! > Can you play as one of the three characters throughout the whole game, or do you have to switch? Could I play it three times through and have a different perspective of the story each time?
"You cannot play the entire game with just one character. Think of the narrative like a movie with several lead characters. Sometimes you’re only watching one of them, and other times they are all in the same scene. This is basically how Grand Theft Auto V is modeled. Sometimes you have to do a solo mission with Trevor, Michael, or Franklin to advance the story. Other times you will have two or three of the leads working together on a mission. When you are in those missions, however, many times you will have a choice of who you control".
While being able to play as three different characters and viewing a mission from three different angles, will you have to choose what character you play as at the beginning of the mission or will the transition happen organically throughout the missions?
In the mission we saw, the player started as Trevor flying the helicopter to the IAA headquarters, and was forced to switch to Michael to rappel down the skyscraper. Once he crashed through the window and grabbed the target, the player was offered the opportunity to either stay as Michael or switch to Franklin, who was positioned with a sniper rifle in an adjacent building. After Michael got back in the helicopter, the player had the option to either fly the chopper as Trevor or shoot at the pursuers as Michael or Franklin. That’s how Rockstar chose to build this mission, but the system affords them the ability to set up missions however they want.
What happens when you kill a protagonist you're not playing with?
Because all of these characters play integral roles in the narrative, Rockstar isn’t going to let you just off them on a whim.
Does Michael have like a house that you can walk into and find your children lounging around and can you interact with them?
Yes, you can walk into the house and interact with your family.
Will the whole game world be open from the beginning, or will it open up as the story progresses like in previous GTA games and Red Dead?
Because Michael, Trevor, and Franklin live in different parts of Los Santos, the entire map is open for players to explore from the get-go.
Will Las Venturas and/or San Fiero be in GTA V?
No. Rockstar chose to focus on making one proper city, Los Santos, rather than splitting that effort up into creating three.
From what you saw, did Los Santos, the city itself (not including mountains/countryside/etc.) appear bigger than GTA IV’s Liberty City?
Los Santos definitely covers more square footage, just as the sprawling Los Angeles metro area does compared to New York City. But just like the real cities, if you’re wondering about the density of the downtown area, Los Santos proper is smaller than Liberty City.
Suffice to say, the game seems pretty big in regards to the map size and the amount that is rendered at once, so how well does the game run?
The game ran perfectly fine when we saw the demo. No noticeable lag, even when switching between characters. That’s a positive sign this far out for an open-world game, many of which are a mess right up to the final few weeks of development.
The world may be big, but just how much will there be to do in it? Will it be big just for sake of it or will there be some use to sections?
Rockstar wanted to make a large world to make flight compelling again, but don’t worry about not having stuff to do. The developers are bringing over the amazing dynamic mission structure featured in Red Dead Redemption to keep players engaged while they explore the game world. Since the lead characters live in very different areas of the map, live switching between them is a quick way to get across the map and discover what lies in a new area.
Will the missions have more variety in them? It seemed like a lot of the missions in GTA IV were just drive to location, take out target, drive back to safe location, repeat.
Rockstar is doing a lot to change up the missions in GTA V. Some missions will only feature one playable character, whereas others will feature two or three. This should give the missions a healthy amount of variety. A lot of the missions will be prepping for and pulling off complex heists. The switch mechanic also lets Rockstar skip over the flat spots in missions to always keep you in the action.
When you mentioned Trevor lighting a truck on fire with a gas can, is that something for a mission or is there more interaction with objects in the world?
I’m sure a mission or two may require you to light something on fire, but Trevor is the kind of psychopath who revels in destruction during his free time as well. You’ll be able to get your pyromaniac fix whenever you want.
How will the inventory system be handled with three protagonists?
Right now, each character has his own inventory and money, but Dan Houser explained that this is something Rockstar normally addresses late in the day so the system could change before the game’s release next spring.
From what you've seen, how was the game in terms of humor?
The demo we saw was focused on a rather serious mission (breaching the offices of the IAA, which is the GTA equivalent to the CIA), but it seems like Trevor’s madness and Michael’s family dynamic provide ample opportunity for comic relief. From flicking off people as he’s driving down the street to busting the balls of the security agent guarding a helicopter, Trevor’s unhinged antics brought a smile to our faces. Television, radio programs, and the Internet return as well, each of which was a great source of humor in previous games.
Is the Wanted system different in this game?
When I asked Dan Houser about this in the interview, he said he wasn’t exactly sure how it would be changing yet. They are tweaking it a bit, but probably not much. This all sounds promising.
But one thing urkes me. Three characters….all men?
Check out the screen shots. Notice the hydra!
