The Gran Turismo World Championship

[JohnBM01]

I figured I'd turn my attention to the Gran Turismo World Championship. Since GT1, the Gran Turismo World Championship has been the signature racing series in Gran Turismo. It is where world-class competition all compete with world-class race cars around some very tough race courses. Victory is determined by successful pit strategy, pure racing skill, and even that 1% of luck. Since this is the signature racing series of the Gran Turismo series, I was wondering what you would suggest to make the signature racing series of Gran Turismo even better. Maybe offer some suggestions as to how to make this signature championship series more accessible so that you don't need an extremely fast car to compete. So what would you suggest?

I'll lead, you follow. I've developed a few models to base this on.

MODEL 1: INITIATE A GT3-STYLE SYSTEM AND COMBINE ALL CLASSES TO MAKE CLASS RACING
An acceptable number of cars to a track would be 20. A perfect number (at least to me) would be 24. If you have a highly-tuned street car modified for racing that makes great power, then you have every right to enter your entry into the GTWC. Let's say you had modified a 1999 BMW 330i to having a wonderful amount of power and performance. And assuming Racing Modifications are in GT5, your entry is as important as an Audi R8. GT3 had three classes of the GTWC:

Beginner: JGTC/Super GT GT300 cars and Rally Cars
Advanced: JGTC/Super GT 500 and DTM Race Cars
Professional: Le Mans Race Cars and GT Prototypes

All of which provided an oppurtunity to race in some of the toughest events against fierce competition. An advantage to this model would be that you won't need a seriously fast car to win the race as long as you're not in the highest level of racing. So you can race the same events that are run in the GTWC, only that you're racing in class, which will still essentially mean 1 vs. 6 for a four-class, 24-car field. It is also an advantage because you learn racing discipline against faster cars. Some race series with powerful cars and so-so powerful cars (for example, an Audi R8 and a Nissan R92CP having to fend off Gillet Vertigos and Chevrolet Camaro Race Cars) would be more interesting. Disadvantage is that some probably don't feel very easy racing against cars they can't win the race with. Play "ToCA Race Driver 3" and do either the 4WD Class Events (GT Discipline), or especially British GT (GT Discipline). Don't feel sorry if you can't lead the race because the game is easy to understand the discrepency(?) between racing classes.

MODEL 2: INITIATE A SEMI-RACING CAREER WHERE YOU MUST EARN PRE-TUNED RIDES
"Pro Race Driver" and "Tourist Trophy" have modes in which you have to earn racing machines rather than just purchase. A big advantage would be that you don't need to purchase a certain car just to enter the GTWC. All you have to do is clear a certain challenge to race for that team. And how about this for an added incentive- win the race, keep the car! And how about winning an extra car just for winning the championship in your class? This can serve dual purposes. It may also lead GT into an evolution of the series where legit race teams can be formed and somewhat of a racing function can be established. Don't have the money for a Team Oreca Viper GTS-R? Earn a ride in a TT-style Challenge Mode event.

MODEL 3: MAKE SOME LADDER SERIES LEADING UP TO THE GT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
A creative way to make the series seem more fun is to come up with mini-series and support series to give you a path to the big leagues. So think about certain Cup series to lead you into the GT World Championship. Polyphony Digital can be creative and come up with some machines specially made for racing. Think about some of the cars raced in the SCCA's Valvoline Runoffs. I'd personally love to see some sort of feeder series with some of the C Sports Racer, D Sports Racer, and even Sports 2000 Series. Something similar to the highly-unique Formula 500 (think about the Novakar machinery) would also be nice. Maybe even pull a page from the ToCA Race Driver series and come up with the fun-to-drive Global GT Lights (yes, there is a such series believe it or not). It would be sort of a career option just like Model 2.

The Gran Turismo World Championship is the key series. But what would you do to make this series even better? Reply.

 

[Tenacious D]

You always have such thoughtful posts, John, and this is yet another one. You kind of beat me to the punch in a certain way, as I was going to make a post in a similar vein. What I would like to see would require a whole new game mode all to itself, so I'll noodle my ideas on it this weekend.

