In-depth impressions from Gamescom

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GT

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Having driven 400 kilometers to get there and face the enormous amount of people to get to GT5, I thought I'd give my impressions from the latest GT5 build. I hope you enjoy.

First of all, I don't think I'll be going to Gamescom again IF there is no GT present(or Diablo 3); It was way too crowded on the Saturday. Believe it or not, I just played TWO games: GT5 (twice) and Diablo 3 (waited 3,5 hours...for real).

The GT5 area wasn't all that big, but compared to other companies (not taking Blizzard into account) it was a decent size with lots of racing pods. There was one 3D screen and the rest were very dusty Bravia LCD screens. All except one were hooked via HDMI, but for some odd reason one PS3 was hooked via SCART.

The wheels and pedals had really been abused though. The first pod I tried out didn't feel right and I found out that the acceleration peddle was damaged since the on-screen throttle indicator was jumping all over the place. The screens put my off though as I was expecting top of the line LED screens (such as the one I use at home) but sadly that wasn't the case.

The game itself was incredible, but let's begin with the menu navigation.

The menu navigation was easy, intuitive and great looking. Sleek design throughout which will make it a joy to simply select a car. Selecting the car also gives you all the necessary info about the car itself. Unlike prologue, the car models spin slowly around without any camera breaks. However, press and hold the triangle button and the cars spin around much faster making it great if you just want to see the entire model. As you all know by now the car selection was great!

All these videos you've seen of the Nürburgring will not prepare you for the actual experience. The track looks very good; the shadows that are on the track look very detailed and realistic, and so is the contrast although I doubt the screens were all set up properly. Nevertheless, driving is such a smooth and awesome experience, going from corner to corner and looking at the track flying by. To all those naysayers about trees and the environment all I have to say is that they have probably NOT played this build or any other for that matter because from what I've seen it looks unbelievable good!

Before starting to race I set up the game properly seeing as everyone there was driving with standard physics and other assists. So I did what I always do, professional, no ASM, no TCS, no ABS. Then I decided to take the 458 to the Ring...

It was breathtaking, no were near prologue and nothing like the TT. It felt to me like a new build, but most likely they simply improved the FF on the DFGT A LOT! I simply felt every twitch and could really push the car to the limits of its traction and after that it broke loose....but the astonishing thing was that catching a slide required quick thinking but if you gripped the DFGT as you should you could actually feel the slide coming on a second before it does and the moment its breaks traction and providing you're quick enough you can catch the slide, correct it and drive on: so satisfying to be able to use real life techniques and seeing GT5 respond in a correct manner! All I have to say is that I felt every bump and corner on the Ring. It felt so special and trust me, once the game is out and we can simply take a car and drive the Ring you will instantly LOVE the physics and the FF.

I cannot praise PD enough for this because finally it felt the way it should have felt many years ago starting with prologue; this feels real, it feels exciting and makes you try harder; you can now without doubt be a great consistent driver. I LOVED IT!

regarding skid marks, I actually got shunted real bad from behind and slided around making skid marks. However, this was on the first lap 2 minutes in or so...and if I'm correct the marks were still there the second lap...on the RING :)

If you have any questions, please ask!
 
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How did the 458 sound? If you could hear it over the loud music anyways.. from another video at E3/Comic Con it sounded EXACTLY like the f430 from prologue. (First post on GTP BTW! :D )
 
Great post, thanks :)

Thanks for the feedback, especially about the wheel ; the DF is good, so no doubt that with a G25/27 racing on the Ring will be the ultimate experience !
 
Great post, thanks :)

Thanks for the feedback, especially about the wheel ; the DF is good, so no doubt that with a G25/27 racing on the Ring will be the ultimate experience !
Not necessarily. They might have tweaked everything to be so perfect and balanced with the DFGT, that unoffical wheels like the G25/27 might play catchup in many areas.
 
Thanks for your indepth impressions of GT5.

I have read a few comments saying the cars feel more planted to the road compared to GT5P & TT would you agree with this?
 
Thanks GT :cheers:👍


Not necessarily. They might have tweaked everything to be so perfect and balanced with the DFGT, that unofficial wheels like the G25/27 might play catchup in many areas.

Or you could just keep your needlessly negative and unsubstantiated speculations to yourself 💡
 
Great report there!

Thanks GT :cheers:👍




Or you could just keep your needlessly negative and unsubstantiated speculations to yourself 💡

Well, I was just about to write a similar post about the unofficial wheel. I don't see any negative or needless about that comment!
 
Thanks for your indepth impressions of GT5.

