I searched the forum for this a few ways and didnt come back with anything. On the 21st, Playstation.com had a chat, here is the transcript.
http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=transcripts&message.id=12
http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=transcripts&message.id=12
GT4 Chat with Producer Taku Imasaki
Taku Imasaki: Hello everybody! Be nice =)
snowcrash: Hello Imasaki-san, first thank you for taking your time to chat with us. i would like to know what was your role in developing gt4?
Taku Imasaki: To snowcrash: I'm the US Producer for the Gran Turismo series. I act as the liaison for the team in Japan. My job is to make sure the series stays "US market friendly"
Tha Bo$$: First and for sure foremost, this is by far the most impressive game I have seen on any console system. Hands-down. You do lose yourself in the races. You do feel like a genuine racer. Kudos to PD and Sony on GT4. Now to the questions: My first question is the one that is one every owners mind: Online? Will there be any sort of online release for GT4? Like an expansion disc, for example? My second question is about the final ending movie in GT4 with the silver 350z going around the Nurb. I have a hard enough time telling if it was real or computer generated. If it is in fact real Who was behind the wheel? Was it Kazunori Yamauchi?
Taku Imasaki: To Tha Bo$$: First of all, thanks for the compliment. I can now sleep well. There is an online version inhouse that we've been working on for a long time... we're just not ready to release it, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately we cannot disclose any plans about the release plans. ANd to answer your 2nd question, it is YES
MasterGT: Many players wonder why, after four editions of the game, that the artificial intelligence can't be improved to a more natural and responsive level. Every week, some new aspect of the game has been found to be far away from our real life experiences. What has held developers back from designing AI cars that act naturally to their environment, that don't have a fixed trajectory and that won't pull so many silly stunts?
Taku Imasaki: To MasterGT: The AI in this game is intentionally kept passive to satisfy all markets (Europe, Asia, US)... however I understand more and more US consumers play against human beings nowadays, and they like competition... I'll do my best to give the AIs in future versions more 'attitude'
Thrasher715: Why didn't we see updates in paint schemes in most of the older LM cars, such as the Corvette C5R?
Taku Imasaki: To Thrasher715: simply a time issue... you know it takes 3 weeks to make a car for this game... there are 700 cars.. we always TRY to get the latest cars in there but..
Mat2K4: What does acquiring rights to a car entail?
Taku Imasaki: To Mat2K4: Some car manufacturers ask us to put their cars in the game, some we have to approach on our own
XxaLiCeInChAiNsxX: Will the GT4 for the PSP be a port of the PS2 version?
Taku Imasaki: To XxaLiCeInChAiNsxX: We don't have features on GT PSP that we can announce to the public but rest-assured it will be to your liking.
manolo32: This is Stephanie Y., Product Manager for the Gran Turismo franchise - I just wanted to let you know that the GT dev team regularly reads the Message Boards for feedback and ideas. We encourage you to continue posting! Thanks for your time
Supernaught: The Gran Turismo series has been the pinnacle of realism for the playstation 2. What sorts of plans do you have for future installments on the PlayStation 3?
Taku Imasaki: To Supernaught: Perhaps if you see how we improved each version in the past (GT1->GT2->GT3->GT4), you'll understand we always try to make every car enthusiast happier, and set a new level in technology that nobody has ever reached.
gt4racing: how many times have you beat the game? was there something you wanted in the game that isn't in it?
Taku Imasaki: To gt4racing: I still struggle in the rally and ice races. I pushed so hard to have the Gremlin in the game, but sadly it didn't make it in.
drummer09: What are your plans for the next Gran Turismo?
Taku Imasaki: To drummer09: To WOW every car enthusiast all over the world.
GTÇhampion: Why didn't you guys bring the Concept games to North America, I am sure you guys realize that they would sell pretty good over here I just want to know the real reason why they were not released herein north america. thank you.
Taku Imasaki: To GTÇhampion: We already had 3 great full-versions out there (GT1, 2 and 3), and didn't want to confuse the consumers/retailers by releasing a 'smaller' version.
Watchyourback22: I bought GT4 for its amazing graphics and its extreme attention to detail, also to soup up cars and play against my friends with those cars. I play for about a week straight and come up with an awesome Mustang only to find that in 2 Player Battle there is no Traction Control...this makes it hard to drive a 700hp Stang around the track...why did this happen?
Taku Imasaki: To Watchyourback22: Hey Watchyourback22, I apologize for your experience there.. we'll keep that in mind, and make sure we improve the battle modes/online modes in future versions!
jdmoose: What do you think is the biggest improvement in GT4 over its predecessor, GT3?
