- 7,765
- Yorkshire
- ScapeGoat4U
- WhippingBoy
In so many areas we players are forced to do things a certain way, without being given any option to do otherwise (or sometimes we just have very limited options). In my humble opinion, this is one of the biggest problems with the way you approach game design at Polyphony Digital, & it impacts so many aspects of the game causing much grief to those trying to enjoy it. You make it impossible for us to customize our Gran Turismo experience to our own liking, & many of us are left feeling frustrated, annoyed, &/or patronized.
Here are just a few examples of what I mean, in no particular order.
1) Skid Recovery Force: Why is SRF forced on sometimes? You call it a "beginners aid" yet you force it upon all players at certain points throughout the game, even though many of them are not beginners! This contradiction makes no sense at all, & ruins our enjoyment of the physics model. GT is supposed to be Simulation, not Simcade! Please, give us the option of turning it off everywhere in the game. Also, please give us separate online leaderboards for SRF Off, & SRF On lap times (like a tickbox filter). I understand that having it on by default helps those who are new to the GT series, but not allowing the more experienced players to turn it off is patronizing, & annoying. By giving us the option, you'll keep everyone happy, not just the inexperienced players. More Feedback For PD.
2) Automatic Traction Control: Why is traction control forced on if I go off track? If I have turned TC off, why is it forced back on? I can understand that it would help new players, but by forcing it on everyone you just end up aggravating the more experienced players. Please, allow us the option of turning it On or Off completely for ourselves, or just set it to On when track Grip is set to Low, & Off when Grip is set to Real. More Feedback For PD.
UPDATE: In version 1.06 Auto TC is still forced on in gravel/sand traps with no option to turn it off. However, it has been forced off elsewhere including when on the grass with no option for the less experienced players to turn it back on. PD, you're still not getting the point!
3) Access To Garage In Free Run Mode Offline: Why is there no option to access our Garage in Free Run mode offline? Why do you force us to leave the track with all its settings & go all the way back to the garage, change cars, & then return only to have to set up the track all over again? Is there any reason why you make changing between cars while trying to Free Run so convoluted, awkward, & time-consuming? We can access our Garage & change between cars in Free Run while in an online lobby, so why not in Free Run offline? Please, give us the option to change between cars while at a track in Free Run mode offline.
4) Rubber Banding In Career Mode: Why is there no option to turn off the rubber band effect in Career Mode? Why is it forced upon all players regardless of their individual abilities? In the 2002 F1 Austrian Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello was forced to slow down & let Micheal Schumacher win, & there was a huge uproar from the fans afterward. Many GT fans feel a similar sense of anger & disappointment that you have programmed the AI to slow down & let them win! Please, for the love of racing, stop patronizing us & give us the option to turn rubber banding off in the main menu for Career Mode (& Arcade Mode as well). Also, please give us options for Slipstream & Grip so that we can change those settings too.
5) Online Garage Restriction: Why are we forced to choose from only 500 cars when in an online lobby, with no option of choosing from our Stockyard cars? Why did you restrict the garage in GT6 to only 500 cars, was it because loading times for online players were very slow? Please, give us several different garages containing 500 cars each (that we can name), & let us have access to all of them online so we can choose which garage we want to open. That way, we'll have access to all our cars & loading times won't be affected. Or, lift the garage restrictions entirely, & then using something similar to the Car Search feature for the dealerships, let us decide what cars to load first. More Feedback For PD.
6) Default Driving View: Why is there no option to choose the default driving view? Why are we forced into "Normal View" every single time we start the game? For example; I go to Free Run & in the pit lane I'm forced into "Drivers Eye View", then I'm spat out of the pit lane & forced into "Normal View" again, & then I have to go through a series of unnecessary button presses in order to choose my preferred view. This gives the game a rather unprofessional, unfinished, & sloppy feel. Please, give us the option of choosing our default view in the main menu, or at the very least have the game permanently remember it & use it at all times (like when we're in the pit lane).
7) HUD Configuration: Why are the HUD options so restrictive? Is there any reason for the lack of options? Please, allow us the option of turning On or Off every single item of HUD individually to our liking, then give us the ability to toggle all the HUD on or off while racing via a simple button press. Having to pause the game & go to an off-screen menu to do this is clunky, & cannot even be done while racing online without compromising our lap time/position. Also, why can we not turn the wrong way indicator off? This is something that is needed, especially by the drifting community. Besides, many of us know the tracks very well & do not need to be patronized with a flashing red symbol. More Feedback For PD.
