We’re here, heading in to the final chicane leading onto the main straight — I’m referring to E3 of course. It all begins next week Monday if you weren’t aware and there’s so much I’m looking forward to, so much I’m looking to get a better hold of, and even a bit more clarity should it be provided.
There’s going to be so much to cover that I may actually be coerced into sitting in front of my TV with a notepad, simply so I can jot down the key points in each of the presentations and everything else that piqued my interest during the festivities. There’s the Playstation 4 reveal which is undoubtedly going to be covered in it’s own post here, Gran Turismo 6, Forza Motorsport 5, the Xbox One, and the expected titles Nintendo are going to announce during their direct conferences (Bayonetta 2, anyone?). It’s going to be one really hectic week and I can hardly contain myself. How busy will I be in the midst of all of this? Well, that remains to be seen.
What am I looking forward to the most? In the midst of everything that’s bound to bombard the expo, I can’t answer that question one way or the other. All I can say is I’m looking forward to everything the expo has to offer, same as every year. When it’s all said and done I’m more than positive I’ll be pre-ordering both the Xbox One, the PS4, and picking up a Wii U — yes, I’m addicted to games, but aren’t we all?
Switching gears a bit, can you believe that I still haven’t seen Star Trek: Into Darkness? I have no idea what it is that I’m waiting for and by now the premise of even putting together an answer is lost on me because I really have no legitimate reason for not having seen it yet; I also want to see Iron Man 3 again but the only thing that’s going to do is drive me home and make me watch The Avengers for the one-millionth time, thus starting a vicious cycle involving comic books and comic book-related movies that won’t end for the foreseeable future. I have enough on my plate at the moment as it is so I’ll pass on that. For now.
What a coincidence, I mention comic book-related movies and as Horrible Bosses came to an end on HBO, a commercial for the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises on June 16th was shown. How much more action-packed is next week going to become? Granted, I’ve already seen TDKR and thought highly of it but at the same time it left me wanting more, but we’ll discuss that later on. For now, let’s get the Rewind underway and feed into the E3 Desire!
GTPlanet Picture of the Week
This week’s image is all about the clever usage of bokeh, something we’ve seen a couple of times in this space. I won’t go into too much detail of what bokeh is, all that really needs to be known is it’s the way the camera lens renders out-of-focus points of light.
This week’s image, courtesy of NBDESIGNZ, is definitely on the side of “good” bokeh, with all of your attention being drawn toward the crisp details of the Mine’s R34 GT-R and it’s BBS wheels.
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.
Racing Games: A Sound Study
The delivery of sound in racing games is one of the things I’ve placed greater importance on throughout the years, and as a result there have been some real gems throughout the years and it’s only getting better, but the question now is does the community realize how large of a role sound recreation has in racing games? Often you’ll find players praising the physics engine as the “bread and butter” of racing games, and while that alone has its merits of having a greater emphasis as it’s coming across as the core functionality of the game, what good is a top-shelf physics engine if the sound recreation isn’t delivering the necessary details at all times?
Track Time Audio conducted a study sometime ago pinpointing how crucial a role sound plays in filling the communicative void that bridges the gap between the real world and the virtual one; sound plays a larger role in your favorite racing games then you might even be aware of.
The study is broken down into several demographics: tire squeal, surface materials, acceleration and deceleration, camera perspectives, and a couple of others. The point that’s being driven here is that sound very much drives the experience as much as the rest of the game’s set of functions. It’s a very interesting read and I’d recommend it to anyone that’s looking for a detailed approach at understanding the many factors sound has a helping hand in.
GTPlanet Weekly Race Series (WRS) Online Events: 2013 WRS GT3 Championship
It’s time to strap yourself in and prepare for a championship challenge that’s going to span over the next 4 (5) months, the WRS GT3 Championship allows you to get behind the wheel of any FIA GT3-compliant road car in GT5 and run amok on the four real world locations available to tour.
The first challenge that awaits you lies at home to the 24 Hours of Le Mans – Circuit de la Sarthe. With your choice of the Mercedes SLS, the Ford GT, Ferrari 458 and the McLaren MP4-12C, the field is sure to be varied and brimming with excitement.
For more on the upcoming series let’s turn to the comments of the Stewards:
Welcome to the inaugural WRS GT3 World Championship season: a four race series based loosely upon the Blancpain Endurance Series. The series follows the calendar dates for the real life events using circuits available in GT5 with a North American stop at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca added as a bonus.
There are cars from four different manufacturers to choose from: Ford GT ’06 | Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG ’10 | Ferrari 458 Italia ’09 | McLaren MP4-12C ’10. The cars have been homologized so test them all and find the one that suits your driving style best. Pick wisely as once you qualify in a car you are committed for the season.
