GTPlanet Weekly Rewind: Black Out The Sun

First off the title: no, GTPlanet is not concocting some devious master plan that involves an indefinite lunar eclipse or anything of that nature. This week’s title is a direct reference to heavy metal band “Sevendust” and their newly-released album bearing the same name. If any of you GTPlanet Faithful out there are fans of the genre or are always looking out for a new band to listen to, I can’t recommend these guys enough as every album is jam-packed with variety and all of the great things associated with heavy metal.

Once again there’s all but nine days until Formula 1 returns from it’s short three week hiatus and I can honestly say that I’ve never been this anxious to see what happens on the track after the immense controversy of the Malaysian Grand Prix, so I’m looking forward to seeing things develop over the course of the entire season because I’m expecting fireworks of some sort. I’m certain egos are going to be bloated and emotions on overdrive so whatever happens is going to define the rest of the season. That is, unless nothing happens and it’s all played off like the events never took place to begin with, something I’m surely not expecting to any degree.

Shifting topics once again, E3 is only a little over two months away now and with the remaining two players possibly planning console reveals before the event one has to wonder what’s in store for the convention itself? I’d assume only the bare essentials are going to be revealed, which in the case of Microsoft will be along the lines of Sony’s presentation that took place in February but with the actual console being shown or at least teased in some way – much like the unveiling of a new car during an automotive convention.

Let’s jump right into things and get this Rewind started!

GTPlanet Picture of the Week

This week’s featured image, once again recommended to us by Kalax3 and courtesy of NBDESIGNZ, features the “Sexy Girl” Audi R8 5.2 striking a pose with the gleaming sun in the foreground at Circuit de la Sarthe in France, the track home to the 24 Hours of Le Mans which just happens to be an event Audi regularly dominates and is the basis of the supercar’s namesake.

Have a suggestion for next week’s featured image? Drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Picture of the Week” and fill it out with your two choices and they’ll be featured in upcoming Rewinds. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.

[Guide] Make The Most of The GT5 Camera

Maybe you’ve been reading the Rewinds for the past several weeks and have paid special attention to the photomode tutorials, but therein lies the possibility that despite what was taught you may not have the best handle of how to take better photos than what you’re capable of now, and here to address that is our very own gtsomething with his wonderful tutorial aiming to teach you just how to do so, and in an entertaining yet impressive fashion.

Like all good things worth reading it’s quite lengthy, however, the effort put forth will definitely pay it’s dividends once you’ve entered photomode and begin to take pictures of your favorite vehicles in the game in ways you may have been unable to prior to reading the tutorial. The tutorial addresses everything from the basics of shutter speed and aperture, to the more advanced focuses of composition and whether or not editing is needed.

Here’s an excerpt from the guide on the subject of GT5’s camera:

The Magical GT5 Camera

According to Flickr, the camera used in GT5 is called the “Polyphony Digital Inc. Gran Turismo 5”. Clearly, this camera is epic, it is a DSLR in the form of a boomerang controller and has a digital screen display thats as big as your TV!

It features a shutter speed range of 1 second to 1/8000th seconds, and an aperture range of f/1.0 to f/45 (which is physically [I]un[/I]possible!). What really makes the GT5 camera special is that it has robotic arms that can do panning for you in 3 modes, and it can bend the physics of light to always give you a visible picture even with impossible settings.

Photomode just happens to be one of the features in the game that largely appeal to a niche audience as it may be intimidating to others for a variety of reasons, whether it be because of the amount of time it takes to find that “perfect” shot, or the hundreds of post-processed images that may intimidate users further. After you’ve read this it should allow you to see photomode from a different perspective, thus encouraging you to take as many photos as possible; I know photomode has kept me playing GT5 for about as long as it’s been on store shelves.

If you want to experience an entirely new side of GT5 then definitely have a look at the tutorial right here.

