Since the launch of GTA Online for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the community of Online Creators have gone to town to make the most of the expanded lobbies and create even more epic Deathmatches, Races, Captures and LTS to share with the world via Social Club. We've been playing and enjoying many of those new Jobs and in our latest edition of Rockstar Game Tips, we've got pointers on how to make sure your creations are properly set up to support and maximize the action for a large player count.
If you're new to GTA Online's Creator and looking for some fundamental instructions on getting started, you may want to brush up on some of our tips to building great Races, Deathmatches and Capture Jobs. You can also check out our official how-to PDF guides for making LTS Jobs, Captures, Races andDeathmatches. And further down in today's article, you'll also find some of our specific strategies for creating nail-biting Last Team Standing Jobs (by the way, stay tuned for our Last Team Standing Creator Contest selections to be announced in the weeks ahead with a new set of Rockstar Verifieds).
Upping the Ante
If you've previously created a masterpiece on PS3 or Xbox 360, then you can edit it on the new versions of GTA Online to make it playable for up to 30 players. To do this, go to Online > Creator in the GTA Online Pause Menu and select "Load Creation". Here you will be able to access any previously published Jobs and edit them in any ways you choose. (Note: once you edit and publish an existing Job on PS4 or Xbox One, it will only be available to play on that system and not on Xbox 360 or PS3, even if you originally created it on one of those consoles).
For Races, you can increase the Maximum Players in the Race Details menu. If the "Maximum Players" field is greyed out in this section then you may need to adjust your starting grid to make space for the increased traffic. Go to Placement > Checkpoints and select your starting grid. Here you will be able to adjust the number of players on the starting grid, as well as change the size and style of grid. If you need to move the starting grid to another road where there is more space, you may also need to move the Trigger to be close enough to it.
In Deathmatches and Capture Jobs, after you have increased the Maximum Players count in the Deathmatch Details menu, you will need to increase the number of Team Start Points and Spawn Points in the Placement menu in order for the Job to work.
Room to Breathe
Just because you've made your Job available for up to 30 players, doesn't mean it's going to be as much fun with the increased population straight off the bat. More players may require wider roads for your Race, a larger area for your Deathmatch or greater choice of Capture Objects in your Capture Jobs. In a Race, take the time to review the positioning of your Checkpoints, and any signs or Props you've used to warn of an upcoming turn. A last-minute, poorly signposted tight corner may become even more frustrating for players if 30 of them are all trying to make it at the same time - especially during the early stages of the Race, when the larger pack is more closely bunched together. In Deathmatches, it's not just about creating a larger playing area; if your Job focuses around a choke point, make sure it's not going to be too chaotic forcing 30 players into the same space all at once - and also make sure there are enough weapon pickups for everyone to feel equally well equipped. Similarly, if your Capture Job takes place across a large area, make sure there are enough vehicles so that nobody is left stranded.
Major Props
Whether you're updating an old classic or starting out from scratch, with the Creator on PS4 and Xbox One you can add more than twice the number of Props to your levels. What's more, you can also place props in mid-air using the L3 and R3 buttons while you have your Prop selected - great for building vertiginous ramps, bridges between skyscrapers and enclosed spaces for arena-style Deathmatches. But as always, the best creations are carefully considered and every item or prop you place is going to affect how your Job feels to play.
Survey the New Surroundings
Thorough testing is the key to any great creation, and it's important to re-test your Job once any changes are in place. Not only will an increased player count greatly affect the dynamic and feel of the Job, some of the new features of the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game may impact the experience in ways you hadn't imagined. For example, the vastly increased foliage in the game world may mean that there's a rock, tree or other fauna in an inconvenient place that wasn't there on last-gen. In more built-up areas, the increased traffic in the city might make highway-based Races a little too congested - especially with 30 racers all slipstreaming and weaving through position. Be sure to test your Job using all of the variables available to the end player - GTA, Rally, in the rain, locked to first person etc. - to make sure everyone gets a great experience.
Different Perspectives
To balance the playing field between players that prefer a certain perspective, you can choose to lock your Job to first person or third person using the "Force Camera View" option in the Race Details menu.
