– 599XX Evoluzione, November 18th, 2015, courtesy of RL_23.
This is it, the final days and week of the year and what a year it’s been to say the very least. There’s still a few surprises here and there to close out the year, of that I’m almost certain, but even if the year closes with nary a peek more of what’s to come, this will have been one of the most active years in the gaming community in recent memory.
There’s an interesting project in the works that should come to light sometime next month or during January, here’s a little taste of what’s coming:
“It’s a topic one can’t help but be drawn toward – like a moth to a flame – as it gives a brief overview, or at least the perception thereof, of how well any individual product has been welcomed into the home of the targeted consumer.”
Something a number of you will stake interest in as it’s already a popular topic, but you’ll just have to wait and see how it pans out over the next few weeks and possibly into the new year.
The 2015 F1 season comes to an end with next week’s finale at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, and I have to confess that this has been one of the more drier seasons as of late. It isn’t so much to do with the unrelenting 1-2 dominance of Mercedes GP as it is to do with the races themselves being a little too formulaic at times, almost to the point where you could reliably set your watch by the events that eventually took place. I’m hopeful with the way 2016 is looking that it’ll shake things up a considerable margin.
There’s plenty to get through this week so let’s get a move on, who’s ready for the Spotlight?
GTPlanet Picture of the Week
This week’s featured image comes to us courtesy of c172fccc and features the victorious Toyota TS040 Hybrid.
If you like what you’re seeing and have a suggestion for next week’s featured image, start a conversation with me, entitle it “GTPlanet Picture of the Week” and fill it to your heart’s content with suggestions and they’ll be featured in upcoming Community Spotlight articles. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.
GTPlanet Gallery of the Week
This week’s featured gallery is Chameleon’s Photomode gallery and is being brought to us by none other than Chamelon9000. Opened on the 27th of August in 2014, the gallery approaches GTPhotography with a style that is consistent yet never overbearing or overpowering. The images are well-shot, well-detailed, and simplistic, all while being explosive.
You can find Chameleon’s gallery here in all of its splendor if you want to look through a gallery that approaches things in a way that’s sure to grab a hold of your attention. The latest update being earlier this year, May 28th.
– “The heat of day”, November 8th, 2014.
If you like what you’re seeing and have a suggestion for next week’s featured gallery, start a conversation with me, entitle it “GTPlanet Gallery of the Week” and fill it to your heart’s content with suggestions and they’ll be featured in upcoming Community Spotlight articles. NOTE: You cannot elect your own gallery.
GTPlanet Thread of the Week – Over/Under
– November 9th, 2015, courtesy of TaSiMa.
A situation we can all relate to when it comes to our racing games of choice: purchasing that one car that’s been elusive for an extended period of time, only to discover it’s a pile of junk because it handles horribly. Alternatively, being coerced into purchasing something you’ve never once considered only because there’s an event you have to complete, only to discover it was one of the best rides in your digital career and was cheap to boot.
If you’re still scratching your head wondering what’s going on, this week’s thread championed by CowboyAce57, looks to discuss an interesting topic nearly everyone can contribute to, and that’s sharing your experiences on the cars that felt like a waste once purchased relative to their cost, and those that were a charm relative to their cost in GT6.
“About six months ago I came across the Gillet Vertigo in the dealership, and I thought “Why not buy it?”, since it had massive power and acceleration, which I had fun with in previous games. So I bought it, and when I drove it, it was one of the most undesirable cars that I’ve drove. I then thought “Why did I waste $1.4 million on a car that’s almost undriveable?”.”
Share your stories and then some by having a look at the thread here.
Project CARS Survey
– November 4th, 2015, courtesy of JKcreativeworks.
If you missed out the opportunity to help shape Project CARS during the initial stages of development, or were unable to bite when development for Project CARS 2 was announced but you still feel there are opinions you’d like to share that could very well help to shape the game moving forward, then I have a solution for you: the Project CARS survey.
The extensive questionnaire is all about your feedback/input on what you’d like to see in Project CARS 2; have your say on things like On Demand content (DLC), the sort of gaming setup you’re using, wanting more cars, whether you playing with a controller or steering wheel, and more.
This is your chance to help shape the future of Project CARS 2 even if you haven’t purchased a toolpack, and you can do so by filling out the survey on the official website right here.
Euro Truck Simulator 2 – Concept of Time
There are some very interesting developments coming to fruition for ETS2 and we’ll go over those, both old and new alike, over the next few weeks, but now we’re going to focus on a bit of news that’s come to light just today: ETS2’s concept of time and how that’s going to change with the upcoming 1.22 update.
This change comes with the introduction of Contracts for World of Trucks which if you’re unfamiliar is summarized by SCS themselves as follows.
“We call the new online delivery jobs “Contracts” – you will sign up for them directly from the World of Trucks website. In the current form, the presentation is a kind of mixture between Quick Jobs and Freight Market you are used to seeing in ETS2.
It allows for performing the jobs using a stock truck as configured in the standard game, but it doesn’t rule out the use of modded trucks. Completing the contracts will also still contribute to your progress through the normal campaign of the game, adding the appropriate XPs and money earned to your bank account.”
Because Contracts are wholly maintained online and can be taken alongside in-game freight market jobs, the team is tasked with a unique challenge and that’s the concept of time in ETS2. The game as it is now utilizes accelerated G.T. (Game Time) whereby 24-hours in-game is the equivalent to 72 real minutes and that won’t change, however, when Contracts come into play a new clock will be introduced – World of Trucks time (WOTR, W.T.).
