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- Nigel Fox
There were two main changes to the game engine that I attribute to the worsened graphic issues in GT5: time of day transition and 3D. Since TOD is only implemented on a portion of the tracks, I put the blame on the 3D implementation, which was most likely from SONY's insistence, not PD's, and really should have been an optional install considering how few 3DTVs have been sold so far. I know this is a growing market, especially for SONY, but the numbers are still pretty low, and I suspect that the general TV buying public are hoping for a glasses-free technology, such as used on Nintendo's 3DS.
Prologue suffered glitchy shaders too, and many of us were pretty sure that would be resolved when GT5 itself was finished. The fact that they haven't, and those weird particle jaggies crept in, are two key pieces of evidence that PD are pushing the PS3 to the limit.
I forgot about the online racing issues in my early morning post, and I must confess that I hardly ever race online anymore, but I remember those issues. One thing that will help with this is the new PSN network structure SONY is building for PS4, a high-bandwidth data path that should mitigate some of the online issues. How much that would benefit PS3, I'm not sure, as PS4 is built to take advantage of it, but it can only help. If SONY can manage to connect 16 PS3s with consistent low-lag speed, those maximum fields could be possible again with few or no issues.In online lobbies, it's best to go with a field of 12, a maximum of 13 or 14 on a good day (even without mics...). You can go with 16, but most drivers will experience frame rate issues and it's likely that some drivers will experience connection issues and get disconnected. I'd like to see a solid 16 car field race before that field number increases. And again, I'm sure GT5's 16 car field offline races were smoother than GT5's.
On Scaff's post above, we're pretty much in harmony over what to do with GT6. I resisted the idea of dropping resolution for some time, as I want GT6 to advance, not lose ground anywhere. But as we've both said, 720p is still a fantastic resolution, and you can add a smidge of AA/MSAA or whatever smoothing method you want. But PD has loaded up GT6 with a number of processor taxing features like stellar graphics and sim-like physics which have limited progress in other areas, like bot A.I. and the effects of rain on tire dynamics, so I'd say cut something everywhere it will matter least, and resolution is one of those.
Scaff has been in the business so he knows his stuff, and along with input from a number of other members who have solid knowledge in these areas, I'm hoping that the PD team listens and implements as much of their ideas as they can.
One thing neither Scaff or I mentioned is damage, and GT5 has the Cell Engine so busy that damage is barely implemented at all. It's so minor that I don't even bother turning it on. In order to have any kind of damage modeling in GT6, and Forza 4's damage build really should be the baseline, the team is going to have to scavenge a bunch of processor time everywhere they can, and I'm leery of what that might compromise. And one thing I didn't mention is every process the Cell has to do must be very carefully timed because of it's weird architecture, or the game could risk crashing.
This is a big reason I much prefer GT6 to come out for PS4, because PD will have access to eight full processor cores, not one CPU and five or six auxiliary sub-processors, plus a far more advanced GPU and a crazy amount of fast ram. With careful threading, you could assign a processor to handle specific tasks such as bot A.I., rain effects on the track, damage... whatever you want, which may well be done on PS3, but the Cell has a tight data bottleneck programmers have to work through. Tracks can have amazing detail everywhere within the vicinity of the track, enabling Photo Mode shots from great heights without worry of seeing unmodeled empty areas behind railing or spectator stands. Offline, racing fields could be up to 32 cars deep, or more, making possible real multiclass racing. There would be more than enough ram for specific car sound elements such as turbos, transmission whine and engine specific sounds. I mentioned the night racing, with every light source casting its own illumination, up to a point, but we wouldn't have the silly limit of only two cars having real headlight glow. A Livery Editor could be almost Photoshop capable, with pen and tablet input - and GT6 could have filters, so the squeamish among us need never see an ugly, obscene or cool livery online. And I drool over thoughts of what an HD Course Maker could be. While GT6 on PS3 should be an awesome racer, there are a number of things PS3 just won't be able to deliver.
Even with all the issues, GT5 is still a benchmark racing game on PS3, and I expect something special in GT6, whichever system it's on.
One more thing. I'm with all of you wanting more Aussie representation in GT6, though I want every racing league to be well represented, minus the expensive F1 license. I'm fine with GT's fantasy cars, or CART if they can manage that too.
