Now that the dust has settled a bit I’d like to brainstorm a bit on what I’d like to see from future events as far as adjustments and improvements go.
The first thing I’d really like to see is a second feed of the race that could be used in the broadcast to show another view of the race, live or replay, picture-in-picture. There have been too many instances of an interesting battle happening further down the grid as the camera cuts away to show the leader take the final fews turns and straight uncontested (prompting pleas of desperation from Jimmy). Now, showing the race winner winning the race is a necessary bit of footage, but if we were able to get a split screen between the two it would go a long way in improving the broadcast imo. This could also be used for battles going on in different places, or to show replays of incidents that come under investigation/incidents further back in the field
Another thing, I think there is a fundamental problem with the N500 and Gr.1 categories. It’s not just that they aren’t balanced, but that they are likely impossible to balance. The cars in these categories come from too diverse philosophies in their construction for them all to belong on the track together, Gr.1 being the worst offender imo. You have LMP hybrids against futuristic concepts vs 30 year old Group C cars. We all saw how egregious of an advantage the hybrid had at Monza, I don’t think this category should be looked at as competitive unless the hybrid functionality is removed for the races. I personally wouldn’t shed a tear to see this category gone from future events
The N500 class is a little bit trickier because I think they’ve produced good results. In addition, seeing production cars race around the circuit really evokes the feeling of vintage Gran Turismo, and I think is very much in the spirit of the series. I’d really like this category to stick around, although there may need to be some tweaks to the formula.
I’ve heard people advocate for more one-make races in the nations cup and I have to agree. At first I thought it would get a bit dull seeing all the races in X2014s (great as those races have been) but honestly there’s a roster full of underutilized cars that would make some interesting races with the right setup. The F1500, Honda one-seater, Mini VGT are just a couple examples of some interesting cars that I’ve never raced or seen race since a courtesy stint after I got them as a daily workout.
About the selection process, I have a few ideas. There are certainly standout vehicles in either direction in each category, and PD values showing a diverse field of cars, so I have a couple of ideas that could be used by themself or together. These both involve drivers selecting their own car. The first idea is that drivers can choose their own car, but the field is limited to 2 or 3 of a given vehicle. The selection could then be in a draft style. The second idea would be to take a cue from MOBAs and introducing bans, making a certain car ineligible for the next race (Both of these ideas probably have their own host of side effects, but they’re just thrown out there in the interest of reducing the lottery aspect of car/driver combinations, and generally not ending somebody’s race because they started in a McLaren.
I’d also love to see custom liveries used in the events. Using the liveries the racers use during the online season would probably be difficult with the various extra steps involved, probably impossible if the drivers won’t know what vehicles they’re using going into the weekend, but if it’s possible I think it would be worthwhile. Failing that, It would be nice to see some liveries made for the event similar to the X2014 and F150 one make races. Just something a little nicer than the regular liveries to look at.
Anyway, I’d be interested to see what sort of ideas you guys have.
