Rockstar toying with karma for GTA?

By Robert Purchese Published 5 May, 2009

Our survey says... it's just a survey.

Rockstar appears to be considering a karma system for future instalments in the Grand Theft Auto series.

"Do you think the Grand Theft Auto series would benefit from having a karma system or good vs. evil actions mechanism that allowed you to choose you overall path by doing good or bad actions, where those actions have a cumulative impact on how the game unfolds?" asks a Play Insights survey, scanned by Da Ill One on Wii Space's forum.

We're waiting to hear back from Rockstar but, even authenticated, the evidence is little more than research and miles from confirmation of such a mechanic ever appearing.

But let's not put this to bed just yet. What do you think? Would a karma system be a big improvement, a minor improvement, neither better nor worse, slightly worse or a lot worse?

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (32) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • JahB #1 3 years ago

    i think it's redundant for a GTA game. people want to blow shit up and run over senior citizens when they play gta.

    plus, IV had a really great ending, depending on the choice you made. that's enough for me

  • dl77 #2 3 years ago

    How would a series whose raison d'etre is to commit crime after crime possibly implement a karma system?!

  • kinky_mong #3 3 years ago

    That's it Rockstar, really punish the player for wanting to have a fun rampage through your games by closing off whole parts of the story when they kill a few pedestrians.

  • Jonsend #4 3 years ago

    If you run people over - the police chase you....... karma right?

  • Cannibal #5 3 years ago

    Meh

  • neilka #6 3 years ago

    Won't they have to ask Carson Daly's permission first?

  • sifujames #7 3 years ago

    In a game so well plotted and story driven as GTA, I fail to see how karma would fit in.

  • JahB #8 3 years ago

    @Neilka

    is that guy even stil alive?

  • Ninja_Tino #9 3 years ago

    Nothing too big, just an extension on 'do I kill x or y' would be nice. Make it have more dramatic effects. I don't want to have to be making decisions non-stop like a BioWare game and I would prefer they make a great main character rather than one with half assed dialogue as they have to write so damn much for him for each possible outcome etc.

  • X201 #10 3 years ago

    "But let's not put this to bed just yet. What do you think? Would a karma system be a big improvement, a minor improvement, neither better nor worse, slightly worse or a lot worse?"

    Well done Rob.
    Take a sweetie from Rauper's "Increase Site Traffic" jar.

    ;)

  • Eraysor #11 3 years ago

    Please don't.

  • Biggles #12 3 years ago

    I think it would be great.

  • Smoped #13 3 years ago

    It's not necessarily a bad idea in theory, but surely in practice it would mean that due to having to plot every step of the story from at least three different angles (good/neutral/bad) the story would end up being shorter or more repetitive? Also, the main character would probably have to become more "absent" from the story á la Fallout 3 for it to really work. Developing a good, three-dimensional character like Niko Bellic for a game is hard enough, but to develop such a character that works both as a "good" and "bad" guy seems pretty difficult to me.

  • GiarcYekrub #14 3 years ago

    This sounds more like the decision events IV elaborated abit more

  • Malkotheslick #15 3 years ago

    this could be very good. I think it would relate to killing indiscriminately. If you kill someone as part of a mission it is usually plot related and you have reason and perhaps it would not effect your karma as much as say beating on an old women in the street who bumped into you or parking on someone and then kicking their head in while they are pinned to the pavement by a car.

  • chrisjm #16 3 years ago

    would anyone chose the good path?
    no.

  • Jonny5Alive7 #17 3 years ago

    It would be an interesting idea, but at the end of the day everyone goes on the rampage at some point in GTA. Everyone would end up negative surely.

  • bad09 #18 3 years ago

    Seeing as I kill hookers, mug people, kill grannies, shoot pigeons, go for lap dances etc,etc I don't think Karma is a good idea.

    A number for a therapist in the options, maybe better.....

  • GiarcYekrub #19 3 years ago

    I think the Karma point would be like Mass Effect and awarded through missions. I do not think steeling a car, speeding through running a red light hitting a old woman and leaving her for dead while taking taking random pot shots at civillians with an uzi would effect it much as that is part of the core GTA dynamic unless maybe its a daily Karma meter that is reset at midnight and dependant on how good/bad you were you'd get a Good/Bad token this could lead to some twilight hour rampages to get the meter pointing the right way for the token award. Not to sure how you'd get it to go positive unless there are SWATT and FIB missions

  • GiarcYekrub #20 3 years ago

    I'd also make the daily token expire after a week(game time)

  • steviepunk #21 3 years ago

    Grand Theft Fable?

  • DutchDemons #22 3 years ago

    could be ok if it's bad versus really bad.

    good and GTA are incompatible, as ppl already mentioned. But then again, i don't think many people would go down the 'slightly less bad' path...i mean...we all kill pedestrians non stop, smash ppl in the face over noting, slaughter hookers after their services, stab cops in their faces, etc..

    right?

  • MrsPacMan #23 3 years ago

    Bring back the Hare Krishnas

    Lot's of good Karma for killing those assholes!!!
    Edited by 1 at 05/05/09 @ 20:09

  • z8Jay #24 3 years ago

    Rubbish idea. Won't fit with the game at all. It's not fallout 3

  • Rack #25 3 years ago

    No. stop all this nonsense and play Saints Row 2. That's what Rockstar need to be shooting for.

  • Spekingur #26 3 years ago

    Rockstar should acquire the Carmageddon license and leave any thoughts of karma in a basket at Bioware's door.

  • Daryoon #27 3 years ago

    Karma?

    Why not just have an allegiance system to the different criminal groups? I always hated how, in the GTA3 games, the plot dictated who I was working for. Would have loved it if I could have aligned myself to one of my choice and worked my way up their ranks, while eliminating rival groups. I would have loved it even more if they'd allowed me to wipe out/take over all rival groups.

  • Widge #28 3 years ago

    Saints Row 2 minus the purile bollocks and straight to video production is what Rockstar need to aim for. If GTA5 appears and its full of car surfing slapstick et al, that will be the ruin of it.

    All they need to do is up the interactivity a notch and its there.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #29 3 years ago

    I don't see why doing big powerslides, jumps, wheelies and talking good racing lines shouldn't gain the player Karma, just like in Metropolis Street Racer. They could have the big K in the corner of the screen and everything!

  • BoffBoff #30 3 years ago

    Agree with the first poster. Absolutely redundant for GTA.
    Fine as it is, imho.

  • bu5hhead #31 3 years ago

    @ Daryoon

    They used to have that in GTA 2 from what i remember,

    Each city / area had the 4 gangs and obviously working for 1 of them pissed of 1 or more of the others was quite cool as you would have to go postal on the friendly gang when the jobs dried out so you could work for the others.

    Back on to topic: Doesnt need it i dont feel remorse for picking up hookers and them running over to get my money back!
    Edited by 1 at 06/05/09 @ 11:45

  • Sunyavadin #32 3 years ago

    I see it as having potential.
    Having longer term impact of your actions has been seen before in GTA so it's not like it'd be out of the blue. You already have the impact in GTA2 and SA of each gang's control of the city and your relationships to them, it's not a big step to have your activities have consequences for you. For example, if you commit a lot of crimes, having detectives start tailing you, or if you renege on deals a lot, having gangs trust you less.