instance while I was playing GTAO again, there's so many missions where you just drive from point A to point B and they're so incredibly fucking boring. I just go into full auto pilot mode during those.

And that's not even getting into how much better the gunplay feels in IV. The better ragdoll physics, ect.
One thing nobody talks about that absolutely boils my piss in V is how when a car crashes into another vehicle, no matter what, everything just stops in its tracks like the momentum and force just vanishes no matter what the vehicle, the size nor the speed. Meanwhile in IV you maintain the momentum and force when slamming into things. It feels like the force actually transfers instead of just ceasing to exist like in V. In IV you crash into another car and take it with you, in V you crash into another car and you both stop dead.

Though I do get why they probably didn't bother with V because from what I remember they said the physics engine in IV was some insane black magic voodoo shit that was a bitch to work with.
Still the best physics in the series to date though.

 

[Adash]

Cubebros...is there hope?
View attachment 6847681

Yes, actually.
Gamecube games can hold up to 1.46gb of data. Even VC could be ported. Plus, since the GC is more powerful than the PS2 (outside of post-processing but that's it) it's more than possible. Really the only main issue is having to port the game to PowerPC, lol.

Though I do get why they probably didn't bother with V because from what I remember they said the physics engine in IV was some insane black magic voodoo shit that was a bitch to work with.

No, Euphoria in IV wasn't black voodoo magic. They technically did bother in V, but I'm pretty sure they nerfed it because they just wanted to, or they copied it from somewhere else.
1. NaturalMotion at this time was creating Clumsy Ninja, a game dedicated to show off Euphoria running on mobile phones. The physics feel way more like GTA Vs in my experience playing it. It is entirely likely that Rockstar copied the values from Clumsy Ninja and left it there for some reason. Plus, NaturalMotion stopped licensing out Euphoria to other companies entirely in 2017, so it's fair to say they stopped working on it in general.
2. JediJosh420, a prolific modder, got his mod RAGEuphoria working on PS3 with no frame differences. It's literally just value editing.

I personally didn't like IVs driving since it was bascially just "uhhh, let's copy Driver but make the streets absurdly narrow so you'll more than likely hit another car when driving" Gunplay was leagues better though, mainly in part to the sound effects and the debris flying around when you shoot something. Although Vs PS3/360 version had better car damage. I still like both games, although V now feels way more like a guilty pleasure and I don't touch IV much just because of how much of a pain it is to get working on PC, and playing the game on anything other than an Xbox One/360 sucks (PS3 becuase 600p 15-25fps, and Xbox Series since the high framerate fucks up one of the final QTEs in the game)

 

[Bob Barbas]

I don't touch IV much just because of how much of a pain it is to get working on PC

It works just fine for me out of the box. I guess you must just be one of the unlucky motherfuckers.
You still need to install mods to fix a bunch of bugs that Rockstar never did though.

That being said though I downgraded my game so I could play multiplayer again on unofficial servers. As simplistic as it was it was pretty fun, can't lie.
I agree with the criticism about the streets though. But I still prefer how cars actually feel like they have weight to them in IV.
I wish they didn't nerf the physics. At least in IV when you were driving a truck it felt like it because you could plow through shit, meanwhile in V you hit a pebble or some shit and stop dead in your tracks. It's kind of gay.

 

[The Last Stand]

Also Niko bellic, his last name... there are no double consonants in my language, however I figure out why it's his name. It comes from the word Bellicose

demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight.
"a group of bellicose patriots"

Niko, in Serbian, means nobody. So, Niko Bellic is a "nobody" who is willing to fight for his family, friends, and homeland. I like that.

 

[Haftag]

Cubebros...is there hope?

Gamecube games can hold up to 1.46gb of data. Even VC could be ported. Plus, since the GC is more powerful than the PS2

Yeah the real challenge for this type of projects, is to find someone willing and passionate (aka autistic) enough about the particular console/device. Gamecube afaik, just doesn't have that type of "underdog with hidden potential" reputation among its fans and homebrew devs.

 

[Adash]

Yeah the real challenge for this type of projects, is to find someone willing and passionate (aka autistic) enough about the particular console/device. Gamecube afaik, just doesn't have that type of "underdog with hidden potential" reputation among its fans and homebrew devs.