Taku Imasaki: To jdmoose: The game is 5 times bigger, with close to 800 cars, and the 100 courses are prettier, especially in hi-def mode.
Thrasher715: What is your opinion to those who say that the game is Japanese biased?
Taku Imasaki: To Thrasher715: That means I'm not doing my job!
cobragt: I know this question has been asked so many times, but why couldn't ferrari or porsche be added to gt4?
Taku Imasaki: To cobragt: When you don't see a car in GT, it's either 1. doesn't make sense financially 2.other game companies have exclusive rights to it 3. we didn't have enough assets to create it within our time constraints --- we know you wanted the game in your hands!
MasterGT: Gran Turismo is anything but "US market friendly", with not even one minor release here since the Greatest Hits GT3 and with only a few American cars in it! GT4 has twice as many Japanese cars as all of the other cars combined, from other countries world-wide. There are more than 50 Skylines alone! Since one of the goals for GT4 was that it was supposed to represent the "history of the automobile", why couldn't a more balanced set of cars be included, from all of the regions of the world?
Taku Imasaki: To MasterGT: We tried our best to improve GT4 in that manner - I believe there is a better balance in GT4 compared to GT3 - but I understand there is always room for improvement. We'll keep your feedback in mind. I will get on the boards soon and get your feedback on what American cars you want to see.
Mat2K4: Are there any plans to add features or expand on already existing features of the Photo Mode?
Taku Imasaki: To Mat2K4: Thanks for asking... Kazunori, the creator of the franchise, is a bigtime photographer and I'm sure he'll aprreciate your question. Perhaps we can start by improving the user interface, but we'll keep you posted on the additional features planned.
SOCOM II New Maps...: first of all, the graphics in this game are astonashing..maybe the best i ever saw..., for a guys like me who is'nt really into Racing games, what would you say to make me play and really enjoy this game? What are the limits of possibilities in this game?
Taku Imasaki: To SOCOM II New Maps...: you drive a car in real life right? I suggest you get Logitech's steering wheel, and if you have the $$, get the Sparco pod (www.gtcockpit.com). I'm not joking... that's what I have in my office
davethestalker: With all of the technology at your disposal for sound quality, why did the V8s come across unatuthentic, especially if a 'racing muffler' is used. What will you do to prevent this in the future?
Taku Imasaki: To davethestalker: We've been working on sound improvement for such a long time now... our sound engineers have been challenged with getting that all-american throaty sound... it seems to have to do with how their programs works + hardware limitations. That's on of our top priority list.
DaChamp#24: Thanks, for coming to the chat Taku. I was wondering how did you guys come up with the ideas for the Gran Turismo series?
Taku Imasaki: To DaChamp#24: Thank YOU for coming to the chat as well... we can go on forever to answer this, but in short, back in 1993, Kazunori Yamauchi didn't see yet a realistic & cool racing game in the market, and decided to make one himself.
Sir Lanclelot: What would you say to a kid trying to get into the game industry.
manolo32: To Sir Lanclelot: This is Stephanie Y., Product Manager for the Gran Turismo franchise... my advice to you would be to play lots of games of different genres, read industry publications such as OPM and EGM, and apply for a job as a tester at a game company to work your way up the ranks.
SupraSkylineSTI: Hello, I was wondering, why didn't you include real time damage to the cars in the game ?
Taku Imasaki: To SupraSkylineSTI: Partially because some car manufacturers don't want to see damage done to their cars. We chose to make cars look better rather than putting effort into how to design for damage.
amat2to0: What do you say to those who say GT4 is just GT3 with more cars and better graphics
Taku Imasaki: To amat2to0: Those people definately haven't 'experienced' the game enough. You wont appreciate the improved physics and the course visuals and how it affects your driving experience until you play it enough. Difficult to describe in words.
TimBoss351: I love the new rally races, but would love to see more rally races that are not closed loop races, would like to see the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, or the Silver State Rally. We know that there is limitations due to disk size and the PS2, how excited are the developers concerning the expanded capabilities that the PS3 will allow them for developing GT5? Can rally be ran in stages, like the real rally races, and you compare times aginst the competitors (would be the best method for online rally races).
Taku Imasaki: To TimBoss351: Those features were schedule to be included in the the online version we had planned to release We can't wait to make you satisfied in the future.
foxcatch: In the future will the game be more friendlily to a younger audience ,most people would agree this game is for adults .
Taku Imasaki: To foxcatch: That is definitely what the creator (Kazunori Yamauchi) has in mind...
Thrasher715: Why didn't we see Daytona in this game? Was this also a time issue and will we see it in future instalments? This track is really famous for the Rolex 24.