8) Automatic Game Saves: Why are automatic game saves forced upon us? Is there a reason why you have given us no option to turn them off? I remember we did have the option in a previous GT title, & it was a very good thing to have too. I suspect that this might be causing corrupted game saves because some people are moving between menus while saving is in progress. How ironic it is that the menus in GT6 are faster, but the AutoSave is slower! Please, give us the option to turn this feature On or Off in the main menu.
9) Power Limiter Online: Why is there no option to ban the use of the power limiter in online lobbies? It ruins PP based racing when everyone is choosing overpowered cars, & then pulling the BHP down 50% or so with the limiter. The power limiter is broken anyway as it creates a flattened BHP curve that gives them a power advantage over those who are choosing cars normally. Please, give hosts the option of allowing it or disallowing it & being able to set what percentage of power limiting is allowed.
10) NOS Online: Why is there no option to enable NOS in Tuning Prohibited Races? Many people enjoy racing without tuning, & if NOS could be independently allowed or disallowed, this would create a whole new racing experience for them. Is there any reason as to why, or have you simply not considered it? Please, give us the option to enable or disable NOS for Tuning Prohibited races, & One Make Races as well.
11) Tuning Restrictions In Online Lobbies: Why is it practically 'all or nothing' when it comes to tuning restrictions in online lobbies? You either allow us to tune or not; why so black & white? Is there any reason for this? Please, give hosts the option to enable or disable each tuning function individually in online lobbies (& to set up then lock the gear ratios). Think of the potential variety of races that could be made by the community if only they were given these options! Also, please allow us to specify which individual car or cars are eligible, all you'd need to do is add 1 more tickbox option to the sort by Country/Manufacturer options.
12) Nag Screens: Why so many nag screens asking us to click OK or Cancel, & more importantly why no option to turn them off? When I enter a Time Trial for an event where the times are no longer being counted, why do I have to be reminded of it every single time I move from one screen to the next? If I've had the oil changed in my car, why do I need to click an OK button? Just tell me it's done, & then take me back to the GT Auto menu. This game is riddled with so many time-wasting & entirely unnecessary button presses! Please, give us the option in the main menu to turn all such nag screens off, because forcing us to interact with them over & over again can become extremely irritating.
13) Name Changes: Is there any reason why we are limited to only 3 name changes? Please, allow us to change it as many times as we like, after all, it is our name! Also, please allow online hosts to choose whether PSN names or driver names are displayed. First, you forced us to have driver names in lobbies, then you forced us to have only PSN names! Why not simply give us the option to do either &/or both? Sometimes you think in such black or white terms & it shows in so many areas of the game, this being just one tiny example.
14) Blue Lines In Online Lobbies: In the 1.05 update, you have provided us with Blue Lines when qualifying. This seems to be another classic example of the 'either-or/all or nothing' type of thinking plaguing your studio & which is ruining the game for many of us, as you have not provided us with the option of turning them off! Why is this new feature being forced on us, is there any real reason for it? Some people find the lines very distracting (myself included), & being forced into having them on permanently is not only annoying but also counterproductive to getting fast lap times. Please, have them set to On by default, & then give us a global option to turn them Off. More Feedback For PD.
UPDATE: This blue line problem is reportedly not an issue now.
15) Slipstream & Mechanical Damage In Online Lobbies: In the 1.05 update, you have also added the options of Time Trial, Drift Trial & Free Run in online lobbies. Thank you! However, you have taken away the Slipstream & Mechanical Damage options in these 3 modes. We are now forced to drive with Slipstream set to 'dunno whatever', & no damage even if we want it. Is there any reason you have taken these options away from us? Please, give us the option to set Slipstream & Mechanical Damage as we wish in all online modes (& all offline modes as well).
16) Qualification In Online Lobbies: Why have you taken away the option of qualifying sessions that are under 5 minutes in the 1.05 update? Why are you forcing us into a minimum of 5 minutes, is there any reason behind this? Why thoughtlessly fiddle with things that are not even broken? If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Now you have made it impossible for us to set up 1 lap qualifying without wasting our time, especially for tracks that are around 1 minute in length. Please, let us choose the length of qualifying sessions starting at 1 minute & going up in 15-second increments, & also give us an alternative option of choosing the number of laps for qualifying instead (from 1 lap upwards). More Feedback For PD.
17) Tyre wear/Fuel Depletion & Mechanical Damage: Is there any reason why we do not have these options in Career, Arcade, & Free Run modes offline? Why are you restricting us by taking options away & forcing us to do without them? I would very much like to drive in Free Run with all these options enabled, but you have taken this choice away from me & many others. Please, just allow us all options in all modes so that we can tailor our Gran Turismo experience to our own liking.
