Was GT6 Needed?

[Imari]

Personal opinions about its viability or state of completion notwithstanding, that is not an accurate statement by any stretch. GT6 is superior to GT5 in many fundamental ways but I think impatience about the yet-to-arrive advertised features is allowing opinion to supersede fact in too many cases.

To be fair, GT6 is also currently inferior to GT5 in some fundamental ways. If you don't value the improved physics or the new cars/tracks highly, it's easy to view it as a GT5 knock off with some features stripped out of it. There's some pretty major gameplay elements from GT5 that still haven't made it over.

I don't think there's a clear cut case to be made that either of them is completely superior. Unlike, say, GT3 and GT4 where by almost every objective measure GT4 is a better game.

 

[X30 Driv3r]

No, PD should have just bring the cars and tracks for GT5.

 

[jimipitbull]

No, PD should have just bring the cars and tracks for GT5.

What about the physics?

 

[Haitauer]

Im also unhappy with the slim updates lately, but then one cant say we havent had updates since the lauch. Quite a few nice updates actually.

I think GT6 will be improved during this spring so its ready when they pull the plug on GT5 servers and the rush of players from gt5 to gt6 happens. Must say im happy i have a bit of a head start .

I also keep wondering all these comments of "pretty major gameplay elements from GT5 that still haven't made it over". Yes the B-spec is missing, but cant say so many players miss it all that much. I havent personally missed a single thing from gt5 since started playing gt6.

Its also amusing to read things like "If you don't value the improved physics". Its a driving simulator - I would dare to say the physics are PRETTY big part of the game. There is better games for casual arcade racing. I fell in love with GT6 the moment i tried the demo and the car felt so much more alive compared to GT5.

So i think GT6 was needed - as a refreshed platform for GTs future on PS3. 👍 It will take time and an expensive console before one has GT on PS4..

ps. sorry for using you as an exaple Imari

 

[X30 Driv3r]

What about the physics?

Let's be honest. The Physics, tracks and cars are still really the only positive in GT6.

I would have done the physics of GT5.

 

[Haitauer]

The Physics, tracks and cars are still really the only positive in GT6.

The game still being a racing simulator trying to simulate the physics of racing a car on a race track..

what an epic failure of a game

 

[Lawndart]

Let's be honest. The Physics, tracks and cars are still really the only positive in GT6.

I would have done the physics of GT5.

They could have just done another GT XL (GT XXL with no number) by making the cars and tracks dlc, Goodwood special event dlc, and A spec career missions as dlc (much better format than 6, and we would still have B spec). Physics could have been a 'spec 3' update.

Get a new box and release it at retail and digital download.

It would have been easier and they would've been completely free to fully focus on GT 7 now.

No, I don't think we needed GT 6...

You know, 3 months ago Red Bull had a Useless F1 car that needed to be rebuild with a new power plant... But they are racing this weekend...

 

[Siren]

If they had just waited just 1 or 2 years longer to put a better GT6 on ps4 instead of rushing it out on ps3 it would've been 100x better than what we have now. To be honest gt5 was very disappointing compared to gt4, then they shoehorned gt6 for and extra buck with little improvements. If they had just release it on ps4 next year or the following year with mostly everything fixed and new features it would've been jaw dropping. But no they took this money hungry approach. I've heard Kaz said many times " ps3 has more users " which is true but guess what, if they made a more complete game then the users would gravitate towards. Heck even if they made a proper gt on IOS or Android people would gravitate towards that too. That's the good thing about having good game is that is sells platforms and gain users. So was gt6 needed ? not on the ps3, but on ps4 ? yes if they waited 1 or 2 years after launch.

 

[Lawndart]

If they had just waited just 1 or 2 years longer to put a better GT6 on ps4 instead of rushing it out on ps3 it would've been 100x better than what we have now. To be honest gt5 was very disappointing compared to gt4, then they shoehorned gt6 for and extra buck with little improvements. If they had just release it on ps4 next year or the following year with mostly everything fixed and new features it would've been jaw dropping. But no they took this money hungry approach. I've heard Kaz said many times " ps3 has more users " which is true but guess what, if they made a more complete game then the users would gravitate towards. Heck even if they made a proper gt on IOS or Android people would gravitate towards that too. That's the good thing about having good game is that is sells platforms and gain users. So was gt6 needed ? not on the ps3, but on ps4 ? yes if they waited 1 or 2 years after launch.