Taku Imasaki: To Thrasher715: We have so many US tracks we want to include in the series. Just like the cars, it involved licensing procedures... we'll work on them one by one... whichever ones the fans want to see, and becomes available for us to use.
Deltan: Hello everyone, we're going to close the question queue in a few moments. If you have a question, please ask it now. Those who're waiting, we'll still answer the appropriate questions waiting. Thanks!
brush fire: Is it hard to port games as amazing as GT4 onto the PSP?
Taku Imasaki: To brush fire: YES IT IS. And it is even harder because we want to make sure the game is NOT A PORT.
snowcrash: I'm not sure if this is a bug or not, but there is a blurry/shake effect at some point of the game. I would like to know why this wasn't fixed in final version.
Taku Imasaki: To snowcrash: It seems to appear on some consoles when so many things appear on the screen at once. We will continue to improve the game to eliminate those problems.
GTÇhampion: I was wondering what makes the team at Polyphony Digital choose such repetitive and bad music for the menus for GT4...(and GT3) personally I think that next GT game you should go back to the style of music that was in the original Gran turismo menu music and lots of people would agree with me on that but my question is why do you,and i guess the team chose this music? again i do not mean the music when you are driveing i mean the menu music thanks
manolo32: To GTÇhampion: We'll take that into consideration... thanks!
Dannygamer: How many hour's do you spend playing GT4 weekly ?
Taku Imasaki: To Dannygamer: We have internal time trial competions every day. This week we're racing Laguna Seca with the Ford GT.
TooLFan: I liked the idea of using the "Racing Modifications" in the garage under "Other" in the garage in the original Gran Turismo to add decals and a different paint scheme to the cars, making them look like the Racing Models. Is there any plan on a return for this feature in future Gran Turismos? And why was this feature taken out?
Taku Imasaki: To TooLFan: Yeah I know many fans who miss that feature (in GT2). GT4 had aero-parts/wheels options... I guess that is not enough... I know many American fans like it. I'll keep trying hard to bring that feature back in.
cobragt: I love gt4's physics, it really is the driving simulator. But ofcourse it has flaws like anyother great game. My disappointment in gt4 is, not being able to lock my brakes up. I get alittle disappointed when I hit the Le mans track on its amazingly long 3 mile straight and just hit the brakes in a 2100lbs car and my brakes dont lock. That's basically my only dislike about gt4's physics.
Taku Imasaki: To cobragt: thanks for your input
Scion: I know that this is a Japanese made game, so there are obviously tons of Japanese cars. Do you think that you will implement more cars from other parts of the world in later versions? I know that quite a few people aren't happy with the US car selection. Also, a couple of countries only have one car company and one car in them. Is this going to get resolved in GT5, even though it takes so long to make a car "in game?" I realize that not every car in the world can be included, but I really think that it's pointless to include one car company and one car for an entire country.
Taku Imasaki: To Scion: That is our eternal goal. We'll keep working on it. One car per company... better than nothing, right?
MasterGT: Games with cars in them are thought to be more male oriented, although a small number of females do play GT, my wife and daughter included. It's not as if they would have played Gran Turismo without me exposing it to them, though. What has PD done to attract more females into playing Gran Turismo?
manolo32: To MasterGT: MasterGT, this is Stephanie Y, Product Manager for the GT franchise... while most of the people who buy racing games are male, we strive to reach the widest possible audience both male & female. There are no game features planned that are gender specific. Thank you for your question.
i like $: Sorry, I haven't saved enough for the game yet but can you change the appearence of your car, for example spoilers, mods, etc.
Taku Imasaki: To i like $: You can change exterior color, wheels, and spoilers.
iceman200z: Did you guys start creating Gran Turismo 5 yet? If you didn't what will be the most important thing to improve for Gran Turismo 5
Taku Imasaki: To iceman200z: I can only say... you will see some stuff soon...
Zumbilic: alot of us had problems getting the ford gt to handle well when fully modified. Did you have the same problem or did we all stink?
Taku Imasaki: To Zumbilic: Its a wild and fast car, and its one of our favorites as well... but it takes a lot of skill to handle... did you try on the super soft tires?
TimBoss351: Due to the popularity in the US, will there be an effort to bring classis racing cars from the US, and series, such as the Trans Am series, when it featured 65-70 Mustangs, Penske Camaro race cars, AMC race cars, racing on Button Willow, Watkins Glen, ect? Also, love the 1080 Dpi--HDTV and 1080 is the only way to go for GT4!!
Taku Imasaki: To TimBoss351: Hey TimBoss, good feedback! Believe me, many of those cars were on our initial GT4 carlist. Wait for our future versions, man.