18) Motion Blur: Why is motion blur on some views, & not on others? At the moment the inclusion of motion blur seems to be random. It's on all views when spectating online, but when watching an online replay it's not on any views of my own car apart from Replay View. It's not on any views when watching a replay of a Free Run, except the two interior car views. Why? Are you having problems with it, is it a bug, or is this deliberate for some reason? The most important views we want it on is all those whilst playing! Please, give us the option of turning it On or Off for all views in all modes, & then give us a slider so we can choose the amount applied.
19) Force Feedback Wheel & Pedal Options: Why do we only have 1 option for force feedback? I have a Logitech G25 & can only adjust the amount of feedback in this game. Is there any reason as to why you restrict us in this regard? Please, allow us a similar amount of FFB & pedal options as there are in most PC based simulators. And while we're on the subject; why did you change the bite point of the clutch to be at the bottom of the pedal travel? This is extremely annoying for those of us who have spent large amounts of money on wheels/race seats to play Gran Turismo. Please, allow us to change the bite point to our own liking. And please stop throwing us into neutral. More Feedback For PD.
UPDATE: There are now two options for FFB added with the 1.12 update. Still nowhere near enough. Also, the FFB was already too weak to begin with, & now they've made it even weaker for certain cars. Oh dear!
20) 1:1 Wheel Animations - Cockpit Shake - Exterior View: Why did you remove 1:1 wheel animations from the GT series? Is it because they looked bad when players used a DS3? Please, have 1:1 animations default for wheels users, & what we have now default for DS3 users. And please, give us the option of hiding the wheel & hands, as some of us who own steering wheels do not want to see another one on-screen. Why add cockpit shake, & then remove it entirely after a just few complaints? Please, give players the option to decide whether they want it or not, an On/Off setting in the main menu would suffice. Why did you "fix" Exterior View, when it didn't even need fixing? Please, give players the option to choose between the old loose version & the more recent rigid one. 'Either-Or' thinking is fallacious, as there is always more than just 2 ways of doing things! More Feedback For PD.
21) Standing Starts: Why are single-file rolling starts forced upon us for most of the offline events? Why can we only have standing starts for most online races? Is there any reason for this? Please, give us a mixture of different start types in Career mode (suited to the event), & give us the option of choosing whatever start type we want online & in Arcade mode. More Feedback For PD.
22) Auto Drive In The Pits: You trust us to drive around all these beautiful tracks you have recreated at very fast speeds, so why is it that you force Auto Drive on us in the pit lane when at very low speeds? This makes no sense whatsoever! Again, you are inadvertently patronizing the experienced players who have already proven that they are capable of handling their cars. Please, give us the option of turning Auto Drive in the pit lane On or Off when racing online, & offline too. More Feedback For PD.
23) Automatic Replays: Why is there no option to turn off the automatic replays? Many people do not like being forced into watching them after each race, & having to press a button to turn them off every single time gets tiresome. Please, give us the option to choose whether to have them On or Off in the main menu. And why is there no access to the on-screen menu in these automatic replays? More Feedback For PD.
24) Penalties & Ghost Cars In Online Lobbies: Why is there no option to have penalties on & ghost cars off at the same time? Why are we forced to have both either on or off? Cars ghosting & driving through each other looks incredibly unrealistic, & ruins the racing simulation for many of us. Please, give us the option of turning ghost cars & penalties On or Off separately. Also, please add the option of Drive Through penalties (like in GT4), & allow us to be able to choose between them & the Slow Down penalties we currently have. Being able to set track cutting penalties & car collision penalties On or Off separately would be a very welcome addition too.
25) Car Views In Replays: Why are some car views not available when watching replays in certain game modes? For instance; in Free Run mode offline I can view the replay with two very nice Interior Views, but I cannot do this while watching a replay of an online race. Is there any reason as to why? This game suffers from such a lack of cohesion & consistency in so many areas, this being another tiny example. Please, allow us all car views while watching replays in all modes. Also, why are we forced to choose certain views from the onscreen menu only, instead of all views being assigned to the Select button? That is so clunky & annoying! Please, give us the option of scrolling through all views using the Select button in all modes (it would be nice to have a third Interior View as well, one where we could set the position of the camera for ourselves in each car).
26) Global Traction Control: Why is there no global option to permanently turn traction control off in certain events & license tests? It is really annoying to have to remember to turn it off every single time we enter a new one. Is there any reason why you force us to turn it off every single time? Please, give us a global option for traction control in these events so that once it's been turned off, it stays off. The same goes for Low/Real grip track settings.
27) Shopping In Gran Turismo: Why do we have no option to buy several items together? Why do you force us to buy every single item separately? Why have you designed the shopping process to be so convoluted & time-consuming, is there any actual reason? Having to buy every single car/item separately, & then being forced to sit through animations & clicking OK boxes every single time can become extremely tiresome. Please, let us buy as many cars as we wish by putting them into a shopping basket & paying for them altogether (like online shops do). And please, let us buy items from GT Auto the same way, by ticking items in a checklist that we wish to buy &/or install, & then paying for them all at once.