Time change will be enabled for several tracks on the calendar to get the best out of GT5’s dynamic lighting so wear your sunglasses and try not to focus too much on the sunrise. Leave your rain tires and night vision goggles in the paddock because full dark driving and weather will not be included.
Individual driver and manufacturer team champions will be crowned after the season ending race at the Nürburgring 24h course.
Stop by the official thread 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
It’s that time again and this week we’re back into the normal swing of things with a senior member of the forum getting their time in the spotlight, and this week’s entrant is an interesting one for a particular reason that can easily be spelled out as “Mini Cooper”. Of course, the Mini isn’t with him anymore but why am I telling you this when you can get to know the entrant better yourself; welcome Joey D to the Member of the Week hall of fame!
As mentioned earlier, Joey is another one of the senior members of GTPlanet that have proven his worth over the course of his membership here, and much like a previous inductee he’s rather opinionated. If you’ve been following the inductees up until this point then you’ll know that you won’t want to miss this interview. For the full interview be sure to stop by the Member of the Week thread and get to know Joey better, or maybe even ask him who’s responsible for getting him addicted to time pieces. He is, after all, the ninth member 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
It’s amazing how time flies, I completely forgot about the special edition Carroll Shelby Rewind tribute I was supposed to have done back in May. We’ll worry about compensating for that in a couple of weeks, but for now let’s kick start the tribute with this week’s featured vehicle, the 1967 Ford GT40 Mark IV.
With Ford achieving top honors for their progress in international endurance racing, development of the GT40 was continued for 1967 season despite growing costs, the campaign itself was already the largest and most expensive effort for an American team in a predominant European series.
In light of the success of the Mark II GT40’s in 1966 their hefty weight inspired Ford senior designer, Roy Lunn to seek out new and drastic design changes. Two examples already existed, with the X1 prototype that was developed by McLaren Racing Limited that featured an aluminum version of the GT40’s tubular frame, and the second project, the J car, appealed to Lunn and would see him convincing Ford to move ahead with the prototype.
The Mark IV J-4 made it’s debut at Sebring and was an instant success leading the entire race ahead of a Chaparral 2F, taking the victory with Bruce McLaren and Mario Andretti behind the wheel; this victory would coerce Ford to prepare more Mark IV’s for Le Mans. Despite three retirements at the 24 Hour event it would be the Shelby American Mark IV driven by Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt that would eventually cross the finish line, leading into the second consecutive victory for Ford at Le Mans in which they beat out Ferrari – exactly the story Ford wanted.
GTPlanet Tune of the Week
When the tuner’s notes for a vehicle is “I like cake” you just know it’s going to be good, it just goes without saying! Recommended to us by DigitalBaka and courtesy of krenkme, this tune was featured in the recent FITT Tuner Car Shootout.
Mine’s R34 GT-R (funny how it’s been featured twice at this point) is already a beast of a car in it’s factory layout, but with a custom suspension it becomes a daring 575PP track-eating monstrosity. You can find it in the NCD, assuming you aren’t already in possession of one, and be prepared to start raking in victory after victory because you’ll be taking no prisoners as you attack corners and unleash the power on on the straights with it’s 545 horsepower on-tap. If you want to take on the tune, with the apt name of “Not Yours” then there’s no doubt you’ll want to stop by and see the tune for yourself.
Exactly like the Picture and Vehicle of the Week features, if you have any suggestions for the upcoming Rewinds be sure to drop me a private message, entitle it “GTPlanet Tune of the Week” and let me know. NOTE: You cannot elect your own work.
drive: Formula Ford EcoBoost – Street Legal Racer
It’s a street legal Formula Ford, do I really need to say anything else? Once again I’ll let the video do all of the talking.
GTPlanet Photomode Competitions
In Week 132 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 132, Standard: Hostile vs. Docile – Simple theme this week, just go out there and snap a shot of your car exhibiting either one of these behaviors. Oh, what’s that, it’s a bit confusing you say? Well, hostile is pretty self-explanatory, if you’re snapping that perfect shot of your car attacking another for the next highest position that would fall under “hostile” – think aggression and it’ll make more sense.
As for docile, just think calm, cool and collected; parked under an overpass or just driving about in peaceful serenity.
Week 132, Advanced 2.0: Elementalist – Interesting theme and since it’s been on Taiga’s mind for a while I’ll just let him handle the explanation: This has been in my head for quite some time now and I’ve finally got the chance to make it a theme.
