Official GT5 discussion thread

[macabre]

The menu lag has certainy got better since yesterday but I still had an issue with the Rally challenge that froze during loading twice. Also the museum area updates terribly slow if at all.

 

[-tkf-]

The game is just unfocused.

From the technical perspective my thought is that they were aiming too high. It´s suicidal going not only for 1/3 more resolution than other products, but mixing rain, snow, effects, big amount of transparencies in-game (PRECISELY in PS3 that´s a bad choice), realistic damage and the proverbial quality of models in the franchise in the same package. It´s just going to death.

In addition to that it´s clear that the process of release has been very bad, almost no time to reviewers, on-line buggy in the crucial first week... the backslash of reviews is cruel, but inevitable I believe.

The point in this case is that content killed expectations of perfection. Probably the game is really well optimized , but the ultimate goal, considering the proud label of perfection of previous games, it´s not reachable.

Apart from that, I also suspect of some kind of rushing. There are bugs, just bugs. Graphical glitches. No demo with all features on in last months... just strange. TGS was the debut of clima.

I believe that the rain affaire is an afterthought that gone gold too early. The shadowing is correct in concept, profuse, but the resolution is uneven.

It´s curious that the game, in itself, is well developed, funny and deep. The events have soul, if you want.

What makes me absolutely fool is the poor level of some circuits. It´s just art direction that went wrong... We know the weak points of the system: memory and BW... and here we go with 1280x1080 and loads of transparencies.

The funny thing is that a reinforced Prologue, with sterile environments, just a bit of high res particle buffers (that in Prologue exceeded those offered in F3), 15 more circuits, no need for rain, dinamic lighting, touching the mark of 250-300 cars probably would have been better considered by reviewers.

It´s very ironic.

It´s really a matter of taste, do you want alot of content, or do you only want the AAA content.

A problem is that the content that isn´t pure AAA is compared to just that, and it makes it look worse than it actually is. If the stuff that doesn´t look like AAA also PLAYED bad, that is, the circuits that doesn´t look mind numbing amazing were bad to play then there would be a real reason to complain.

It´s a "whale half full/half empty" discussion. I would pick the Top Gear Test Track and Laguna Seca in their current form, over not having them. And when i race the tracks, the difference is pretty much gone.

The online part is very typically of , online games, they always show problems when they go live, not an excuse, but again, nothing special. And i explains why i found the UI to be fast, i played it a day before it was released worldwide

Of the graphics, the only thing i find annoying is the incredible crappy shadows, are they better in 720p than 1080p?

 

[gokickrocks]

It pains me to say it but I think that shot is real. I would have said it was fake too before I actually played the game. I've seen cars at least as bad as that in the game itself. There are some atrocious car models that simply do not belong in this game. I think a lot of those crap cars made it in to keep compatibility with the PSP import feature they were advertising.

I wish there was a toggle-able options to ban all standard cars from entering your races. I am more than happy with the 200 some premium cars.

I'm still crossing my fingers hoping that this is somehow just some kind of terrible bug in this 1.1 version.

I think the shot is real as well. I don't have the same car, but I am using the RX-7, a standard car, and it has a similar look with the jaggies everywhere (not only the shadows which all cars have) and what not. Premium cars look good however.

 

[KKRT]

More info on GT5 online fixes...
http://www.next-gen.biz/news/gran-turismo-5-creator-addresses-online-issues



Source:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-25-gt5-update-confirmed-for-saturday

I played online yesterday for more that two hour with friends and some random guys, there was completely no lag, but i have to admin that most of us where from the same country and we there wasnt more that 6 ppl in single race. Game is quite customizable, but still needs additional options like - You cannot start race if You're not host or other players arent ready, drifting competitions and we really need racing team and racing leagues they were talking about [probably comes with patch]. They should just put as many options they can, its better to have too much than too little in this case.

Ps. Headset streaming quality is the best in any PS3 title. If You have good headset it should be better even than TeamSpeak 2.0 - I was really impressed.

 

[Murakami]

Of the graphics, the only thing i find annoying is the incredible crappy shadows, are they better in 720p than 1080p?

No

 

[KKRT]

Of the graphics, the only thing i find annoying is the incredible crappy shadows, are they better in 720p than 1080p?