28) 1 Make Races Online: Why is the number of courtesy cars for 1 Make Races so limited? Is there any reason why you give us such a small selection? It is a real step back from GT5 where we had many more to choose from, & lots of people are disappointed as a result. Please, make all cars available to us for 1 Make Racing online. Or at the very least give us a wider selection to choose from, & then change the line up once a month to keep things fresh.
29) Lap Records: Why is there no option to delete individual lap records? Why do you force us either to keep them all or delete them all? Is there any reason as to why you have designed this feature to be so all or nothing? If I take the same car to the same track several different times, I don't really need a corresponding amount of lap record entries! Having my records full up of the same car with different times is an incredibly useless feature, & is yet more evidence of the poor/thoughtless game design so prevalent throughout Gran Turismo. Please, give us the option of being able to delete individual lap records. More Feedback For PD.
30) Clutch For DS3 Users: Why is there no option to assign the clutch to a button of our choice in the DS3 settings menu? Why do you force DS3 users to drive without it, is there any reason behind this decision? You say that you want to "simulate everything", so why not simulate something as basic & essential as a clutch for DS3 users by simply allowing them access to it? Please, allow DS3 users the option of choosing for themselves whether they want to drive with the clutch or not. That way, you can then undo the nerfing you've reportedly been inflicting upon the clutch model since GT5 Prologue, as wheel users will no longer have an advantage over DS3 users.
31) Arcade Mode Races: Why is there no option to choose whether to practice/qualify or not? Why is there no option to choose our starting place on the grid if we so wish? Why is there no option to choose opponent cars? Why is there no option to choose their tyres & ours separately? Why is there no option to choose the slipstream setting? Why is there no option to choose the amount of AI cars on the grid? Why is there no option to turn off the rubber band effect? Why are there no options to turn on or off such settings as tyre wear, fuel usage, & crash damage? Why have you given us a huge amount of cars & tracks, but not given us common sense options that would allow us to use them to their full potential? Please, give us access to all possible options so that we can fully enjoy the awesome cars & tracks in this game.
32) Fully Customizable Transmissions: Why are wheel users sometimes forced to use sequential shifters after installing a fully customizable transmission? Why do they no longer have the option to use their H-pattern shifters? Is this a bug, or a deliberate restriction? This is a real game killer in the drift community, as clutch work is an essential part of drifting (mostly clutch-kicking). Please, give us back the ability to use the clutch & H-pattern shifter for all cars when fully customizable transmissions are installed.
A Cautionary Tale For Kazunori.
Once upon a time, there was a master shoemaker. His shoes were the best shoes in the world, & he knew it. Everyone else knew it too, & his designs were the envy of all other shoemakers. Try though they might, they could not even come close to mimicking his great artistic flair. However, while his designs were indeed second to none, he would only sell shoes that were tailored to his own feet & that of those closest to him; much to the annoyance of his customers! When they bought his shoes, they never really fitted properly, & this caused them such discomfort. Some of the other shoemakers, although creating designs inferior to his, eventually became far more business savvy & started tailoring their shoes to their customer's feet. As a result, many of the master shoe maker's customers stopped buying his shoes altogether (even though they were far better looking) because now they had experienced the relief of tailored footwear & therefore could no longer go back. When the master shoemaker saw that sales were plummeting, he said to himself, "Aha! I know what I shall do! I will keep on designing shoes according to my great artistic talent, for it is second to none, but I also will tailor them to my customer's feet just like my rivals. Then, not only will I be the best in the business, but I will also win back my customers & keep their feet happy too!"
That's so true! If they gave us all the options under the sun as requested, they could still set up the default settings to make Gran Turismo appeal to casual gamers initially. That way they'd keep everyone happy, as the more experienced players could then simply tailor the game to their own liking by changing said options. With a certain "Community Assisted Racing Simulator" coming out on the PS4 later this year, which is packed full of options, the GT series is in real danger of being left behind for dead & eating its dust.
Thank you very much indeed Kazunori Yamauchi San, Polyphony Digital, & Sony, for considering these points.
Whether this thread & the others stickied here become some kind of collective epic-epitaph for the GT series, or whether you choose to start really paying attention to your customers by implementing their suggestions, is entirely up to you.
The ball's in your court now.
PS: There are many more examples of our being forced instead of being given options that I don't have time to write up at the moment, & some that I can't recall at present. If anyone else thinks of some, please post them up in this thread & I'll update the OP as & when I'm able to.