Water. Fire. Wind. Earth. Feel the sky burn, the rain cold, the ground-shattering drift or the sweet tandem of 2 cars dancing in the wind. Take a picture and make it feel like an element. It doesn’t have to literally be a car on fire. If you’re embodying fire, you can take a sunset photo. Likewise if you’re embodying water, you can take a rain photo.
The image is left to your interpretation and if the photo tells a good enough story, it’ll pass. Possible elements that can be used: Fire, Water/Ice, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Darkness, Light, Nature
For all of the relevant information pertaining to this week’s challenges be sure to stop by here and here.
Closing Thoughts
So you may have noticed Forza Motorsport has been absent from the Rewind for the past two weeks and it was done entirely on purpose as up until two days ago there wasn’t much to report on, and even then it still wasn’t enough for me to make a big deal out of. All of that is poised to change with next week’s festivities at E3 and I still have absolutely no idea how I’m going to handle the influx of buzz words, tidbits, news pieces and various images – there are always images. And videos.
Right, so TDKR, it left a lot to be desired in my opinion but then again I was already extrapolating the story arc to points I knew weren’t going to be portrayed in the film. I was absolutely giddy when Bane (SPOILER ALERT) broke the Bat’s back because that’s 100% accurate to the actual events in Batman #497 in the Knightfall story arc. What would I have liked to happen? Simple. They could have introduced Jean-Paul Valley, he’d take up the cowl with Bruce in a wheelchair, almost get wrecked by Bane, realizes his weakness and dons the mechanical Batsuit and almost kills Bane with ease.
Go out and read the entire Knightfall story arc, it’s one of the best Batman stories out there. If I talk about this any longer this is going to become “GTPlanet Weekly Rewind: Batman, More Batman, and Even More Batman.” I have Bats on the brain now so anything I say from hereon out isn’t going to be inspired in the least, so I’m going to copy-and-paste plug my Twitter now!
Once again I forgot to mention that I’m on Twitter now. What was once going to be a bit of parody account (because I don’t use Facebook or Twitter for any reason whatsoever) has quickly turned into me using Twitter rather effectively. 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 said, E3 is next week and there’s going to be plenty to cover so batten down the hatches and stockpile on whatever it is you enjoy drinking because it’s going to be absolute madness! Until next week keep racing! Batman!
GT5 Photomode images by eugene2023, Metalsun, and BayuYellow46.
See more articles on GTPlanet Member of the Week and GTPlanet Weekly Rewind.
After reading this entire article all i have to say is, Kazunori should humble himself and consult with the sound rendering engineers who make Forza, cause even though ive never played Forza, the god’s honest truth is that the cars sound freakin awesome!!
Its my opinion that sound makes up about 30% of the entire racing experience. Thats a pretty respectable chunk to be missing.
Well he “Humbled himself to KW and Yokohama Rubber, so anythings possible, and the Sound Engineers don’t necessarily have to be Forzas.
Agreed it doesn’t have to be forza’s, but after comparing many racing sims across all the platforms, theirs is def top 3.
By now its safe to say that Kaz & PD have received this criticism concerning sound rendering & like they’ve done in the past they address and fix these concerns. So why is it that an issue as glaring as this is not being addressed?
To be fair people have been complaining about the engine sound for nearly 15 years.
What has been done? Not much.
I agree about the sounds bit after I hooked up surround sound it improved. Also try setting the tv sound setting. You can hear the dump valve and boost pretty clear. Forza/dirt/shift they all have awesome sounds. It baffles me how gt never kept up. Another cool addition would be turning the camera round the car while driving to see it from the side.
GT5 sound really is a total embarrassment, but that isn’t the worst part of the game lately.
If I thought I had the “Marbles” to drive the Formula Ford around the ring (7.22 wtf) I hope I have good enough sense to bring a couple Diaper lol .
Wow, it’s as if yall have driven these cars before. l had a 1981 Audi 5000t. Sampled it’s entire power range in all gears quite often. That was 30 years ago and doubt that some digitally replicated sound is going to bring back any memories. However, get me behind thw wheel of a real-life turbocharged 2.1 liter inline 5 and l’m certain those 3am blasts from the top of I57 to the top of l55 would come roaring back. Lol, I heard those samples, and none sounded like anything to write about.
Still not a cogent argument for bad audio recreation.
Is this a test?
No R8’s in WRS GT3?
No AWD R8s in GT3. See my earlier comment.
At first I was really confused because I know the R8 Ultra has been a top car in Blancpain, then I realized what ya ment, lol. Yeah the GT-R, the Chevy Camaro, and the BMW Z4 and the 3 cars currently accepted in FIA GT3 that aren’t included.
