Gran Turismo’s Engine Sounds, Drag Racing, the DeltaWing, & More: Kazunori Yamauchi’s 2012 GTPlanet Interview
Before the 2012 GT Awards, I had the opportunity to sit down with Kazunori Yamauchi for a brief interview. We covered a wide range of topics, and I tried to cover some of the most frequently asked questions and discussed topics in GTPlanet’s forums.
Thank you to my friends at SCEA for helping to arrange this interview, and thank you to Kazunori-san for his time and his interesting responses.
On behalf of the GTPlanet community, thank you for your time today, it is great to speak with you again. As you know, fans are eager to learn more about your future plans for the Gran Turismo series. At the GT Academy finals at Silverstone, you said you wanted to focus on “human drama” in the next game. Can you explain what you meant by that?
Yes, I am sure the GTPlanet community and the fanbase there are wondering what I was talking about.
So to expand on that further, I believe Gran Turismo is not only a video game; it’s a movement. When I was at the GT Academy finals, I saw all those young people with the talent and the capacity to be involved in something that might be life-changing for them. I saw how Gran Turismo had an effect on their lives, so what I meant by that comment was that I hope GT will continue to have that affect in the future as well, because I could really see the impact Gran Turismo has had on people.
I hope it will continue to have that impact and to create drama in that sense.
Can you describe how the various themes, cars, and tracks are chosen for GT5‘s Seasonal Events?
Every time, our Online Operations team at Polyphony Digital has a discussion of what they would like to do next, then they come to me with their ideas. I take their ideas and then we decide what to do from there.
I think the online team has a very difficult job, because within the resources GT5 has they have to come up with something different every time.
You designed Gran Turismo PSP with an open structure to focus on car collection. If you were to build another mobile game, would you preserve this structure, or would you design it with a more traditional order of progression as found in other Gran Turismo games?
I always want to challenge myself to do something new every time, so if I were to create another mobile game it would be different from both GT PSP and from GT5.
Many online rooms in GT5 are created by players who want to compete against each other in drag races. GT4, of course, featured a drag strip here in Las Vegas, but there is no specialized drag racing track in GT5. Will a formal drag racing mode ever appear in GT5 or return to the series in future games?
I think there is a good chance drag racing will be featured in future Gran Turismo versions, yes.
And I think I have said this before as well, but when I went to see the NHRA drag races, I really got to see how involved those races are, because within a few seconds you can win or lose the race.
So, for example, if you had a car break after three seconds, it’s not strong enough, but if you have one that lasted for ten seconds, it would be too slow to win the race, and I think that’s the gist of drag racing. So far I have found it difficult to incorporate that into the game.
Can you explain why you decided to introduce the experience point & leveling system in GT5, and do you expect to keep it in future games?
It’s always difficult to answer a question about why we chose to do something. When we design Gran Turismo, a lot of it is just based on what we feel is the right decision at the time. When GT5 was released it just felt right to have those experience points, and that’s why we did it. I don’t know what will feel right in future games.
Every Gran Turismo version is actually very different and made from scratch; we really go back to the drawing board for a lot of things. GT5 isn’t necessarily a continuation of GT4, and the next game won’t necessarily be a continuation of GT5.
Critics often complain about the car engine sounds in GT5, claiming they sound sterile or artificial. What is your opinion on these engine sounds in GT5, and will these critics’ concerns be addressed in future games?
My perspective is that the sounds in Gran Turismo are just too real. With the recording method we use, we use a dyno and put the load on, and the sound we produce is just too accurate. I think it would be a good thing to sort of design the sound a little bit, and so that is something I would like to challenge ourselves with in the future.
What I find is that one of our themes with Gran Turismo is to create something that is real; that is what our team is focused on, but that can be an issue sometimes as well. If we see something in front of us, we try to reproduce that very accurately, and that tendency is getting stronger.
But, I think we maybe need to make things sexier sometimes, and I think that is something the Gran Turismo team might need to work on. It could also be because our team is growing in number, which could be one of our barriers to that goal.
There are many high quality racing games and simulators on the market today. What do you feel makes Gran Turismo 5 different from these games, and how do you think these features will evolve in the future?