PPS: If you liked this thread then please vote for it here in the new Q&A forum in the hope that these issues will be addressed. EDIT: The Q&A forum has now been closed due to Kaz deciding that he's not going to answer any of the questions (which is strange seeing as it was his idea to set it up in the first place).
Here are just a few examples of what I mean, in no particular order.
1) Skid Recovery Force: Why is SRF forced on sometimes? You call it a "beginners aid" yet you force it upon all players at certain points throughout the game, even though many of them are not beginners! This contradiction makes no sense at all, & ruins our enjoyment of the physics model. GT is supposed to be Simulation, not Simcade! Please, give us the option of turning it off everywhere in the game. Also, please give us separate online leaderboards for SRF Off, & SRF On lap times (like a tickbox filter). I understand that having it on by default helps those who are new to the GT series, but not allowing the more experienced players to turn it off is patronizing, & annoying. By giving us the option, you'll keep everyone happy, not just the inexperienced players. More Feedback For PD.
2) Automatic Traction Control: Why is traction control forced on if I go off track? If I have turned TC off, why is it forced back on? I can understand that it would help new players, but by forcing it on everyone you just end up aggravating the more experienced players. Please, allow us the option of turning it On or Off completely for ourselves, or just set it to On when track Grip is set to Low, & Off when Grip is set to Real. More Feedback For PD.
UPDATE: In version 1.06 Auto TC is still forced on in gravel/sand traps with no option to turn it off. However, it has been forced off elsewhere including when on the grass with no option for the less experienced players to turn it back on. PD, you're still not getting the point!
3) Access To Garage In Free Run Mode Offline: Why is there no option to access our Garage in Free Run mode offline? Why do you force us to leave the track with all its settings & go all the way back to the garage, change cars, & then return only to have to set up the track all over again? Is there any reason why you make changing between cars while trying to Free Run so convoluted, awkward, & time-consuming? We can access our Garage & change between cars in Free Run while in an online lobby, so why not in Free Run offline? Please, give us the option to change between cars while at a track in Free Run mode offline.
4) Rubber Banding In Career Mode: Why is there no option to turn off the rubber band effect in Career Mode? Why is it forced upon all players regardless of their individual abilities? In the 2002 F1 Austrian Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello was forced to slow down & let Micheal Schumacher win, & there was a huge uproar from the fans afterward. Many GT fans feel a similar sense of anger & disappointment that you have programmed the AI to slow down & let them win! Please, for the love of racing, stop patronizing us & give us the option to turn rubber banding off in the main menu for Career Mode (& Arcade Mode as well). Also, please give us options for Slipstream & Grip so that we can change those settings too.
5) Online Garage Restriction: Why are we forced to choose from only 500 cars when in an online lobby, with no option of choosing from our Stockyard cars? Why did you restrict the garage in GT6 to only 500 cars, was it because loading times for online players were very slow? Please, give us several different garages containing 500 cars each (that we can name), & let us have access to all of them online so we can choose which garage we want to open. That way, we'll have access to all our cars & loading times won't be affected. Or, lift the garage restrictions entirely, & then using something similar to the Car Search feature for the dealerships, let us decide what cars to load first. More Feedback For PD.
6) Default Driving View: Why is there no option to choose the default driving view? Why are we forced into "Normal View" every single time we start the game? For example; I go to Free Run & in the pit lane I'm forced into "Drivers Eye View", then I'm spat out of the pit lane & forced into "Normal View" again, & then I have to go through a series of unnecessary button presses in order to choose my preferred view. This gives the game a rather unprofessional, unfinished, & sloppy feel. Please, give us the option of choosing our default view in the main menu, or at the very least have the game permanently remember it & use it at all times (like when we're in the pit lane).
7) HUD Configuration: Why are the HUD options so restrictive? Is there any reason for the lack of options? Please, allow us the option of turning On or Off every single item of HUD individually to our liking, then give us the ability to toggle all the HUD on or off while racing via a simple button press. Having to pause the game & go to an off-screen menu to do this is clunky, & cannot even be done while racing online without compromising our lap time/position. Also, why can we not turn the wrong way indicator off? This is something that is needed, especially by the drifting community. Besides, many of us know the tracks very well & do not need to be patronized with a flashing red symbol. More Feedback For PD.
8) Automatic Game Saves: Why are automatic game saves forced upon us? Is there a reason why you have given us no option to turn them off? I remember we did have the option in a previous GT title, & it was a very good thing to have too. I suspect that this might be causing corrupted game saves because some people are moving between menus while saving is in progress. How ironic it is that the menus in GT6 are faster, but the AutoSave is slower! Please, give us the option to turn this feature On or Off in the main menu.