GTPlanet Weekly Race Series (WRS) Week 111 – Finale di Enzo

This week you’ll make the Tifosi proud as you take the Ferrari F40 around a track known all-too-well for it’s “sea of red” in both the grandstands and on track once the Italian Grand Prix has ended. Of course I’m referring to none other than Autodromo Nazionale Monza, but you won’t be tackling the usually crowded Rettifilo chicane as this event takes place on the variant without it.

Also featured in the Online Events for the WRS is the upcoming 14th Special Event featuring three different driving disciplines in “The America Cup”. The events are as follows:

• Event 1: The Atlantic Cup / 2010 and 2011 NASCAR at Daytona Road Course
• Event 2: The Great Lakes Cup / Formula GT at Indianapolis Road Course
• Event 3: The Pacific Cup / Dodge Challenger R/T RM / Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

The special event takes place next Sunday, April 14th and take place over the course of three weekends, so if you fancy a bit of Special Event fun you’d better sign up to participate in the WRS now!

Stop by the official threads here and here and remember that you NEED to be registered before officially participating in the WRS, and that can only be done by submitting a time for the official GTP Registry Qualifier.

GTPlanet Member of the Week

That’s right, I told you this would debut the first thing of this month and I haven’t failed to deliver. Give a warm welcome to the inaugural entrant into the Member of the Week hall of fame: Nato_777!

Nato, or Nathan as many of us photomode junkies know him as, is one of the many elite when it comes to just that and was most notably nominated by none other than GTPlanet’s own SlipZtrEm, who just happens to be another one of those elite; close-knit bonds and all of that, am I right? Of course I am don’t you answer that! Joking aside, for the full interview be sure to stop by the newly created Member of the Week thread and get to know Nathan a little bit better. He is, after all, the first to be recognized among his peers. Who’s next?

Anyone you’d like to see recognized as the Member of the Week? Drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Member of the Week” and fill it out with your choices and they’ll be featured in upcoming Rewinds. NOTE: You cannot nominate yourself.

GTPlanet Vehicle of the Week

This week’s featured vehicle, the successor to the Nissan 280ZX, recommended to us by Bobert power, is the Nissan (Z31) 300ZX. First introduced in 1983 as a 1984 Nissan/Datsun 300ZX in the United States, and simply as the Nissan 300ZX in all other parts of the world where it was sold, this would continue until 1985 when Nissan standardized the name worldwide thus dropping the “Datsun” badge.

While the Z31’s chassis was built upon the 280ZX, even sharing the same wheelbase and suspension, it outperformed and handled better than it’s predecessor. Featuring such innovations as Japan’s first mass-produced V6, which according to Nissan was meant to recreate the spirit of the original Fairlady Z, and a 3-way electronically adjustable shock absorber on all turbocharged models, except for the Shiro Special edition. The 3.0L turbocharged V6 would make an outstanding 230 horsepower in the European market due to a better camshaft profile.

Another thing worth noting about the Z31 is it’s voice warning system, similar to Chrysler’s own were featured on the 1984-86 GL and GLL models and is referred to as “Bitchin’ Betty” by enthusiasts.

Have a suggestion for next week’s featured image? Drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Vehicle of the Week” and fill it out with your two choices and they’ll be featured in upcoming Rewinds. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.

Forza Motorsport ALMS Challenge

http://youtu.be/3mcSJi4v05Y

Based on the real 2013 season of the American Le Mans Series, the ALMS Challenge is a season-long series of Rivals Mode racing events that will coincide with a race on the ALMS calendar. This month the challenge places you right in the vicinity of the snow-laden Bernese Alps, and the weapon of choice is the 2011 Porsche #17 Team Falken 911 GT3-RSR.

The prize for this month is a little different than what was offered in May’s challenge as this month Falken Tire is reaching out to the Forza community. How you ask? By encouraging you to create your own one-of-a-kind Falken livery for Team Falken’s Porsches and submitting them via screenshot to Falken Tire’s Facebook page. The Prize? The winning livery will be duplicated on the real Falken Porsche race car for the ALMS Petit Le Mans race in October.

If you’re interested you should definitely stop by the thread here and discuss the matter. Remember, every man and woman for themselves!