BMW better watch out, that Z4 chassis is steadily becoming better than the M3’s.
The whole Shelby vs the Europeans thing is really ironic because the Shelby Cobra, which he obviously made his name on, is actually a European car, the AC Cobra. AC had been making the car in Europe with Bristol engines in them. All Shelby did was strike a deal between AC and Ford to drop a V8 engine in AC Cobra and sell it in America, lol. Shelby is still the man though.
Not a fan of Carroll, but thats not ALL he did. He was a champion race cardriver. And l ain’t talking NASCAR either.
Oh I know he was, he only stopped cus of a heart condition or something. Before he died he had been the worlds oldest living heart transplant patient. The Cobra was the thing that launched him in the automative world.
Bfam your point is still not valid.I think your trying to stick up for PD a little much just be honest don’t be blind and def .Improvements needs to be made in Gran Turismo sound department simple as that its not 1998 anymore bad sounds and same sounds are not going to fly anymore especially if you have a modified exhaust.
Well if your exhaust is modified it deffinently won’t be sounding like the street car.
Hack it Detune it to acceptable hp Run the haters online
Notice how GT fails in comparison to every other game when it comes to sounds lmao the funny part is that most of those games are very old.
You know how i lmao when someone compares the sounds of one car out of a 1000+ and then say how the sounds suck in the game.
That’s hardly a cogent rebuttal when I can list two dozen cars that sound completely unlike their real-life counterparts.
I have never said that “all” the cars sound great because i can hear that a lot don’t.
So many people seem to forget that this is a Japanese game which means that sometimes things are different than the rest of the world like a 370z having a 180KM\H speedo and a Japanese spec STi spec C not sound like the rest of the Subaru range.
I actually have a article from a well know British mag where they tested the Japanese Spec C and wrote “the flat-four rumble
is such an intrinsic part of the normal Impreza experience that it’s absence is quite odd”.
So who actually got it wrong,Forza for making the sound like an American version or PD for making it sound like a Japanese version?
My only real gripe with the sound is Diesel engines like the Audi R10 TDI sounding like naturally aspirated engines. Otherwise I’m not really bothered at all.
You say the audi sounds like an n/a engine. My friend has a turbo diesel bora and that sounds like a mental petrol engine.
The WRS GT3 one has me blown away, that’s really good imagination. :)
Come join in then! :D
I need to see Star Trek also..
I was supposed to go see it with my dad last week, but he came down with a cold then did his back in a few days later… Sad because he’s a Trekkie!
The Star Trek reboot seems way too much like some fanfic writers are doing the new movies. They’re fun and all, but they mess up a lot of things, and some parts just flat out don’t make sense, so it’s not really ST for me anymore. It is making me want to get the Enterprise TV series, because Paramount set out to make the show foundational and in-cannon, not treat it as their own personal playtoy as JJ Abrams and his writers did with the new Trek.
Anyhow, WR was a fun read, and I still need to see TDKR myself. ;P
Look, I do understand that this is not a Star Trek forum, but I have 3 quick things to say to Tenacious D!
You have to remember that it all takes place on an alternate time line! (See the 2009 movie again for reference) Of course things are different to the original…
JJ Abrams is now the director…
Leonard Nimoy (the original Mr Spock) acted in and endorsed the last movie, so it MUST be a good concept for the future of the Star Trek franchise!
Excellent write up, as usual.
Good stuff
Definetely want that Formula Ford EcoBoost in GT6!
Formula Ford would indeed be a good spec series to add.
I rest my case with the sounds of GT5.. forza takes the win for me.. unmistakable engine sounds.. the tire sounds suck but everything else is amazing
I almost couldn’t make out that it was a Subaru.
No one in the console department seems to have got the proper Subaru sound right and
I’m not talking about the turbo whistle, I’m talking about the off beat sound that most Subaru boxers make.
Thanx for the link to the article,interesting read.
There are only a couple of Subarus that sound right in GT5. The old Imprezas and the Spec C Type RA. Of course, change the exhaust and you’ll mess it up completely.
That Formula Ford..
I have no words..
If I can’t have it in Real Life, I beg Polyphony to get this scanned and mapped for GT..
If Ford does Produce it, one WILL be mine!!
I was waiting, the whole time, for that right front fender to fly off. Sooo unattractive, put some clothes on that naked beast.
Body Work basically has to look like that to meet Street Regulations, it will most likely still be illegal in certain States over here in the US anyway.. The 1st Gen Lotus Elise isn’t Street Legal here in Virginia, something about its Build–Bumpers or the height of them, I can’t quite remember.. A true to form shaped Formula Machine won’t get the Green from Lawmen..