9) Power Limiter Online: Why is there no option to ban the use of the power limiter in online lobbies? It ruins PP based racing when everyone is choosing overpowered cars, & then pulling the BHP down 50% or so with the limiter. The power limiter is broken anyway as it creates a flattened BHP curve that gives them a power advantage over those who are choosing cars normally. Please, give hosts the option of allowing it or disallowing it & being able to set what percentage of power limiting is allowed.
10) NOS Online: Why is there no option to enable NOS in Tuning Prohibited Races? Many people enjoy racing without tuning, & if NOS could be independently allowed or disallowed, this would create a whole new racing experience for them. Is there any reason as to why, or have you simply not considered it? Please, give us the option to enable or disable NOS for Tuning Prohibited races, & One Make Races as well.
11) Tuning Restrictions In Online Lobbies: Why is it practically 'all or nothing' when it comes to tuning restrictions in online lobbies? You either allow us to tune or not; why so black & white? Is there any reason for this? Please, give hosts the option to enable or disable each tuning function individually in online lobbies (& to set up then lock the gear ratios). Think of the potential variety of races that could be made by the community if only they were given these options! Also, please allow us to specify which individual car or cars are eligible, all you'd need to do is add 1 more tickbox option to the sort by Country/Manufacturer options.
12) Nag Screens: Why so many nag screens asking us to click OK or Cancel, & more importantly why no option to turn them off? When I enter a Time Trial for an event where the times are no longer being counted, why do I have to be reminded of it every single time I move from one screen to the next? If I've had the oil changed in my car, why do I need to click an OK button? Just tell me it's done, & then take me back to the GT Auto menu. This game is riddled with so many time-wasting & entirely unnecessary button presses! Please, give us the option in the main menu to turn all such nag screens off, because forcing us to interact with them over & over again can become extremely irritating.
13) Name Changes: Is there any reason why we are limited to only 3 name changes? Please, allow us to change it as many times as we like, after all, it is our name! Also, please allow online hosts to choose whether PSN names or driver names are displayed. First, you forced us to have driver names in lobbies, then you forced us to have only PSN names! Why not simply give us the option to do either &/or both? Sometimes you think in such black or white terms & it shows in so many areas of the game, this being just one tiny example.
14) Blue Lines In Online Lobbies: In the 1.05 update, you have provided us with Blue Lines when qualifying. This seems to be another classic example of the 'either-or/all or nothing' type of thinking plaguing your studio & which is ruining the game for many of us, as you have not provided us with the option of turning them off! Why is this new feature being forced on us, is there any real reason for it? Some people find the lines very distracting (myself included), & being forced into having them on permanently is not only annoying but also counterproductive to getting fast lap times. Please, have them set to On by default, & then give us a global option to turn them Off. More Feedback For PD.
UPDATE: This blue line problem is reportedly not an issue now.
15) Slipstream & Mechanical Damage In Online Lobbies: In the 1.05 update, you have also added the options of Time Trial, Drift Trial & Free Run in online lobbies. Thank you! However, you have taken away the Slipstream & Mechanical Damage options in these 3 modes. We are now forced to drive with Slipstream set to 'dunno whatever', & no damage even if we want it. Is there any reason you have taken these options away from us? Please, give us the option to set Slipstream & Mechanical Damage as we wish in all online modes (& all offline modes as well).
16) Qualification In Online Lobbies: Why have you taken away the option of qualifying sessions that are under 5 minutes in the 1.05 update? Why are you forcing us into a minimum of 5 minutes, is there any reason behind this? Why thoughtlessly fiddle with things that are not even broken? If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Now you have made it impossible for us to set up 1 lap qualifying without wasting our time, especially for tracks that are around 1 minute in length. Please, let us choose the length of qualifying sessions starting at 1 minute & going up in 15-second increments, & also give us an alternative option of choosing the number of laps for qualifying instead (from 1 lap upwards). More Feedback For PD.
17) Tyre wear/Fuel Depletion & Mechanical Damage: Is there any reason why we do not have these options in Career, Arcade, & Free Run modes offline? Why are you restricting us by taking options away & forcing us to do without them? I would very much like to drive in Free Run with all these options enabled, but you have taken this choice away from me & many others. Please, just allow us all options in all modes so that we can tailor our Gran Turismo experience to our own liking.
18) Motion Blur: Why is motion blur on some views, & not on others? At the moment the inclusion of motion blur seems to be random. It's on all views when spectating online, but when watching an online replay it's not on any views of my own car apart from Replay View. It's not on any views when watching a replay of a Free Run, except the two interior car views. Why? Are you having problems with it, is it a bug, or is this deliberate for some reason? The most important views we want it on is all those whilst playing! Please, give us the option of turning it On or Off for all views in all modes, & then give us a slider so we can choose the amount applied.
