(Sorry if this post does not have much continuity with what is posted above. I am keeping it on topic though.)
Even though I was disappointed by the confirmation of no cockpit view for the Standard Cars, I've gotten around it and after some thought, I realised that, as a player that uses mostly external views to drive, the lack of modelled interiors becomes less relevant. However, something still concerns me. Just the fact that the Standard models have no detailed interiors and darkened windows already puts them a medium step down from the Premiums. This means that the Standards are dependant on their exterior look to be worthy of racing alongside a Premium without looking too misplaced. Now, if PD updated their exteriors making them more detailed (smoothened curves, 3D wheels, extra headlight detail, modelled grills that were previously only textured), then they are perfect for the game 👍, even with no cockpit view, simple undercarriages and small dents only, but if PD just ported them (my fear 👎) then, atleast for me, it will significantly detract on the pleasure of my experience driving the Standard cars (this is because I normally apreciate watching my replays while admiring the car as it goes by).
What makes me have such a confused opinion right now is the fact that I see evidence to support both sides.
On the bad side, we have the GT5 Standard Cars video, which after close analysis, you can conclude that you are seeing the GT4 models completely untouched, running on the GT5 lighting engine.
On the good side, we have the Playstation Magazine article from Australia claiming (posted not long ago by JDMKing) that the only difference between the two is the more intricate details on the Premium cars like fully modelled interiors instead of basic interiors and also undercarriaged. Other than that they say the Standard cars also look great.
Also on the good side are two theories of mine, (I understand you might already be bored, I wrote the beginning of this post rather terribly) which I'd like to share, that I believe could mean better and improved Standard Cars.
Theory 1 - The GTPSP Intro Snapshot
In the intro for GTPSP, some of the sequences, especially in the beginning, are rendered with far too much detail for the PSP to be able to handle. This suggests that those parts were made with a more powerfull, advanced engine: GT5, and using GT5 models aswell. In a high quality video, which contained a part of the PSP intro, I paused and took a screencap. In it (show below hopefully), you can see a mix of GT5 Premium and Standard cars heading towards the camera. Why do I say it's a mix? Because of one particular car I spotted in the top left corner:
(see file attachments)
The Corvette C5-R that was spotted has already been confirmed to be a GT5 standard car. This car and others in the scene like the Cizeta, Calsonic Skyline, Suzuki Escudo, Pagani Zonda, Lotus Europa, DeLorean (likely standards aswell) look great together with the Premiums (Ford GT, SLR, ZR-1), alleast under those lighting conditions, giving me hope that maybe something more substancial was done to update the exteriors of older models.
Theory 2 - Are all Standards from past GT titles?(this one can give a tremendous headache
)
As you know, a lot of the Standard cars will be returns of classics and favorites from past itinerations of Gran Turismo. However, are they all cars from previous games? What makes me put this question is the following set of thoughts: GT5 will feature 800 standard cars in total. It is unlikely those cars will come from games earlier that GT4. This means the cars we will be seeing as Standard are coming from GT4 and GTPSP. GTPSP's car list consists of 800 cars with all the cars from GT4 present as part of it, suggesting that the premium cars (modelled completely from scratch for GT5) would be those not seen on GTPSP, and those that are on GTPSP are made standards. This is not the case however, since cars (present in GTPSP) like the Ferrari Enzo, Bugatti Veyron and even others from older times like the Capuccino, Castrol Tom's Supra, Acura NSX, Skyline R34 etc..., have all been converted to Premium level. What comes out of this is that there is some space left in the Standard car count to reach 800. How will that space be filled? More premiums? Or maybe standard cars modelled from scratch (read as cars that have not appeard before in GT but have made it in as standard level vehicles)? If some of these cars are modelled from scratch, then even thought they have no decent interiors, their exterior detail should be quite high, since PD wouldn't model a brand new car on GT4 levels. More than that, in order to avoid further class division among the cars (like the creation of a High-Standard type) PD would have to update their older models to match these new Standard models they've just built, therefore emplying and improved quality on the exterior of all Standard cars.
In the end GT5 will be amazing like you said, and thats what counts most. 👍
