NPCs never actually go inside buildings in GTA, and it's kinda weird when you think about it
I was just replaying some older GTA games and it hit me: NPCs are basically glued to the sidewalk. They walk around, react to stuff, but you never see one open a door and go into a house or a shop. They just exist on the street forever.
It would add so much to the world if they actually had somewhere to go. Like, imagine a shootout breaks out and instead of just running in random directions, NPCs scatter toward the nearest building they can enter. A store, an apartment lobby, whatever. It'd make the city feel way more alive.
Or what if you could tail an NPC and they'd eventually reach their home or job? Maybe they stop at a convenience store on the way, grab a drink, then keep walking. Little routines like that would be huge for immersion. RDR2 had some of that with camp members, but I'm talking about random pedestrians.
There's even a gameplay angle. If NPCs leave their homes for a reason you create, like a distraction, you could sneak in and rob the place while they're out. Not saying it has to be a full burglary system, but just the possibility would be cool.
I know it's a lot to ask with the scale of GTA 6, but after seeing what they did with RDR2's world, I'm hoping they push NPC schedules further. Even if it's just a handful of buildings that are actually enterable, having NPCs use them would make the whole city feel less like a movie set.
Anyway, just a thought. November can't come soon enough.
Source: r/GTA6 · Curated content.
From a law enforcement perspective, NPCs ducking into buildings during a code three or active shooter scenario would completely change area containment. Right now pedestrians are just obstacles that sprint in circles. If they actually sought cover inside structures, you'd have to clear rooms or set a perimeter instead of just watching them rubberneck.
I don't need full daily routines. That gets into burglary sim territory, and that's not my beat. But giving NPCs actual ingress and egress points means the AI can stage barricaded suspects or hostages with some logic behind it. Makes the world feel less like a shooting gallery.
RDR2 had maybe two dozen NPCs with actual routines. Leonida will have thousands. Don't expect that kind of magic.
barricaded suspects or hostages
That's pure hype until I'm clearing rooms on November 19.
In Los Santos, pedestrians were basically scenery (animated set dressing, really) along San Andreas Avenue. It made the north side feel like a diorama. If even a fraction of Vice City's condos or Port Gellhorn storefronts had actual doorways NPCs could vanish into, the density would feel real instead of staged.
barricaded suspects or hostages
That's a long shot for random peds, but I'll settle for them ducking into a Port Gellhorn bodega when it rains.
I've been walking past the same faces since III in 2001. Never really bothered me.
animated set dressing, really
MapNerd nailed it though. If I'm lucky I get an hour after the kids crash. I don't need full daily routines. Just let a few peds vanish into a bodega instead of looping the same block forever.
Save the processing power for the campaign. That's what I'm paying for.