PSM confirms some possibilities?

[McLaren]

What PSM has to say:

Gran Turismo HD

So, the tech demo of E3 2006 became a real game...but what is it, really? It's broken down into two parts: "Classic" and "Premium." The basic idea is that the game disc will be inexpensively priced (or, as rumor has it, potentially free) and you'll download the cars and tracks you want for a yet-to-be-determined fee. On the Classic side, Sony will offer all of the previous GT games' tracks and cars bumped up to high-res for PS3. The Premium component is where 99% of development is focused. It has a new PS3-specific graphics engine with cars that take the developer six months to create - and judging by the one-course demo we played, you can tell. It really is impossible to imagine videogame cars ever looking more detailed.
Many features on the Premium side will be rolled out in phases via downloads, including biggies like full car damage (visual and performance hampering) and totally re-written opponent AI. THere are a lot of ideas on the table for this out-of-the-ordinary entry in the GT franchise, and we'll continue to cover them as they - like the game will be even after it's released - are developed.

 

[JohnBM01]

That's a nice find, fellow Texan. The last thing you underlined on about re-written opponent AI will REALLY be looked at under a microscope by GT fans and critics. It's a continually-evolving package (especially Premium). It will still be interesting to see how all of this plays out.

 

[Jay]

Oh I would love to just atleast one damaged car picture (production road car prefered).

 

[kikie]

I wasn't that interested in GTHD (premium or classic) but reading what PSM has to say, I'm starting to get more interested by the minute. Especially if you can download better AI and full damage.

 

[MasterFocus]

I think I'm changing my mind about getting a PS3 when GT5 is released, I may get a PS3 with GT-HD Classic and/or Premium.... hope that an HDTV wont be necessary to play those game, only time will tell I guess...

 

[UnoMOTO]

That's a nice find, fellow Texan. The last thing you underlined on about re-written opponent AI will REALLY be looked at under a microscope by GT fans and critics. It's a continually-evolving package (especially Premium). It will still be interesting to see how all of this plays out.

Everyone talks about better AI in here. We all agree that What we have isn't as good as it should be. But what would the right AI look like? What are our expectations? Is there a happy place that its not to hard and not too easy?

 

[OZZYGT]

.... hope that an HDTV wont be necessary to play those game, only time will tell I guess...

No it won't, but the point of GTHD is basically to show the resolution capabilities of a PS3. If people complaint a lot about the graphics of GT, they will have to go out and buy an HDTV if they want to fulfill "their demands".
Though I'm not an owner of a HDTV and probably won't be until very far ahead, I will buy the PS3 and both versions of the game.





Ciao!

 

[thebtspecial]

Everyone talks about better AI in here. We all agree that What we have isn't as good as it should be. But what would the right AI look like? What are our expectations? Is there a happy place that its not to hard and not too easy?

I'm not sure what the happy place would be. Maybe if their was the difficulty setting like GT4 except that when raised higher the AI drives faster instead of just being in faster cars. I would like that. Their have been many times that I wanted to race cars identical to mine, but the AI was so bad that I had to raise the level to have a competitive race. And the AI then was driving cars that should have blown the doors off mine. If they would drive decently. Good question though. Many complain, but few can think of a solution.💡

 

[Dave A]

It's not jsut the speed the Ai races at all the time it's the brainless way they drone around the track, the way they don't seem to notice your there in many situations and close races become a match of bumper cars ect. Having them race better isn't just about racing faster though I would also like them to be more competetive in the speed stakes as well.

 

[UnoMOTO]

I'm not sure what the happy place would be. Maybe if their was the difficulty setting like GT4 except that when raised higher the AI drives faster instead of just being in faster cars. I would like that. Their have been many times that I wanted to race cars identical to mine, but the AI was so bad that I had to raise the level to have a competitive race. And the AI then was driving cars that should have blown the doors off mine. If they would drive decently. Good question though. Many complain, but few can think of a solution.💡

Maybe we could download a AI in the way we use b-spec bob. You could choose from levels of driving expertise. Just as bob learns so would the AI. The whole game would keep pace with you as you get better....hummm.💡

 

[TopHat]

I bought a 360 instead of a PS3, just because GT5 wont be out for a while...

 

[DuckRacer]

Didn't they rewrite the AI for GT4?

 

[thebtspecial]

It's not jsut the speed the Ai races at all the time it's the brainless way they drone around the track, the way they don't seem to notice your there in many situations and close races become a match of bumper cars ect. Having them race better isn't just about racing faster though I would also like them to be more competetive in the speed stakes as well.

Yeah, I was kinda assuming they'd fix that problem. Here's to hoping.

 

[OZZYGT]

Didn't they rewrite the AI for GT4?

Yep, backwards.





Ciao!

 

[lmracer]

just think for a second the budget that materializes based around your garage. it will be like buying itune music. but more like buying matchbox cars..

 

[DuckRacer]

Yep, backwards.





Ciao!

Yeah, I figured...