19) Force Feedback Wheel & Pedal Options: Why do we only have 1 option for force feedback? I have a Logitech G25 & can only adjust the amount of feedback in this game. Is there any reason as to why you restrict us in this regard? Please, allow us a similar amount of FFB & pedal options as there are in most PC based simulators. And while we're on the subject; why did you change the bite point of the clutch to be at the bottom of the pedal travel? This is extremely annoying for those of us who have spent large amounts of money on wheels/race seats to play Gran Turismo. Please, allow us to change the bite point to our own liking. And please stop throwing us into neutral. More Feedback For PD.
UPDATE: There are now two options for FFB added with the 1.12 update. Still nowhere near enough. Also, the FFB was already too weak to begin with, & now they've made it even weaker for certain cars. Oh dear!
20) 1:1 Wheel Animations - Cockpit Shake - Exterior View: Why did you remove 1:1 wheel animations from the GT series? Is it because they looked bad when players used a DS3? Please, have 1:1 animations default for wheels users, & what we have now default for DS3 users. And please, give us the option of hiding the wheel & hands, as some of us who own steering wheels do not want to see another one on-screen. Why add cockpit shake, & then remove it entirely after a just few complaints? Please, give players the option to decide whether they want it or not, an On/Off setting in the main menu would suffice. Why did you "fix" Exterior View, when it didn't even need fixing? Please, give players the option to choose between the old loose version & the more recent rigid one. 'Either-Or' thinking is fallacious, as there is always more than just 2 ways of doing things! More Feedback For PD.
21) Standing Starts: Why are single-file rolling starts forced upon us for most of the offline events? Why can we only have standing starts for most online races? Is there any reason for this? Please, give us a mixture of different start types in Career mode (suited to the event), & give us the option of choosing whatever start type we want online & in Arcade mode. More Feedback For PD.
22) Auto Drive In The Pits: You trust us to drive around all these beautiful tracks you have recreated at very fast speeds, so why is it that you force Auto Drive on us in the pit lane when at very low speeds? This makes no sense whatsoever! Again, you are inadvertently patronizing the experienced players who have already proven that they are capable of handling their cars. Please, give us the option of turning Auto Drive in the pit lane On or Off when racing online, & offline too. More Feedback For PD.
23) Automatic Replays: Why is there no option to turn off the automatic replays? Many people do not like being forced into watching them after each race, & having to press a button to turn them off every single time gets tiresome. Please, give us the option to choose whether to have them On or Off in the main menu. And why is there no access to the on-screen menu in these automatic replays? More Feedback For PD.
24) Penalties & Ghost Cars In Online Lobbies: Why is there no option to have penalties on & ghost cars off at the same time? Why are we forced to have both either on or off? Cars ghosting & driving through each other looks incredibly unrealistic, & ruins the racing simulation for many of us. Please, give us the option of turning ghost cars & penalties On or Off separately. Also, please add the option of Drive Through penalties (like in GT4), & allow us to be able to choose between them & the Slow Down penalties we currently have. Being able to set track cutting penalties & car collision penalties On or Off separately would be a very welcome addition too.
25) Car Views In Replays: Why are some car views not available when watching replays in certain game modes? For instance; in Free Run mode offline I can view the replay with two very nice Interior Views, but I cannot do this while watching a replay of an online race. Is there any reason as to why? This game suffers from such a lack of cohesion & consistency in so many areas, this being another tiny example. Please, allow us all car views while watching replays in all modes. Also, why are we forced to choose certain views from the onscreen menu only, instead of all views being assigned to the Select button? That is so clunky & annoying! Please, give us the option of scrolling through all views using the Select button in all modes (it would be nice to have a third Interior View as well, one where we could set the position of the camera for ourselves in each car).
26) Global Traction Control: Why is there no global option to permanently turn traction control off in certain events & license tests? It is really annoying to have to remember to turn it off every single time we enter a new one. Is there any reason why you force us to turn it off every single time? Please, give us a global option for traction control in these events so that once it's been turned off, it stays off. The same goes for Low/Real grip track settings.
27) Shopping In Gran Turismo: Why do we have no option to buy several items together? Why do you force us to buy every single item separately? Why have you designed the shopping process to be so convoluted & time-consuming, is there any actual reason? Having to buy every single car/item separately, & then being forced to sit through animations & clicking OK boxes every single time can become extremely tiresome. Please, let us buy as many cars as we wish by putting them into a shopping basket & paying for them altogether (like online shops do). And please, let us buy items from GT Auto the same way, by ticking items in a checklist that we wish to buy &/or install, & then paying for them all at once.