I can’t wait for the announcement of Super Smash Bros 4! Also can’t wait to see if there’s any new info on GT6 and more news about the PS4. Great Rewind as always T-12 ;)
Carol Shleby……….USA……..USA………USA……….USA. And we’ll kick some Euro a$$ in the future, bank on it.
CARROL SHELBY
This is GTPlanet not GTAmerica. Respect other Nations.
The funny thing is Americans wonder why sometimes the are labelled as “idiots” by other people.
“Respect other Nations” he said..
But his last statement failed to respect other Nations..
Why not just take a shot and be done with it lol??
Nope. I wanted to say what I really thinks. Sometimes some people are idiots.
HKS RACER, I’M FROM AMERICA!
And I completely agree with you.
Aussie .. Aussie .. Aussie – Oi .. Oi .. Oi!
Seriously, I race with Americans on GT5 and, in a particular room, nearly ALL of them admit that Americans, as a whole, are ignorant! This ignorance was caused by the way the US government restricted teaching certain things or airing certain things before the internet came about!
HOWEVER, what Blood*Specter was expressing was National Pride, like I did with my opening. Now I’m not an idiot, I’m an Australian and damn bloody proud of it!!!
From what I’ve seen and heard, quite a lot of Americans are not idiots or stupid – same in Australia – they just weren’t taught any different about (wait for it….) certain things!
There are two types of people I am extremely comfortable with classing as idiots or stupid – 1) People who can’t follow the most basic road rules (people who drive UNDER the speed limit and people who give no indication of intent to turn) and 2) People who can’t spell properly or don’t use grammar correctly!
So, time for a quote from a very famous American author:-
“IT IS BETTER TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT AND APPEAR STUPID THAN TO OPEN IT AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT” Mark Twain
Common sense people don’t express their national pride saying they’ll kick someone else a** in the future.
My native lenguage is full of scurrilus phrases I could humiliate people using very bad words but I don’t because that’s stupid.
Economic situation is enough to cause tensions between different nations, so let’s try to respect each other at least in hobby forum like this.
The wannabe GT3 World Championship with road cars looks kind of sad to me.
I know road cars are better than nothing, but proper GT3 race car versions with a decent livery editor are so much better. Let’s see if KY will troll his fans once again with GT6.
They already announced 2 GT3 models for GT6 and all GT3 cars converted to race cars with light modifications.
Light modifications?? I don’t think so. GT3 cars are not road legal. We are talking about full blown racecars with front splitter, wide body kit, rollbar, lcd, racing seats, slick wider tyres, rear wing, etc.
Thanks for my shot as Picture of the Week, T-12. ;)
Thanks Terronium. This post kept me reading up to TDKR.
Not complaining, because l don’t have the time to partake or do it myself, but the WRS has produced a race series that I’m most interested in. It just so happens that there are so many other cars they could have included.
At 633hp and 1300kg, winged premium RWD models numbered a lot more than four and a few more when you add AWD to the mix. I like to be adaptive. So require the drivers to be effective in all the layouts, FRWD, FAWD, MRWD and MAWD then have them visit all of the F1 and GT venues. Podium finishers are not not allowed to use that car again. Additionally, each driver must use at least three different types of drivetrains.
Just an idea of what I’m looking for, if I had the time.
Gotta love a 3-pot!
Combined with the styling, the sound of it in the new Fiesta has the potential for confusion – you’d think the Cygnet just got a big brother (at least until you sit in one…)
WANT that road-legal Formula Ford.
*drool*
Nice Job!
Can’t wait for E3 asweelll….. so much things…. oh my… :)
well i wont buy each new Console. I will buy PS4 and save the rest for a new Wheel Setup ;)
Wow your actually going to buy a XBONE , man that things a DVR not a game console XD
You mis-spelled ‘and’. You typed ‘not’. A silly mistake I know, but it made your post appear childish and fanboy-like.
Oh, wait…..
Never mind.
X-Bone. Had to laugh at that one. I think I’ll refer to the Playstation 5 as PlS5. ;)
I still find it funny, the idea of people talking to their consoles. I mean the whole “Lights on, TV Station 4” thing they had in the 80’s didn’t really take off. But I suppose sitting here at the PC with the PS two feet away I’d like to say “Playstation on, GT6” and have it load up whilst I finish writing this comment. But being a bloke, multitasking isn’t my thing.
Now where are my pants?
Hey T-12, great rewind once again; but in the 3rd paragraph, when talking about pre-ordering the XboxOne and PS4, you misspelled “than”.
Joey D did it – MOTW! Congrats!