3 years since GT 5 is plenty of time for a focused game to reach market. Especially for a 6th iteration. PD already have done the hard parts, just needs refinement, and could put more focus on making it a more fun game.

The bulk of GT 6 effort could only be on tracks and cars, plus any GT 7 tech downgraded for 6. But GT 6 taken at face value is a rather quickly slapped together "game"... Keeping in mind that they have all the core systems to work with.

 

[Haitauer]

They could have just done another GT XL (GT XXL with no number) by making the cars and tracks dlc, Goodwood special event dlc, and A spec career missions as dlc (much better format than 6, and we would still have B spec). Physics could have been a 'spec 3' update.

Yes - given GT5 IS 3 years old, id say its a bit much to expect such improvements as updates to an old game. Gt6 / PD is not the only one to make a sequel you know. like Uncharted 1,2,3 - didnt hear too many complains there. Yes PD could have done more, but i think gt6 with all upcoming updates on its life time is well worth the bucks. Its also possible, that GT5 had some flaws in its desing wich would have made their future plans / dlc impossible. They could have just pulled the plug on GT5 and leave us waiting for GT on PS4. That is what most of the companies do. I dont think GT6 does any harm to future GT on PS4 - just gives us more time with good old PS3.

 

[Latin Avenger]

Well this is why I'm hoping there will be no GT 7 how foolish does it look, considering like your saying how they are closing down all the servers on PS3 you have a great point.
I'm just hoping they come out with a GT 6 on the PS4 like Call Of Duty, Assassins Creed, Battlefield 4 did an just allow us to pay for the $10 upgrade an still use our GT 6 disc then from there we can take off and enjoy the game, if it comes out in a PS4 disc so be it but don't let us true fans that have been here since day one out to dry I paid full price for mine, that's what I did with those 3 titles I just mentioned.

It would be terrible to have a GT7 come out so soon & just watch my GT 6 laying there collecting dust after such a short life span, not including the money spent of $ 150 my wife surprised me by buying me online credits for X-Mas boy!! Guess she heard about all my complaining about how there's no decent payouts in the game with it's issues like never before etc.

So I stopped playing it & her knowing how much I've enjoyed the previous GT Titles so she wanted to get me back in the game & decided to get me to play again BOY! how I wished she NEVER! would of done that, should if kept my mouth shut! that's a total of over $200 bucks on a game that would just go to waste so no! We don't need no GT 7. Boost GT 6 to the PS4 & allow us who have purchased the game upgrade it to the new console & I'll pay the extra for a $10 for the upgrade, Sony you already have $220 Of my money on one Game with a counsel you no longer be serving on, so now tell me your not gonna charge me $65 bucks again for a new game when the one I have will have less then a year or so life left, NOT COOL!
MAKE IT RIGHT!

 

[JMR450]

I have moved on, playing something else, and with spring here my outside activities begin next week. (RC racing, Riding my ATV, and Off Roading my Dodge 3/4 ton). I will go back to it once some of the planned updates hit but if not it will be the shortest amount of time I have ever played a GT title.

 

[Rob192005]

I'm thinking of going back to some precious GT titles,until some of these "promised" updates show up..but I won't hold my breath.

 

[ShiftingGears]

I would have done the physics of GT5.

Agreed, I thought the physics of GT5 were great. It was the last thing they needed to rework in my opinion.

 

[JMR450]

Agreed, I thought the physics of GT5 were great. It was the last thing they needed to rework in my opinion.

Yes, I didn't have a complaint about the physics model.

 

[spencer7x7]

Yes, I didn't have a complaint about the physics model.

Me neither, makes you wonder if the physics really are new because most of the time I don't notice them from GT5(keep in mind I drive with lots of assist most of the time). Main difference between this and 5 is that the cars move a little bit more naturally.

 

[GTP_CargoRatt]

Not needed in my opinion. I could have went on playing GT5, provided they kept supporting it in at least a small way, and waited for a more complete and less bugged next game.

 

[xiando]

It all depends

Based on the original promisaries made by PD (not just a significantly improved physics engine, but also a significantly improved course editor, community features, and improved B-Spec), yes. In fact, that's why I ordered it pre-release, back when I still had faith in the company.

