okay, so thats why theres no char selection, but heres an idea:
how about 2 different skins?
1-default gta guy (that's you)
2- some other skin (everyone else)
just like in americas army where they show the enemy as the terrorists, no matter which side you are on, you could do this in mta so you see yourself as the gta guy, but everyone else as, say, mafia.
so multiple characters chokes the engine....how about 2?