Introducing the GTPlanet League: Team Racing in Gran Turismo Sport

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

Introducing the GTPlanet League: Team Racing in Gran Turismo Sport

This article was published by Jordan Greer (@Jordan) on October 3rd, 2019 in the Esports category.

 

[GumballCGT]

Been a blast helping put this together and running things behind the scenes. The test races we had for trying this format were a great time and the racing we've had so far in our first couple rounds have been fantastic. Be sure to check out the next round on October 6th and hope you all enjoy it!!!

 

[Riptide]

If the Williams/Redbull battle on the Forza Invitational is anything to go by, this will certainly be awesome and entertaining to watch and follow. I'll take the front row.

 

[TRL_LAVA]

Proud to be part of this guys! Amazing championship with awesome competition and a good organization

 

[Jordan]

Proud to be part of this guys! Amazing championship with awesome competition and a good organization

Thanks, Lars, we're glad to have you.

 

[GumballCGT]

Proud to be part of this guys! Amazing championship with awesome competition and a good organization

Glad we could be part of your first post ever! Is this actually your first post on here?!

 

[TRL_LAVA]

Glad we could be part of your first post ever! Is this actually your first post on here?!

First post on my new account haha

 

[sturk0167]

So, it's by invite only. Yeah, whatever.
How about letting people form their own team and enter?
There are tons of people representing GTP in the daily races, everyday. Lots of people who are extremely talented, but don't have a well-known name could compete with those all star teams.
How about an open tournament?

 

[SlipZtrEm]

So, it's by invite only. Yeah, whatever.
How about letting people form their own team and enter?
There are tons of people representing GTP in the daily races, everyday. Lots of people who are extremely talented, but don't have a well-known name could compete with those all star teams.
How about an open tournament?

Invite only is the best way to test a concept. If it works, then it can be expanded upon. At least, that's my opinion.

...

Had the opportunity to be a part of the test rounds and the concept is sound. I was hilariously off pace compared to the pros, but a team of all pros? That can make for some dramatic racing.

 

[Jordan]

So, it's by invite only. Yeah, whatever.
How about letting people form their own team and enter?
There are tons of people representing GTP in the daily races, everyday. Lots of people who are extremely talented, but don't have a well-known name could compete with those all star teams.
How about an open tournament?

That's the goal, but we have to start somewhere. It would not have been practical to allow loosely-organized teams, who might not show up or stay together, into this first season. We also wanted to be prudent and keep the first season small and short; in terms of scheduling, we only had room for four teams.

If people like this new format and enjoy watching it, we have a long list of ways we would like to expand upon it in the future, including open tournaments for the public. It all depends on you guys, really.

 

[DaGiBUS]

If only we had the ability to run the GTPES/SCS on this game.

 

[sturk0167]

Invite only is the best way to test a concept. If it works, then it can be expanded upon.

That's the goal, but we have to start somewhere.

Understood. I see what you're getting at. I was thinking it was something like the new game trailer that debuted today, celebrating just those top guys.
The little guys oil the gears that keep this thing moving.

 

[Joey D]

Oh man, this is awesome that it got off the ground! I really hope it works out too because it'll make watching sim racing eSports vastly more interesting to me while sitting on my couch. My team's on a bye this week in football, so that frees up my Sunday afternoon to check it out.

 

[GTWelsh]

That's the goal, but we have to start somewhere. It would not have been practical to allow loosely-organized teams, who might not show up or stay together, into this first season. We also wanted to be prudent and keep the first season small and short; in terms of scheduling, we only had room for four teams.

If people like this new format and enjoy watching it, we have a long list of ways we would like to expand upon it in the future, including open tournaments for the public. It all depends on you guys, really.

Is the goal here only "professional" teams? Or would stable teams such as the TSR lads be valid? Not crying about not being included, it's more of a thought for the future.

 

[Riptide]

I've watched round 1 last night and really enjoyed the show and the way it was presented. A few early comments [just my 2 cents and not aimed to criticize] :

On the Pro side -

• Commentating is up there with the best;
• Short gaps between races are great;
• Really like the one make car choice;
• Live point updates during the race is a great addition;
• Having teams which are more or less on the same standard really works best.

On the Con side [not many, but

• The strategy to manipulate the grid order for the next race [to start on pole] is too obvious and boring, although given the current circumstances I would have done the same than Lazarus did. Perhaps adding a third team to each round will add some risk to that strategy rather than it being a somewhat obvious move;
• The "no tyre wear and fuel use" is nice for a change, but do take away some of the excitement for the viewer on fuel and tyre strategy; and
• I've missed it whether live stewards monitor the race for post race penalties. There were a few game penalties awarded, but saw one or two very questionable moves which the game passed as fine.

All in all a great show and will certainly follow it from the front row. Best of luck to all the teams.

 

[Pigems]

Im with @sturk0167 on this one, when I first clicked I thought it would be something we could all potentially enter. A Pro’s vs Joe’s format in a future season could be interesting though. Something that allows us normee’s to compete with the top guys, or at least attempt to.

