Rockstar has finally given players the insider info on Grand Theft Auto V's persistent online multiplayer component aptly titled Grand Theft Auto Online.
- GTA Online is a persistent online world for 16 active players, but hundreds of thousands of players (however many take part) exist in the larger universe
- It retains almost all of the core gameplay from single-player; Looting, co-op heists, deathmatches, races, gang attacks, crew vs crew playlists, sports (like tennis, BASE jumping, golf and more), plus 'ambient' events like armoured van robberies, crate drops, import/export car acquisition, bounties
- GTA Online looks like GTA 5, with no compromises
- Characters lip-sync "broadly" when their player speak
- Before starting heists or hold-ups, players can choose masks to disguise themselves. These can be ditched later to lose a Wanted star
- Police have a "cone of detection" which players need to stay out of
- Whoever does the job gets the cash, and can choose how to split it
- Cars can be insured and replaced
- Players complete missions and activities for Reputation Points, money and material assets
- Players can create their own missions using Creator tools
- You open up the Creator and can place all your spawn points, place some props, place cars, place planes, place anything you want around the world. It is published to the Rockstar Social Club Cloud where others can download it
- Players can pick preferred creators
- Initially players will be able to create races and deathmatches
- Rockstar will introduce new tools and content over time
- GTA Online will launch two weeks after GTA 5
- GTA Online is accessed through a fourth character slot in the selection wheel
- There may be a small download when Online is available two weeks after launch, possible a small unlock code (TBC - details to follow)
- There is a character creation system to create a multiplayer avatar, stats from the campaign will not carry over
- The world of GTA Online is set slightly before the GTA 5 story
- GTA Online will take you through some introductory missions to start with characters from the game explaining mechanics and systems
- It flows like single-player in terms of progression, but not story
- Players will be scored and ranked on individual mission types in GTA Online
- Rockstar has an "internal score" that can rank people on shooting, driving, flying, parachuting
- It will release enough data "for people to know exactly where they stand within all their skills"
- Stats and other player information will be available through Rockstar's Social Club, it currently has no plans to release a dedicated mobile app, but you can use tablets etc to view the Social Club site
- Rockstar has implemented "good cheater management" to make sure people behave
- A "Passive mode" can be activated so players can't shoot people, but also can't be shot
- Carrying around lots of cash can be a risk, but players can visit the bank to deposit money and keep it safe
- Personal vehicles can't be stolen by others as they can be locked, however they can still be damaged or blown up
- Players can be given a "Bad Sport" stat for misbehaving and if they're too bad they will be punished
- Other players will be able to identify a player with a bad sport stat
- Cars can be bought or stolen. When stolen, players can be modified them with a custom spray jobs and plates. If they aren't changed they may activate a wanted level if spotted by the police
- A character can be employed to repair your cars and deliver them, he won't deal with stolen cars, however. You can phone him to drop off cars to you.
- Camera angles during driving can be manually changed, as in GTA 4
- Rockstar's long-term vision is to let players turn their finished games into a movie. Although it says it is "doable" it's just a dream at the moment
- You can't share Weazel news online, you can only watch the feeds from your apartment when friends or crew members have a Wanted level
- Rockstar is still balancing the money earned from missions so it fits in with the flow of purchasing property and cars
- Investing in stock and shares is also available online, you can buy shares in a car company, target that company's cars to have insurance replace them and the stock price will go up
- Players can form cartels but will Rockstar will assume the role of "government" to "make sure there's nothing untoward happening"
- Press seeing GTA Online were only shown a bit of the map, " there's a whole other chunk of map" that wasn't seen
- "There's a lot of toys out there, and a lot of areas for people to use, to make their missions"
- The apartment TV airs a detective show, but Rockstar North's president didn't actually know what it was since the team is still adding new content into the game
- Players have access to a planning board similar to the one in single-player. It has all the maps, people, and the dots to show you where you've got to go
- GTA Online missions will be "simpler" than the heists in the main game at first
- Underwater gameplay isn't going to be big part of the initial GTA Online content suite, but Rockstar will start looking at it after the initial batch of "hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of missions" are delivered
- Activities such as two-player tennis will be available in GTA Online
- Players engaging in side-activities "won't be terrorised", they can enjoy a tennis game without being griefed
- Using their phone, players can call characters and access services to help them complete missions. For example, two players can enlist in some AI-controlled characters to complete an eight-player mission, or call in an airstrike, or turn off blips to hide from other players.
- New characters offering new services are introduced as players progress
- Rockstar is planning "huge" things for "Crews, playlists, challenges"
- The ability to mix and match missions to create playlists is a possibility