This clock will be based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) where 24 hours in-game is the equivalent to 24 real hours and no less. This clock is already used internally to manage all World of Trucks features: jobs, future economy and player interactions, and upcoming online activities, but is only now being made apparent to players.
“All World of Trucks jobs will be based only WOTR Time limit to complete. Right now during the beta, while we are stress-testing our server infrastructure and sorting out potential bugs, the WOTR Time for job completion will be fixed to only several hours for any job. Once we feel the servers are working as intended even under load, we will further increase the precision of tracking and also have Contracts with a wider range of time limits for enhanced gameplay experience.”
Be sure to stop by our Euro Truck Simulator 2 thread to discuss this, the sheer variety and addictive gameplay, and more.
GTPlanet Member of the Week
That’s right, I told you there’d be one last week and another this week to make amends for things going silent – I’m a man of my word. Now you want to watch Batman: The Dark Knight, don’t you? I can’t say that I blame you and that has nothing to do with me being more than a little infatuated with ‘Bats.
The time to acknowledge a member of the GTPlanet community is upon us. A member who has stood out among the hundreds of thousands of members already here, both old and new alike for all that they’re worth and all they have contributed to the community.
This week’s particular inductee has a name that was developed with the help of the Dinner Dance scene from Beetlejuice. So without further ado let’s give a warm welcome to the newest member to find vacancy in the ever-growing Member of the Week madhouse, Otaliema!
You can read the interview in its entirety in the official thread right here and remember, the feature is now on an alternating schedule so don’t panic when this particular feature is gone from the Spotlight next week.
LaFerrari vs Porsche 918 vs McLaren P1 at Portimao – Chris Harris on Cars
GTPlanet Vehicle of the Week
Presented at the 2015 IAA in Frankfurt (International Motor Show Germany), the Mission E is the first all-electric four-seat sports car in Porsche’s illustrious history. The Mission E is powered by two permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) – the same technology used in Porsche’s Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid – and together the motors develop over 600 horsepower while being capable of reaching 60 mph in under 3.5 seconds.
Porsche’s PMSM technology offers one key advantage over today’s electrically-driven cars in that they can develop their full power even after multiple accelerations at short intervals. The need-based all-wheel drive system with Porsche Torque Vectoring – which automatically distributes torque to the individual wheels – transfers the drive system’s power to the road, and all-wheel steering gives precise, sporty steering in the desired direction.
The Mission E isn’t all about brute power and good looks either, the battery is good for 500km (311 miles) on one battery charge, and is good for around 400km more in about fifteen minutes of charging. This convenience is courtesy of Porsche’s innovative 800-volt technology. Doubling the voltage offers such benefits as shorter charging times and lower weight through the use of lighter, smaller gauge copper cables.
A movable panel on the front left wing in front of the driver’s door gives access to the charging port for the innovative “Porsche Turbo Charging” system, and through this port the battery can be charged to approximately 80 percent of its capacity in around 15 minutes. Alternatively, the platform can be connected to a conventional 400-volt charging station, or it can be replenished at home via inductive charging by parking over a coil embedded in the floor of the garage from which the energy is transferred without cables to a coil on the car’s underbody.
GTPlanet Tune of the Week
This week’s featured tune is the Tommi Makinen Edition of the Evolution VI. Tested at Deep Forest Raceway and developed by Antares26 of Antares Speed Factory whose shop doors just opened – the tune is all about grip and is built to dominate in events where 550PP is the asking price.
“Grip. Grip. Grip. No matter how hard you push, this Lan Evo will grip. Still, much like any 4WD, the Evo VI is very much prone to understeer, especially under cornering with the accelerator on. Consquently, the focus of the tune was to just make the car turn in a lot sharper. The result was that the rear now snaps a bit easier, but at least you can just power out of the corner while carrying all that entry speed, and believe me, you’ll have power.”
Stop by the Antares Speed Factory thread for more on this Evo that is overall sharper but isn’t afraid to let the back end step out a little more.
If you have any suggestions for an upcoming Community Spotlight, start a conversation with me, entitle it “GTPlanet Tune of the Week”, and let me know. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.
The Last Lap
The Mission E is one sexy Porsche, wouldn’t you say? If you’re wondering what the profile and rear looks like, well, wonder no more:
I dare say that’s too good-looking, so much so it’ll probably never reach production (of course the looks won’t be the reason, if a reason at all). It just borders on being perfect as far as I’m concerned. I can’t remember the last time I saw an all-electric sports car that was this attractive, so you can only imagine the look on my face when I happened across it.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this already but next week is Thanksgiving for us here in the United States and, man, am I looking forward to the food. If there is a Spotlight next week, and I’m not saying there won’t be because there will, it’s going to be written while I’m in a food-induced coma of some kind.
That sounds more pleasant than it should. Until next week, keep racing!
Trucks.
See more articles on GTPlanet Community Spotlight and GTPlanet Member of the Week.
Now I have two threads that have made it to the spotlight. That’s quite an honor.
The hunchbacked Panamera was godawful. People kept saying “it doesn’t look anywhere as good as the Aston Martin.” Well, sounds like Porsche’s stylists listened. Of course, now they just have to listen to everyone saying “that four-square motif for the headlights is hideous.”
Thanks for the Project CARS poll SMS.
:-)
GTPlanet Picture of the Week!? Thanks! :)