Investing in cars and mods wisely to get you investment/return-ratio right.
Setting up your car to meet entry requirements.
Speculating on prize cars so you could participate in other racing series.
Constantly scanning the used car dealership for special cars.
...
All these things gave Gran Turismo the character of a very well balanced management simulation rather than just a racing sim. That's something that I really deeply got into and it used to be a GT trademark.
That is exactly why i have always liked gran turismo. There is a certain diversity to the game. You can collect and tune cars. You can race Isuzu Bellet against lotus and bmw m3. I think its the way the PD markets it as a simulator for car ENTHUSIASTS. I feel great games like Pcars and AC are "just" simulators - you cant do much more and the car roster is a bit boring. Thats also why i commented, that i miss the used car dealership from GT5 - one couldnt just go and buy any car. I do believe GT Sport will have some of this, if it is a full Gran Turismo game. I think GT6 was a bit too easy of a game to collect money, or then it was the anniverssary edition that gave too much right at the start. Its just that the game can be demanding or it can offer everything easily - cant be both.
I think GTS is pretty much exactly the same as every other GT game, they have made no real advances nor have they implemented any fan suggestions. PD are probably the most ignorant game dev I've come accross & keep on making the same old mistakes over & over again. The game is showing it's age, & I think that the competition will have them beaten this tiime around. But GT has armies of loyal fans that will line up to buy it, so I don't think they're going to go out of business. However, as the game stands I won't be one of them.
I think GT games have just done the same thing better over the years. From what i have seen titles like GT6 have evolved greatly from the day it was released. Theres also the thing that many of the fan wishes have been unrealistic or irrelevan - they just cant fullfil every wish. I think PD has been so long head and shoulders above other studios, that people a having unrealistic expectations. A lot of the features we see in current games have been in GT years ago. They have set the bar too high them selves. Really the only games really rivaling the Gran Turismo as a whole is Forza and Forza Horizon combined, and from what i have seen, if the content is similar to GT5>6, they are once a step ahead of Forza. The field of competition is extreamly even though, and theres always things some of the rival games does better - which bring the final choice down to everyones personal preferences.
I don't have to win each and every race, I get weary of finishing 13th or worse every race online or off trying to race cleanly. Some track/car combos in the beta allow for realistic racing, but most have been dreadful. I'd rather just race against the AI if this is what Sport mode is all about.
With that said, I'll still get the game.
Theres always the "human factor" not even PD can control. Theres alway rammers and part of the magic in online racing is that you have to play in different kind of situations. Sometimes its a win and sometimes one loses - the race and ones mind, but that makes it interesting. There has been some rewarding moments when one is able to lure the ramming troll out of the competition and out of the game.
I must say online gaming does take some effort and good nerves, but the reward is even greater when everything goes well.
I must also say, that as much as i like the beta, i very much appreciate every positive and negative comment here. Im answering and challenging the comments to create conversation. I might even be wrong every now and then.
It is the most beneficial way to evolve things to right direction.
Also have to note, that it seems my time with the beta has been a smooth sailing compared to some others. No cars jumping, good ping (ithink ive had one race with ping issues), mostly ok or great racing, only few crash pack experiences. everything smooth and not even too many ghosting issues or exploits. Maybe im just lucky.
No one is waiting for the perfect package ( to my knowledge) and no, that isn't what updates are for, especially when we are talking about a AAA title. What many are waiting for is a game at the top or on par with other racing games especially after 2 very disappointing titles. It was hard to believe PDI could make a poor game like GT6 after how poor GT5 was, and now it seams they have outdone themselves and releasing what looks to be even more limited and behind the pack. We're talking about a dev that has tens of millions more budget than any other dev in the racing genre. Far from the perfect package, decent would be a start.
I must say i have enjoyed both GT5 and GT6 very much. GT6 mostly online though. Not perfect games by far, but I still havent seen a perfect game. Maybe Gran Turismo is just my kind of game. There seems to be this weird collective opinion how GT5 and GT6 have failed - for me both games are right there in the top 2 of games i have put most hours. Wouldnt call that a fail.
I would also challenge people to try new ways and not quiting after first fail. I remember how i used to get my butt kicked in all online games - no matter if it was GT, Battlefield, world of tanks or any other. There is another learning curve when moving from offline to online just as if learning a new game. it takes few nights to get there in the middle of the pack, but its well worth it.
the same goes with the real life races sounds - not that much rumble there either aside few exceptions like amg gtr, ford gt and c7 gt3. Also one must decide if we want all kinds of trivial details on trees and track side objects, or we want smooth mechanics and framerate..
