Grand Valley Review - From a long term fan

[tofuhero]

I'm fine with it. We have plenty of race tracks, but almost nothing for just tossing a fun car around a beautiful location. Maybe it's because I don't have intense nostalgia for GV, but I think it's an interesting evolution and puts in a more specific locale than "here's some generic grass and trees through a valley". I do wish there was more foliage here, and more direct views of the ocean, but in my brief drive I enjoyed it.

 

[NJ72]

I'm fine with it. We have plenty of race tracks, but almost nothing for just tossing a fun car around a beautiful location. Maybe it's because I don't have intense nostalgia for GV, but I think it's an interesting evolution and puts in a more specific locale than "here's some generic grass and trees through a valley". I do wish there was more foliage here, and more direct views of the ocean, but in my brief drive I enjoyed it.

My friend and I did some racing on it last night - head to head in everything from 450pp road cars up to Gr.3 and it is an enjoyable track and very pretty; I just wish, like others, that they'd called it something else

 

[Mariangello]

I didn't like the textures of the mountains, it looks clay.

Yeah, all GT7 tracks have very low-res textures. I do not know why, even FH5 has ultra quality textures and that's open world.

 

[AlexWilmot]

Yeah, all GT7 tracks have very low-res textures. I do not know why, even FH5 has ultra quality textures and that's open world.

Look at all the high quality textures in FH5....

 

[Mariangello]

Look at all the high quality textures in FH5....

Is that from the X-box or PC version?

 

[AlexWilmot]

Is that from the X-box or PC version?

Top is xBox, bottom is ultra high on a PC,
You done portraying your unrealistic perception of how other games are better?

 

[Mariangello]

Top is xBox, bottom is ultra high on a PC,
You done portraying your unrealistic perception of how other games are better?

I think we can both easily agree that we don't want to see those low-res textures in either game.

 

[Sturdy]

Having watched the video on the first page of the original GVS and through the various games a few things stood out. Firstly, wow, the jump in quality to GT3 really was something wasn't it? That game looks great even today.

Anyway, more on topic, GVS wasn't really a very scenic location to be honest, off track was actually quite bland. Not a bad thing as such, certainly realistic enough in terms of race tracks, but what we have now is a lot nicer to drive around in that respect.

Also, my initial perception from screenshots was that the layout was very similar, they'd just inverted some of the elevation changes, i.e. a corner / straight now goes downhill instead of uphill as before.

Watching the laps of the old circuits, this is even more true than I thought. Also, lapping the new Grand Valley, I felt the 'feel' of the circuit, as in how you approach corners etc. felt very similar, especially from start line to the tight hairpin. Looking at that video, the actual racing line through the corners looks like it would be very, very close all the way up to where the blue bridge would have been.

I think other than elevation, the track is actually closer in layout and ultimately, approach in terms of racing line than it seems.

I also think the new chicane after the blue bridge is better than the old one between the stone walls, and the little section after that is more interesting and the final corner again 'feels' the same in terms of almost flat out not quite don't run wide etc.

So I think in conclusion, not only am I a fan of the new track, I actually think it's better than the old one, having watched the laps of the originals and done a bunch around the new one!

 

[GingerBredMan]

I feel like PD is trying to do too much, and is wasting a lot of time and resources in the process. If they just gave the classic tracks with a graphic refresh who would be mad with that?

And is the plan here to give out 1 classic track per year to satisfy the community? I still don’t understand why any of these tracks were removed in the first place. PD just loves making mind numbing decisions.

 

[RobertHammer]

I still don’t understand why any of these tracks were removed in the first place. PD just loves making mind numbing decisions.

Because Full HD happened and porting PS2 assets weren't good anymore

then in GT Sport they decided not to remake them so they created new racing tracks instead

 

[GingerBredMan]

Because Full HD happened and porting PS2 assets weren't good anymore

then in GT Sport they decided not to remake them so they created new racing tracks instead

The notion that creating a brand new track is easier than re-creating an already existing track seems ridiculous to me. They already had the layouts for the existing tracks, so that’s one less thing they would have to worry about. Why do they have to port ps2 stuff if they’ve making tracks from scratch?

 

[RobertHammer]

The notion that creating a brand new track is easier than re-creating an already existing track seems ridiculous to me. They already had the layouts for the existing tracks, so that’s one less thing they would have to worry about. Why do they have to port ps2 stuff if they’ve making tracks from scratch?

Well i answered your question why they been removed before , now in GT7 they decided to remake them like they see it fit , so thats that

 

[GingerBredMan]

Why does PD need to use PS2 assets seems like a valid question, but ok.

 

[RobertHammer]

Why does PD need to use PS2 assets seems like a valid question, but ok.

in GT5 and GT6 that was ported PS2 uprez version of Grand Valley Speedway , in GT Sport obviously wasn't there but now in GT7 they redid GV into Highway 1

as for why they did that? because they probably wanted different look and feel , because if they redid actual GVS it would be too much like racing tracks from GT Sport /Maggiore or Sainte-Croix reskin/

 

[Nathan88]

The notion that creating a brand new track is easier than re-creating an already existing track seems ridiculous to me. They already had the layouts for the existing tracks, so that’s one less thing they would have to worry about. Why do they have to port ps2 stuff if they’ve making tracks from scratch?

