GT next-gen, PSP and more from the head of Polyphony Digital - the full unexpurgated story inside
16:09 With Gran Turismo 4 Prologue currently lighting up the UK charts, there couldn't be a more appropriate time to review our very own GT4 E3 coverage and have a quick rustle in our extensive bundle of taped goodies.
And what do you know? We've dug up an exclusive interview with gaming rock god Kazunori Yamauchi, head of Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo team. We joined him for a rare one-on-one chat about GT4, the prospects for PSP and his hopes for GT games on the next generation of consoles.
Check this out.
Interview by Johnny Minkley
One of the things you've announced at E3 is the new photo mode for Gran Turismo 4 - Could you tell us about that?
Kazunori: There are a number of reasons. The first is because the data that GT has is over specified compared to the output you would get on a TV monitor. It's very high quality. I first thought about the mode three years ago and planned for the future.
Of course I also really like photography personally in addition to loving cars; I wanted to provide a mode in which you can provide the absolute quality available in GT in some form and photo mode was the solution.
We gather you can trade your own images online with other users. Do you see this as a fundamental part of creating an online community for the game?
Kazunori:This may not be one of the core aspects of the online segment, but because the data size of the images is so small, they can be exchanged at low bandwidth. And so it will be one of the many interesting features for the online community.
Have you been onto the E3 showfloor to see what kind of reaction the game is getting? How do you feel about it?
Kazunori: Unfortunately I haven't had much time to visit the showfloor yet and see the reaction. However even with limited time, I am very surprised to see so many people in the GT area and I also noticed a lot people trying photo mode for themselves and actually trying to do the printouts, regardless of the fact that it takes quite a while to get the printout.
People didn't seem to mind waiting to get the final image and I really feel the loyalty of the people visiting the booth; I'm very thankful for it.
Is it difficult to relax with such high expectations from GT4's many fans?
Kazunori: Although I seem to have very little time to myself with the busy development schedule, I do occasionally find the time to go out and drive a car in real life out on the highways of Tokyo. Those are the times when I can relax, forget about work and just enjoy the time spent behind the wheel.
What do you think will be judged the single greatest achievement of Gran Turismo 4?
Kazunori: It's a difficult question because I always aim for a over 100 percent in all aspects of any game I create. However if I had to pick one I would have to say the actual driving simulation is its greatest achievement.
With the next generation of technology almost upon us, how do you hope to use that to push the envelope of the driving genre?
Kazunori: Let's take the category of car physics: currently in GT4 on the PS2, the calculations for car physics are done sixty times a second, the same as the framerate. But with the next generation coming and higher specifications, we think this could change to 300 times per second or even 600 times per second.
Those changes will be significant in how players relate to car physics, car simulation and feedback. Another aspect is the graphics: for GT4 it's nice, it's very pretty... For a game.
Yes, just a little...
Kazunori: But again in the next generation the target will obviously be to bring that to another stage, another step, where it will be prettier than reality. What I mean by that is, for example, take the environment and atmosphere seen in the Grand Canyon course. There's times when you can see the same scenery with perfect lighting and maybe only once in a hundred years do you see something like that.
We have the advantage of being able to provide that in a virtual world and that supercedes reality in those terms. We hope to recreate a very beautiful atmosphere with the advantages of next generation technology.
What do you think of the PSP and the possibility of bringing the GT series onto it?
Kazunori: Regarding the PSP, I'm very intrigued by the PSP itself as an object. It's very intriguing, very appealing.
Of course I would hope to release GT4 on PSP as soon as possible, but at the same time at full specification. What I don't want to do is lower the specification or remove features to fit it onto a handheld. I want to make sure it's a full specification GT4 on a handheld console.
Are you confident that can be achieved?
Kazunori: Currently yes.
Finally, many have tried to recreate the success of the GT series but they have failed to live up to its extremely high standards. What is the secret of your success?
Kazunori: I can't be sure; it's a difficult question. But the team and I have always concentrated on improvements, always constant improvements, and this has been carried forward with GT4. It's been ten years now and I think this has grown to a state where the constant aim to improve has become a natural feature of the team. That may be the answer.
But you still love cars, even after all this time?
