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8 things we want in Red Dead Redemption 2 Online
What can Red Dead Redemption 2 learn from GTA V’s frantic – and sometimes flawed – online mode?
What we want in Red Dead Redemption 2 Online
© Rockstar Games
Following Rockstar’s teasing Red Dead Redemption 2 announcement, the internet went into a furore, unsurprisingly, over rumours about what may be included. One thing the renowned developers did confirm was that that there will definitely be an online mode different to that of its 2010 predecessor.
Given the success of Grand Theft Auto V’s often-insane Online mode, it’s safe to assume that they may look towards that game for inspiration. The massive potential in a gameworld like this means it’s unlikely to be just a collection of deathmatches and flag-capturing shoot-em-ups, and is more likely to include open-world gameplay in a persistent and adaptive environment.
Here are eight things we really hope to see in Red Dead Redemption 2’s online mode.
Less griefing
If history has taught us anything, it's that letting a bunch of people loose online with very few social rules is a recipe for griefing. Some people will eschew their own actual enjoyment of the game just to make life a misery for others. While GTA Online has a punishment system in place, it's not enough to deter people. We lost plenty of time in Los Santos getting run over or shot while in the middle of an activity by someone who just "felt like it".
Red Dead Redemption 2 is likely to be no different. It'll be open, the onus will be on crime and griefers will be rife. Stricter rules would be greatly appreciated by players who actually want to progress.
Team-building with revolvers? OK
© Rockstar Games
More group activities
The Old West is an environment that seems so custom-built for gaming it's a wonder it's not in as many titles as those generic space colonies and fantasy cities we see so often. It was the era of the posse, the gang, the cadre, where lone wolves prowled but packs prospered. Similarly to GTA V Online’s Crews, players should be able to form a posse and venture out into the world together to find their fortune and uncover special items or activities.
Group challenges would be welcome in RDR2. Cattle-driving, for example; herding a hundred head of beef across inhospitable, dangerous land, battling the environment, the natives and, of course, cattle thieves. Give us something to do besides shooting and looting, unless of course, you opt to be the thieves.
Heists
Arguably the most fun you can have in GTA Online is hooking up with a Crew to carry out the multi-stage Heists. There are several to indulge in, and each is a finely-crafted multiplayer experience with so many variables that anything can go wrong if you're not on top of your game. There’s always something for everyone to do, whether you’re the point man, the lookout or the getaway driver.
Well, frankly, we want to rob stagecoaches, town banks and federal reserves. This is the “Wild” West, after all. We want to rob trains with our posse, all in matching neckerchief masks and itching to get our hands on that gold. Coordinating and enacting a multi-stage robbery on a high-speed train, from horseback, Gatling gun optional? Where do we sign up?
I say, would you mind pulling over for a moment?
© Rockstar Games
Non-violent activities
We've seen Tombstone. We've seen Deadwood. We know the Old West was a violent place of gunslingers and outlaws, brigands and thieves, but it wasn't all bad. It was also a time of progression and prosperity, triumph over adversity, and honest labour.
It would be nice to get away from the violence now and then. Maybe head out and pan for a little gold, maybe trade pelts and skins with local towns, do some leather-working. What you do is not necessarily important, it's more important that we don’t absolutely have to be criminals to have fun in the gameworld.
Also, let’s not forget just how much money there is to be made from gambling, either in saloons, casinos or on river barges. You don’t always have to use a gun to make money.
A social hub
Imagine coming back from hunting down a dangerous gang in the hills, or driving cattle across the arid plains, or relieving a stage coach of its heavy burden of gold, and heading into town to play some cards, a few rounds of Liar's Dice, or just get really drunk and start a tavern brawl.
What we really want is a dedicated social space to hang out, indulge in some light-hearted gun-fighting, play some games, compare shooters and horses, recruit a posse, and generally be a cowboy or cowgirl in every way imaginable.
It wouldn’t be so hard to incorporate a few social hubs into RDR2’s online world. Whereas GTA V is set across a huge, sprawling section of Los Santos, the Red Dead sequel is more likely to feature vast tracts of untamed wilderness, mountains, ravines and scattered settlements. Giving players somewhere to congregate would go a long way towards the immersion.
A faction system
If Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode does have any kind of persistent, evolving world, rather than just a place to mess around and have gunfights in, a faction system wouldn't go amiss. Running down bounties for the Pinkertons, chasing off natives and squatters on behalf of the Railroad, robbing and pillaging on behalf of the local Mexican cartel… pick your poison and pledge your allegiance.
They could reward us in the form of guns, outfits, horses and properties and give us something to work towards, maybe a common goal or a group target. It's more about coherence and progression than just having stuff to do, focusing the experience so that we're not ultimately left to our own devices.
All that space to raise hell in
© Rockstar Games
Progressive characterisation
Red Dead Redemption had a pretty simple character system, whereby you chose an avatar and steadily unlocked better horses and guns. The sequel could learn a lot from GTA Online and allow us to create a unique character and develop them in a way that suits our individual play style. They could learn staple RPG skills like lockpicking and sneaking and choose specific abilities to improve.
Gear with stats would work, as well as new guns and unique horses, for status and bragging rights more than anything. Character progression doesn't have to be in-depth; just deep enough to make us feel we're achieving something. Full property ownership might be too much to ask for, but it's a possibility worth imagining. Rising from lowly cowpoke to casino owner would be a hell of a story.
Here’s hoping for more zombie horses
© Rockstar Games
The unexpected
This is the Old West and as such there's great scope for multiple, diverse activities and asides. Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare expansion showed us that Rockstar is willing to have fun in the universe, so we want more of that. If riverboat gambling and treasure-hunting are too mundane, why not hunt down cursed gold or sasquatches, or investigate haunted ranches and Indian burial grounds?
These activities might well be better suited for special holiday periods and limited time events, but there's potential for Rockstar to really push the boundaries to deliver an online experience like no other.
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