mission structure is the one thing i'm still nervous about after the extended look

Been chewing on this since the extended look. Rockstar's world building and systems are unmatched, but the actual story missions have always felt like they're on rails. GTA V had some standout set pieces but the moment you tried to solve a mission your own way, it was either mission failed or the game just ignored what you did. RDR2 was even weirder about it, gorgeous world but the second a story beat started, you were locked into a very specific path.

The extended look didn't really show mission structure at all. We saw systems, the world, some interactions, but nothing about how a heist or a story beat actually plays out when you're in control. That's the part I keep coming back to. If the game has all these deeply complex systems they've been talking about, it would feel like a massive miss if story missions still funnel you down one corridor with a fail state if you breathe wrong.

I'm not expecting full immersive sim freedom or anything. Rockstar has a story to tell and they want specific moments to land. But there's a middle ground where objectives have multiple approaches, where stealth vs loud actually matters, where the game doesn't reset you for walking ten feet off the intended path. GTA V teased that with heist prep choices but the actual heists still played out mostly the same.

Maybe the Lucia and Jason dynamic changes this. Two protagonists with different skill sets could mean missions let you pick who does what, and the game adapts. That's speculation on my part, but it's the kind of evolution that would make the complex systems feel worth it instead of just window dressing between cutscenes.

What's the one thing from the extended look that made you think mission design is actually changing, or did it leave you more worried?

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Source: r/GTA6 · Curated content.