Exactly. And this is why I stick with GT when others say to "just play ACC".
TL;DR - I believe the main problem with PoDi as a developer is that they lack focus. Car culture, okay, but what is it exactly that you want to do with the game, Kaz?
The way i see it, Gran Turismo 7 is a jack of all trades, but the negative meaning of it. It's alright at GT3, about enough at LMP, fine at GT500/JGTC/Super GT, pretty good at road cars, abysmal at rally, sorta nice with customization, not bad but irrelevant in the long run when it comes to its car list. The game is average overall.
But let's say someone asks "What is GT7
the best at? Why should I play it instead of Forza?".
What the hell you do you say to that? I genuinely can't think of anything in particular. Visuals? Photomode?
ACC, meanwhile, is hardcore focused on GTWC racing series alone, and it's borderline unbeatable at it. There's very little to take its focus off what it's doing. It really just is a damn good game.
iRacing is focused on racing in general, and it's really good at it. Good physics engine, good sounds, good overall immersion, good and many racing leagues which include multi-class environments, crippling business model. Nothing inbetween, just pure racing.
Basically. There are two key points to good GaaS.
1. Regular roadmaps of future updates so people know what they have to look forward to and are more likely to hang around.
2. Large updates at regular intervals that have enough content to keep players engaged until the next one, or at least a significant amount of time.
PD does neither. They call it one, but it really isn't a GaaS. It's a normal game they're finishing in tiny drip feeds.
TL;DR - Until PoDi understand just how important it is to communicate, GT7, instead of feeling like a game that feels alive, is at best going to feel like a heart that beats twice a month. Once for the "big" update, and a second time for the post-big update hotfix. So far I feel like I'm being actively ignored.
Precisely. GaaS isn't an inherently bad model. It's simple but takes a lot of work to do it right. What's inherently bad is when microtransactions in a game with an entry fee - especially in a 70-dollar first-party PlayStation title - influence the game's core elements.
Step one - start communicating. Dammit, Polyphony. We are screaming at you to tell you what to do next. Why ignore us?
No, the "official" PlayStation forum is not enough. It's vastly not enough. You at least need to properly acknowledge that GTPlanet exists; us generally knowing that "PD look at GTPlanet" isn't that.
Step two - ask us what we want fixed, in what order. Polls are an extremely efficient way to gauge players' interest in different aspects of your game. Polls are good.
Step three - a roadmap with rough date estimates based on these polls. If you miss some of these estimates, it's okay, most people understand that gamedev isn't easy.
Step four - ditch the monthly update schedule. It's not enough; in my opinion weekly updates is the way to go these days. I guarantee you people will be just as glad to receive a single car per week or two weeks instead of three cars in four weeks, it's about the same pace of development. Sprinkle some quality of life stuff in each weekly update.
