Oceania now split from Asia - horrible decision

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Personally, DR/SR ratings are meaningless now in AU/NZ server because everyone (and I mean everyone from S to D) gets lumped together. Your quali and first corner is even more critical than ever. If you can break away from the rest of the pack though, I find the standards of racing is much better (both speed and cleanliness). Because DR/SR doesn't matter anymore, I find myself racing normally now (previously I would alternate 1 win with 1 last place to sandbag my DR and not get matched with super aliens). So in a way, I'm ok with the region split now.

I'd still prefer if leaderboard times are WW though. And to my dismay I just realised we can't use the top replays as ghost, only to watch. What a bonehead decision yet again by PD :banghead:



I don't get kicks anymore but the dreaded error CE-34878-0 still haunts me from time to time. Nothing I do will fix it once I got it, including restarting the PS4/modem/wifi/cache. Just have to let the game cool off for a day and try tomorrow.

Sometimes I wonder what Sony does with all these error reports. Every PS4 firmware update is just "stability fixes" but nothing seems to ever change :rolleyes:

If your game keeps crashing, in my experience it is a dirty and dusty PS4. I was given mine by a friend who claimed it wouldn't read any discs. After research and a few how to videos, I carefully took mine apart, cleaned it entirely and then slowly took apart the disc drive. A few shots of compressed air and a cotton swab with the tiniest amount of rubbing alcohol across the laser lens has fixed all of my game crash and disc read errors. Also cleaning the rollers as they get pretty dirty. I do not recommend doing this if you are even the slightest bit nervous about it as you void the factory warranty by removing the stickers to remove the case screws. If you do decide to do it, touch a lot of metal stuff before you touch your PS4, do not work on it while it's under any kind of power, UNPLUG IT!!!, and do everything you can to avoid building up static electricity in your body. I also recommend purchasing the correct security torx screwdriver bit as you'll only be able to remove the screws once with a standard T8 or T7, forget which one it is.
 
If your game keeps crashing, in my experience it is a dirty and dusty PS4. I was given mine by a friend who claimed it wouldn't read any discs. After research and a few how to videos, I carefully took mine apart, cleaned it entirely and then slowly took apart the disc drive. A few shots of compressed air and a cotton swab with the tiniest amount of rubbing alcohol across the laser lens has fixed all of my game crash and disc read errors. Also cleaning the rollers as they get pretty dirty. I do not recommend doing this if you are even the slightest bit nervous about it as you void the factory warranty by removing the stickers to remove the case screws. If you do decide to do it, touch a lot of metal stuff before you touch your PS4, do not work on it while it's under any kind of power, UNPLUG IT!!!, and do everything you can to avoid building up static electricity in your body. I also recommend purchasing the correct security torx screwdriver bit as you'll only be able to remove the screws once with a standard T8 or T7, forget which one it is.

Dust wise I don't think is an issue. I've only had my PS4 for 14 months, and I'm very particular about dust due to my fat PS3 getting YLOD due to heat issues. I vacuum all the vents and wipe the exterior weekly, and when not using it I cover it with a cloth. Kept my room clean and windows closed as well. Did the same preventative maintenance on my 2nd slim PS3 and after 3 years I opened it and the dust is minimal.

The lens might be the issue because I only get these errors with GT Sport which is the only disc based game I have. My other 2 games (Driveclub and NFS Payback) are digital and never had any issues. It's weird because I only took the disc out once since last year and it was pristine, no sign of scratches whatsoever. Unless the problem is getting more and more frequent and making the game unplayable I might just leave it for now. There's no guarantee it will fix it and might make it worse. With the PS4 nearing the end of its cycle and most of my gaming done on PC nowadays, hopefully it will last until the end *touch wood*.
 
Personally, DR/SR ratings are meaningless now in AU/NZ server because everyone (and I mean everyone from S to D) gets lumped together. Your quali and first corner is even more critical than ever. If you can break away from the rest of the pack though, I find the standards of racing is much better (both speed and cleanliness). Because DR/SR doesn't matter anymore, I find myself racing normally now (previously I would alternate 1 win with 1 last place to sandbag my DR and not get matched with super aliens). So in a way, I'm ok with the region split now.