Wing_Warrior1: Do you see Forza Motorsports as a worthy opponent for the GT series?
Taku Imasaki: To Wing_Warrior1: Its not the same but I can't wait to play their Online mode.
trwnc: To go backwards, will there ever be a GT classics with 1,2,3, and 3 Concept on one disk? (Ater all, the disks get damaged...) Or, are you just moving forward?
Taku Imasaki: To trwnc: As a developer, speaking from the dev side of the coin, we are always moving forward... I'll let the sales people decide whether we'd do a GT Classics =)
gameboy2021: Hello, and Good Job on GT4, i wasnt happy with it, due to the lack of control, drifting etc semmed, to real, a bit past it, but it is a simulator so no complaint there, but as it stand, i'v slowly gotten bored with GT games since Version 2 came to Playation all those years ago, just seemed too repetitive after a while, what i'm really saying, in 5, when ever that may release, or even the PSP version, is it possible to have more of a story line? Nothing big but behind every racer theres a struggle to become on top, would be much more interactive with a conflict or such than just racing. but sad to say i wont buy GT4 untill an online mode comes out, thats the main reason i waited for GT4, i understand though, alot of work, and not enough time. so as it is, are there any hopes for more interation and story for the next release in GT series. and away from this, what must be done (study wise) to become a game developer/designer?
Taku Imasaki: To gameboy2021: You have a lot of questions, but you have a good point... we are always struggling to make different types of audiences happy 1. the person who loves the 'experience' they get from our series, mostly seen among auto enthusiasts, and 2. those who enjoy games as much as they enjoy movies or novels. We will continue to improve future versions so we don't lose both audiences.
3rdgenracerX: Are there any plans in the future to include more open wheeled cars in the GT series? More F1s "both new and from the 80s and 90s" and some from the feeder series like GP2 or some of the USA series Champ cars or Toyota Atlantic series. Personally I would like to see the glorious MP4/4 be given a nice rendition in following GTs. I think these feeder open wheelers would make great editions to the GT series, because it builds you up to racing competitively in F1. Many people have had growing problems with being able to competitively drive the Granturismo 04 in GT4 in the FGT series. "J which is my favorite series in GT4"
Taku Imasaki: To 3rdgenracerX: Thanks for your feedback... you can't imagine how many staff meetings we held just to filter down the car list. But we will continue to poll your interests to determine what you are looking for.
DMCFlux: I have two simple questions: how come the reverse lights never come on, and what exactly is preventing brands like ferrari, porsche, and lamborghini from being in the gt series?
Taku Imasaki: To DMCFlux: I've answered somebody elses Ferrari/Porche question already, but mainly because other game companies have exclusive rights to them. Regarding the reverse lights... we plan to integrate this feature into future versions.
Cobra Girl: The Skyline is a great car and unfortunately we cannot get them here in the US. I am curious to know why there are so many in this game to the exclusion of a lot of other good American and European cars. Also, in all the preview pictures, they show 2 cars drag racing in Las Vegas, but it seems like that option is not available in the North American Version. If it is available, can you explain how to get it? Thank you for coming here to chat with us and thank you also for the best video game ever made!
Taku Imasaki: To Cobra Girl: To be honest, we internally fight over which cars to put in the game... and I, as US producer, am a bit dissapointed about that as well. Sorry about the Las Vegas course issue too... our initial plan was to drag race that course online (now that would've been FUN!) Will keep improving. Thanks for your support.
Watchyourback22: As many of us GT4 players make threads seeing who can reach 300, 350 mph, etc..I was wondering if there is any MPH/HP limit on the game itself. If not, what is the max speed/horse power you have seen?
Taku Imasaki: To Watchyourback22: I've seen 1100hp achieved in the game, but I'm sure there are fans out there who have accomplished more crazy stuff.
Gran Trusimo 4 ever: On GT2, there was a maximum HP limit, I thought that made the AI harder to race against, do you plan to make another limit in the next installment of the GT Series?
Taku Imasaki: To Gran Trusimo 4 ever: Making it more free-format was one of the goals for GT4... but I've seen similar feedback. We will evaluate and bring back those limits if necessary.
Taku Imasaki: Thanks everyone... I know I'm not a fast typer... and I like paying attention to everybody's feedback. Thanks again for your interest and support on the series.
manolo32: This is Stephanie Y., the Product Manager for the Gran Turismo franchise. I just want to thank each and every one of you for your questions. I am glad you are enjoying the game and look forward to bringing you more driving simulation as realistic as ever. Please continue to post your feedback on the message boards as we check regularly.
