Grand Theft Auto 5 Online is a unique game that truly offers an unparalleled online experience with a full map, endless missions and open world events, and unlimited possibilities for PvP.
The service generates Rockstar Games an estimated 500 million every year due to Shark Cards, cards that give players in-game currency which can be spent on vehicles, bases, guns, and more. This success has unfortunately led Rockstar to focus on creating cool things to buy which has created an economy of children who now have ridiculously overpowered weapons, vehicles, and abilities.
I’ve been playing GTA Online since its release in 2013 and have experienced the changes throughout the years. It’s no secret that the online proportion has been declining in quality, but I don’t think anyone has ever explained why and how it’s different from before.
How to Become Overpowered in GTA Online 2013
Rockstar never expected GTA Online to become the money powerhouse it did so the first year was fairly quiet as they spent the majority of their time trying to stop the servers from internally combusting with all the players.
There were 3 overpowered vehicles in the early game and these were the Jet, the Tank, and the Buzzard helicopter. The Buzzard helicopter could randomly spawn around the map however the jet and the tank had to be stolen from within the military base, an area that granted an immediate 3 star wanted level and an entire base lockdown upon entry.
If you wanted one of these powerful vehicles, you would have to enter the base, grab the vehicle, and get away without being killed. This was incredibly difficult as you would be chased by jets, tens of army personnel, and then local police.
Just to put into perspective how difficult this task was, the standard approach was to grab a helicopter with 3 friends, fly high above the military base, and then parachute in. Even by doing this method, and with 3 other people on your side, only 1 of you would have a slim chance to make it out with a vehicle. This person would then have to fight the forces that follow them, before eventually being free.
How each Military Vehicle Operated and Gameplay
I’m going to break down how each vehicle operated since this is arguable the biggest change to gameplay.
The Tank – A Beast with a Timer
The Tank was a slow but destructive beast that would automatically explode any vehicle it touched. It’s cannon could fire long distances and could rotate 360 degrees. It was also very durable, taking several explosive rounds to destroy. This often required players to be standing nearby to the tank which exposes them.
If you saw a tank then you ran. It didn’t matter what you was doing, you ran. This created an exciting gameplay moment since there is almost no chance of a player defeating a tank upon seeing it due to it’s health. Players would have to run away, often resulting in an exciting chase, while others throw bombs at it in the hopes it dies before it kills you all.
An interesting weakness of the tank was that the driver would have and maintain a 5 star wanted level throughout their journey due to its slow speed and constant destruction of vehicles. This means that they’re constantly being slowed down by the police, who could eventually destroy the tank themselves.
The Jet – Too Fast for its Own Good
The standard military jet is an agile vehicle that soars across the sky with heat seeking missiles that can be fired from long distances. While this allowed for quick attacks, it also required the pilot to constantly be on the move since the jet would stall if it moved too slowly.
This creates a fascinating gameplay moment for both people on the ground and the pilot. Attacks would happen in runs where the pilot must “line up” behind a player and then fire before they overtake them due to their increase speed. The jet would then have to manoeuvre back around and go again. This need to maneuverer allowed players to “time” the jet and get into advantages positions, such as under a bridge or between tall buildings, before the jet was ready to fire again.
While jets are powerful vehicles, they require a degree of skill to operate effectively. It’s very easy to crash into a building or the floor as you dive in for an attack. Their wings come off easily, and their surface area allows for players to easily pump several bullets into them from directly underneath. Furthermore, heat seeking missiles cannot target players so, as long as a player wasn’t in a vehicle, it was incredibly difficult for a jet to attack them.
Funnily enough, you can actually down a standard military jet by shooting into it’s exhaust as this will disable the jet. It’s not an easy shot to make, but if you’re behind it and have a sniper, it’s a move you can do.
The Buzzard Helicopter – Powerful but Vulnerable
The buzzard helicopter features the same capabilities as a jet but has the ability to hover in one location, allowing it to terrorize groups of people at once. This made it particularly difficult to fight against as, if you was driving, it could stay behind you firing missiles.
The downside of the buzzard is how vulnerable the pilot is. Even if it’s above the ground, a player could lock on to the pilot directly and kill them. This meant that pilots had to constantly be swerving side to side and even retreating at points if the counterattack became too much. Players just had to target the pilot, something that could even be done when shooting through the window of a car.
If you saw a buzzard then a players first move is to exit their vehicle and fire at the window of the vehicle. They’ll either hit the pilot, or the pilot will move on to weaker pray. This gave a lot of power and counterattack possibilities to the player since you can realistically fight back against a buzzard. It’s still a threat that requires some behaviour change, but it can quickly be dealt with.
How Modern GTA Online Vehicles Break Gameplay
I’ve gone over how the older vehicles each had drawbacks that gave players a chance to fight back against them however the later vehicles don’t have these drawbacks. This ruins the game as now each vehicle is purely an annoyance and not a gameplay moment. Granted, these vehicles do cost a lot of money to purchase, however there is very little skill required to operate them and almost no downsides.
The Oppressor MK2 and The Deluxo are the most infamous examples of modern military vehicles. The Oppressor MK2 is a flying motorbike that can be fitted with heat seeking missiles and the Deluxo is a car with the same capabilities. Both of these vehicles can hover in place, are very durable, and can fly at reasonable fast speeds.
This completely breaks gameplay as there is almost no counterattack for them. You could theoretically kill a player on an Oppressor MK2 since it is just a bike, however their fast speed and small surface area means they’re more likely to zip away the moment you attack. They’re also able to hover relatively high which would make your attacks do next to nothing.
This is not only an issue in PvP settings, but it also breaks many only missions. Several missions revolve around 4 players assassinating someone, usually involving a drive to just outside the location, and then some sort of twist to make things exciting (such as the targets plane is missile proof). However, with the addition of flying personal vehicles, 1 player will usually just fly off and kill the target within 2 minutes while the target’s still in their opening sequence. This makes these missions almost entirely pointless.
Rockstars Focus on Money has Ruined Gameplay
With over half a billion being made per year from Shark Cards, Rockstar needed to create more and more things for players to buy. You can now purchase your own jets that can hover and survive several direct missile hits, and you can even purchase a hanger at the military base.
The military base, a location that required a suicide mission to get out of alive, is now the starting location for many players which has led to most base defences being removed. Players can spawn into their base, quickly run over to a jet, and fly away with almost no issues. Military jets don’t chase you anymore, and onsite tanks are now docile.
Rockstar have made some efforts to counter this new influx of power by creating flair guns that can redirect missiles, and weapons that can destroy jets in one shot, however this just comes down to what players can afford. If you have the money, then these powerful vehicles (that everyone now has) are just annoyances that will most likely kill you. You’ll then respawn and fight back, and then move on with your session.