Yeah. That's specifically because
1. The GameCube is bitch expensive.
2. There are a total of 0 softmods for the console. Any form of modding requires you to open up the console.
3. OG Xbox stole the limelight for "best 6th gen console to mod" since it was way more powerful.
4. It is possible to develop for GameCube with the Wii, but you have to buy both GameCube controllers and a memory card.
5. Dolphin means that there isn't as much of a reason to buy a GameCube now.
Basically, nobody owns a GameCube, there are no softmods, and it's not powerful enough for someone to be interested in it.

It works just fine for me out of the box. I guess you must just be one of the unlucky motherfuckers.

I definitely am. I'm one of the few people where DXVK made the game worse to play. Basically, if your GPU wasn't created post 2020, don't use DXVK.

 

[jje100010001]

who knew having interesting travel would be fun in an open-world game? honestly, 4 feels so much more like a sandbox than 5 does. 5 is so rigid and stiff in just about everything it does, compared to 4's more liquid take on everything. i think it's one of those things where players think they want something but they don't actually want it. having complete 100% perfect control over you and your car's exact position works in smaller scale games, but for an open-world it makes so much more sense for the traversal to be it's own challenge to tame. it just makes exploration so much more fun.

Also it’s been pointed out that the map design in IV is better than V, as V has way too many mountains while forcing players to take 1-2 routes travelling from the city to the country.

 

[The handsome tard]

I stand on the camp that had GTA 5 and 4 switched places, 4 would be much more appreciated for its more mature storytelling and probably be held on the same level RDR2 is.

it’s been pointed out that the map design in IV is better than V, as V has way too many mountains while forcing players to take 1-2 routes travelling from the city to the country.

I wonder if someone will make a mod that sets the whole city on fire while firefighters try to pointless control the flames only to realize their hydrants are fucking empty.

Too soon?

That's one of VI's uphill battles it would face upon release. Could the Vice City in modern times match up to the Vice City from the PS2? Not even just 1:1, that's impossible. It's that Vice City is one of THE most iconic open worlds yet because of its 80s aesthetic down to its soundtrack, pop culture references and grippy story. You'll have fans that have fond memories from the 3D era, fans that contributed to GTA Online's gigantic success, and the average gamer buying into the hype that R* developed over the years.

I feel that HD Vice City will be good enough, but not familiar enough to stick with players long term as its own entity. Sure, there MAY be some call-backs from the 3D Vice City, but that's the issue. I'm just thinking about Vice City from yesteryear.

Wouldnt surprise me if modders get right at work in trying to make HD Vice City resemble 3D Vice City by giving the city more lights, more colour and have the radio have more 70-80's classics

 

[Bob Barbas]

Also it’s been pointed out that the map design in IV is better than V, as V has way too many mountains while forcing players to take 1-2 routes travelling from the city to the country.

It's so bizarre too because they already did San Andreas right the first time. Sure the GTA SA map is small by today's standards but it does such a fantastic job of fooling you into thinking it's much bigger than it is.
Honestly, I'd rather have a small world that tricks me into thinking it's huge than a huge map with fucking nothing in it.
Like, I know it's been said before at this point but one of the biggest issues with San Andreas design in V is that there's just so much of the map that is completely fucking empty with literally no reason to go out there because it's just not interesting. Even in GTAO most of the action takes place in Los Santos. You have very limited options for purchasing businesses outside of LS too.
And Los Santos in V just feels so much more boring than it did in San Andreas. It also feels way smaller even though I know for a fact V's Los Santos is physically bigger, it doesn't feel like it.

 

[The Last Stand]

And Los Santos in V just feels so much more boring than it did in San Andreas. It also feels way smaller even though I know for a fact V's Los Santos is physically bigger, it doesn't feel like it.

GTA V's San Andreas practically has two biomes: city and desert. San Andreas from the 3D I believe had six. You had the city, the country, the sticks, the industrial, the woods, the glitz in one map. More variety.

IV's Liberty City was able to diversify its smaller map through interiors andvped diversity. Bigger isn't always better.

 

[Haftag]

Dolphin means that there isn't as much of a reason to buy a GameCube now.

Agreed on all your other points, but what prevents us from saying the same about Flycast, that needs no special fork for arcade emulation (triforce) or lower-end devices (Ishiiruka)?
Heck even Ishiiruka no longer supports older OSes or 32bit devices.

 

[Bob Barbas]

I stand on the camp that had GTA 5 and 4 switched places, 4 would be much more appreciated for its more mature storytelling and probably be held on the same level RDR2 is.

Probably. The worst part is I've had conversations with people who genuinely believe that GTA V does everything better than GTA IV.
I can't even fathom having such dogshit taste.