Unfortunately not ;\

 

[-tkf-]

Before i forget it, on the USB key in the Signature Edition, there is a MP4 file with a video promoting the SLS

 

[flipswitch]

Do you reckon a patch could fix the poor quality shadows? It's rubbish how they have them at the moment.It's completely ruining the overall look of the game cos they stick out so much.

Is this game using screen space ambient occlusion?

 

[Phil]

Is there a way to switch between 720p and 1080p from within the game or do you have to force the PS3 by editing the option in the PS3 settings?

 

[-tkf-]

Do you reckon a patch could fix the poor quality shadows? It's rubbish have the have them at the moment.It's completely ruining the overall look of the game cos they stick out so much.

Is this game using screen space ambient occlusion?

If they can´t fix it completely, i would just like them to remove them from the whipers..

 

[nightshade]

No way ingame, have to do it from the XMB display settings.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It pains me to say it but I think that shot is real.

It might be, but it needs a valid source because what it's showing doesn't make much sense! Pixelated surfaces are an issue of texture, whereas bodywork is an issue of geometry. You can't get pixelated wheel-arches unless they are just a sticker slapped on a solid body and we know these models aren't that bad. Hopefully DF will provide plenty of well captured material to consider.

 

[Arwin]

Are you saying those jaggy cars come from the PSP models ? If so, why can't they keep the high res models online or on a 50Gb BR disc ?

They are not the PSP models, they are the GT4 photo-mode models I think. It's not the space on the disc, it's all about the work needed to improve those models for 830 cars. The problem would have been less big if they didn't use textures so exensively in their models, but they do quite a lot.

I heard there is a typo in the game (A-Spec vs B-spec). All these still sound like the GT5 scope is too big. I really hope they continue to improve the game. It looks like a sizable chunk of work.

That was fixed in the day one patch.

Other studios will focus on specific areas to supersede GT5. At this point, it looks like PD will need to pick their own focus and expand on it (Probably premium cars, weather, and tracks on top of their physics engine). People seem extremely happy with the physics.

Yes, the physics are good. Feels very real. And the wheel force feedback is excellent too.

Then build a secondary fan service to maintain the extended content (PSP imported cars, Karting, ...). I'd keep the stunt car stuff out until they have spit-shined the core experiences.

It is definitely a good idea for them to try and focus a little, but most of that focus should probably be online racing first and foremost, and DLC next, with priority to cars, tracks and new special events to introduce them with.

EDIT: Regarding the RPG progression, would love it if I can do quick races without grinding. I don't need trophies or leaderboard or points. I have nothing to prove or show ^_^.

You have very many ways to play this game. You have your Arcade mode for quick races with most cars and tracks available. Only some tracks you need to unlock by playing the special events. Next, there are these special events, which introduce you to interesting car and track combinations. Finally there are the licence tests, which help you hone your driving skills. Then there is the B-spec mode, where you can create one or more drivers of your own (with a randomly generated personality, but you can keep having it generate new combinations until you're satisfied), and train them by having them race cars and earn money for you, while you give them instructions on when to slow down, speed up, push to overtake, etc. I tested this yesterday, and it's quite entertaining. It is also clear that eventually you'll be able to use three AI racers to race in Le Mans, and as you can lend your B-spec driver to a friend, if you haven't trained three AI racers high up enough yet, you can ask two of your friends to provide theirs, which is cool. They should definitely allow you to do the same with the real Le Mans event.

Most of the A-spec race events seem fairly easy, as you can usually find or upgrade a car (I haven't upgraded anything yet) that is far more powerful than the rest once you have more cash, and this time you can earn a lot of cash through the special events, which makes it much easier. But I think they partly did this to help existing GT players to get to the harder events more quickly. I've just unlocked Expert races yesterday, and I've only done about 6 events across Beginner, Amateur, Professional and Expert now.

Also, they've vastly toned down the difficulty and duration of the events. You don't have to do a full series anymore in which you're then stuck - you can race each event individually and once you have gold on both events you still get your bonus car. This makes the game much more accessible to new players and allows you to 'complete' the basic game much faster (which in GT usually means that you've reached 50% of the race events, but I don't know how that is for GT5). I think I'll go find out what the Extreme events are now.