I think I raced against you today where I was SR:E racing against SR:S drivers in race C. Pretty farcical.
 
Well since my first post about this I had a bit of ago over the "holiday" period. I was still at work though.

Daily races suck.
Not enough people to make it work. One race can have ratings from A+ to E for both DR and SR with lap times varying by up to 10 seconds.
The only good race has been the Blue Moon Bay Speedway race, as slip streaming keeps almost everyone competitive.

The Nations and Manufacturers cup is OK. Calling it Nations cup with 2 countries is a bit laughable though.
I have noticed more disparity between the groupings in the 6 races I have done compared to before the change. I have experienced DR A+ to B in one race but at least the SR is generally all S.
There seems to be just enough people to make it work.


Also I am with some of the others here. The time of the Nation and Manufacture races is to late.
When they changed regions they should have shifted the races by 2 hours.

To put it in perspective for the non Oceania region people the races are run at this time.
New Zealand 11PM to 5AM during DST. 10PM to 4AM otherwise.
NSW, VIC, TAS and ACT 9PM to 3AM during DST. 8PM to 2AM otherwise.
QLD 8PM to 2AM
SA 8:30PM to 2:30AM during DST. 7:30PM to 1:30AM otherwise.
NT 7:30PM to 1:30AM.
WA 6PM to 12AM.

I start work at 6am or 11am alternating most of the time. Having the first race on a Wednesday at 9PM Sydney time is just not really doable for the 6am weeks.
I feel sorry for any NZ players.

Most of the Asian countries we were grouped with before actually have the same timezone as WA(Perth). (GMT +8)

Culturally in Australia people start work early and finish early.
I suspect the race times are based on what I have observed from a cultural perspective when i have traveled to Asian countries. I noticed that in Taiwan, Thailand and Hongkong people tend to start work late, like after 10am and finish late. Everything is closed in the morning!!! I did not observe that so much in Japan most places are closed at night, and no packed streets. But the gaming arcades in Japan are packed late at night. Do they sleep???
 
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*Snip*

Also I am with some of the others here. The time of the Nation and Manufacture races is to late.
When they changed regions they should have shifted the races by 2 hours.

To put it in perspective for the non Oceania region people the races are run at this time.
New Zealand 11PM to 5AM during DST. 10PM to 4AM otherwise.
NSW, VIC and ACT 9PM to 3AM during DST. 8PM to 2AM otherwise.
QLD 8PM to 2AM
SA 8:30PM to 2:30AM during DST. 7:30PM to 1:30AM otherwise.
NT 7:30PM to 1:30AM.
WA 6PM to 1AM.

*Snip*

Are you sure this is the case?
All evidence to me suggests that races in Vic/NSW currently begin at 6:00pm.
2 hours earlier than you are suggesting.

In other words - Current local race times:
Earliest: W.A. - 3pm to 7pm
Latest: N.Z. - 8pm to 12am
 
Smaller fields aren't always a bad thing if it allows you to get better results... Larger fields do make for a better challenge but it also makes for more frustration, and I hated that. A lot more shenanigans went down and I struggled to get decent results at A S rank. I just couldn't compete with guys who were 2 seconds quicker than me, so I usually got stuck in the mid-pack.

So rather than enjoy the ability to know you need to improve and work on it, you go for the essential issue of an OCE based group/server that seems to happen on most eSport games. Small pool of people, competitively not nearly as skilled as other regions, and thus only good in their region mainly. I see an issue of needing to "git gud" rather than anything else.
 
Is it me or just cant compete with Australians and New Zealanders.

With the Japanese I use to compete and even catch up to them but I just cant catch to any Australians am I slow or is there something wrong lol
 
That is indeed correct as of about 1 week ago.
Really! I go on holidays for a week and they change it.
They must have read my mind.

Are you sure this is the case?
All evidence to me suggests that races in Vic/NSW currently begin at 6:00pm.
2 hours earlier than you are suggesting.

In other words - Current local race times:
Earliest: W.A. - 3pm to 7pm
Latest: N.Z. - 8pm to 12am

I'm surprised they changed it by 3 hours. Should have only been 2. To early for WA players. Excuse to finish work early???
Hard to make a compromise for WA to NZ time zone difference.
 
