The effect Gran Turismo has had on your life

[Parnelli Bone]

I live in America too.
Anyway, what Misnblu said. I dont have a car yet but I sometimes find myself absentmindedly sketching curves and the best line through them, or walking in a racing line.
Do you think Im crazy?

Hey if you're crazy, I'm also crazy! Right now my whole entire life is pretty much cars--I work in a garage doing mostly maintenance stuff (tires, oil, belts, etc) and everyday I get to drive drive drive. Everything from crappy Tercels and yuppy Camrys & Accords to BMW 8 series and Jags. Trucks, sport/crosssover SUV's, you name it. And then I come home and take a shower, then race race race. It's like a frickin' drug. All my friends live in Baltimore (1/2 hour away) so I only get to see them maybe once a week.

 

[Rogue Ssv]

Well, you're lucky lucky lucky.

 

[misnblu]

You're not crazy at all.
I find myself doing that at work.
It's funny you should mention that about walking and following lines.
I do the same at work.
When I walk down the aisles at work, always try to hit the apex of that aisle and find myself getting snagged on the peg hooks that tend to stick out because of the lean I have, going around that corner.
Yeah, that's crazy.

Like Parnelli Bone said, I'm car crazy and have been since I was 10.
The only thing I'm more in love with is paintball and all the hard work has paid off. But that's another success story, just like my bracket racing with my car.

When I retire from paintball though, I'll be getting heavy back into cars and make my mid 15 second car into a 12 second ripper. But that again, is another story.

Lastly, I'll be taking my car to an actual track in New Orleans La. called No Problem Raceway which is a 1.5 mile road course that I'll be doing some laps on before summers end.
I can't wait for this as the car is pretty much setup for that kind of racing and am dying to see if all that GT racing is going to help me follow some good lines around the track and kick some butt. lol
It'll be for fun but you never know what doors that might open and get hooked on course racing. That by the way would be fine by me.

Misnblu

 

[Pupik]

I should make this a stickie but need to see if more responses are coming.

Long time, no see...misnblu!

I suppose the effect Gran Turismo has had on me is that I play less different video games, and more GT1/2/3/4...well, not as much 1 and 3 lately! I've never cared much for the online-community thing until I thought I was bored with GT2; I explored the GTF and eventually came here to stay. I've told GTPlanet all about my life, my cars, racing stories, opinions, dreams, goals, and told jokes and lots of stories, both wonderful and dreadful. I've also just sat around and chewed the fat with fellow GT fans, asked questions, and answered lots of them in return. I never thought I'd be one of those 4000+ post people, but now I am.

I've been a car nut since I was 11 years old; my dad was a car freak when he was young, and I've been a race fan for a long time too. My brother and I would pester the car salesmen at auto shows just to see if they knew their products as well as we did. As for video games; I remember playing Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Pole Position since I was 6 years old (although a quarter was a week's allowance at the time!), and settling my rear on the couch to play my Atari 2600 for hours and hours on rainy days.

 

[HACKr]

For some reason I feel Deja Vu.

Anyway, GT has actually taught me basically everything I know about cars...

...Plus it's eaten all of my free time.

 

[misnblu]

Long time, no see...misnblu!

Yup, it's been awhile but still hanging in there.
Just not that much time to post and must continue to thank Jordan for keeping me here.
Thanks Jordan.

Misnblu

 

[Rogue Ssv]

Hahaha we're all freakn crazy!
Seriously, following a racing line when walking is really messed up.
And my mom thinks Im the only one..
Ive been car crazy since 1 month old!

 

[Parnelli Bone]

Long time, no see...misnblu!

I suppose the effect Gran Turismo has had on me is that I play less different video games, and more GT1/2/3/4...well, not as much 1 and 3 lately! I've never cared much for the online-community thing until I thought I was bored with GT2; I explored the GTF and eventually came here to stay. I've told GTPlanet all about my life, my cars, racing stories, opinions, dreams, goals, and told jokes and lots of stories, both wonderful and dreadful. I've also just sat around and chewed the fat with fellow GT fans, asked questions, and answered lots of them in return. I never thought I'd be one of those 4000+ post people, but now I am.

I've been a car nut since I was 11 years old; my dad was a car freak when he was young, and I've been a race fan for a long time too. My brother and I would pester the car salesmen at auto shows just to see if they knew their products as well as we did. As for video games; I remember playing Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Pole Position since I was 6 years old (although a quarter was a week's allowance at the time!), and settling my rear on the couch to play my Atari 2600 for hours and hours on rainy days.

I'll go on record as saying I thought the Atari 2600 (when I was a teen) was the greatest invention ever made. Same thing with the Sony Walkman. Anyways, I would spend a bit of time at the arcades myself. That would only go so far and last so long...eventually you ran out of quarters. The cool thing bout the 2600 was: as long as your house had electricity, you could play all night. Or all day!

I remember my Aurora / AFX race car set...everything from a 60s era Good Humor truck to my trusty NASCAR Thunderbird. I still have all my cars but I'm eventully gonna sell them on eBay and make mint. GT2 is really an extension of the good times me & my friends had in the 80s racing all the different cars.

