I arrived here in April 2014, thinking that I finally found a great news source for my favorite game. Apparently, I got more than what I wanted and I enjoyed every moment of it.
Despite the rocky start that I had in my early days (10 warning points for ignorantly starting an AUP-breaching discussion just three months into my membership - sorry
@daan!
), ultimately it was the content that's being shared in and around the forum, and the member interactions in between that made me stay.
I remember opening the site every week, eagerly waiting for
@Terronium-12's GTPlanet Weekly Rewinds to pop up on top of the home page. I also enjoyed
@glassjaw,
@Brend, and
@SlipZtrEm's writeups about classic racing games, "Time Extend", and/or real-life car reviews, respectively.
@Cytoria's GT Photo Mode - and eventually Livery Editor - competitions are absolutely delightful to take part in. Gran Turismo was what inspired me to become a car photographer, and it's nice to essentially share my virtual photography works with the extremely talented Photo Mode forum regulars.
I have no idea if these guys are still active, but I wouldn't have been able to create amazing car renders in S-Tuner if I hadn't met
@Mat123,
@KazaMR2, and
@TheNeos here.
The
Car of the Week thread is one of my favorites here, and one that I've been meaning to contribute for a long while if it weren't for conflicting time zones on the online races. I do remember joining in
@Nismonath5's Dirt Rally 2.0 lobby by chance, and I've never had so much fun totaling my car in Scotland.
As for conflicting time zones, I can't end this topic without mentioning
@Famine's Racers Reunited - and the
recent GTPlanet Career Mode Challenge - leagues. I've had some of the cleanest and most competitive races with them, despite constantly being at the mercy of the all-knowing Kerfuffle. I hope to be a regular again once I get my PS+ membership sorted and my DS4 fixed.
But then again, none of these would be possible if it wasn't for
@Jordan himself. Whams and Careys aside, I think we all owe you - and all the staff both current and emeritus - everything for making this platform last this long and remain this populated, both quality and quantity-wise.
Looking forward to the next 20 years with you all.