GTA Online - The Saga Continues

[Art Blade]

 

[BinnZ]

That last pic is funny. I bet you got the cops to do the w0#k for you

[BinnZ]

On one of our various practice runs, Art Blade was taking it up against all 39 Merrywheather guards surrounding the Avenger in the dark hangar. While he was practicing, Bablar and I hid behind an old trialer dancing the Трепак:

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On a more serious attempt of Masterminding, we were waiting in the planning room when one of my lab rats got mad for some unknown reason and started punching us in our faces

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[LowPolyOWG]

That last pic is funny. I bet you got the cops to do the w0#k for you

Yep, my character's tax dollars are hard at w0#k

[Art Blade]

 

The only race I've ever published:

There's something I have been doing for ages: test cars by driving them around the city, a track that has evolved. Back then, TerrZor suggested a different turn (for those who know the track: the turn that forces you to drive into oncoming traffic, when entering the last long stretch before the finish) and ever since it has been the same race track. It's close to garages and a mod shop to change cars or change something on a car. I showed it to friends, they've been doing a lap or three once in a while, and sometimes we played together, a "free" race without start and finish, just an open circuit. When I was asked to publish it, the creator (with which you create and publish races) did not have a feature which it now does, so I was never satisfied with the result and never published it. Now that I was told about that feature (essentially two checkpoints next to each other, one being the main checkpoint, the other one an alternative checkpoint) and after bablar created a test version, I decided to w0#k on it again and I finally published it. At least our bunch of people likes it now, after I made a few changes regarding checkpoints. It is the same "race" I used to play freely, only now it is a race everyone can start. Proper timing, some XP, and some money involved makes it worthwhile.

I was a bit nervous when I went into a public session and opened it for random people for the first time. I always assumed everyone else was better than me but in the end, they weren't. However, going in for a couple of public races (hey, people actually play my race) was a bit of an adrenalin rush.

Art Blade's Rush Hour (fast city circuit with traffic)

Phew.
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Watching a random driver (I had already finished the race)
you can clearly see the double checkpoint, those blue arrows
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This is about as fast as it gets (Binn had about the same time on a motorbike)
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[LowPolyOWG]

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New toy

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Protecting a donut stand from some cops

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Wall hugger

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Someone tried to break into my garage

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Got a burning car flying past Trevor in the SP mode

[Art Blade]

crazy, the last pic with that wall of fire

[LowPolyOWG]

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Kneeling death pose

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Sawmill survival. Hiding in the metal containers, we did all 10 waves

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Sandy Survival wallhack camp strategy

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Welcome to Omaha Beach Sandy Shores Backyard

[Art Blade]

[Dweller_Benthos]

That is one thing I have yet to try on the new speedy connection, the online stuff in GTA. I saw you guys all online last weekend, figured you were doing a heist of some kind. Thing is if I got on now, I'd be so far behind everyone as far as weapons and skills go it would be a lost cause trying to catch up.

[Art Blade]

it would be fun to play online with you and help you get up to speed, of sorts. What you can do on your own, however, is getting your online career started. Start your game as usual, and from the menu in SP you can choose "play GTA online" which opens a sub-menu that offers different types of how to play online, for instance "invite only" which is a session that includes most of the online stuff but essentially it is a single player feeling. Only friends you invite in may join.

Anyway, you need to go through a couple of tutorial cutscenes and missions and set up your character from scratch (yes, like gender, face fine-tuning and the likes) so you will be busy for some time before you can actually join other people online. Maybe that's something you can try and the rest will follow.

Online is a lot more fun if you use voice chat. The game itself provides voice chat but whichever way you prefer, you will need to sort out your mic/headset issues

Once you're online and have completed the first couple of mandatory things, you'll be a virtual hobo. No home, no car, almost no money, and only the clothes you set up your character with, and a pistol. You will spawn next to a hotel (that you can't actually enter) or some such, essentially you'll spawn in the streets. So your first concern will be making money. And that you can't achieve without help from other people. You may have guessed that the public online game is like a zoo, there are only "animals" out there, killers, weirdos, cheaters, hackers.. not really my cup of tea. Hence I either play invite only (basically single player in the online part of the game) or with trusted friends such as our OWG members.

