100 hours later, GTSport has become my favorite Gran Turismo.

sems4arsenal

sems4arsenal

Nissan Sunny FTW
Premium
15,532
Egypt
Cairo, Egypt
GTP_SEMS
Been meaning to write this for some time now and finally I have the time.
I've crossed the 100 hours of playing time milestone lately (in not a long period of time) and it got me thinking. what is it about this game that has got me hooked?

The ironic thing is -- on paper -- this game really isn't for me. I prefer single player type games and an always online game is a certain to turn me off (my thoughts on NFS 2015 are obvious). That coupled with the rather disappointing track list, and my expectations weren't exactly sky high. Then, the beta happened and I couldn't have been more wrong.

What made me change my mind is the main selling point of the game. "Sports Mode". The iRacing approach is something that has intrigued me for a while (I often watch Youtube videos of iRacing races) and I wondered if it can work on consoles. For Sports Mode to work they had to work on several key aspects like: BOP, SR/DR calculations, and network optimization. They've pretty much done that in my book. Sure the SR calculations can be harsh and the BOP isn't perfect, but the desired effect is there. Close racing (and for the most part clean racing) most of the time. And the icing on the cake? was how easy it is to participate. The pre race qualifying formula is rather clever. Set a time and wait for the timer to rundown and your paired with other players with a close skill level. Sports Mode is so well done in my opinion that I still haven't even touched half of the offline content.

So Sports Mode works, but what about the actual gameplay. In short -- it's by far the best GT game to play. It's the biggest evolutionary step in the series. It is as if they finally stepped out of the bubble they've locked themselves into and started listening to the community -- and listen they have. Sounds have been overhauled and improved to the point that their main rival is now playing catch up. The physics have improved immensely, a livery editor with custom decals is included and the UI is so much better. heck, even the car choices seem straight out of the communities most requested list (Porsches, Supras, E30s). The gameplay is just head and shoulders above anything else that has GT in the title that it feels this is PD 2.0.

One other surprising positive is the design of the new original tracks. In my opinion tracks like Lago Maggiore, BB infields, Kyoto, and Dragon Trail are way better than most of the older original circuits.
Other stuff to praise includes the lack of MTs , the excellent free post launch support, and the enjoyable community features.

The game is by no means perfect. The tire model still needs work, the track list is still inferior to the competition and the lack of rain is still a let down. However, even with that in mind, the game is finally a GT game where the racing is just fun. And to be perfectly honest -- it's something this franchise has been lacking for a while.

The experiment has worked in my opinion. So much so -- that I would actually rather see GTSport 2 more than GT7. I can't wait to see this game still evolve and what will it become in the future.

Do you guys/gals agree? or do you long for the huge RPG elements of old?
 
Last edited:
I mostly agree, certainly with the sentiment - GTS was going to be the first GT game I didn't plan on playing - then they added just enough to get my money, and since then - in most respects it's becoming one of my favourite GT's...

... but, until I feel like I'm getting lost in an encyclopedia of cars, it'll never recapture how I felt about earlier PS/PS2 era games. I understand why this isn't really possible these days, but it still grieves me. GT to me was never about the RPG style elements, it was about the cars.
 
I agree.

Overall the game is very good - it's major fallbacks are lack of tracks, lack of teaching for newer players getting into online racing and lack of more interesting/dynamic racing (endurance races, team endurance races, dynamic weather racing etc, making use of multiple tire compounds while racing etc.)
 
I respect that, but personally I simply can not get the online part to work. Not because of how it is implemented, but because it needs my undivided attention, and since I've been a gt fanatic since the first one, I now have a life filled with kids waking up at unpredictable times, work that needs to be done and all that.
I miss a proper single player entry with proper tuning, championships and all that jazz, but mostly me being able to pause for five minutes. The fact that I cannot be sure to have any half hour completely to my self, keeps me from investing in the online part.
I imagine I'm not alone in this, since it seems there still are a lot of fans of GT1, lurking around these parts :-)
 
sems4arsenal
Other stuff to praise includes the lack of MTs (Cough FM7).
Click to expand...

Er, where are those, exactly?

I mostly agree with the general sentiment otherwise, though I wouldn't call Sport my favourite GT. That's not entirely its fault, though; I realize a large part of it is nostalgia. That being said, the old style of GT is what really got me into cars as a whole, and I don't see it as an either/or situation. Sport Mode could exist alongside a more traditional GT approach — in fact, judging by the rather scatter-shot nature of the 50 cars added so far, I'd say that's very much where it could end up. Dai's drift car, or the IoM TT WRX, certainly don't fit into the main mode of the game.

I think the pivot to esports has been mostly successful. PD was never going to be able to win the numbers game this generation, and it also wasn't likely to hit the eight-digit sales figures from nearly a decade ago. Sport saw a niche on consoles and targeted it. It was a gamble, sure, but I think PD accurately predicted a sizeable chunk of the traditional GT fanbase would still get the appeal.

