First Impressions Review: GTA Online Content Creator (BETA)

So, I tried the Content Creator for GTA: Online a couple weeks back and it was...actually pretty fun.  At first glance, it’s a little intimidating with all the menus and options and the way the HUD is set up, but the five-minute hands-on tutorial was enough to get me creating my first deathmatch like a pro.  In addition though, the location I chose for doing the tutorial inspired a certain theme for it: rooftops.

Following what I learned, I worked on the deathmatch for hours placing checkpoints, weapons, etc. and tested it to see how things would’ve played out.  Using what I experienced in playtesting, I made various changes to make things easier to get around or even things out for the ground-level players, and even placed a more hard-to-get weapon somewhere to add a challenge for those who knew where to look.  This is where I had the most fun; I was basically put into an imitation deathmatch simulator with AI representing both my own team and the enemy‘s.

When you playtest your deathmatches, you can also choose to take damage normally or, if you prefer, you can move around the field completely invulnerable to any sort of damage.  Yup, any.  The invulnerability option not only prevents damage from bullets and melee, but vehicles and heights don’t do a thing either.  This allows you to move around the field without worry to see how everything’s going to play out, and can be turned off just as easily without interupting the simulation.  To do this, all I did was press O (B if you use a 360) and change the option from the menu the button opens.

There are some flaws to it though - placement limitations being one of them.  When I first approached this option I wanted to place as many weapons as possible, only to find out that by doing so, I quickly ran out of room to place other things like health packs and body armor and was forced to limit things and take a more organized approach...which, if you knew of the crew I lead, was kind of difficult for me to do.

Another thing I was iffy on was the checkpoints themselves.  Specifically, their spacing; it’s a little too far.  Although it did force me to consider an aspect of attacking the high-ground and actually winning for once, the residential area I was adding some mayhem to felt more and more cramped as I tried to meet the checkpoint minimum.  This made placing checkpoints difficult and eventually forced me to expand it from just the roof to the roof and the ground and even go beyond that by adding two more homes to the combat field.

All-in-all, it’s a fun thing to experiment with and create your own deathmatches and races, but it could use a little more work in some areas.  I’d rate the Content Creator for GTA:O an 8.7/10.

By the way, if any of you guys play GTA:Online, I’d like to ask that you give my deathmatch, High Ground, a try.  Give it a thumbs-up if you like it and offer some ideas on improving it if you feel it could be better.  I’ll be sure to read the feedback and update the deathmatch if I like your ideas.

October 3rd - First Day on GTA:O

Well, GTA: Online has been out for a couple months now and has, more or less, patched up a great deal of game-breaking bugs and glitches.  While a few still remain (the mask glitch has evolved from causing instant baldness to refusing to even come off, and I still can't get my crew's emblem on my jackets), I continue to find the game mode to be as entertaining and fun as ever.  Maybe a little more so now that the Content Creator has been released, but we'll get into that another day.

Regarding this post, I did a little digging into my DeviantART journals (I tend to post reviews and such in there from time to time) and found a little experience I decided to share with everyone once Online was actually playable for the PS3.  It was among the first impressions I had in GTA:O - the very first day I tromped around San Andreas with other players.  Though I didn't give it a rating score, you could say it was something of a review for a portion of the latest GTA game.  Given how recent it is, I figured I'd better start the new theme of this blog with what I wrote down those couple of months ago.  So, here it is:





"People can be real pricks on it though.  xD  The first guy I rant into on the first job might've been super-helpful, but...well, there's one nice guy out of every bunch. =P  I mean, hell, on my second job I stole a car and parked it right in front of the convenience store I was robbing for a quick getaway, robbed the place, and came running out only to find out that someone had come by and actually taken my getaway vehicle in the 15 seconds I was in there.  So, with no other option, I began to leg it.

That wasn't the end of my first GTA Online experience with douchbaggery though...despite having the cops on my ass, some malevolent soul thought he'd do me the honor of welcoming me into the open, online world by running me over...twice...in the middle of a job...with the cops after me...with my planned-then-stolen getaway car.  Such a nice guy, huh?  =P

Then there was this mission a little later in the game.  I was on a four-man team and we were supposed to be stealing an RV with meth in it.  First time went off without a problem...the second time, however, I heard one of the guys say in his headset, "Hey, check this out.  I'm going to run him over".  ...Well, guess who he was talking about.  -_-  For some reason, this prick singled me out and did a little bit of friendly head-crushing-under-his-car's-back-tire.  I didn't really appreciate him doing that, so I voted to kick him as soon as I respawned.  He stayed, but I got to watch him and everyone else get overwhelmed by the enemy AI in spectator form.  >=3 We lost that round, but seeing Karma in action was well worth it.

But, despite the assholes going around on an other-players murder spree, I've been having a lot of fun on it so far.  Maybe one day I can build up my crew a little more and we can cause some real mayhem in our custom-made vehicles with our logo proudly displayed on the hood.  xP "





And, that's it, more or less.  Not a lot has changed - people on there are still assholes sometimes.  However, I have met some decent people on there as well and have made friends with some cool people.  And I did build up my crew a little more; Chaos Crashers now has 11 people within its ranks (counting myself) and I've added about 8 of them to my friends list to keep track of them all.

For now, the crew is slow-going.  I have a feeling though, that once heists come out, at least me and my two well-trusted Commissioners will get better with, and more dedicated to working together.

Later for now, guys.  I'll try to keep these updates going on a weekly basis.  It's Staturday where I am right now, so...I guess that's my blogging day.  =P  so I'll see you then if I remember, everyone.