Kazunori: I think that might be the real answer to your previous question! [laughs]
source CVG
16:09 With Gran Turismo 4 Prologue currently lighting up the UK charts, there couldn't be a more appropriate time to review our very own GT4 E3 coverage and have a quick rustle in our extensive bundle of taped goodies.
And what do you know? We've dug up an exclusive interview with gaming rock god Kazunori Yamauchi, head of Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo team. We joined him for a rare one-on-one chat about GT4, the prospects for PSP and his hopes for GT games on the next generation of consoles.
Check this out.
Interview by Johnny Minkley
One of the things you've announced at E3 is the new photo mode for Gran Turismo 4 - Could you tell us about that?
Kazunori: There are a number of reasons. The first is because the data that GT has is over specified compared to the output you would get on a TV monitor. It's very high quality. I first thought about the mode three years ago and planned for the future.
Of course I also really like photography personally in addition to loving cars; I wanted to provide a mode in which you can provide the absolute quality available in GT in some form and photo mode was the solution.
We gather you can trade your own images online with other users. Do you see this as a fundamental part of creating an online community for the game?
Kazunori:This may not be one of the core aspects of the online segment, but because the data size of the images is so small, they can be exchanged at low bandwidth. And so it will be one of the many interesting features for the online community.
Have you been onto the E3 showfloor to see what kind of reaction the game is getting? How do you feel about it?
Kazunori: Unfortunately I haven't had much time to visit the showfloor yet and see the reaction. However even with limited time, I am very surprised to see so many people in the GT area and I also noticed a lot people trying photo mode for themselves and actually trying to do the printouts, regardless of the fact that it takes quite a while to get the printout.
People didn't seem to mind waiting to get the final image and I really feel the loyalty of the people visiting the booth; I'm very thankful for it.
Is it difficult to relax with such high expectations from GT4's many fans?
Kazunori: Although I seem to have very little time to myself with the busy development schedule, I do occasionally find the time to go out and drive a car in real life out on the highways of Tokyo. Those are the times when I can relax, forget about work and just enjoy the time spent behind the wheel.
What do you think will be judged the single greatest achievement of Gran Turismo 4?
Kazunori: It's a difficult question because I always aim for a over 100 percent in all aspects of any game I create. However if I had to pick one I would have to say the actual driving simulation is its greatest achievement.
With the next generation of technology almost upon us, how do you hope to use that to push the envelope of the driving genre?
Kazunori: Let's take the category of car physics: currently in GT4 on the PS2, the calculations for car physics are done sixty times a second, the same as the framerate. But with the next generation coming and higher specifications, we think this could change to 300 times per second or even 600 times per second.
Those changes will be significant in how players relate to car physics, car simulation and feedback. Another aspect is the graphics: for GT4 it's nice, it's very pretty... For a game.
Yes, just a little...
Kazunori: But again in the next generation the target will obviously be to bring that to another stage, another step, where it will be prettier than reality. What I mean by that is, for example, take the environment and atmosphere seen in the Grand Canyon course. There's times when you can see the same scenery with perfect lighting and maybe only once in a hundred years do you see something like that.
We have the advantage of being able to provide that in a virtual world and that supercedes reality in those terms. We hope to recreate a very beautiful atmosphere with the advantages of next generation technology.
What do you think of the PSP and the possibility of bringing the GT series onto it?
Kazunori: Regarding the PSP, I'm very intrigued by the PSP itself as an object. It's very intriguing, very appealing.
Of course I would hope to release GT4 on PSP as soon as possible, but at the same time at full specification. What I don't want to do is lower the specification or remove features to fit it onto a handheld. I want to make sure it's a full specification GT4 on a handheld console.
Are you confident that can be achieved?
Kazunori: Currently yes.
Finally, many have tried to recreate the success of the GT series but they have failed to live up to its extremely high standards. What is the secret of your success?
Kazunori: I can't be sure; it's a difficult question. But the team and I have always concentrated on improvements, always constant improvements, and this has been carried forward with GT4. It's been ten years now and I think this has grown to a state where the constant aim to improve has become a natural feature of the team. That may be the answer.
But you still love cars, even after all this time?
Kazunori: I think that might be the real answer to your previous question! [laughs]
source CVG