One silly thing I noticed is that there is a Monza race with all Ferrari's both in the Special Events section and the Expert race series ... :smile: I didn't mind, personally.

 

[Cornsnake]

I have that car that Nebula posted, and sadly it looks exactly like that. Get bronze for the 3rd licence to win it. It's still a very good car.

Typically changes each time you do something (most races and events. I think you can see somewhere that a day passes, and then in GT PSP it changed every other day, not sure yet here)

Thanks. Looks like I'll have to keep some credits aside just in case a car I want shows up. Some of my old favourites only seem to be available as used cars. Like the GTO twinturbo.

 

[TheD]

It might be, but it needs a valid source because what it's showing doesn't make much sense! Pixelated surfaces are an issue of texture, whereas bodywork is an issue of geometry. You can't get pixelated wheel-arches unless they are just a sticker slapped on a solid body and we know these models aren't that bad. Hopefully DF will provide plenty of well captured material to consider.

The wheel arches look like that because some models seem to just have the wheel arches as an alpha textures on a solid or rough mesh.

 

[Billy Idol]

briefly tried GT5

did my first licence and a kart race- driving feels good, although I am quite rusty.

overall the game overwhelms me with all the content and the possibilities...I am not sure if I have time to even experience 1% of the game?!?

on the otherside...graphics are quite average, IMO. wonder why the shadows at start are so flickering...kind of disturbing...but it does its job I guess.

also tried photo mode, and choose this german city: kind of photorealistic walking around IMO.

 

[Cyan]

First Impressions

Let me preface the impressions with the fact that this is my first full release of Gran Turismo. I played Prologue and GT PSP, but never had the chance to play a full fledge GT game. So my experience will probably come across as "newb" to a lot of veterans. If I make a mistake with something, or provide some inaccurate information, it won't be intentional. Please PM me with that info so that it can be corrected.

The full review will be coming soon, after I've played enough to form a solid opinion on the content in the game. Due to the progressive nature of the game, this only seems fair to the game, myself, and the readers.

So, let's see how the game looks and feels without digging too deep into the monster that is GT5.


The first hour saw me just waiting around, installing the update on a slower connection was part of the culprit for the time. Weighing in at a mere 133MB, it wouldn't take much time for a decent connection to slice through it in no time. After the installation of the patch came, what some people have named, "hell". Quite the opposite really. Yeah, it takes a little while. I'm estimating that it was 40-45 minutes for the complete installation. You can waive this initial installation, or choose the minimal 256MB installation, and you'll be up and running a lot quicker. It's entirely your choice. It's suggested that you do the full installation for a smoother experience, but I can't comment on the difference as I didn't play at all without installing all the data the game offered. Is this a good thing or bad thing? Well, it gives you the option. If the game isn't performing how you think it should without the installation, you have the option to install the data from the Options menu.

After the install, I was greeted with an seemingly lackluster "movie", which you can skip and disable from the Options screen. I watched the entire thing, and I'm glad I did. It got better.. it was actually quite interesting to watch. I think that video set the tone of how you'll start experiencing the game. Slowly at first, then it picks up quite nicely.

Getting past the video, and on towards the meat of the game, we're now at the main title screen. There are several options to choose from here, but I started at the GT Mode. I entered, and clicked around, just playing around really. The game continued telling my idiot self to buy a car.. well, duh, it's a racing game right? So, I took Kaz's advice and bought my first car. You can only choose Lvl. 0 cars from the start, and you'll have 20,000 credits to do so. You can either hit up a dealer for some premium action, or head over to the used car section and try and snatch a bargain with a standard car. I chose a premium Honda Civic Type R (EK) '97, and chose black for my color.

I started with the License tasks, which was nothing short of a task for me. I did finish the first set of License with some Gold finishes, and the rest Silver. I assure you, for newbies such as myself, this is a challenge, no doubt. It's welcome too because I didn't want to just sail through them as I know for a fact I'm not that good a driver. The game definitely shows you where you need to work on certain technical aspects of driving.