Even back in the day when it first came out I always felt like GTA V was a downgrade from IV. Fuck, even graphically there are times where IV is better. But you've all already seen the Crowbcat video probably so I don't need to sit here and recite them all.

But even then putting that aside, I never really gave as much of a shit about the story in V either. Unlike IV's I just never really felt all that invested. I will fully admit GTA IV is definitely a product of its time, back when everything was dark and griddy but oddly enough IV does it in a really compelling way. As in like, it actually had good writing instead of just being dark and edgy to be dark and edgy which is something writers are still unable to comprehend today. And Niko is a far more interesting character imo than all 3 of the GTA V protagonists combined. Franklin was just too dull and boring, Michael is a faggot and Trevor is.... well, Trevor. He's a one note character where his entire gimmick is he's a psycho which gets old kind of fast.
IV is definitely one of the darkest GTA games though. Like sure it still has the humor but there are a few moments that genuinely make me feel bad which is something GTA usually never does. Like there's a chance sometimes cops will say shit like "Tell my wife I love her." while fighting you. That's fucked up.
And Niko talking about the horror he went through during the war. Honestly, I'd dare to say Niko is basically the closest thing to an Red Dead Redemption character in GTA. Not literally but you know what I mean, in terms of character, how well written he is, ect.
It makes me sad to know that these days are probably over and R* are never going to give us another Niko, or John, or Arthur. Especially because all of the zoomers loved the one dimensional characters of V.

All of the complaints about RDR2 being "Too slow" definitely do not help my worries at all.

 

[The Last Stand]

I cannot believe I slept on this radio station. K-DST has some hits. Woman to Woman by Joe Cocker sounded familiar; 2Pac's California Love sampled that beat.

 

[jje100010001]

It's so bizarre too because they already did San Andreas right the first time. Sure the GTA SA map is small by today's standards but it does such a fantastic job of fooling you into thinking it's much bigger than it is.
Honestly, I'd rather have a small world that tricks me into thinking it's huge than a huge map with fucking nothing in it.
Like, I know it's been said before at this point but one of the biggest issues with San Andreas design in V is that there's just so much of the map that is completely fucking empty with literally no reason to go out there because it's just not interesting. Even in GTAO most of the action takes place in Los Santos. You have very limited options for purchasing businesses outside of LS too.
And Los Santos in V just feels so much more boring than it did in San Andreas. It also feels way smaller even though I know for a fact V's Los Santos is physically bigger, it doesn't feel like it.

As pointed out in the video, GTA IV forces you to slow down, make turns, and take indirect routes because there is no way to go straight from A > B, to the point that the large straight streets in Algonquin have intentional construction sites bisecting them so that you can't go directly from one end of the island to another.

Somehow, V forgets this and instead opts for a giant looping highway across the top of the map that encourages players to speed along at top speed, from the city to nothingness, and then back into the city again.

Personally I think that V with its countryside is really missing a second thematically different mid-sized city (Bakersfield?) and should have been laid out in a manner that allows for larger desert and forest biome 'blobs'. On the other hand, I do think that the prevalence of mountains is really a symptom of the game pushing the PS3-Xbox 360 console hardware while trying to max out graphic fidelity for the era.

 

[The Last Stand]

If you see this box art for GTA III on Xbox, it's fake. I do wish they would've released it with that box art.

 

[jje100010001]

Finally a quality Liberty City port to GTAV that doesn't add the city literally right beside Los Santos like this:
View attachment 6843034

Hopefully they will continue working on making Liberty City feel more distinct from Los Santos in terms of world updates, lighting, etc.

Because we can’t have nice things:

https://insider-gaming.com/gta-5-liberty-city-preservation-project-shut-down/

 

[The Last Stand]

Because we can’t have nice things:

View attachment 6863305

https://insider-gaming.com/gta-5-liberty-city-preservation-project-shut-down/

Once again, Take Two and Rockstar Games prove how litigious they are for their beloved franchises. I'm surprised that the GTA 3 Dreamcast port hasn't been taken down yet. It's not like R* themselves care about GTA IV anymore, AND you need a legitimate copy of V to even play that map mod.

 

[Bob Barbas]

Because we can’t have nice things:

View attachment 6863305

https://insider-gaming.com/gta-5-liberty-city-preservation-project-shut-down/

And just like with Nintendo the fanboys will completely ignore it for the 500th time and continue to consume the slop.