Creating Last Team Standing Jobs in GTA Online
Fair and Balanced Bloodshed
As with Deathmatches and Captures, balance is crucial. Unlike Team Deathmatches though, the Rounds system allows Last Team Standing players to play on both sides, giving Creators the option to create deliberately asymmetrical challenges. Whether you go for balanced or asymmetric, different rules apply. Check out Hawick LTS for one example of a balanced Job that deliberately grants players the same avenues of attack and an even spread of weapons. Asymmetrical maps such as Skyscraper LTS give teams different, but complimentary, weaponry and vehicles as well as offer new challenges from round to round. Always keep in mind which of these types you want your creation to be, as they will dictate other key choices.
Teams, Rounds & Bounds
In the LTS Creator, you can select the default number of rounds, which should be tailored to suit the location used for the LTS – for example, there’s no point in setting default Rounds to one in an LTS that takes place over a very small area as it will be over too fast.
Location will also dictate the number of teams you can have. Some locations lend themselves well to big multiple team missions while others are much better for head-to-head skirmishes. Take a look at all possible team start locations - if you can find four that are balanced and fair, use four – though two is fine as well. Additionally, don't crowbar a start location into somewhere if it doesn't make sense. When picking the number of teams, make sure it matches the number of rounds. For instance in a four team, first to five wins LTS, it could have a maximum of seventeen rounds (assuming all teams get to four, and then one team wins the final round and the overall match). This will take a while to play through!
Another key feature of the LTS Update is the Play Area Bounds - once you've chosen your location, you need to decide how large it will be. Along with always-visible blips, this feature has been introduced to ensure there are no stalemates or overly-defensive tactics that might result in painfully long games. As mentioned above, set your bounds to suit your location and then base your default rounds on the width of that area.
Weapons
The Forced Weapon option can change the flavor of an LTS drastically. Users will be able to create sniper-only battles between two opposing islands, or an RPG focused encounter in Downtown LS, for example. Since both sides get the same hardware, unusual choices for Forced Weapons lend themselves best to balanced maps. For instance, you may want to use long distance artillery and sniper rifles to narrow the distance between teams who are placed far apart. In a close quarters map with a lot of cover, shotguns and grenades may be the more suitable choice.
For asymmetrical and deliberately unbalanced maps, teams start with the same weapons so the balance must be defined by the choice of weapon pickups (and vehicles) available on the ground. An RPG forced weapon game won't last very long - unless you’ve found a location with a lot of natural cover to protect players (don't forget that in LTS, blips are visible on the mini-map at all times). TDMs feature noise-based blips, but enemies are always blipped in LTS to prevent hiding, stalemates or players running across the map. You can use Lester to hide your blip, but by default, the enemy blips will be visible regardless of noise or distance.
Weapons should be placed to engage the teams and force them to confront each other, but also to guide players towards nice and unique positions (snipers on vantage points, shotguns in tight alleyways etc…).
Vehicles
Users will also be able to place offensive vehicles in their maps (Tanks, Buzzards etc.), so it wouldn't be a very balanced map if one team had access to four Tanks, and the other three teams did not. With the new asymmetrical option, nothing stops users from trying this potentially fun and challenging option. It’s an easy way to change the feel of an LTS, to throw in an over-powered vehicle or two. Changing little things here and there can make a big difference to how these jobs play, and can potentially add a fun ‘wild card’ element to the gameplay if done right.
Asymmetry
For an extra Creator challenge, try making a deliberately unbalanced Job, where one team must always play as the underdog. The Rounds system allows for both teams to take a few goes at trying to 'break' the advantage of the other team. The advantage must be slim enough to give the underdog a chance, but large enough for them to require different tactics to their play. For example, you could give one team a Tank, and the others only Assault Rifles and Sticky Bombs to take it out with. Alternatively, try giving one side all Sniper Rifles, and the others only Combat Knives, but enough cover to be able to dart quickly towards their opponents.
Let us know in the comments below if you've been able to tweak any existing Jobs, or even create entirely new ones using the tips and tricks in this article. Also, if you have requests for future Game Tips articles that you'd like to see, feel free to hit us up via mouthoff@rockstargames.com and request a primer on any aspect of GTA Online gameplay or features.
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