I attended the event 20th May at The Copperbox Arena. Here's my run through of what it was like...
The ticket comprised entry to the indoor event, a meal token and a token for a ride in one of several track cars which were running through a course which was laid out in the carpark.
There was also a free bar all night.
Inside the arena we were ushered along a cool dark cloth tunnel decorated with electric blue lighting and into the main hall. Around the outside were a collection of vehicles from the game, specifically VGT cars. These were lifesize but roped off so look but don't touch was the order of the day. Cool to see them in the flesh though.
At the rear of the arena were ten or fifteen pods, the familiar ones which appear at events around the world, and I think also at GT academy events. These were all kitted out with racing seats, wheels and pedals. No shifters just paddles on the back of each wheel. Headphones were supplied but on a couple of rigs the connection between headphone and output device was knackered so on at least two pods the sound was monaural. Bit of a shame.
At the front of the arena was a large stage upon which were placed 16 pods with a slightly different set-up of wheel and pedals. These were far more reclined and the pedals were raised higher to simulate being inside a racing car cockpit. This was to become the stage for 16-strong live races, three or four of which ran throughout the night. To sign up you simply queued up and registered then waited for your name to be called out. The races were commentated on by GT Planet which was cool.
In between the front stage, the nearby seating (about 7 rows of 'concert' seating all across the width of the arena) and the VGT cars was the bar. Did I mention it was a free bar? All night? Yes it was. Considerably free. All night.
In fact I just want to explain that any inaccuracies in my ramble here are likely to be due to my own over indulgence in the aforementioned free bar. Kaz and the crew got myself and my girlfriend pretty plastered - a joy for us as we realised we'd accidentally turned the event into a bit of a p1ssup rather than spent time seriously checking out the game and taking video/photos to share. Apologies for that. The atmosphere was very friendly though so it was difficult not to just forget the reporter job and to just enjoy ourselves.
The game:
I played on one of the rigs at the rear of the arena first. My headphones were only dropping sound into my left ear, which was a bit of a bummer, but anyway...
I drove an Aston GT3 around the Green Hell. My first thoughts were how much more bite I found from kissing the kerbs on an apex. Far more so than in GT6. The front of the car would be pulled right in causing the rear to step out abruptly.
I also thought the steering response was unusual - the more I turned the wheel the faster the steering was applied, so with a little input to begin with I soon found I was riding over the inside kerb again by just applying a little more steering. I'm not sure if this was a setting or a characteristic of the wheel they had at the event. My own wheel is a G29 and I think they were using T300s at the event (someone please correct me if I'm wrong there). Anyway, I found it difficult to get used to.
The actual experience of this iteration of the circuit was cool though. Although the lighting looked quite unnatural the level of detail was a vast improvement on what we currently have in 6, which isn't bad at all don't get me wrong but this newer version is fabulously rich and detailed. At the sides of the road after Kallenhard the grass run-off has been treated to a sprinkling of reality with dry, cracking mud and small stones (I'm sure this sort of detail is throughout but I always find more time to look around at that point on the circuit). The road itself looked a bit artificial, but again I think because I was racing at midday there wasn't a lot going on with shadow play.
The car itself felt different to what I'm used to in GT6. Although as far as I'm aware there isn't a GT version of an Aston in GT6 currently so it's a bit unfair to compare directly.
The uber smooth look of the action is at a level we've not come anywhere close to in previous versions of the game. Framerates were impressive, although there were still some dropped details in, for instance, the looming grandstand building on the start/finish straight at Brands Hatch tended to flicker into full resolution as I rounded the final bend and began looking ahead again.
There were also similar issues on certain sections of the 'ring.
I mustn't forget - smoke effects are not played out in the rear view mirror as they happen. You still have to actually switch to rear view to admire your smoke on the exit of a nice drifty corner.
As for the sounds it was difficult to tell with my busted headphones. But to be honest if there are improvements to the sound they're subtle. We're used to subtle improvements from Kaz and the team, but I was hoping for a little less gentle and a little more brutal in the engine/gearbox/braking sounds department. The ever-irritating tyre screech remains, but in, again, a slightly softer sense. It's still annoying though.
Overall the game looks far more polished than GT6. But to me it doesn't look like the improvements are substantial enough to place a grin on most GTers faces.
As for new tricks? Well, not a great deal new to speak of. The menus and transitions are more polished but don't appear to allude to anything spectacular. As has been the word of the event this presentation of GTS is not the final version, and so I don't really think the menus we saw at The Copperbox are there to stay.
Menu-wise there were no options for qualifying, grid or rolling start. The in-game options for changing a car still seem to remain a dream.
At the end of the event (to cut what is already a long story a little shorter than it could've been) Kaz and the PD team stepped up on stage and ran through an expo of what's in store. After which he held a Q&A session with his translator.
Many people asked questions, about all sorts of things. Somebody asked if Tourist Trophy would make a return - Kaz said anything's possible!
My question: I guessed it was highly unlikely that GTS would see any old tracks because of its status as a 'brand new' variant of Gran Turismo, and because of the tie-ins with the FIA for official events, so I asked if once GTS had been completed and put out into the word would we be likely to see the return of the original courses such as Seattle and El Capitan (to name but a few) in GT7?
Kaz's answer was pretty much that the team has put so much into the new GTS game that who's to say that it itself isn't also GT7. He then went on to explain that it's possible some of the old tracks might come back in the future.
We've heard this before. I won't be holding my breath.
So - all in all it was an almighty great big booze-up. I was hanging by the time I left, and rough as a badger's batty the morning after. But it was fun to go to an event to celebrate a game I've been playing since GT2 on the original PS.
Oh. The carpark thing was a blast! Stunt driver Terry Grant took me for a spin in an open top Jag F-Type - there are a few vids on Youtoob about this already, well worth a look.
The in-house competition on stage was a larf too - although I was a bit gutted after watching the first race around Brands Hatch that I was lumbered with an oval circuit for my race. I started 3rd and finished 10th. It was fun, but I don't race ovals.
So thanks very much to GT Planet for giving me the opportunity to attend!
It was excellent! Fun, fun, fun, really cool to smoke and chat with Kaz, really cool to play the new GT game and a wonderful surprise it took place in my home city. Oh and there was a really cool free bar. Did I mention that? Free bar.
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