Based on the palpable lack of delivered content that was paid for, and additionally, puzzling removal of several useful components and actions (see game theory "tit-for-tat"), and their pretty clear use of the game for unpaid beta testing for the PS4 version, no, not in my opinion.

4+ months and counting. Still no CourseMaker, no Community Features, and no B-Spec.

 

[ClydeYellow]

Let's be honest. The Physics, tracks and cars are still really the only positive in GT6.

So, what you're saying is that GT6 is a good racing game lacking only in ancillary functions and features. I totally agree!

Was GT6 needed? One could argue that Gran Turismo, and in general videogames, don't satisfy any basic need.
GT6 doesn't feel like a new, built-from-scratch game (and it isn't, nor has it been advertised as such), but the many improvements done over GT5 couldn't have been delivered by a simple patch, no matter how heavy (it has a lot to do with how games were built for 7th gen consoles - on the new Xbox One, for example, games need to be fully installed on the console, and therefore are a lot more "patchable"). It really depends on what you mean by "need". The Gran Turismo saga needed a new game to stay relevant, and to keep up to date; the market needed a new and shiny GT6 to sell with the now discounted PS3; the hardcore fanbase (us) probably didn't need a new iteration of the saga on PS3, but I think it can enjoy GT6 nevertheless.

4+ months and counting. Still no CourseMaker, no Community Features, and no B-Spec.

You know, 4 months aren't much, all things considered. People apparently have forgot what happened when a developer didn't deliver before the era of patch and DLC. And so far PD hasn't failed to deliver; they just take their sweet time to do so, going at their pace, and I don't know how much that is a negative thing (it probably is, but there are worse crimes a game developer can commit when updating their product, like rushing unfinished patches and updates, a là EA/Dice).

And PD promised to provide significant improvements over the Course Maker and B-Spec mode. I like to think there's a reason for removing features that were in the past games (that, by the way, collected their fair share of criticism). Only time will tell if I'm right or just overly optimistic.

 

[xiando]

I disagree. The 1980s and 1990s are over, and I haven't forgotten anything. Those were different times and there were, as a result, completely different expectations wrt both the release times and maybe more importantly, the expected and intended longevity of a given software title. I still use select command line utilities I carried forward from the DOS days and window utils from Windows 3/3.1 in my work as a developer and engineer, on windows XP, on windows 7 and on Windows 8. In fact, I still compose music on an editor I purchased in 1992, I still design mechanical components using Autocad 2000, which I purchase some 14 years ago, and I design printed circuit boards using an editor I purchased back in the late 1990s. Release cycles "back in the day" were 2 years or more, and that was often just for relatively minor updates. These days it's a six month to 1 year cycle for a complete title, and daily, weekly or monthly updates for many products, including Gran Turismo.

4 months without any palpable movement by PD either to update it's customer base or to deliver missing, major content, in a game title that is, by Sony measures (GT7 by next Christmas, regardless of what player pundits say or when they actually end up delivering it), expected to essentially be effectively obsolete in another 8 months time is 1/3 of it's useful life (I expect that like GT5's online termination, GT6 will suffer a similar, logical fate shortly after GT7 is released).

I *was optimistic and patient, but their continued silence, clear shift in focus to a future version, and specious features for the rich and positioned 1% (see 1.06 announcement) are hardly any confidence builder ime/imo.

Sorry, I'm not part of the bon-bon set that buys whatever they want whenever they want, shifting their current fad costs onto others using slick carnie style business moves.

 

[Eyes Fried Open]

I think the physics, cars and track are a much welcomed commodity. However i am sitting on the fence in regards to whether a new disc was required. I think it was needed as the hacked cars were prolific in GT5. Mainly due to the gifting feature, which was a great feature, ruined by the trade of hacked cars. It would have been more convenient to just get an updated physics patch and cars and tracks as DLC. which i would have been happy to pay for.

PD had better be busier than a one armed brick layer in Bagdhad working on DLC and promised content because as many people have stated it feels like we paid for a beta version at the moment. I am just praying that there is some nice hidden surprises in the forthcoming update.

Also a bit of communication would not go a miss, please PD stop treating us like mushrooms. We are growing tired of being kept in the dark and being fed 🤬.