Back in the PS1/2 days many tracks shared assets & art style due to performance, storage and dev resources. Not because that was PD's vision. I could post a dozen random shots of classic tracks, and it would be difficult to identify which is which, unless you included a particular landmark. That's even more difficult when many of us haven't played these tracks for a decade, even though we grew up with them.

GT7 doesn't need fictional circuits in a race track style, it's more interesting to see real-world race tracks hitting the game. For original tracks it makes sense to offer distinct environments that appeal to different players, be they for road car driving/cruising, Time Trialers, photographers etc. For example I'd like to see a snowy environment like the Alps.

 

[RobertHammer]

For example I'd like to see a snowy environment like the Alps.

Time to bring Matterhorn back https://gran-turismo.fandom.com/wiki/Matterhorn

 

[GingerBredMan]

GT7 doesn't need fictional circuits in a race track style, it's more interesting to see real-world race tracks hitting the game. For original tracks it makes sense to offer distinct environments that appeal to different players, be they for road car driving/cruising, Time Trialers, photographers etc. For example I'd like to see a snowy environment like the Alps.

I guess I was mistaken in thinking GT7 was a racing game

 

[Fuzzi0n]

Having now completed all the events and the circuit experience on Grand Valley, have to say that it looks great but it doesn't at all feel like the track it's supposed to. Looking at the layout, basically every corner is different and the elevation changes are nothing like the old versions of the circuit so it ends up feeling like a knock off of a classic GT track, maybe something you'd see as an rFactor mod years ago. Visuals however are great, but there's a lot more to it than that for me.

I wasn't a huge fan of the other attempts to remake the old circuits and I think this one is by far the worst because driving it just doesn't feel like the old versions in any way to me. I'm not sure why PD are so obsessed with changing the tracks that we loved from the previous games where the layout had been pretty much the same for years, it seems somewhat misguided. This track would've been far better off with a new unique layout to take full advantage of the beautiful setting and then we could've had Grand Valley Speedway as it was supposed to be. I can understand trying to make a track feel more realistic and believable, but none of the changes they've made to the tracks they've remade for GT7 really follow that. For example, Deep Forest has a stupidly tight hairpin with loads of runoff, but other corners just have a wall with a tiny strip of grass before it - not sure how that is consistent design to make a track more in line with real world circuits.

It's somewhat disappointing and it makes me much less excited for any other returning circuits because it's likely they'll mess about with those too. One of the reasons I always loved GT was the fantasy circuits being so much fun to drive and race at, LFS and netKar Pro had a similar feel to me with their fantasy tracks. I don't mind them adding real circuits too, but honestly if those are the main focus I can get a better experience with iRacing or ACC than I can in GT. Maybe I'm just clamouring for the good old days which unfortunately are long gone.

 

[NW_Saint]

I'd LOVE for them to remodel Seattle and get it into GT7. I spent so much time on that circuit. The jumps were awesome fun!

I concur, i've been at this exact point since 7 came out.. I can't remember right off the bat who did it, but someone did a fantastic redux (map outline) of an updated Seattle circuit.. I really really wish they'd do it.. looking at that map outline & actually have driven damn near the exact route, it'd be an awesome addition to 7... yeah gentlemen, Seattle needs to be next.. & I totally agree, those jumps on the hills were crazy.. can't even imagine how the graphics would look like now.. c'mon PD, put it together baby.. make it happen!!


NW.

 

[happycorey]

It does seem like a strange way to revive a classic. I don't think anyone wants these wildly changed classic tracks, they remember what was great about the tracks and they want to experience them again. Simply put this track shouldn't have had any relation to GV and it would've been great! Unfortunately it's not what the players wanted.

 

[Fezzik]

I feel like PD is trying to do too much, and is wasting a lot of time and resources in the process. If they just gave the classic tracks with a graphic refresh who would be mad with that?

PD: releases old tracks just with updated graphics
Internet: boo, recycling old content, just an up-rezzed port, lazy devs

PD: releases old track with new environment and graphics
Internet: boo, give us the old location, no one asked for this, bland/featureless, created with track editor, lazy devs

PD: releases brand new track
Internet: boo, give us Seattle/Red Rock/etc

 

[ak_miller]

I conquer

Concur.

Or PD added an M1 Abrams in the last update and I missed it

 

[MatskiMonk]

PD: releases old tracks just with updated graphics
Internet: boo, recycling old content, just an up-rezzed port, lazy devs

PD: releases old track with new environment and graphics
Internet: boo, give us the old location, no one asked for this, bland/featureless, created with track editor, lazy devs

PD: releases brand new track
Internet: boo, give us Seattle/Red Rock/etc

Alternatively...

PD: <exists>
Internet: Booooo

 

[Kurvi35]

Not good...There is no new track Grand Valley. The track has been changed too much!
Example, the Deep forest and Trial Mountain tracks were not changed too much, but why did or should you change the classic tracks?