I'll never race in real-life so GT2 & 3 are my fix for now!

 

[Tahitidrift]

Seems like I'm not the only one. Like most of you before Gran Turismo 2 I didn't knew nothing about cars, and when I say "nothing", I meant "NOTHING". No clutch, no Muffler, no weight reduction, or anything like that. But now I love cars, and I want to be a mechanic or something like that. Sadly, my friends keep with that s**t of "fast tuned cars are invencible". Some day they will find the light.

 

[Thiele]

before i got Gran Turismo, i was never interested in cars, but after Gran Turismo, i want every racing game on the market, rally, road, motorbikes, and i want to be a mechanic when i grow up now

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I really dig being a mechanic. I only wish I had started earlier in life...like right out of high school. I'd be pretty well-off by now, making flat-rate instead of $10.00 an hour. So start young and keep at it, even if it means doing oil changes and plugging tires for a couple years.

 

[Thiele]

$10 per hour is heaps

 

[ken2903]

not sure if the gran turismo games have actually changed my life but they've always been around.
i bought gt1 a week after it first came out here, and have bought every other gt within a day or two of there release. i dont play the pre gt4 games much anymore, but i still have them all just in case i feel the need. they have taught me a bit about settings and tuning cars as well as driving, eg racing lines etc... sometimes i get bored with racing and might go 2 or three weeks without playing it, i usually replace them with one of the MGS's or GTA's wich i have collected alongside GT's throughout the years, but i always come back to it when i get bored with them.
not sure what year it was now, but i was in year 7 or 8 at school when GT1 came out, i remember playing it with one of my mates (we still have massive 2 player battles with GT4 and TT) untill my thumbs were blistered and bleeding (nothing to do with the brian adams song) but they grew tougher and were fine by the time GT2 came out.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

not sure if the gran turismo games have actually changed my life but they've always been around.
i bought gt1 a week after it first came out here, and have bought every other gt within a day or two of there release. i dont play the pre gt4 games much anymore, but i still have them all just in case i feel the need. they have taught me a bit about settings and tuning cars as well as driving, eg racing lines etc... sometimes i get bored with racing and might go 2 or three weeks without playing it, i usually replace them with one of the MGS's or GTA's wich i have collected alongside GT's throughout the years, but i always come back to it when i get bored with them.
not sure what year it was now, but i was in year 7 or 8 at school when GT1 came out, i remember playing it with one of my mates (we still have massive 2 player battles with GT4 and TT) untill my thumbs were blistered and bleeding (nothing to do with the brian adams song) but they grew tougher and were fine by the time GT2 came out.

A week after GT first came out? Very cool. Yeah I pretty much play until I get burned out, then I'll put GT away until the "need" as you put it, strikes again. That usually happens within 3 or 4 days!

 

[SportWagon]

I've pretty much stopped playing GT now. Summer came, and GT4 is just way too time-consuming. I guess I had already switched to TT (I count that as GT), but it seemed time-consuming too; only difficult stuff was left to finish, I guess.

There aren't really any suitably-lengthed satisfying events in GT4. But contemplating going back to previous versions, I'd miss the way cars can get all squirrelly on you in GT4. I did a quick session of GT3 a few weeks back to check something, and really noticed how unrealistic it felt--just too easy to keep in control.

GT must have helped me decide to get my Impreza Sport Wagon. I drove it on the Autumn Ring Maxi the past two weekends --going over the north shore of Lake Superior, and back. On the twisty roads closer to home, I'm more aware of weight transfer than I would have been before.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I did a quick session of GT3 a few weeks back to check something, and really noticed how unrealistic it felt--just too easy to keep in control.

GT must have helped me decide to get my Impreza Sport Wagon. I drove it on the Autumn Ring Maxi the past two weekends --going over the north shore of Lake Superior, and back. On the twisty roads closer to home, I'm more aware of weight transfer than I would have been before.

That goes without saying. GT4 definately is the most precise, with GT3 in 2nd place and GT2 (to me) is the least realistic. In GT1, the handling may not be 100% accurate, but at least your settings feel like they make a huge difference.

Also, i'm confused on your last comment. What's the Autumn Ring Maxi? Are you saying it's a real place? YOu musta been hit by snow recently i imagine, if you're up near the great lakes.

 

[SportWagon]

I just missed the snow, luckily. (skillfully?)

Anyway, Highway 11/17 following the north shore of Lake Superior is a long series of twisting hills with lots of rock-cuts through temperate forests. Although up into coniferous forest territory (white pine? blue spruce?), there's a suprisingly high proportion of deciduous, albeit probably mostly birch, and so during late September and into October it looks quite a bit like the Autumn Ring. But in a 400 mile long point-to-point version.

 

[usedHONDA]

It affected me by making me forget to eat lunch.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I just missed the snow, luckily. (skillfully?)