 

[Riptide]

@Pigems, I agree and think this is where the series will expand to if it works and shows support and that would be really great. BUT to start it off that way might kill the series before it gets momentum, especially if the skill gap in the current 1v1 race format is too big. The current Forza Invitational is evident of that where [with respect] teams like Williams, Redbull, Jota, Lazarus and TX3 dominates the 13 team series. The skill gaps are not so visible though as 4 or 5 teams participate in each race. However, if they were 1v1, some of those races would have been really boring and cause loss of interest.

I believe this will expand in small steps to add dedicated teams over time which will allow non-alien teams to join in [and perhaps become aliens].

 

[Pigems]

@Pigems, I agree and think this is where the series will expand to if it works and shows support and that would be really great. BUT to start it off that way might kill the series before it gets momentum, especially if the skill gap in the current 1v1 race format is too big. The current Forza Invitational is evident of that where [with respect] teams like Williams, Redbull, Jota, Lazarus and TX3 dominates the 13 team series. The skill gaps are not so visible though as 4 or 5 teams participate in each race. However, if they were 1v1, some of those races would have been really boring and cause loss of interest.

I believe this will expand in small steps to add dedicated teams over time which will allow non-alien teams to join in [and perhaps become aliens].

That makes sense, thanks for the info.

 

[davidt33]

This sounds really good. I'll be tuning in for sure.

 

[PSN offapple]

Teams going against each other was something I did before with a Nukeshot vs TSR exhibition event, however it'll cool to see how this format of yours works. Should be interesting

 

[Jomas]

I
The strategy to manipulate the grid order for the next race [to start on pole] is too obvious and boring, although given the current circumstances I would have done the same than Lazarus did. Perhaps adding a third team to each round will add some risk to that strategy rather than it being a somewhat obvious move

That has already been fixed in the following match

 

[Jordan]

On the Con side [not many, but

• The strategy to manipulate the grid order for the next race [to start on pole] is too obvious and boring, although given the current circumstances I would have done the same than Lazarus did. Perhaps adding a third team to each round will add some risk to that strategy rather than it being a somewhat obvious move;
• The "no tyre wear and fuel use" is nice for a change, but do take away some of the excitement for the viewer on fuel and tyre strategy; and
• I've missed it whether live stewards monitor the race for post race penalties. There were a few game penalties awarded, but saw one or two very questionable moves which the game passed as fine.

Thanks for your feedback, @Riptide, I'm glad you'll be tuning in.

To address a few of your points:

• As mentioned by Jomas, this issue only affected the first round and has been resolved with the two-race, cumulative points format which is now in use. There is no incentive for teams to manipulate the reverse grid in the second race as it will cost them valuable points.
• We want the races to be short and easy to follow, with intense on-track battles and drivers pushing at 10/10ths throughout, hence the reason we have not enabled tire wear or fuel consumption at this time.
• No, it's not practical for us to have stewards. Nobody likes GT Sport's penalty system, but it is instantaneous, automatic, and entirely objective.

Is the goal here only "professional" teams? Or would stable teams such as the TSR lads be valid? Not crying about not being included, it's more of a thought for the future.

Yes, there are a lot of teams like TSR that we would love to include in future seasons as we expand.

 

[Akwaaba]

Great idea, and enjoyable to watch. Well done to all involved.

I think that winning a race should earn more points, and I don't think that finishing last should earn a point. Therefore I'd suggest, 1st - 10 points, 2nd - 7, 3rd - 6, 4th - 5, 5th - 4, 6th - 3, 7th - 1 and 8th - 0
The total points is now an odd number (35), and therefore a points tie is slightly less likely.

 

[GT6mebe]

Love the 4 vs 4 idea. Its like Rouge attack on steroids.

 

[Jordan]

Point is doing things this way is good for the whole Sim racing culture and it allows for the community to stay strong and fortifies the feeling of being apart of something bigger than everyday life.

That was one of my primary motivations for inventing this race format. Even if you're not the fastest driver, you can enjoy competing with and contributing to your team. Even if your team gets blown out in the first race of the match, you'll have a chance to defend your positions in the second race with the reverse grid!

Great idea, and enjoyable to watch. Well done to all involved.

I think that winning a race should earn more points, and I don't think that finishing last should earn a point. Therefore I'd suggest, 1st - 10 points, 2nd - 7, 3rd - 6, 4th - 5, 5th - 4, 6th - 3, 7th - 1 and 8th - 0
The total points is now an odd number (35), and therefore a points tie is slightly less likely.

Thanks!

The reason we do not use uneven point distributions is because it is somewhat antithetical to what we're trying to accomplish with team racing. This competition is very much outside-the-box, and intentionally so. Winning outright or scoring a podium is important, sure, but the main goal is to get drivers working together as a team to win the match. Even point distribution keeps the scores close, and reinforces the fact that every position of every team member matters equally. Awarding more points to the front-runners only advantages teams with stronger individual drivers, and makes it more difficult for weaker teams to have a shot at winning.

As for ties, the point awarded for the fastest lap in qualifying is the effective tiebreaker. That makes 75 total points available per match, and a tie impossible.

 

[BjoBosUndies]

Great concept, well executed. I really like it.

Switching circuits after every race would make for even better viewing.

 

[Snaeper]

That Calster entry, though...

 

[Riptide]

That Calster entry, though...

Explain ?

 

[JaZZyGee]

.

 

[Riptide]

Age and size are only numbers. BUT this is hardly the place to debate that (or anyone).