It is an absolute shame is it not? I was a die-hard Sony and Gran Turismo fan. From PS1-4 and GT1-6. I have however now mixed it up. I have Microsoft products as well and titles from GT's rival T10. If I may be completely honest with you and the rest of the GTPlanet members who read this, Forza Motorsport 5 is a phenomenal game. Sure, it has micro-transactions as well, but there are key differences between GT6 and FM5. The graphics, intelligent AI (Drivatar), vehicle and damage modeling, physics and sound effects are incredibly realistic. For example, I am quite familiar with Hondas/Acuras and the sound of their engines, as I drive a Honda-powered race car. I was absolutely amazed when I can actually hear the engine's transition into VTEC and the realistic redline for each specific vehicle. The attention to detail is amazing. When you install a turbocharger, you hear the turbine spool, the wastegate pressurize, the blow-off valve release and you actually see a front mount intercooler. More so, T10 actually analyze FM5s game play data and statistics and continually adjust the economy (payouts, vehicle pricing) based on the response of the players and community. T10 studies if players are playing, and if not, why not? Are the cars too expensive? Are the players not earning enough? T10 actually follows the forums. Now, when was the last time GT/Sony/Kaz and the crew did that?
This is directly quoted from T10's most recent WIR (Week In Review).
"ECONOMY CHANGES
This content update includes the first wave of adjustments to the Forza 5 economy, which we initially announced in early December. These adjustments are based on player behavior within the game, as well as feedback received from the Forza Motorsport community. First of all, we are dramatically increasing the rate at which credits are being earned in the game. For example, driver level payouts have more than doubled (from just over 15,000 credits to 35,000 credits). Players using average difficulty settings will also see approximately a 60 percent increase in credits earned per hour of play -- a number that can dramatically increase by upping the Drivatar difficulty and assist settings used during races. Wherever your skill level lies, however, you’ll be earning more credits per hour in Forza Motorsport 5 to spend on the cars that matter most to you."
"The cars that matter most to you." I wish PD/Sony/Kaz would take on this philosophy.
Speaking of Drivatar, I have to admit that this is perhaps one of the slickest features I have seen implemented in a racing game in a very long time. If you are unfamiliar, Drivatar is a system that studies your driving style. This data is uploaded to the cloud so that when your friends are playing in the offline career, your drivatar will drive for you in the race with your own personal driving characteristics.
I consider myself to be a fairly competent driver. A buddy of mine recently messaged me saying, "Dude. Your Drivatar is on my arse!" It brought a smile to my face.
Oh, and the Drivatar earns money from these races while you are away. That brought an even bigger smile to my face.