Really, I'm just taking everything with a grain of salt unless photos/videos confirm it.

 

[Tenacious D]

I was going to make this its own thread, but what the heck. And why Oz got this first? Oh well, what a scoop!

http://au.cars.ign.com/articles/744/744294p1.html

Interview: Kazunori Yamauchi
The godfather of GT talks to us about cars, the U.S. tuning lifestyle and a little game called "Gran Turismo HD".
by Justin Kaehler

US, November 6, 2006 - I hate waking up early in general, but I get especially sour if asked to wake up early after a hard night of partying in Las Vegas. But that was exactly what Sony asked me to do the morning of the second day of SEMA. Normally I'd tell the company to piss off - I don't wake up early for anybody - especially while I'm in Vegas.

However, Sony was able to say a few magic words that would cause me to rethink my stance on working early in the morning. Basically, the company asked if I'd like to come up to its private suite at the MGM Grand, play a little bit of Gran Turismo HD for the PlayStation 3 and interview the man behind the game. If anything can get me out of bed in the morning, it's the promise of an exclusive look at the best racing game of all time.

So I show up to Sony's loft early Wednesday morning a little hungover and more than a little disheveled. The Sony rep quickly took me through the basic workings of the PS3 and then turned things over to Gran Turismo mastermind Kazunori Yamauchi. "Kaz" was quick to apologize for the game's appearance. Apparently the team at Polyphony had only been working on the game for six months. Of course, "Kaz" had nothing to apologize for, the game looked absolutely stunning. The graphics were extra sharp, highly detailed and looked to be everything a Gran Turismo fan could possibly want from a next-gen system.

Despite the very early state of the game, "Kaz" was incredibly proud of Gran Tursimo HD. He was quick to point out the metallic paint finishes on the cars, as his team was glad they could now pull off metal flake paint schemes on a home console. Kazunori also took the time to point out how each of the cars' body panels are modeled: the edges of the doors, hood, etc. don't cut off at a 90-degree angle - they are rounded off just like in real life. Even the way the body panels sit together has been lovingly recreated. You can look at the line between the hood and the fender and see a bit of extra body work (the fender) hiding below - again, just as it would appear on a real car. The tires now get bump mapping to show off the manufacturers' names and tire sizes and are lit in real time. I can go on and on about the amount of detail that went into this game, but I just don't have enough space.

Being slightly "out of it", I began to ask Yamauchi-san some questions. Unfortunately, I forgot to turn on my recorder for the first few questions, but I'll summarize what was said. The GT HD demo shown at E3 was just a "prettied-up" version of Gran Turismo 4 and not the "real" Gran Turismo HD game. The version of Gran Turismo HD I was checking out at the MGM was one of the first-ever public showings of the real PS3 build.

I also asked Yamauchi-san if he felt that the game felt like it was "missing" something now that the PS3 controllers have lost their vibration function. "Kaz" sheepishly said "yeah", but was quick to mention that the GT4 Logitech Driving Force Pro will be compatible with GT HD. And with that I finally remembered to turn on my recorder. The questions jump around a bit, but hey - it was first thing in the morning. In Vegas. I'm just proud I was able to utter a few coherent sentences.

IGN Cars: Let's talk a bit about what it's like to develop games for the PS3... When the PS2 first came out, most game developers said that it was really difficult to make games for the system. Of course, now that the PS2 is on it's way out, we're seeing some really beautiful games from the hardware. With the PS3, is it easy to use the system's full potential from the get-go, or is there still a really steep learning curve when it comes to programming for the system?

Kazunori Yamauchi: It's very unique to the game industry, where software developers, one of the focus points is to optimize against the hardware performance. It's almost like their nature to do this. So obviously, yes, as we move to the PS3, that is one of the things that game designers and engineers will look into. Obviously with the power that the PlayStation 3 provides - much more than PS2 - I guess that (the learning curve) is equally steep.

IGN: Okay, now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about the game itself. The Gran Turismo series is revered for having accurately-modeled real-life race circuits in the game, and the course we just saw is based on a real-life hiking trail. Will Gran Turismo HD retain all of the real-life courses from past games? And on top of that, will GT HD feature any new real-life courses that haven't made an appearance in any of the previous GT games?

Kazunori: To answer the first part of your question: yes, we are aiming to bring forward all of the tracks that we have featured so far to GT HD on PS3. In terms of new tracks, yeah we will continue with our concept and key focus and continue and follow up with new tracks - real tracks - some from the U.S., some from other parts of the world. So there are probably a couple (tracks) you can think of that are still not included in GT.

IGN: Sony has been hyping up the new online capabilities of the PS3, so we gotta ask: this latest version of Gran Turismo will finally be playable online, right?

Kazunori: Yes. Exactly.

And it goes on for two more pages!

 

[Dave A]

I like the last question.

IGN: Okay, one more question. You mentioned that Gran Turismo HD is supposed to ship in late 2007. Is that a rock-solid ship time? Or will this game be delayed like every other GT game?

Kazunori: We will do our best to meet that date.

