I will respond to the original post only because most of the back and forth drifted off topic a bit and I want to directly address the aspects of the game itself.
I hope GT game will make us aware of climate change and also driving safe. I agree with having more electric cars and I hope there are biogas, hydrogen cars in the future in GT and also some message for all gamers to support environmentaly friendly cars.
See, the inclusion of the cars is fine. They exist in real life, they should exist in the game (encyclopedia of cars). I have no problems with a GT version of ALMS' Green Car Challenge. I think it would be a blast to race the Audi TDI models, Peugeot's HDI models, a few of the hybrid prototypes, and Acura's ethanol models against each other. Possibly even replicate the Jetta TDI Cup Race (average 25mpg or more). Anyone who doesn't think this can be fun needs to go look at my Petit LeMans thread. The only issue I see is how to replicate the reliability of the various technologies. When I have seen hybrid vs diesel the hybrids seemed to get an advantage on pit stops, but their low reliability in endurance racing prevented a podium finish. And for the Green Car Challenge, biofuels seem to win a lot.
Now, here is the question; how do you replicate a Green Car Challenge? Do you have a separate set of races just for that (likely best) or do you give a prize bonus in every race for having the lowest fuel consumption? It is obvious that as this stuff becomes important in real life car manufacturing and racing it will appear in GT. My brother and I already did it with GT4 on our own. He owns a Prius, so we bought a similar model and had at it. One test we did was to have me swap out the transmission and see if I can do better. I was obviously much faster, but I had horrible fuel consumption.
But when it is in the game it has to be properly implemented. The Prius special version was fun for advertising and all, but when you put a Jetta TDI against a Prius and the Jetta is rightly getting better mileage and performance we shouldn't hear complaints from the alternative energy fans. Similarly, proper fuel consumption and tank sizes needs to be replicated. What does alternative energy cars add when every car needs to pit for fuel after 10ish laps (just throwing numbers out here, not trying t be accurate). Along those lines, the recharge rates of each car needs to be accurate too, or show a pit animation of a battery switch. Either way it should take longer than a traditional pit stop.
But where you are drifting off is with this statement:
also some message for all gamers to support environmentaly friendly cars
No. Plain and simple, no. This is Yamauchi and PD, not Kojima and Konami. A message like that in Gran Turismo would be completely out of place. If in the detail information for the cars you want to mention the goals of said car companies that is fine, but some kind of message coming from the game? No. The only way I can see that not standing out is if the balance is faked to make alternative energy cars look better. And that would ruin the game. There is no similar form of message coming from GT anywhere in the series. It has been about the cars, not what the cars say or promote.
And I understand the other arguments that Kazunori Yamauchi is including alternative fuel cars because he has looked at them and has an interest, but he said the same thing about NASCAR. This rationale means we should also have a message for all gamers to support NASCAR. Again, no.
And also endorsing proper driving techniques and safety. Seeing some safety tips or message or a track course on how to drive safely. Or safe racing maneuvers should be given as tip and training mode. GT or any games are great mediums to spread ideas to everyone and to influence a lot of people. I hope GT will be like that
What part of this is not covered in the license tests. Those teach proper driving techniques, which also translate to safe techniques. Are you talking about making us parallel park, do a turnabout, following speed limits, using turn signals (where is the control button for that?), merging in traffic, etc. That sound like a better idea for a stand alone thing developed for driving schools or sold as an add on DLC for parents that want to use it. However, there are so many things in real life that can't be replicated in a game like this. How do you replicate looking over your shoulder without moving your hands at the same time? How do you replicate checking mirrors? There are so many minor safety things that you should do in a car that games aren't designed, or able, to teach.
It is a noble idea, but it would be out of place in a racing game to teach anything not related to racing, and all the racing stuff is fairly well covered in the license tests. Add on that it would take a full scale, wrap around motion simulator with eye tracking to properly do everything, and it might even just be cheaper to pay for a driving lesson.
And I somehow made it through all that without mentioning Al Gore.
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Seriously, why do you hippies have to spam every forum about this ****?
