RDR2 can do better: GTA's DLC and In-Game Money

[ZenitH ReX]

To the RDR/Rockstar people.....  I love RDR.  Been playing GTA since it was the bird's eye versions and people went on a bus to a hotdog factory.  Love you guys.  Not every iteration of GTA has been amazing, but I still love the whole franchise.  I did love RDR's online experience past the AMAZING single player content.  I bought the DLC.   

I love GTA5 single player and the online is good, but there's one thing that really bothers me.  The so called DLC. 

I mention this because some of the interviews I've read, seem to be pushing RDR in the same direction as GTA5 (and a lot of the pay-for-power games).  Besides the fact that I hate that model of gaming, I want to share a few points on why I have, and will never, pay for a single cent beyond what GTA5 cost me to buy.  I don't know how this might be implemented into RDR, but I'm hoping to at least help the franchise consider to steer clear of a few things.... and then maybe I might invest beyond buying the game only.  Because as I'll say later, if I feel like my hard-earned money is respected, I'm willing to pay for extra content.

1 - GTA5 doesn't respect the fact there's (potentially) real money in the game.  If I was to spend 100$ to buy 8 million.  Every time I die, I get charged medical.  Every time I die, I lose a clip of ammo (or rockets, or 10 grenades,etc).  Everytime I kill someone who is chasing me with a piped up super vehicle, I get charged up to $20k from the insurance.   People can mug me for up to $10k of cash that I have on hand.  A building is charged, then "daily maintenance fees" are charged.  If I fight someone with a 20k car, I can expect to either just take a pummeling, or be out 100k pretty quickly.  The way it's running, this is similar to a cryptocurrency.  Why would I invest in something that would dock my profits (being enjoyment of the game) when the game itself is designed drain that through what should be normal gameplay?

2 - The vehicles and apartments and "DLC" are insanely priced.   I'm curious if there's a tally somewhere of how much USD cash it would take to buy ALL of the so called DLC?   One post I saw said it was 1.129 BILLION GTA dollars!!!!  With cards, it would cost $17,840 USD to buy it all!!!!   ..........................   I can understand DLC costing 20-40 bucks.. but IF there was actually 17 GTA5 releases, that means that each collection of DLC was $1000!!!!    If I want to purchase one cool vechicle, I can expect to pay - easily - 3 million GTA dollars.  Upgrades?  4-5 million.  Cost of buying???  Around 50 bucks.  For just that ONE item.  Come on.......

3 - Okay!  SO... I just spent (not really) $100USD on GTA dollars.  And I'm gonna spend it IMMEDIATELY so the issues in #1 won't be an isssue.  And ignoring #2 --- I'm gonna get something REALLY badazz from the most recent GTA update!!!   Totally stoked...  I have my new car/truck/plane etc....  Next DLC comes out and it basically makes my previous vehicle purchase totally irrelevant!!!!  Buy a plane?  New one fires more missiles.  Buy that one, then one comes out that fires more missiles AND is armored.    EVERY DLC is about how to make the previous round of purchases.... irrelevant and too weak to survive the new onslaught of options....     Again... why would I want to invest into something that is guaranteed to be intrinsically worthless to me later?   Every vechicle offered goes faster, and is more armored and shoots missiles and has extra gun mounts and flies better than the rest.    There is no penalties to driving a 10 ton insurgent.  It MOVES faster than most sports cars.  It brakes, its armored, its windows are protected, its heavy (BUT it has no real handling or braking penalty)  It's now DLC.  So it just made everything else irrelevant up to that point.  

4 - GTA5 is about to wind down (somewhat) to make room for RDR2... so now it's time to make the game ridiculous.  This is long term... but really?  Missile firing supergliding bikes... then (definitely not) Back to the future Deloreans firing missiles?   Jet packs with unlimited rockets that are virtually impossible to lock on to?  But if you DO hit & kill them, take 20k out of your account!!   Are we gonna have Delorean Back to the Future III Trains in RDR???  God I hope not.   If I wanted to play that sort of silliness then I would have just stuck with playing the Saint's Row series.   Hell I can't even jack half the people's cars anymore in this game because there's the ability to LOCK everyone out of cars!!!  Where's the actual Grand Theft Auto in that???  lol.... But really.....  That dumb stuff guarantees I won't invest into it.

Finishing up -------  you hopefully understand what I'm saying.   I enjoy the game less and less everytime GTA's DLC is coming out.  It costs WAY too much.  Money is stolen by the mechanics of the game.  Every purchase is made irrelevant by a future DLC.   And now it is falling out the genre that the game actually is.  I liked the idea of the criminal enterprise DLC pack, even though I find it's DLC offerings still kinda weak - but it's far too late for that now.  GTA has already convinced me it's not worth any more of my hard earned paycheck.   Make DLC packs that are DECENTLY priced.  Include a good number of the useful items.  I (and I assume most other gamers) are not gonna spend $1k on this game, so don't make a market where DLC adds up to the insanity of $17k if I want to enjoy the game in COMPLETION.  

Please don't make these same  mistakes with my beloved RDR2.  I'll give you money, but not like that ---^

Anyone else?  Discuss.

Pew pew,
_ZenitH ReX_

[FLIP]

It has been mentioned they will be offering less for less in terms of real cash. Instead of paying for a $20 or $30 DLC pack, they will offer smaller ones for say $5. I am not sure what will be included but I guess it gives us more of an option to get what we want and everything. I never broke down the actual currency in game like you did so I am a bit shocked by this. Good read either way. 

[Benjo]

For $60 you can get a modded GTA account with $1bn and never have to worry about it ever again.

[RON]

13 hours ago, Benjo said:

For $60 you can get a modded GTA account with $1bn and never have to worry about it ever again.

Was going to mention this. I don't think you will be able to get this right out the gate for RDR2 but it will be an option down the road I am sure. 

[Alborghetti]

21 hours ago, FLIP said:

It has been mentioned they will be offering less for less in terms of real cash. Instead of paying for a $20 or $30 DLC pack, they will offer smaller ones for say $5. I am not sure what will be included but I guess it gives us more of an option to get what we want and everything. I never broke down the actual currency in game like you did so I am a bit shocked by this. Good read either way. 

Source?

[Benjo]

27 minutes ago, RON said:

Was going to mention this. I don't think you will be able to get this right out the gate for RDR2 but it will be an option down the road I am sure. 

Not sure how they would do it. For example, for XBox the GTA modded accounts are set up on 360 then ported over. As RDR2 is XBone only I'm not sure they can do it, unless R$ let you import your original profile from RDR1.

[Qu3ster]

The only thing I seen mentioned about in-game spending was micro-transactions which would mean the DLC will come in bits and pieces. This could be good or this could be bad. 

[Reyes]

Don't forget about that wallet rumor LOL

I am sure they will work out the kinks and have it more logically done this time around. It seems like that is one of the aspects of GTA V that got overlooked too much. The system they worked under just doesn't make sense when you play it.