The one quibble I have is with matching. I don't find it particularly close, and that's from a variety of situations, from my usual spot as an A/S (or high B) driver down to D/D. It might work for the aliens, as they're all placed against one another — and by their nature, play more regularly, so see the same names often — but I've seen huge spreads in qualifying times in the lower ranks. Just yesterday I entered a Gr.3 Kyoto race qualifying sixth. First place was 4.5 seconds up, and last was over a dozen behind. I've intentionally tanked my ratings lately (through quitting/non-qualifying) so I wasn't expecting terribly close racing, but outside of the mayhem that caused shuffling in the lineup, it was a procession.

The true test of the experiment will be long-term sustainability. Pinning all of the game's hopes on Sport Mode means its at the mercy of the fanbase; the less people that are playing regularly, the less close races you can have. Big props to PD for hitting the 50/March target; now to see what the rest of 2018 holds.
 
I've put more hours into GTsport than all of the other GT's combined. Albeit, I didn't care for the other ones too much. I only owned GT 3, GT4, GT5 HD concept, and GT5. I could never really get into them. The AI felt so bland. I love the sense of competition in GT sport, and I've never enjoyed losing (not finishing 1st) so much! For me, a win is finishing in the top 5 though
 
SlipZtrEm
Er, where are those, exactly?

I mostly agree with the general sentiment otherwise, though I wouldn't call Sport my favourite GT. That's not entirely its fault, though; I realize a large part of it is nostalgia. That being said, the old style of GT is what really got me into cars as a whole, and I don't see it as an either/or situation. Sport Mode could exist alongside a more traditional GT approach — in fact, judging by the rather scatter-shot nature of the 50 cars added so far, I'd say that's very much where it could end up. Dai's drift car, or the IoM TT WRX, certainly don't fit into the main mode of the game.

I think the pivot to esports has been mostly successful. PD was never going to be able to win the numbers game this generation, and it also wasn't likely to hit the eight-digit sales figures from nearly a decade ago. Sport saw a niche on consoles and targeted it. It was a gamble, sure, but I think PD accurately predicted a sizeable chunk of the traditional GT fanbase would still get the appeal.

The one quibble I have is with matching. I don't find it particularly close, and that's from a variety of situations, from my usual spot as an A/S (or high B) driver down to D/D. It might work for the aliens, as they're all placed against one another — and by their nature, play more regularly, so see the same names often — but I've seen huge spreads in qualifying times in the lower ranks. Just yesterday I entered a Gr.3 Kyoto race qualifying sixth. First place was 4.5 seconds up, and last was over a dozen behind. I've intentionally tanked my ratings lately (through quitting/non-qualifying) so I wasn't expecting terribly close racing, but outside of the mayhem that caused shuffling in the lineup, it was a procession.

The true test of the experiment will be long-term sustainability. Pinning all of the game's hopes on Sport Mode means its at the mercy of the fanbase; the less people that are playing regularly, the less close races you can have. Big props to PD for hitting the 50/March target; now to see what the rest of 2018 holds.
Click to expand...

Two valid points here.

The DLC cars are interesting picks. Most of them don't get much (if any) use in Sports Mode. Having more GR3 and GR4 cars would be better. I think this isn't necessarily a negative though. They're there for those who want them and the offline events are available. If they go down that route though, then they should put more effort into GT league and the AI.

Interesting point re-the matching for lower ranks. I'm A/S and matching is almost always perfect (everyone within 1-2 seconds).

ImaRobot
It's fine to prefer one game, but if you don't have a clue about the other, I wouldn't really comment on it.
Click to expand...

I do apologize, wrong game 👍 .

@shnooby2 Agree 100% -- I've always wanted a game that made battling for 11th and 12th really engrossing. Each position you gain feels so rewarding.
 
For me, there's simply no getting around the lack of content in the game. i.e, tracks and cars. It's kind of perplexing as to how a company builds a new multi-million dollar studio in Tokyo, but yet releases a game with far less content. And i say that not asking for 1000 cars and every single track. But, just a little more..
 
aems
I respect that, but personally I simply can not get the online part to work. Not because of how it is implemented, but because it needs my undivided attention, and since I've been a gt fanatic since the first one, I now have a life filled with kids waking up at unpredictable times, work that needs to be done and all that.
I miss a proper single player entry with proper tuning, championships and all that jazz, but mostly me being able to pause for five minutes. The fact that I cannot be sure to have any half hour completely to my self, keeps me from investing in the online part.
I imagine I'm not alone in this, since it seems there still are a lot of fans of GT1, lurking around these parts :-)
Click to expand...

I am with you. That is why the only time I race is when my kids and wife are asleep. Luckily my youngest is 3 so once he is down, I am good for the night. But if he was younger - I’d probably be in your same spot.
 
I've always enjoyed the offline part of GTs, even when I was heavy into online racing. If it wasn't for the livery editor, I probably would not be playing this game pretty much everyday. I've only ran 20 Sport Mode races, but created my 462nd livery last night. So you can see where my time is spent.

Edit: To correct number of liveries. I've been busy.
 