Anyway, Highway 11/17 following the north shore of Lake Superior is a long series of twisting hills with lots of rock-cuts through temperate forests. Although up into coniferous forest territory (white pine? blue spruce?), there's a suprisingly high proportion of deciduous, albeit probably mostly birch, and so during late September and into October it looks quite a bit like the Autumn Ring. But in a 400 mile long point-to-point version.

That's funny, i always imagined Autumn Ring was from the foothills in Pennsylvania. We're not that far off from the truth i guess. Also, i recently got to drive my sister's 2001 Legacy Outback, i agree...it really is a tight car...the steering and traction are so precise, and then when you kick down the accelerator that little engine hauls!

GT affected me yesterday with yet another car review...this time the Fiat Coupe. I didn't mean to start writing yesterday...sometimes all the words are just there.

http://community.webtv.net/thebeast66/FiatCoupe20Turbo20v

 

[Mr.Duel]

If there's one instance I can truly attribute to this was my braking to a red light. T'was raining lightly one morning and I was probably going to fast for the conditions. Light turned yellow, fraction of a second to decide when to step on the brake & how far till the intersection. Stepped on the brake gradually then slammed on it. Skidded about 15 meters and stopped just a foot over the limit line on road. Got Gold on the braking test the night before.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

If there's one instance I can truly attribute to this was my braking to a red light. T'was raining lightly one morning and I was probably going to fast for the conditions. Light turned yellow, fraction of a second to decide when to step on the brake & how far till the intersection. Stepped on the brake gradually then slammed on it. Skidded about 15 meters and stopped just a foot over the limit line on road. Got Gold on the braking test the night before.

Slick!

 

[sucahyo]

Skidded about 15 meters and stopped just a foot over the limit line on road.

, what an experience, 15 meters skid is very long skid.

 

[Mr.Duel]

ROFL, yeah and after that the engine stalled. I won't do that agin though for sho, realized later that the street filled with ppl & slow pokes is not a race track

 

[Smoke_U_24/7]

I know a friend that taught himself how to drive in real life from Gran Turismo. He was only 17 years old. Now, he's one of the best drivers that I know.

 

[Xtreme Drifter]

GT taught me so much things. I already knew how to drive a car fast, but GT make me think why that happens. Then I learned how suspensions works, lsd, transmission, aerodynamics, etc... learned how to push the car to the limits, shift weight, then drift. Today, in GT (I don't have a car already), I can drive almost every car at my own style, with a little of oversteering, and I believed that maybe I can apply what I learned with time.

 

[Stevisiov]

In have to say I reached a point of about 70% complete on Gran Turismo 4 way back in 2005 and this for me was enough juice to squeeze out of the game, I had got bronzes on all licences and completed a season of the Formula GT taking first place and A rather slick Sauber Mercedes C9 race car, i left the game for new adventures e.g Toca Race Driver 2... A bad call I had nearly reached the end of the game before deciding it just wasnt Gran Turismo. So I decided to strive for full completion of Gran Turismo 4 but after 85% complete I didn't have the motivation to continue completing the one make races, I decided to try and get all silvers in all lisences, this was a much more of a challenge and I suddenly found myself attached to the game, it didn't take me long to get every silver there was snatching a few golds aswell on the way, after completing a further set of one make races I decided to go for gold on all the liscences which was quite a challenge but one which didn't take me long (except the bloody S-16 round the Nurmb. Which took me over 4 hours). Now I am 98.9% complete but i cant be botherd finishing it. I have decided to follow the WRS instead, and desperately try and beat holl01 which is a pointless excercise because he is just to fast. I can't post my times because I need a max drive or something so I have ordered one of them, and two weeks ago my DFP broke so i have order a G25 which will arrive shortly, but I am lost without it the controller doesn't feel the same, the fact is I am probably playing the game more now then when I originally bought it so maybe i should consider a re-habilitation scheme for Gran Turismo because it had certainly my life

 

[Parnelli Bone]

I know a friend that taught himself how to drive in real life from Gran Turismo. He was only 17 years old. Now, he's one of the best drivers that I know.

I taught myself how to drive when i was 13-14. My parents would go on vacation for 2 weeks at a time every summer and i'd hop in their Peugeot 504 to cruise the neighborhood!

 

[Mr.Duel]

and i'd hop in their Peugeot 504 to cruise the neighborhood!

I love that car Italdesign did that.

 

[orimarc]

Well...I was a car fan since I was born. When I was...3, I think, I had one of these:

(Not that model, but you got the idea)

And I used to race across my corridor, and when I got to the end...I DRIFTED! Yeah, I did a 180, and keep racing. I discovered Gran Turismo by looking at videogame sites, and one day I downloaded ePSXe and GT2 (What? I didn't have the money to buy it. I had a Nintendo 64.) and it clicked on me. The cars, the tracks...I still play it. I played GT1, GT2, and 2 years ago I've got a PS2. One of the first games I buyed? GT4.

 

[ramchargerQC]

gran tourismo 2 do not really change my life, but the game learn me a lot about car and driving, i got addicted to this game for 5 years but 2 years ago i lost it, and finding a place that rent or sell PS 1 game is not easy.