I eventually grew frustrated trying to get Gold finishes on all the License challenges, and stopped just after starting the A License section. I've leveled a few times, and found that I had earned a couple of trophies, and some "gifted" cars. I decided it's time to race a little.... mmmmhmmmmmm!

I start in the beginners section, and the racing, while not very challenging at first, is definitely fun. I don't want to judge the quality of the AI, period. I don't know enough about racing to know whether they are just dumb, I'm awesome, how much the cars play into the race, etc. Let's just say that in the earliest races, you're going to feel like a champ. There are a few obstacles to overcome, starting from the back, but with my amazingly fun Civic, it just wasn't hard. I came in first in all my races. I'll update the "Progress" section later with all the progress information that helped me form my first impressions.

I haven't used any Standard cars yet, but at the end of the day, I have three Premium cars, and three Standard cars. I've only purchased my initial Civic, and the rest were earned.

The game looks freakin' amazing in action. The cars that I've used look gorgeous, and the cars that I've raced against look equally good while I zoom by them on the track. The visuals have a way of bringing you into the game, you can FEEL the speed, braking, etc., all because of the amazing job PD did with the visuals. There are certainly down sides, but I've not see anything in the time I've played that would detract from the game play at all.

The sounds are equally good to me. I'm not a car guy, buff, etc. I don't really know what these cars are supposed to sound like, but I've not been disappointed in what I've heard. The music is actually really in tune with the races. It gets you pumping and makes the action seem more intense, even when you're +15:00:00 ahead baby!

I've not been able to play anything online, so I'll either update this portion when I do, or just save it for the full review later on. I do see a lot of potential in it, so I hope it lives up to the possibilities I've imagined.

There you have it. My first impressions of the game. There is a lot to do with this title, and it's going to be a really long career ahead. I'm a newbie of sorts, especially to the GT series. I'm super excited to have the game, and I can't wait to learn from the better drivers here.

I really liked the second video. The cockpit view is quite nice and realistic.

As for GT5 I can only imagine.... how great it is. I consider Yamauchi a genius. I want a poster of him, on the ceiling above my bed. :smile:

Sure, the game might have its flaws like the inclusion of old versions cars which weren't necessary, from what I could read, but given the fact that such a game is going to help PS3 sales IMMENSELY, I think Sony wanted the game out this year.

GT as a series has something special, I think it makes people who play it look distinguished.

Instead of cheap copies shaped as games that make you collect cars which are completely useless. Annoying. Personally, my least favourite is Forza.

Playing to that game makes me feel gross inside.

The games that added something different to the genre compared to Gran Turismo, are PGR and Need for Speed. Both are really great games too.

I wonder how Gran Turismo 6 is going to look on the next generation console. The lighting of the game is unrivaled.

For instance, that Youtube video featuring a race on Le Mans showing the day/night cycle seemed so real that if it wasn't for the HUD you would think it was a real life video.

 

[djskribbles]

I think the graphics as a whole are still great. Earlier on in the game, you play some of the more bland tracks, but they start looking better. The cars are also hit and miss. Some standard cars look ok while others look like a pixelated mess. Premium cars look great, though.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The wheel arches look like that because some models seem to just have the wheel arches as an alpha textures on a solid or rough mesh.

But there has to be enough resolution in the meshes to fit the wheel. Looking at the image Nebula linked, you can see the polygons making up the front arch, and it's reasonable. Why then slap a chunky texture over that to make it look worse than it would without? Doesn't make sense. While with the ealier image, the arches would have to be really boxy to justify applying that wheel-arch decal, and that would interfere with the wheel model.

 

[ShadowRunner]

I dont think we will be seeing another GT this gen. In fact i think PD have had one eye on next gen quite a bit judging by the amount of effort they have put into the premium car models. They must have known a lot of their effort would be totally wasted outside of photo mode due to the engine not being able to render them anywhere near thier full potential in-game, I think they plan on using these same models as-is in thier next game on PS4, along with the better looking tracks. With a lot of the work done they may even think they can target it as a launch game this time only having to touch up the tracks rather than remodelling the cars again. Its certainly one way of doing things, instead of modelling the cars to a standard thats just acceptable for this gen put more effort in and have assets you can reuse several games into the future so you dont have to start from scratch over and over.