The short old Grand Valley track was one of the best.
I want the classic Grand Valley is back.

 

[Fezzik]

The track has been changed too much!

Has it really?



To use a real-life example, this is not like Hockenheim where they changed the entire character of the track. Or Silverstone where they moved the pit complex halfway round the track / new Club section / new straight / removed Bridge corner etc.

The layout and flow are still recognizably Grand Valley, even with the totally new environment.

 

[Sturdy]

Has it really?



To use a real-life example, this is not like Hockenheim where they changed the entire character of the track. Or Silverstone where they moved the pit complex halfway round the track / new Club section / new straight / removed Bridge corner etc.

The layout and flow are still recognizably Grand Valley, even with the totally new environment.

That video really drives it home for me, yes the elevations have been flipped a bit, but other than sector 3 (which I think is more enjoyablenow ) the actual flow of the track, the types of corner and how you approach them is very similar.

 

[MidnightRun85]

Has it really?



To use a real-life example, this is not like Hockenheim where they changed the entire character of the track. Or Silverstone where they moved the pit complex halfway round the track / new Club section / new straight / removed Bridge corner etc.

The layout and flow are still recognizably Grand Valley, even with the totally new environment.

The one thing I noticed most from that video is the elevation profile - it's almost like they reversed it. Many times when in previous versions you were climbing a hill to a corner, you're now dropping down a hill. That vastly changes the way you approach corners, so massively changes the feel of things. I think also the tunnels being in different sections changes the feel too. I used to love the Monaco-like final tunnel in GVS, but that's now replaced with a tight, short tunnel followed by a nasty chicane.

It's not that I don't like the new circuit - by all accounts I actually find it quite fun to drive - but calling it Grand Valley is the bit where I think people are getting up in arms. Because it's not the old circuit, and doesn't feel like the old circuit.

 

[SkylineObsession]

What i would like to see happen (not like the development team will get time for this though) is for PD to take all of these classic tracks (HSR, Trial Mountain, Deep Forest, Grand Valley Speedway, Midfield etc etc) straight from GT2 and modernise them directly from those layouts with those looks (i.e. actual forest at Deep Forest etc), and simply refer to the tracks as Classic Trial Mountain, Classic Deep Forest etc.

I do like/love the look of these GT Sport/GT7 reincarnations (the location for the new GV is awesome, i love the 'road' feel of it), but because they've played around with track lengths and layouts and scenery in cases like Grand Valley, they just don't have the same feel/appeal/nostalgia value.

And before anyone whines at me for whining about a longing for nostalgia, don't waste your time. I've been silently (logged off) reading comments on these forums for a good year or more now so have heard it all, and don't care that you think i'm making a big deal out of wanting the Gran Turismo of old to come back.
There's a massive amount of people out there who are disappointed with GT7, and we've got every right to feel this way. Doesn't mean we won't play it, but we feel there's so much that is wrong with the game that could have been right had Polyphony kept the same formula they've used in all prior numbered titles.

I'm lucky enough to still own every single GT game sold in New Zealand, and still own a working PS2, PS3, PS4 and have access to my wife's PS1 and PSP to play all the original games. I still have a 25 inch CRT TV to play the older ones on too.
I've been playing Gran Turismo for about 25 years now, i know what i love about the series and what i hate. No harm in me, and others, desiring a GT that has all the things we love and less of the things we hate.

So i can go play the originals at any time, but i (and MANY others here) want to race these old tracks in their original layouts with modernised visuals, with currently available vehicles. If you have a problem with our desire for this then that's on you - leave us alone and go find someone else to complain about if that's what helps you sleep at night. I won't respond to troll attacks, as i'm mature enough to not stoop that low.

 

[Dave A]

Has it really?



To use a real-life example, this is not like Hockenheim where they changed the entire character of the track. Or Silverstone where they moved the pit complex halfway round the track / new Club section / new straight / removed Bridge corner etc.

The layout and flow are still recognizably Grand Valley, even with the totally new environment.

It's changed enough that it doesn't feel like Gran Valley to enough people, and IMO that's a combination of scenery and layout.

Though the layout seems failry similar (final sector aside) at a glance, however there's a lot different when it comes to the cambers, elevations and radiuses.

Overlaying the layouts will show the new track is pretty simialr in many aspects, not an exact match, but pretty close, but looking how they drive, they are quite different in many places. Add the completely difference scenery and it feels like a completely different track.

It's still a good track IMO though.

 

[GingerBredMan]

PD: releases old tracks just with updated graphics
Internet: boo, recycling old content, just an up-rezzed port, lazy devs

PD: releases old track with new environment and graphics
Internet: boo, give us the old location, no one asked for this, bland/featureless, created with track editor, lazy devs

PD: releases brand new track
Internet: boo, give us Seattle/Red Rock/etc

Yes, people complain. Welcome to the real world bud.

If you’re ok with PD wasting time making classic tracks look like Mario Kart tracks, then great! Enjoy Apricot Hill when it’s added in 5 years.