I'd really like to help you out. Essentially it will be easy for you. I'd start a mission, invite you in, and the two of us go for it. You'd just sit back and observe while I'd be doing the wet w0#k for you. No risk for you but you'd get the same amount of money as I. Essentially I'd make money for you and you'd just rake it in

The goal would be to get enough money for your first cheap home so you wouldn't have to spawn in the streets anymore. Those cheap houses come with a garage for two vehicles. Actually, you can buy just a garage (even cheaper) and spawn in it.

There are a ton of cars out there that you can just steal and drive into your garage, and they're yours. You may sell those stolen cars at any mod shop, one every 48 minutes real-life time. You'll see that those cars can be upgraded, like bullet-proof tyres, engine, brakes, colour... you name it. And of course you'll have to pay for all that stuff. Yes, you know that from single player but online, it's a world of a difference regarding prices. Fully upgrading a car might cost between some $150k for the cheap cars and may range up to close to a million for cars you bought "online" from vendors accessible through your in-game mobile phone's web browser. And then you'll find that most upgrade parts are locked because your rank isn't high enough. You're set once you've reached level 120. On your way there, you'll gradually unlock all kinds of things but you'll still have to pay for them. What goes for cars, goes for weapons and even clothes, too.

So it's always about money. Once you're somewhat set, you can play many missions on your own, participate in races and whatnot. Only the payout isn't really that great that you can buy a $10M yacht after a couple of minutes.

You will need at least one player to help you. I'm sure that the rest of our OWG guys will help you, too.

I'd like to help you getting started Only right now, we're trying to help Binn get his blasted last achievement, the doomsday heist criminal mastermind challenge. Once that's done, we'll be available more easily. However, just check our steam online presence, and start a chat so we can discuss details and take care of you maybe even in between.

I'm looking forward to it

[Art Blade]

meanwhile...

my newest acquisition
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[BinnZ]

@Art; you bought a freaking Facility!?!?

Haha, very nice

@D_B:
Art is right about how to get you started, and he's right that most still playing OWG-ers are willing to help you get started. I'd like to add a few minor things...

There is one car in the game, it's the Annis Elegy RH8, which is completely for FREE. You can purchase it in the online shop for no money, and it will be available for you whenever you need it. Its upgrades do cost a bit of money, but you won't be able to get all upgrades from the start, since most of the higher ones need to be unlocked by reaching a certain rank, going up to max 100.
The Elegy is a Nissan based $p@rts car and is both extremely fast and competitive. It handles really nice and looks good.

You shouldn't worry about not being able to catch up. I'm playing often with players who are new,  and have a second character myself that is just above rank 120. It will take you likely a few weeks up to maybe 2 months of regular gaming to get to that rank, and from there you basically have access to everything. The time it takes depends on the time you spend in the game and the type of jobs you do. There's always double GTA$ & RP opportunities, and often these are fun jobs to help you get to know the possibilities of the world and all there's in it.

The public sessions aren't as bad as Art says they are. Some are, but often you find yourself in a session with lots of other players who either mind their own business or at least play fair. Public sessions provide a lot of fun if you like to fool around with other players a bit or do competitive stuff. It all depends on your play style actually.
Anyway, you can easily skip them and still join coop missions, heists, races, competitive shoot-outs and whatnot starting in a private session. After finishing the job, the game will usually put you back to your private session.

If you aim for joining, skip the low end apartments and get a high end apartment from the start. Because if you like the game, you will be wanting one sooner or later. They all come with a 10 car garage, have a fancy looking interior and an often excellent view over the city and they have a heist planning room, which allows you to start your own heists. And heists are what made GTA Online what it has become.
I recommend an apartment in the Eclipse Tower. Or get a Stilt House at North Conker Avenue. They come with the same goodies and are very nice too.

But of course there's plenty of choice.

[Art Blade]

yes, a facility it is indeed Who knows, I might want to host a doomsday heist.

[Art Blade]

D_B, here a view from my Eclipse Tower apartment (my character enjoys it, too) and a glimpse of my $10M yacht. The helicopter and a couple of boats come with it.

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