Really! I go on holidays for a week and they change it.
They must have read my mind.



I'm surprised they changed it by 3 hours. Should have only been 2. To early for WA players. Excuse to finish work early???
Hard to make a compromise for WA to NZ time zone difference.
Yep.
The 5 hours difference makes it difficult. 👍
I think I would have preferred to see it 4 - 8 for WA to give a little more time after work.
But then it's a 9pm start for NZ which isn't the best for younger players.
So it's a tough call.
 
I'm enjoying this week's races. Mainly enjoying the racing itself. Not as many mishaps/tangles with other drivers as before.

I do wonder if the amount of D/S drivers I encounter, are mainly due to new accounts over bad players.
 
Is it me or just cant compete with Australians and New Zealanders.

With the Japanese I use to compete and even catch up to them but I just cant catch to any Australians am I slow or is there something wrong lol

To be honest it sounds like you're being paired with better drivers (mostly SR:S) more because there's less players to fill the grids in Oz/NZ races. I was SR:E this week and getting paired with SR:S drivers. Would never have happened pre-Oceania split.
 
It seems that the matchmaking favours filling the grid as much as possible, even if it means having lopsided drivers in one race. In the past with enough players that was ok, but now it essentially made DR/SR useless as everyone always races together anyway.

Here's a question for you all: would you prefer the matchmaking prioritise DR/SR at the cost of smaller grids?
 
So I dipped my foot into sport mode for the first time since the split (actually, since the races went weekly) and I have to say the racing is good ... but I do miss the Japanese drivers. It's good to see that the FIA races are now at a more opportune time.
 
The regions are being re-merged back to how they were for Dailies, but not for FIA Championships

https://www.gran-turismo.com/gb/gtsport/news/00_3166549.html

SO SO SOOOOOOOOOO unhappy about this.

I get it. This may not be a good thing for other regions, but here in North America, I have ADORED having a Canada and USA server. For all the "speculation" and cries of racism, or whatever you want to call it, the races have been far and away cleaner with far fewer hot heads and banzai dive bomb passes. That's been my observation.

Guess sport mode 'dailies" are out the window for me. I have no interest in going back to the way it was.
 
Man I wish the daily scehdule changed I dont like weekly.

The best compromise would be to have the daily races for 3 days then switch to a new one that goes for 3 days again.

Rinse and repeat. I hope PD gives a thought to this because this weeks one is so boring.
 
Man I wish the daily scehdule changed I dont like weekly.

The best compromise would be to have the daily races for 3 days then switch to a new one that goes for 3 days again.

Rinse and repeat. I hope PD gives a thought to this because this weeks one is so boring.
I'd prefer the Seasonal way. Offer Gr1, Gr2, Gr3, Gr4, GrB races all the time. Randomise the GrX and N class races. Weekly, Daily, doesn't matter.
 
I just hope to have a better chance of meeting fairer players and not rammers with the merge... Perhaps I had really bad luck for the past times when it was previously merged compared to the split..

Definitely would love to meet great players around too!
 
Why or Why was this done for everyone???

I get the Asia Oceania thing, seriously, I do, but out here in the Americas, this is a terrible, terrible, terrible thing. Since the split, I could race tight with others and not really worrying about extremely dirty driving. Now, I don't even want to play Sport Mode. I don't want to go back to the hot heads taking you out the race completely because you made a pass, or running you off the road for being alongside.

IMHO there is too great a cultural difference between the North American players and the South+Central American players. Mexico should have been added to the North American server and leave Central and South America to their own devices. I don't even understand how some of the South Americans have SR S ratings.
 
Why or Why was this done for everyone???

I get the Asia Oceania thing, seriously, I do, but out here in the Americas, this is a terrible, terrible, terrible thing. Since the split, I could race tight with others and not really worrying about extremely dirty driving. Now, I don't even want to play Sport Mode. I don't want to go back to the hot heads taking you out the race completely because you made a pass, or running you off the road for being alongside.

IMHO there is too great a cultural difference between the North American players and the South+Central American players. Mexico should have been added to the North American server and leave Central and South America to their own devices. I don't even understand how some of the South Americans have SR S ratings.

You're right the ississ are far different for us in Oceania, there wasn't enough of a player base without Asia.
 
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