28) 1 Make Races Online: Why is the number of courtesy cars for 1 Make Races so limited? Is there any reason why you give us such a small selection? It is a real step back from GT5 where we had many more to choose from, & lots of people are disappointed as a result. Please, make all cars available to us for 1 Make Racing online. Or at the very least give us a wider selection to choose from, & then change the line up once a month to keep things fresh.
29) Lap Records: Why is there no option to delete individual lap records? Why do you force us either to keep them all or delete them all? Is there any reason as to why you have designed this feature to be so all or nothing? If I take the same car to the same track several different times, I don't really need a corresponding amount of lap record entries! Having my records full up of the same car with different times is an incredibly useless feature, & is yet more evidence of the poor/thoughtless game design so prevalent throughout Gran Turismo. Please, give us the option of being able to delete individual lap records. More Feedback For PD.
30) Clutch For DS3 Users: Why is there no option to assign the clutch to a button of our choice in the DS3 settings menu? Why do you force DS3 users to drive without it, is there any reason behind this decision? You say that you want to "simulate everything", so why not simulate something as basic & essential as a clutch for DS3 users by simply allowing them access to it? Please, allow DS3 users the option of choosing for themselves whether they want to drive with the clutch or not. That way, you can then undo the nerfing you've reportedly been inflicting upon the clutch model since GT5 Prologue, as wheel users will no longer have an advantage over DS3 users.
31) Arcade Mode Races: Why is there no option to choose whether to practice/qualify or not? Why is there no option to choose our starting place on the grid if we so wish? Why is there no option to choose opponent cars? Why is there no option to choose their tyres & ours separately? Why is there no option to choose the slipstream setting? Why is there no option to choose the amount of AI cars on the grid? Why is there no option to turn off the rubber band effect? Why are there no options to turn on or off such settings as tyre wear, fuel usage, & crash damage? Why have you given us a huge amount of cars & tracks, but not given us common sense options that would allow us to use them to their full potential? Please, give us access to all possible options so that we can fully enjoy the awesome cars & tracks in this game.
32) Fully Customizable Transmissions: Why are wheel users sometimes forced to use sequential shifters after installing a fully customizable transmission? Why do they no longer have the option to use their H-pattern shifters? Is this a bug, or a deliberate restriction? This is a real game killer in the drift community, as clutch work is an essential part of drifting (mostly clutch-kicking). Please, give us back the ability to use the clutch & H-pattern shifter for all cars when fully customizable transmissions are installed.
A Cautionary Tale For Kazunori.
Once upon a time, there was a master shoemaker. His shoes were the best shoes in the world, & he knew it. Everyone else knew it too, & his designs were the envy of all other shoemakers. Try though they might, they could not even come close to mimicking his great artistic flair. However, while his designs were indeed second to none, he would only sell shoes that were tailored to his own feet & that of those closest to him; much to the annoyance of his customers! When they bought his shoes, they never really fitted properly, & this caused them such discomfort. Some of the other shoemakers, although creating designs inferior to his, eventually became far more business savvy & started tailoring their shoes to their customer's feet. As a result, many of the master shoe maker's customers stopped buying his shoes altogether (even though they were far better looking) because now they had experienced the relief of tailored footwear & therefore could no longer go back. When the master shoemaker saw that sales were plummeting, he said to himself, "Aha! I know what I shall do! I will keep on designing shoes according to my great artistic talent, for it is second to none, but I also will tailor them to my customer's feet just like my rivals. Then, not only will I be the best in the business, but I will also win back my customers & keep their feet happy too!"
That's so true! If they gave us all the options under the sun as requested, they could still set up the default settings to make Gran Turismo appeal to casual gamers initially. That way they'd keep everyone happy, as the more experienced players could then simply tailor the game to their own liking by changing said options. With a certain "Community Assisted Racing Simulator" coming out on the PS4 later this year, which is packed full of options, the GT series is in real danger of being left behind for dead & eating its dust.
Thank you very much indeed Kazunori Yamauchi San, Polyphony Digital, & Sony, for considering these points.
Whether this thread & the others stickied here become some kind of collective epic-epitaph for the GT series, or whether you choose to start really paying attention to your customers by implementing their suggestions, is entirely up to you.The ball's in your court now.
PS: There are many more examples of our being forced instead of being given options that I don't have time to write up at the moment, & some that I can't recall at present. If anyone else thinks of some, please post them up in this thread & I'll update the OP as & when I'm able to.
PPS: If you liked this thread then please vote for it here in the new Q&A forum in the hope that these issues will be addressed. EDIT: The Q&A forum has now been closed due to Kaz deciding that he's not going to answer any of the questions (which is strange seeing as it was his idea to set it up in the first place).
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