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

[XL xQgg?QcQCaTYDMjqoDnYpG]

Me as a smarter guy:
View attachment 6140094

Let's be realistic here

 

[The Last Stand]

According to internal files from Vice City's DE, Lance Vance originally was NOT going to betray Tommy in the last mission.

It would've been interesting to see III/Vice City on the GameCube. I don't think San Andreas would've fit on one disc.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

According to internal files from Vice City's DE, Lance Vance originally was NOT going to betray Tommy in the last mission.

It would've been interesting to see III/Vice City on the GameCube. I don't think San Andreas would've fit on one disc.

I remember being disappointed that there wasn't a way to keep Lance on your side because I went into Vice City under the belief that there would be multiple endings.

I *feel* like this is because I read this in an early preview for Vice City, but after 20 years I can't be sure of where I had heard that or the belief came from. Just that I was under that impression at release.

 

[The Last Stand]

Let's be realistic here
View attachment 6140395

I heard a rumor that GTA 6 would support cryptocurrency. I doubt it, but anything could happen. I fully expect GTA 6 to be $100 with GTA+.

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

I've recently 100 percented GTA: TLAD and TBOGT, am now working on 100 percenting IV. Rn I've so far gotten the platinums on the PS2 trilogy and 100 percent on VCS too so i'm gonna try to platinum IV and V as well as 100 percent the PS1 games and other spinoffs im missing

I have to say I have really came round to GTA IV in a big way. It's very good, but has a steeper learning curve than the other GTAs because its driving is very exaggerated and its shooting is a bit more do or die. I love the shooting in the game, but i've also come around to the driving. As an avid driver I dont agree with it being "realistic" but I do think it works for the kind of game it is. The bikes in TLAD feel great tho, loved driving them

I have to say tho I do think that the experience gets better the further into the experience you go, like i'd say TLAD is better than vanilla IV and TBOGT is better than TLAD. I would then say that IV act II > act III > act I. Some of the best missions are in the middle, but some of the weakest are in the end but then the very end has the best missions in the game imo (specifically the revenge ending)

I was playing a physical copy and i have to share some info on this because it's the weirdest thing to me: IV The Complete Edition includes IV and Episodes from Liberty City. I thought it'd be like the PC version: IV, plus the DLCs, plus three new radio stations, but with the music included that you would have to mod back into the PC version due to the license cuts. However IV and Episodes works a bit weirdly, where they treat it as two separate games. If you pick IV, you cant pick Episodes until you exit out and restart the game. Same with Episodes, but you can pick between TLAD and TBOGT while playing one or the other but cant pick IV. Then if you make an Episodes save and start IV itll try to load that and then start you in a new game after failing, where you have to skip the cutscene and reload a IV save. And the tracklists of Episodes and IV dont criss-cross, so you cant hear Run to the Hills or Vice City FM in IV and you cant hear Flashing Lights or The Journey in EFLC. Which is the opposite of how it works in IV!PC

It's just kind of a weird system. If I were Rockstar and doing a compilation I'd think itd be easier to take IV with the DLCs added, which has the ability to cross-contaminate the playlists and switch campaigns on the fly, then simply add the three new radios. Maybe even include a feature where stations with an expanded tracklist like Electro Choc and Vladivostock FM unlock the new tracks after Three Leaf Clover to maintain atmospheric consistency early on in the game? Saints Row 2 did something similar and it felt super immersive, to explain there's a DJ in that game that's also a major antagonist in the story: when you kill him in the campaign the radio changes hosts and branding to reflect that he's now dead and his station was sold to the megacorp in the game. I believe it's a similar story in IV's narrative, that Vladivostock gets bought out during the events of TBOGT as that was the expansion that introduces the new tracklist

It's just kinda interesting that TLAD and TBOGT kinda rely on IV as DLC in order to cover up some of its cut corners, and that Episodes did a lot to try to make it into a fully fledged new GTA by packaging them together and adding some new content. What's weird is if you have IV Complete, you can download the DLC if you own it and get the expanded tracklist in IV, since the compilation treats IV as just a standalone copy without the DLC and basically ignores EFLC. It's kinda a shame because how Episodes LRR has eighteen tracks, because thats what they added, but DLC TLAD has 30 since its two tracklists and you can either have one or the other. IV + TLAD Liberty Rock is one of my favorite radios to listen to, Free Ride + One Vision <3, but you have to give up the 29 track behemoth of Vice City FM as well as not being able to listen to Run to the Hills in the DLC version because that was a removed track. There's also some stations you just lose outright, like their version of NPR which makes sense because idk why Johnny would listen to that but idk why he'd listen to conservative talk radio either and that is in Episodes because they made new segments for it. Still, I recommend getting a physical copy of IV complete if youre going to play it on console - except if you intend to play it on Xbone in which your physical disk dont matter because the back compat version removes the 60 songs from IV and its Episodes since the Disk is just a key for the digital version. It's pretty shit too because I think one of the stations in Episodes just has like four songs now because of how drastic the cuts were. IV has some of the best radio in the series and it was butchered