As for your thread, jeepers, you have some dandy ideas as always. The more I hear of Toca 3 - other than the driving physics- sounds incredible. I'll wait to see what some others sy but what you've laid out is a great basis for an epic next-gen Gran Turismo World Championship Series.

 

[James2097]

Excellent post, John. + rep.

Great ideas! The gameplay formula of GT needs an overhaul to make it seem more like real life, IMO.

 

[3spddrft]

I really like the idea of feeder series being used to increase the footing of the GTWC. I see an error with the idea of Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. The problem is people wanting to race milder cars with more skilled driving.

Anyone want a peanut?

[Random GT Wish]
limited edition cars given to most elite online GT players!
[/Random GT Wish]

 

[superfast]

I really like the idea of feeder series being used to increase the footing of the GTWC. I see an error with the idea of Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. The problem is people wanting to race milder cars with more skilled driving.

Anyone want a peanut?

[Random GT Wish]
limited edition cars given to most elite online GT players!
[/Random GT Wish]

All of this sounds good, esp. the part about the elite lim edition cars! That would be cool.

 

[Dave A]

Regarding the beginner, intermediate and advanced you have to remember John is only likening the classes to thoes because he's comparing that idea to how it's done in GT3 but with all classes racing at once. To enter thoes series the faster the class, the higher the license and earnings, that I agree with. I wouldn't calss them beginner class, intermediate class and expert class, I'd give them authentic or authentic sounding class names like say Class B350 for beginner, sportscars with no more than 350bhp and no less than 1000kgs in weight. For intermediate you could say Class B650 for sportcars with no more than 650bhp and no less than 1000kgs in weight and then you could even have two more classes, have Class S500 for sportscars with no more than 500bhp and no weight limits (a good S500 car would probably be a great challenge to the A650 class cars) and a Class S750 like the S500 no weight limits but a 750bhp max power limit. Leave the unlimited power LMP cars for a class in the supposedly even more exclusive Gran Turismo All Stars races.

 

[JohnBM01]

I've always thought of the Gran Turismo World Championship more like the ALMS or LMS (Le Mans Series), only that you don't have 2hr 45min sprint races. An interesting modification to your model, Live4speed is that there can sort of be two seperate GTWC classes. One could be for GT cars only, while the other is for prototype race cars and high-powered GT race cars. Only downside to your suggestion is that I'm thinking about when you have the GTWC and GT All-Star events, where you have big prototypes, then the high-powered GT cars. Nine times out of ten, the high-powered GT cars fail against the prototypes. So why not class racing? I'd probably stay with the model of keeping the GTWC as it is, but allow for class racing so that the GT cars don't have to worry too much about losing in a blowout.

So I like the GT and Prototype deal because you at least get the chance to win in your class. I lost with the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR and the Jaguar XJR9(?) in the GTWC, even the first time I've been LAPPED in a Gran Turismo race event when I was lapped at the Hong Kong event. I just think the Gran Turismo World Championship needs a little spunk as it is the signature race series, much like the Masters Grand Prix is to ToCA Race Driver 2 (never advanced to MGP).

Your ideas, please.

 

[McLaren]

Totally agree John.
Being this is the "Big" race of the game, I personally find that it needs to be the most grueling, most challenging, and difficult series to win. Why?

It's the game's Flagship Race, and being so, it needs to be at the point where only the greatest racers with highest skill can beat it at a certain level.

Yes, you can be a skilled racer if you beat with a less HP car, but that's not what the series should be about.

It should be about you taking on R8s, Pescarolos, Speed 8s, and whatever else in the same category. It should work like a real race. No 1,000hp cars, no catching up easily. If you fall behind, you must then strategize your pitting to get back up there.

Being that we will have 20+ cars for GT5, I think they can improve this series by choosing cars of the same class as your's.

Ex. Your Car=R8. You get a field of LeMans cars.
Your Car=JGTC Supra, you get a field of JGTC cars, and so on.