 

[Exenter]

IGN: Okay, one more question. You mentioned that Gran Turismo HD is supposed to ship in late 2007. Is that a rock-solid ship time? Or will this game be delayed like every other GT game?

What??? the game is coming out in late 2007???

 

[MasterGT]

What??? the game is coming out in late 2007???

It's an obvious mistake. Another reason to take web site and magazine info with a pinch of salt.

Cheers,

MasterGT

 

[MasterFocus]

What??? the game is coming out in late 2007???

I guess its better to say it will come out in mid 2008

 

[DuckRacer]

I guess its better to say it will come out in mid 2008

Hell, at this point, GT6 will probably be on the PS4.

 

[Mt. Lynx]

I think that is a typo. GTHD was supposed to be shipped march or april -07 (PAL). Meh, that could mean that GTHD is the typo, and it´s really meant to say GT5! Wouldn´t that be a treat?

 

[UnoMOTO]

Have you not gotten used to every one of these games taking too long and being late. Get over it and stop complaining, It won't make them move any faster. Lets talk about all the postitives in that artical.

IGN: You mentioned your love for Le Mans and Formula 1. Previous GT games have had an unlockable F1-style car, but no real F1-style race. Will we be seeing more Le Mans-style and F1 cars in GT HD?

Kazunori: My goal is to try to expand even further than where we are now... I'd like to include vehicles like the midget race cars...

How much fun would that be?

IGN: Really? I bet no one would have thought you'd want to include midget race cars in the GT series... Speaking of cars that go sideways, previous GT games have featured real-life D1 cars. I guess that this is more of a PS3 technical question, but many of today's D1 cars use chrome/reflective vinyl graphics. Do you think that the PS3 will be able to accurately replicate these chrome graphics?

Kazunori: Yes. PS3 should allow for that.

Finally...we get a little flash. No more are we at the mercy of car maufacture colors!

IGN: What kind of customization will we be able to see in Gran Turismo HD? Will we be able to see a deeper level of customization than what has been seen in previous GT games? Like, will we be able to tune the aero parts of the car and add vinyls? Or will this newest GT continue to focus mainly on engine and suspension tuning?

Kazunori: (Brings up GT HD's car-select screen and selects a Skyline - which just so happens to fill up the entire screen.) We may not be able to provide this immediately off the bat when we launch, but the cars we are designing/modeling for PS3... you see that line separating the bumper from the body? That (bumper) comes off. Again, previously a car model in GT 4, it was one skin. Now you can take parts off, because the cars are made up of components. So for this Skyline, for instance, you can take off the front bumper and replace it with something else.

IGN: Is the plan to get licensed aero kits like C-West and Mugen? Or will all the aero kits be GT-original designs?

Kazunori: It would be a combination of both, actually.

Real manufatured body kits...no computer molded cheap looking crap. These are all good things to expand on. It also came strait from the kaz himself...its not a if, its a when.

 

[MasterFocus]

Have you not gotten used to every one of these games taking too long and being late. Get over it and stop complaining, It won't make them move any faster. Lets talk about all the postitives in that artical.



How much fun would that be?



Finally...we get a little flash. No more are we at the mercy of car maufacture colors!



Real manufatured body kits...no computer molded cheap looking crap. These are all good things to expand on. It also came strait from the kaz himself...its not a if, its a when.

if you read the last question and the answer that come with it, kaz says that you would have choice between real life bidy kit and polyphony created one so, unfortunately for you, it is likely to have some

computer molded cheap looking crap

 

[UnoMOTO]

if you read the last question and the answer that come with it, kaz says that you would have choice between real life bidy kit and polyphony created one so, unfortunately for you, it is likely to have some

cheap computer molded crap

Why would you say that? This isn't need for speed were talking about here. Name any car in the gt series that wasn't modeled better then any game on the market. Why would you think that the body kits would be any less?

 

[Tenacious D]

Uh... yeah, we all know Polyphony goes for cheapness over quality.

Anyway, the summer 2007 date has been quoted by Kaz a month or so ago. That's why I suggest that GT HD may have a bunch of content on the disc after all, and not have much downloadable content.

 

[UnoMOTO]

Uh... yeah, we all know Polyphony goes for cheapness over quality.

Funny...but when it comes to the "cars" and their detail, PD is second to none. Why does that thought not sit well with the critics?

 

[Dave A]

Like Billy Bob Thornton said about Angelina Jolie, "she was like sleeping with a couch", good looking but not substance. I felt GT4 was like that, great looking but was lacking the whole enjoyment thing for me.

 

[UnoMOTO]

Like Billy Bob Thornton said about Angelina Jolie, "she was like sleeping with a couch", good looking but not substance. I felt GT4 was like that, great looking but was lacking the whole enjoyment thing for me.

I hear what you are saying. It might be hard to find some "new" substance after playing the gt series for the last 8 years. (Hard to believe its been that long now). We do see other games with some nifty ideas, soo if you all want that to be included it will take some time.