But back to IV itself I also love the lore, like did you guys find the LCPD official database on the in-game internet? Brian Jeremy, Billy Grey and Jim Fitz are all mentioned with their backstories consistent with TLAD on there. I dont think this was added via update i think they legit just planned it really well

 

[The Last Stand]

It's just kinda interesting that TLAD and TBOGT kinda rely on IV as DLC in order to cover up some of its cut corners, and that Episodes did a lot to try to make it into a fully fledged new GTA by packaging them together and adding some new content. What's weird is if you have IV Complete, you can download the DLC if you own it and get the expanded tracklist in IV, since the compilation treats IV as just a standalone copy without the DLC and basically ignores EFLC.

You know that phone feature in IV where if you hear a song on the radio or background, you call ZiT (948-555-0100) for the game to recognize it for you? If you have the DLCs, the songs from each DLC are added into IV but if those songs play, ZiT won't recognize the song for you. Interesting oversight.

If you pick IV, you cant pick Episodes until you exit out and restart the game. Same with Episodes, but you can pick between TLAD and TBOGT while playing one or the other but cant pick IV. Then if you make an Episodes save and start IV itll try to load that and then start you in a new game after failing, where you have to skip the cutscene and reload a IV save.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but from my experience (Xbox), you'd have to pause and load each respective save to access the DLC or base game.

but you have to give up the 29 track behemoth of Vice City FM

I believe Vice City FM is exclusive to the disc version of Episodes for Liberty City. TLaD on the disc is a different build than the DLC itself.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

But back to IV itself I also love the lore, like did you guys find the LCPD official database on the in-game internet? Brian Jeremy, Billy Grey and Jim Fitz are all mentioned with their backstories consistent with TLAD on there. I dont think this was added via update i think they legit just planned it really well

It was there from the start. It's how a lot of people figured out stuff for TLAD and TBOGT before they were even announced. It's also how a lot of people speculate on what was changed from the original plans since it has early stuff on there that was never corrected. (Ashley being Billy's "old lady" and a lot more focus on Luiz and his connection to the North Holland Hustlers)

I believe Vice City FM is exclusive to the disc version of Episodes for Liberty City. TLaD on the disc is a different build than the DLC itself.

Yes, IIRC, the disc version of TLAD has all of the map changes from TBOGT present while the download doesn't since TBOGT wasn't made yet.

I believe because of this, there actually isn't cross play between TLAD and EFLC when it comes to multiplayer.

 

[The Last Stand]

a lot more focus on Luiz and his connection to the North Holland Hustlers)

Luis even lampshades his LCPD database entry during a mission.

Yeah, man. You get bagged with a couple punks, it's like you're associated with them for the rest of your life. 5-0's dumb, fucking useless. No wonder crime's out of control in [Liberty City.]

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

You know that phone feature in IV where if you hear a song on the radio or background, you call ZiT (948-555-0100) for the game to recognize it for you? If you have the DLCs, the songs from each DLC are added into IV but if those songs play, ZiT won't recognize the song for you. Interesting oversight.

oh yea lol that happened to me, confused the hell out of me

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but from my experience (Xbox), you'd have to pause and load each respective save to access the DLC or base game.

yea that's how it works for any version of IV that detects installed DLC, which is how I was able to restore that feature because I owned the DLCs as well as a physical copy of IV!Complete. However if you want to play the Episodes version you cant do so from IV and when you play Episodes on this disk copy your IV saves are marked "IV only save" and cant be loaded only saved over. So like what I did was play IV and its DLC by just putting my disk in, downloading the DLC and then playing IV+DLC version from the IV option on the menu. Couldnt listen to the radio stations, because I hadnt picked Episodes from the boot menu, but I got to experience IV, TLAD and TBOGT semi-uncut using this. It's just a weird system tho

I believe Vice City FM is exclusive to the disc version of Episodes for Liberty City. TLaD on the disc is a different build than the DLC itself.