This series and many others need to be reworked for GT5. Some of the toughest ones in GT3 are now far too easy to win. Only the rally races seem to be difficult now in GT4.

 

[SagarisGTB]

In GT1, the GTWC was the full cabbage, and had a certain sence of dignity and pedigree even if it wasnt all that hard to beat. Same in GT3 (where there was 3 of them). In GT4 I never got that sence. Personally, I have no idea how to make it better. Your ideas are good, but im unsure of them. I feel that it should be "you" against twenty-something competitiors that are all of the same class. I also believe GTWC should be about GT cars and lower, a tribute to the original, and exclude prototypes and formula cars. Just my take.

Being that we will have 20+ cars for GT5, I think they can improve this series by choosing cars of the same class as your's.

Ex. Your Car=R8. You get a field of LeMans cars.
Your Car=JGTC Supra, you get a field of JGTC cars, and so on.

Stronly disagree with you there. That would make the game harder for the inexperienced racers, but also alot easier for the experienced racers. Takes away the possibilty of an underdog.

 

[Tenacious D]

I've always thought multi-class races were really odd, and seeing it in Gran Turismo will be quite novel if Kazunori does this. But I do like the idea of making the Gran Turismo Grand Championship the ultimate race in the game, and John's idea would do that in style. I can't think of a better idea. Not to mention that the Championship would be a race you could take a number of times, and in each class, you would have a different race, from trying to stay out of the supercar's way, to trying to get past a clump of slower touring cars.

 

[JohnBM01]

I've raced the GT World Championship in GT1. It had the most races in the game- six races. You had competition like the Kunimitsu NSX, the Castrol Toyota Supra GT (a longtime staple of the series), and some of the other key race cars. I haven't played GT2's variant, but you can be assured that this game debutted the classic GT1 race cars (GT1 in the sense of a Toyota GT-One or a Panoz Esperante GT1). They are much lighter and pack more power. GT3 is where I'm getting my class racing idea. The three levels of the GTWC had huge discrepancies in speed and power. GT4 debutted LMP race cars while featuring many other machinery. The current model is about the fastest-possible cars in GT4, despite the fact that the prototypes win almost all the time. The reason why I'm "proposing" class racing in GT5 is so that even if you're going to lose very bad, at least you'll have a chance to win in your respective class instead of taking your Team Oreca Viper GTS-R to a level where it can beat a BMW V12 LMR.

This is all I'm getting at. You pretty much need a pure race car (of any level) to compete in the Gran Turismo World Championship. Otherwise, it would be pointless to take a low-powered street car up against GT2, GT1, GTP, and LMP competition. Then too, I think Gran Turismo has to be at a stage in which we can learn the finer points of sportscar racing instead of just racing the fastest cars possible in trying to win. I think one should be able to take a car like a BMW M3 GTR and have it compete against others in its class. So there needs to be some extra cars to a track in an effort to fill up grids and make competition interesting. Or think about it like this- we have Le Mans in GT4 and the 24 hour endurance. Why not make sportscar racing in GT as having multiple winners- class winners, and outright winners? GT racing has class winners. And if you're going to have a race series where prototypes mostly win, then why not make the GT World Championship a best-of-the-best for GT cars and prototypes? It's a win-win deal if done right. Now you can just win in your respective class rather than have the best possible car for the most prestigious championship in GT.

 

[Chris1990]

Absolutely 100% agree. I've said it before and I'll probably say it again, class racing should definately be incorporated into GT5. It justs adds that extra realism and challenge. I have finished the Le Mans 24hrs on GT4 many times and I always seem to get the same opposition. Me, versus four LMPs and a Corvette C5-R. The first five cars disappear into the distance and the 'Vette ends up being lapped. Of course, thats what really happens in the Le Mans 24hrs but the Corvettes have the incentive of racing for a class victory (and usually succeed in doing so!). With GT4s measly 6 car grids there was no place for class racing but with the number of grid places being increased to more like 20, there is much more of an advantage to splitting the field into classes. Pleeease!