I have read a few comments saying the cars feel more planted to the road compared to GT5P & TT would you agree with this?

Oh absolutely, it actually feels as if the cars are forced down by gravitation, weight and down-force. It feels as if the tires are really been forced onto the road especially when one is reaching the limits of grip. You will love it!

Again, really impressed by all this!
 
Or you could just keep your needlessly negative and unsubstantiated speculations to yourself 💡
Excuse me? Since when does speculation need to be substantiated? Bit of an oxymoron there Neal, because if I had evidence to back up my speculation, it would no longer be speculation would it? :rolleyes: Like it or not, only one wheel is officially supported by Gran Turismo 5, and that's the DFGT. That's the basis of my speculation right there, read into it what you will, because nothing I stated was fact.

Honestly, people around here are so twitchy and on edge that anything remotely negative said about GT5 and related peripherals usually gets met with such aggressive responses. Pathetic really, and a sure sign of the immaturity of a lot of members. Still, it's all very easy when hiding behind a screen isn't it? I wonder if you would give the same reaction to somebody you had just met and discussed the same thing face-to-face. No, thought not.
 
Thanks for the write up.

My impression from watching the Gamescom videos, was they had the appearance of what you describe.

Sort of FM3ish but more precise and realistic.
Maybe more unforgiving would also fit.
 
Sort of FM3ish but more precise and realistic.

No, not really, and I played both GT5 and FM3 virtually back to back. Even with standard physics and TCS, the feel was quite distinct and very far from anything on offer right now on consoles.
 
No, not really, and I played both GT5 and FM3 virtually back to back. Even with standard physics and TCS, the feel was quite distinct and very far from anything on offer right now on consoles.

I can only speculate from a "haven't experienced it" distance and try to formulate an idea of the physics.

Thanks for your comparison.

I'm looking forward with great anticipation to experiencing it though.
 
Good to hear on the FF. I've got the DFGT, very impressed with the wheel but the pedals leave much to be desired.

Thanks for your post mate.
 
In the german forum they say that the car feels bulls... the FF feels bulls... the DFGT feels bulls... the AI was bulls... the skidmarks were bulls... the car sound was bulls... the F1 2010 graphics are better... and so on...

So nice to read your review, thanks for that! I´m 100% sure the game will be epic...
 
As you said about the pedals being damaged I guess this would add an unrealistic feel for the game.. or what I mean is, when you get the game and play it at home on your own wheel or controller that's been looked after it will probably feel a bit different? It's such a shame people have no respect and feel the need to abuse stuff that isn't theirs. At home you wont have all the distractions you might have had at GamesCom so you'll probably notice more things.

As for us that could not attend GamesCom or will never get a chance to play any of the demos, watching off screen videos on YouTube really isn't much chop. The sound will be totally different, the visuals and everything really when I get to play it for myself here at home on November the 3rd. :)

Excellent to see how the game has improved though, especially with the menu screens. 👍
 
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What do they do?
They offer some resistance to the pedals, and if you choose different grades of squash ball, you can have more resistance under the brake pedal relative to the accelerator. It's a cheap, tacky fix, but it works.
 
GT
It was breathtaking, no were near prologue and nothing like the TT. It felt to me like a new build, but most likely they simply improved the FF on the DFGT A LOT! I simply felt every twitch and could really push the car to the limits of its traction and after that it broke loose....but the astonishing thing was that catching a slide required quick thinking but if you gripped the DFGT as you should you could actually feel the slide coming on a second before it does and the moment its breaks traction and providing you're quick enough you can catch the slide, correct it and drive on: so satisfying to be able to use real life techniques and seeing GT5 respond in a correct manner! All I have to say is that I felt every bump and corner on the Ring. !

I found this part particularly interesting. And actually quite exciting and encouraging. I know it's close to blasphemy to criticize anything about GT in these forums, but I was very unsatisfied with the FFB in Prologue. While the steering was very direct and accurate, I thought, in general, it was much too weak and more importantly, in some instances, it was very uncommunicative, particularly in situations where the car is at the limit of adhesion and transitioning back and forth between grip and loss of friction. In a real car, or even in a PS3 racer like Ferrari Challenge or Supercar Challenge (they really got it right), it's immediately obvious when you're too 'hot' negotiating a corner as the wheel begins to feel numb and light as the car transitions to understeer. In Prologue your only clues were the sound of tires squealing and the car starting to plough straight ahead. In a real car there's a very clear sensation in your wrists or finger tips when this happens. What's more F1:CE is the only PS3 racer I've played that even made an attempt to communicate road imperfections and bumps in the track through the steering wheel. At very high speeds on bumpy tracks, it's very hard to hold the car straight and steady in this game, just as it would be with a real car and a real track. Where as every track in Prologue was glass smooth. And with the lack of both centrifugal and vertical forces on your body, when playing a racing sim, it's even more important to communicate these sensations effectively through the steering wheel. I've long thought that this was one serious short coming in GT. If they've managed to get this right, it will go a LONG way for me personally in improving the realism, the feel and driving enjoyment.
 