Just my 2c

EFO

 

[ClydeYellow]

I disagree. The 1980s and 1990s are over, and I haven't forgotten anything. Those were different times and there were, as a result, completely different expectations wrt both the release times and maybe more importantly, the expected and intended longevity of a given software title.

Exactly my point. Perhaps the expectations of gamers have increased too much over the last, say, ten years. At the same time, the pace of progress and innovation has decreased. And now, there's not a single software house that can say they have a happy fanbase.

The Data Logger was coming, we all knew that since the days of GT5; in the end they decided to release a new game version (v 1.06) for the (sole? Unconfirmed) purpose of delivering this function that's been in the making for years. So, what's the big deal? I don't see this "big shift" in the direction of GT6's post-release development. And we don't even know if 1.06 will only add the Data Logger. I wouldn't be surprised if some other content will pour in (like the new Zahara de la Sierra track).

Either that, or PD's really planning to release GT7 by Christmas, case in which they may discontinue early their support of GT6 as you speculated. But that's not Sony's official line, AFAIK.

 

[HoneyBadger]

GT4 was such a great game. The depth was just astounding. Then came GT5 shallow in comparison but with the online feature it turned out to be a fun title after numerous patches and updates. GT6 is said to have better physics but then I've heard that car tuning is "bass ackwards" and there's weirdness like cars flipping forward and the like. The interface is improved and tracks seem to load a bit faster but do they really or does the absence of a progress bar on a black screen background make it seem so? The graphics performance is a big step backwards. Understandable due to finite resources in the system, but still a major disappointment. If a racing game can't maintain a decent frame rate how can it convey a sense of speed. Without that there's a big hole in the immersion factor. If I had it to do over again not sure I would buy the game. Whereas for GT1 through 5 I think I got my moneys worth.

 

[fredyellowone]

I'll admit I'm starting to see it a as a production budget boost for GT7.... a PS3 platform Prologue of sorts, to showcase some of their intentions for the PS4 version. I didn't want to be cynical but the 1.05 update after 2 months of waiting is baffling.

Its one extreme or the other, I think; either great things are afoot, or we'll get a trickle feed of non-committal 'tweaks' and a few assets here and there until GT7 is announced officially.

[/wild conjecture]

(No I don't know anything you don't, we're all in the dark)

GT6 a production budget boost for GT7
Then a prologue on the PS4,
Maybe a real game in 10 years?

 

[xiando]

Exactly my point. Perhaps the expectations of gamers have increased too much over the last, say, ten years. At the same time, the pace of progress and innovation has decreased. And now, there's not a single software house that can say they have a happy fanbase.

The Data Logger was coming, we all knew that since the days of GT5; in the end they decided to release a new game version (v 1.06) for the (sole? Unconfirmed) purpose of delivering this function that's been in the making for years. So, what's the big deal? I don't see this "big shift" in the direction of GT6's post-release development. And we don't even know if 1.06 will only add the Data Logger. I wouldn't be surprised if some other content will pour in (like the new Zahara de la Sierra track).

Either that, or PD's really planning to release GT7 by Christmas, case in which they may discontinue early their support of GT6 as you speculated. But that's not Sony's official line, AFAIK.

I'm not a "gamer". In fact, far from it. Gamers tend to expect unadvertised content and get mad because it's not delivered, ie, "livery editor", "drag racing", "Porsche", etc.) even though it was never promised in the first place. I don't expect anything more than what I paid for.

Apparently you completely missed my point. Cycles are faster and software companies far larger than they once were. Where a title might have had a team of 5 or less "back in the day" there are now ten or twenty times that number now. If a company advertises content, then they're obligated to deliver it in a timely manner (four months is not "timely"). At the worst, if they are delayed in providing content already paid for, they OWE the customer a prompt explanation.

And of course there has been a shift. They delivered a virtually complete game with GT5. With GT6, they delivered a partially complete game, missing major features, and lots of pre-release promises, along with virtual silence on their failure to deliver post-release.

Even their communication was far better in GT5 than they have executed with GT6. (although even in GT5 it was pathetically lousy in comparison to most software I use) This isn't a personal delusion. It is almost universally recognized that PD's communication makes substandard look like a gold standard.

We did not "all know" that they'd be releasing a component suitable for 1% or less of the player base. Especially in lieu of major missing features usable by the playerbase at large.