yea tho the PC version then added it, Ram Jam and Self-Actualization to the IV tracklist which is cool but I heard this includes a bug where Niko has no lines for referring to the station in a taxi cab. Tho i dont remember hearing any Luis lines about any radio station in the taxi either

It was there from the start. It's how a lot of people figured out stuff for TLAD and TBOGT before they were even announced. It's also how a lot of people speculate on what was changed from the original plans since it has early stuff on there that was never corrected. (Ashley being Billy's "old lady" and a lot more focus on Luiz and his connection to the North Holland Hustlers)

yea i went down this rabbithole because i was arguing in the youtube comments against an idea someone had that "Tony was originally meant to be Don Ancelloti in the Diamond mission" and I was like clearly not because so much of the lore is already established. I find it fascinating tho how they did retcon him a little, he's a lot camper and was definitely shadier in his backstory mentioned on the news articles and LCPD database. That was definitely a retcon, but I feel Gracie calling him "daddy" was meant to just either showcase how they had a more typical fag hag relationship or that originally Gracie mightve meant to have both a blindfold and a gag because she never looks up in the cutscene

I was trying to confirm this but his actor, DB Cooper AKA David Kenner, also isnt credited in IV's manual which credits almost everyone else including Jim Fitz!

I'm also unironically surprised Luis' cage fighting career was mentioned in the LCPD, people kept telling me it was cut content from TLAD but turns out it was always meant to be

Yes, IIRC, the disc version of TLAD has all of the map changes from TBOGT present while the download doesn't since TBOGT wasn't made yet.

I believe because of this, there actually isn't cross play between TLAD and EFLC when it comes to multiplayer.

This is fascinating to me because I always thought for some reason that downloading everything changed the map retroactively, like I thought that TLAD's map changes got backported to IV and TBOGT to IV and TLAD as soon as you downloaded them but it was all placebo. I couldve sworn I remember using Luis' apartment to save vehicles in IV and TLAD but I think that it was probably the opposite: I was using the other places to save vehicles in TBOGT. Weird how I just completely tricked myself

I probably thought this because I thought Bahama Mamas was a TBOGT addition but unlike Massionette and Hercules they were always there in vanilla. It's kinda weird to me they had all these plans but didnt just map out an area for Tony's clubs before TBOGT came out like they did for Bahama's. I think that all three interiors shouldve been included into IV and TLAD upon download. Still weird that Split Sides isnt available for TBOGT and Air Hockey in IV for this reason of not wanting to share the assets beyond music

When replaying the Episodes I really feel like if I were to go back and add one small change before the DLCs went out I think I wouldve wanted to add the ability to buy properties. Nothing major, but I think post-Roman's Holiday I think we shouldve been able to buy a refurbished Broker safehouse in TLAD because Johnny's safehouse situation is pretty poor when a lot of his missions involve Bohan and Algonquin when he's nowhere near either. It also essentially means you dont have to create a new asset and get to revisit an iconic safehouse from the main game, a cool 100,000 price tag would be affordable if you did gang wars. I also think Bahama Mamas shouldve been purchasable either after Boulevard Baby in TBOGT or after outright finishing the game, with some sort of minor club side missions. Luis' safehouse is better positioned around his mission markers, I just wish there was a way of revisiting this place and spending the cage fight money as well as tying it into Luis coming into his own. I also think that giving us a club we can go into all-day wouldve been a good thing to round out the package. I love the club stuff but they couldve done more with it

 

[The Last Stand]

I've recently 100 percented GTA: TLAD and TBOGT, am now working on 100 percenting IV.

Be prepared for finding/shooting 200 pigeons. I hate how those collectibles don't give you weapons like in previous GTAs.

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

Be prepared for finding/shooting 200 pigeons. I hate how those collectibles don't give you weapons like in previous GTAs.

Oh yea rn ive just started up the game again and am gonna take it into chunks, do all the Broker, Dukes, Bohan stuff before the first mission and then slowly work my way upwards. it helps to do it in chunks

honestly the collectables in GTA games are always my least favorite aspect of any open world game because they never get them right. VCS is the only GTA game where I felt I had fun with the collectables

The 200 pidgeons to me feels bizarre to not only have so many but to have a shit reward. I get it was a more realistic game but shooting 200 pidgeons is more of an arcadey thing to do anyway so give me the cool rewards

I could literally just rn come up with the rewards for it:

10 pigeons - pistol inside every safehouse

20 pigeons - bat in every safehouse

30 pigeons - body armor in every safehouse

40 pigeons - sentinel in front of every safehouse

50 pigeons - micro smg inside every safehouse

60 pidgeons - pump shotgun in every safehouse

70 pigeons - knife in every safehouse

80 pigeons - ak 47 in every safehouse

90 pigeons - molotovs in every safehouse

100 pidgeons - infernus in front of every safehouse

110 pigeons - smg in every safehouse

120 pigeons - combat shotgun in every safehouse

130 pigeons - sniper rifle in every safehouse

140 pigeons - grenades inside every safehouse

150 pigeons - combat pistol in every safehouse

160 pigeons - carbine rifle in every safehouse

170 pigeons - rocket launcher inside every safehouse

180 pigeons - all of roman's cabs are bulletproof

190 pigeons - doubled clip capacity

200 pigeons - the old reward of the annihlator helicopter on top of the meTV building plus free ammo from any store

 

[The Last Stand]

VCS is the only GTA game where I felt I had fun with the collectables

I assume you like the song 99 Luftballoons?

I wondered why VCS designed on balloons instead of packages. Although, that makes canonical sense since those packages are drugs and Vic detests drugs.

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

I assume you like the song 99 Luftballoons?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hiwgOWo7mDc
I wondered why VCS designed on balloons instead of packages. Although, that makes canonical sense since those packages are drugs and Vic detests drugs.

yea it's a great song, tho i think i liked it because they marked popped balloons on the map and that meant you didnt have to - if following a guide - go to each spot all workman like

i think VCS, even tho 99 luftballons is a VC track, has the most underrated soundtrack of the franchise. It almost equals or surpasses VC's, if VC is all the hits of the 80s VCS picks all the great stuff still left and mixes it with amazing songs that wouldnt be popular enough to be considered VC material

 

[The Last Stand]

i think VCS, even tho 99 luftballons is a VC track, has the most underrated soundtrack of the franchise. It almost equals or surpasses VC's, if VC is all the hits of the 80s VCS picks all the great stuff still left and mixes it with amazing songs that wouldnt be popular enough to be considered VC material

VCS's soundtrack I would say is a hidden gems soundtrack if VC is the greatest hits of the 80s.

Vic has more personality than Tommy IMO. I love his dry humor while being surrounded by offset, eccentric criminals.

 

[William Murderface]

I assume you like the song 99 Luftballoons?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hiwgOWo7mDc
I wondered why VCS designed on balloons instead of packages. Although, that makes canonical sense since those packages are drugs and Vic detests drugs.

Which is even more funny considering Vic gets killed trying to sell Tommy Vercetti a bunch of cocaine.

 

[BetterFuckChuck]

VCS's soundtrack I would say is a hidden gems soundtrack if VC is the greatest hits of the 80s.

Vic has more personality than Tommy IMO. I love his dry humor while being surrounded by offset, eccentric criminals.

It's a different kind of story. Vic goes up against characters Tommy would easily command the room with, it's an intentional contrast. Hence why Vic has to work up to working with Diaz, someone who's moderately big but Tommy with his connections has an in almost immediately

I was thinking about how GTA does a lot of continuity - Vic and Toni are protags of one game but more side characters in another, the GTA IV saga interconnects and snakes in on itself, the radio lore is consistent between universes - but then clearly when you experience the games back to back you notice how unfinished a character's early appearances are. Phil Cassidy has a different VA and look in III, Vic has a different accent and hunch, characters in IV give totally different performances in the main game versus their DLC character

it used to bug the hell out of me but now i find it charming. you can tell that they are putting in the effort but are also riffing it a little

 

[The Last Stand]

the GTA IV saga interconnects and snakes in on itself, the radio lore is consistent between universes - but then clearly when you experience the games back to back you notice how unfinished a character's early appearances are.

I feel R* used the Stories games as inspiration for general continuity for the HD era. Vic himself being a slight jumpstart to propel IV into a serious crime drama.

Hence why Vic has to work up to working with Diaz, someone who's moderately big but Tommy with his connections has an in almost immediately

If anything, Diaz used Vic to set himself up as a drug kingpin for VC. If the intro of VC is anything to go by, Diaz set up the Vance brothers.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

This popped up for me and I thought it was cool

 

[TheArtilleryman]

Just calling attention to one part of GTAV/O that Rockstar never skimped out on: The music dept.

I'll give them that.

 

[The Last Stand]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Mw4tKF3W5OY
Just calling attention to one part of GTAV/O that Rockstar never skimped out on: The music dept.

I'll give them that.

I'm a fan of the Lowriders OST.