Excuse me? Since when does speculation need to be substantiated? Bit of an oxymoron there Neal, because if I had evidence to back up my speculation, it would no longer be speculation would it? :rolleyes: Like it or not, only one wheel is officially supported by Gran Turismo 5, and that's the DFGT. That's the basis of my speculation right there, read into it what you will, because nothing I stated was fact.

You’re missing the point there, I was saying it’s speculation because it’s unsubstantiated, I wasn’t asking for evidence. We don’t know what wheels will be supported in GT5 yet but assuming it is a least what GT5P supported then we can also expect the Driving Force Pro, GT Force, Driving Force and Driving Force EX.

Honestly, people around here are so twitchy and on edge that anything remotely negative said about GT5 and related peripherals usually gets met with such aggressive responses. Pathetic really, and a sure sign of the immaturity of a lot of members. Still, it's all very easy when hiding behind a screen isn't it?

You seem very jaded for such a new member! I’m sorry you interpreted my post as being aggressive, perhaps it could have been worded a little less bluntly but it certainly wasn’t intended to be aggressive. What I should have added is the G25/G27 have worked fine with GT5P and GT5TT so there’s no reason to think they will perform worse than the DFGT with GT5. I guess I should apologise to “a lot of member” for you regarding them as immature ;)

I wonder if you would give the same reaction to somebody you had just met and discussed the same thing face-to-face. No, thought not.

Now that is speculation!
 
You’re missing the point there, I was saying it’s speculation because it’s unsubstantiated, I wasn’t asking for evidence. We don’t know what wheels will be supported in GT5 yet but assuming it is a least what GT5P supported then we can also expect the Driving Force Pro, GT Force, Driving Force and Driving Force EX.
Sorry, but you called my statement "unsubstantiated speculation". That's not the same as saying my statement is speculation because it is unsubstantiated. Write it literally and it will get taken literally.

The official wheel for the game is the Driving Force GT. Am I wrong? Does my saying this have any bearing on what I think about G25 or G27 and how they might be supported?

You seem very jaded for such a new member! I’m sorry you interpreted my post as being aggressive, perhaps it could have been worded a little less bluntly but it certainly wasn’t intended to be aggressive. What I should have added is the G25/G27 have worked fine with GT5P and GT5TT so there’s no reason to think they will perform worse than the DFGT with GT5. I guess I should apologise to “a lot of member” for you regarding them as immature ;)
So, you tell somebody to keep their thoughts/opinions/speculations to themselves, and you wonder why it gets taken as being aggressive... :rolleyes: Like I said, it's typical of a lot of responses you get to anything remotely negative being said - it doesn't take long to figure that out around here.
 
Although the G25/G27 aren't the official wheels of GT5 you can be assured PD will also test these wheels with GT5 and I suppose the Fanatec also. The simple reason is because PD do realise many gamers own these wheels and will want to use them on GT5.
 
The official wheel for the game is the Driving Force GT. Am I wrong? Does my saying this have any bearing on what I think about G25 or G27 and how they might be supported?

The official wheel for GT5 is the DFGT but as you said "only one wheel is officially supported by Gran Turismo 5" I pointed out the other wheels that are officially supported in GT5P as an assumption of what will be supported in GT5. You also said "that unofficial wheels like the G25/27 might play catchup in many areas" so I suggested they have been fine in GT5P and GT5TT so we can also assume they will be fine with GT5.

So, you tell somebody to keep their thoughts/opinions/speculations to themselves, and you wonder why it gets taken as being aggressive... :rolleyes: Like I said, it's typical of a lot of responses you get to anything remotely negative being said - it doesn't take long to figure that out around here.

I disagree, most members are more than happy to discuss the positive and negative points of GT5 and don't completely shout down any criticism. You have been quite negative about issues unrelated to the actual game in other threads so I'm not surprised you're getting a lot responses like that. You reap what you sow.
 
Hi GT!
Very clear and good write up. My questions:
Which tyre sets did you usein in those two sessions? And if different sets, could you describe and compare the feel of the different grip levels?

Thanks,
finbaek
 
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