Gran Turismo 5 Hacking Comes to an End

Action is finally being taken against “illicitly modified game data” , or more commonly known as “hybrids”. These vehicles have been a cause for concern among GT5 players for some time now and recent actions taken are looking to make the playing fields level once again. You can read about the decision here.

GTPlanet Tune of the Week

Have a bit of Mini fever? Good because that’s precisely what this week’s tune focuses on for the recent “Mini Challenge” Seasonal Event that went live last week. This tune which was recommended to us by danbojte, and is courtesy of Motor City Hami, features the 2007 Mini Cooper S in all of it’s 450PP glory ready to tackle any challenge set before it.

For a one-way ticket to victory and the incredible tune itself be certain to have a look at Motor City’s tune right here.

GTPlanet Photomode Competitions

In Week 123 of the Standard and Advanced competitions you are to put your best foot forth and show the community just how seriously you take your in-game photography. All you need to know is as follows:

Week 123, Standard: Nimble and Lethal – This week the focus is on those that are practically featherweights and not of the heavyweights, so what does that mean? Jump into a vehicle with less than 300 horses under the hood and weighs less than 1,050 kg and start attacking corners like only these beasts are capable of doing. Show those corners who’s boss and don’t forget to snap some dazzling photos while you’re at it.

Week 123, Advanced 2.0: Time-Lapse – Snazzy title, wouldn’t you say? I could explain this to you in my usual fashion but why not let this week’s judge have the honors instead, CCShaft7, take it away: Like one of those slow time lapse camera shots try to take a motionless shot of any car while the rest of the world just carries on around it. eg: Park a car in the middle of a track or just off racing line while the rest of the field whizzes past or around you (certain panning modes could be interesting)….. or you could try a photo-travel location with some people/environment activity going on. Choice is yours but get those shutter speeds right down.

For all of the relevant information pertaining to this week’s challenges be sure to stop by here and here.

Closing Thoughts

I’ve put this off long enough as it is: mechanical keyboards, they are fantastic. For those of you scratching your heads right now, wondering what I’m talking about just think of a mechanical keyboard as a typewriter (for those of you old enough!) – remember the typing sensation had from one of those? A mechanical keyboard strives to achieve similar results with modern keyboards with switches, henceforth to be referred to as Cherry MX, with a variety of characteristics. There are linear switches and then there are tactile switches; the former, such as Cherry MX Red have neither tactile or audible feedback which means they are super smooth and require less force than the typical membrane keyboard. The latter, such as Cherry MX Blue are both tactile and audible which means once depressed close to it’s actuation point (the point at which the key pressed is registered) there will be a “bump” felt indicating that the key has been registered, this will also be accompanied by an audible click.

MX Blues are not for the feint at heart. If you don’t like keyboards that make all kinds of clickity-clack noises, then you’d be better off with an MX Red, Black or Brown-switched keyboard. I can guarantee you one thing regardless of your preference: you will never want to type using a membrane, dome or scissor-switched keyboard again; the differences are night and day.

For your pleasure: Cherry MX Blue, Cherry MX Black, Cherry MX Brown, and Cherry MX Red.

EDIT: I completely forgot to mention that I’m on Twitter now! So, follow me and suggest all things Rewind-worthy from the comfort of your tablets, phones, or Skynet-linked computers. Remember, when the machines finally rise you’ll need someone to write pieces regarding the matter littered with Armageddon-y undertones and I can be just that guy! What were we talking about? Right, Twitter, so if you’ll follow me here the Rewind can be delivered to you in a timely fashion not seen since snail mail. Wait, that’s not the right thing to say! 

You will be showered in Rewind, Seasonal Event and future article goodness courtesy of yours truly though so there’s that worth looking forward to – once I’ve bothered to get the thing up and running. It can also be used to suggest things for upcoming Rewinds, so that’s now two ways you all can keep me on my toes.

With all of that finally out of the way it is yet again time to bring this week’s festivities to an end, until next week keep racing!

GT5 Photomode images by GTracer98, Litchi and StrayShadow

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