Last edited:
aems
I respect that, but personally I simply can not get the online part to work. Not because of how it is implemented, but because it needs my undivided attention, and since I've been a gt fanatic since the first one, I now have a life filled with kids waking up at unpredictable times, work that needs to be done and all that.
I miss a proper single player entry with proper tuning, championships and all that jazz, but mostly me being able to pause for five minutes. The fact that I cannot be sure to have any half hour completely to my self, keeps me from investing in the online part.
I imagine I'm not alone in this, since it seems there still are a lot of fans of GT1, lurking around these parts :-)
Click to expand...

I agree with the lack of time, but I still find this game really enjoyable because of quick race online; You can jump in, in a reasonable amount of time and have a blast. Even when there are people who try and ram you, it is still a great experience and the fact that it is one make with tire limits and such makes it really challenge each player's skills.
 
Sander 001
I have plenty of experience with skinner boxes and consumables and I don’t want anything to do with them!
Click to expand...
That's all fine and dandy. Doesn't change the fact that the statement was wrong.
 
Last edited:
This is my first GT game ever, so I can't compare it to the others in the series. I'm not even really a racing fan in real-life outside of watching the occasional Nascar race here in the US. I'm more of a football (NFL), baseball guy. I played a lot of GTA stunt series races, then bought GT Sport upon it's release. I haven't played any other game since. There are a few things (like the penalty system) that piss me off, but this is still by far my favorite game. I've come a long way from knowing nothing about the game/series, to actually being competitive and winning the occasional race.
 
100% agree with you... I don't think I could get into a GT7 now. Racing against AI is just so dull. I play GT League sometimes and, whilst driving different cars and not worrying penalties is fun and amusing, I am not gripping the controller and concentrating with every single nerve in my body like I am in Sport Mode. There is something just so utterly addictive about it that I can barely go a day without playing it. Your thread is very reminiscent of one I wrote a little while back :)
 
SPOOLMAN
It is far from the best GT as it doesn't include any performance mods or tuning. Not to mention a proper single play campaign.
Click to expand...
That's the point of what the OP is saying though. I was the same... asking "where is GT Mode", "where is the car wash and oil change", "where is the tuning"? In fact although at first I missed all of these things, now I am much happier with Sport Mode than anything that any single player GT Mode can offer. Although, I do wish there were more Missions and License Tests, just for a bit of fun time.
 
I also didn't expect to buy GT Sport at first, but I am so glad I did. The amazing variety of cars and the start-from-the-bottom-work-your-way-up career mode was what I had loved about the GT series so far (GT4's career was just amazing), but I don't see myself doing all of that one more time. Yes, the game is different and so are the tracks and the cars, but the overall point would still stay the same.
I'm glad that GT Sport is so different and what I expect from the GT series in the future, would be to somehow combine the online play with the career mode (imagine car trading markets, exchanging tuning parts for budget builds, team races etc).
 
sems4arsenal
Sports Mode is so well done in my opinion that I still haven't even touched half of the offline content.
Click to expand...

Quite the same for me, 175 races done in Sports mode, but Campaign School 14 % - Campaign Circuit 0 % - Campaign Mission 6 % ... I guess I'm waiting for these solo modes to be playable in VR mode :D

To be honest, I can't say I'm frustrated by the lack of cars/tracks. I usually play less than 1 hour / day, it works well for me : I still have lot to learn to master existing tracks, and I probably drove less than 30 of the 100 cars I have (100 cars, 15 bought, 85 daily gifts, it says a lot)

And the livery editor is a young boy dream coming true :)

raghza
The amazing variety of cars and the start-from-the-bottom-work-your-way-up career mode was what I had loved about the GT series so far (GT4's career was just amazing), but I don't see myself doing all of that one more time.
Click to expand...
Same, it worked when I was younger and had a lot of time to play, but this kind of game mechanics don't work anymore for me (I usually play 3-4 times then abandon the game). The sport / online mode (and the daily gift car) make me play almost every day for a small 30min / 1h session.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
philipPF
Same, it worked when I was younger and had a lot of time to play, but this kind of game mechanics don't work anymore for me (I usually play 3-4 times then abandon the game). The sport / online mode (and the daily gift car) make me play almost every day for a small 30min / 1h session.
Click to expand...
Exactly.
I've mentioned this before, but what I imagine would keep me hooked to a simple offline career mode would be a similar era-based career mode like the NFS Porsche's Evolution mode was.
 
I still prefer GT4. Its single-player content can't be beaten. Sport Mode was fine for some weeks but it became boring, so I'm trying to complete the GT League now.
I wouldn't mind the lack of content in GT Sport if that meant they were really listening to what the community wants (better AI, a decent damage model, practice/qualifying options for the career etc.), but we don't have any of those.
 

Similar threads

Bigz7
Gran turismo sport support
Replies
1
Views
1K
Famine
Famine
C
Started playing yesterday and have a few Q’s, please?
Replies
3
Views
2K
OHM_fusion
OHM_fusion
Porras
Bought GT Sport in 2024
Replies
9
Views
4K
MSZ
MSZ
MidnightRun85
Completion percentage - how to get to 100%??
Replies
13
Views
10K
Famine
Famine
G
Gran Turismo 7 Unplayable
Replies
19
Views
3K
Tommy_D
Tommy_D

Latest Posts

Back