As for how GT5 is different from the other games, that is something you all probably know better than we do, and I think that is something for you all to decide!
As for the future, there are always so many things that we want to do and usually just not enough time, so we’ll just have to wait until the package is ready to see what can make it in.
Lucas Ordóñez just competed at Petit Le Mans in the radical DeltaWing car. What are your thoughts on this car, and can players ever expect to drive it in a Gran Turismo game?
The engineering is very interesting on the DeltaWing; it looks kind of strange to me, like a tricycle, but it is based on very solid engineering and so that is very interesting to me. To try and understand that car is like trying to solve a puzzle.
As for people being able to drive the car in a Gran Turismo game, well, Lucas is a winner of GT Academy, so that is always a possibility.
For over ten years, the GTPlanet community has tried to figure out what type of car is under the sheet on the North American cover of the first Gran Turismo game; many think it is a 1997 Camaro. Can you finally put this debate to rest and reveal what the car is?
[Laughs, a long pause...] I think it was just a sportscar, nothing really strange, but I really don’t remember…I’ll have to look that up!
You should follow GTPlanet on Facebook, and on Twitter @GTPlanetNews. You can also get GTPlanet's news by full-text RSS feed, or delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day.
Newest comments are displayed first.
-
November 5th, 2012 at 9:59 pm - #keifer1122
Can we get the delta wing in a dlc?
-
November 5th, 2012 at 7:12 pm - #BFBullpup
It says a lot that Kaz was willing to grant an interview to a fan site like GTP. I like the last question the best. I hope he gets around to finding the answer to it and sharing it in a future interview or, even better, an e-mail to be shared with the community. :)
-
November 6th, 2012 at 10:44 am - #occasionalracer
Dude, he knows exactly what car was under that cover. Keeping mysteries alive is his (sometimes VERY VERY ridicules) style.
-
-
November 5th, 2012 at 5:31 pm - #Rynogtr23
In case some of u don’t know, there is a big difference between engine sound & exhaust sound. NO where in this article was there any mention of exhaust sound, which quite frankly means that a stupid question was asked.
-
November 5th, 2012 at 5:05 pm - #TXcountry
Engine sounds are to real? LOL. That’s B.S.! And I hope drag racing never gets into GT! It’s Grand Touring! Not Grand Drag racing!
-
November 5th, 2012 at 5:25 pm - #counter345
To say that drag racing shouldn’t be implemented just due to the name is rather ignorant.
Kaz, as stated, has wanted to implement drag racing, because, like every single other type of racing, it is a test of skill and speed and should be equally featured as circuit racing. We have a lot of drag racing fans, many from the US but many who aren’t who were disappointed with the lack of drag racing in the current GT5.
-
-
November 5th, 2012 at 4:22 pm - #OmarBaez53
Yes kaz, make them sexier, we love sexy things, specially if its on GT.
-
November 5th, 2012 at 4:17 pm - #kekke2000
About the car sounds. He says it is “too real”. None of the sounds replicate action. It’s just basic engine sounds. If you listen to many arcade games there is a lot of sounds going on besides the engine sound. Also the race cars are really simplified in sound. It is actually kind of dull. Most players seems to prefer the sexier sound than the realistic sounds aswell. So make every car sound like 1000 hp turbocharged V10′s. Problem solved ;)
-
November 5th, 2012 at 3:48 pm - #gpjeff
Kaz has many intertesting answers…. None that that have any clear references to the questions!!! LOL
-
November 5th, 2012 at 2:55 pm - #Rob-F1-Fan
Has anyone tried tunnel blasting in a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder on NFS Most Wanted? Thats what i want GT5 to sound like!!
-
November 5th, 2012 at 2:53 pm - #Obli
My heart sank when I read that Kaz believes the car engine sound in Gran Turismo is too real.
Why does this subject always get so complicated? We’re talking about the sound of the cars (the player’s and the on-track opponents) when driving in-game. Engine, transmission, exhaust, whatever, the overall sound of the cars in-game is poor. It one of my biggest problems with the game. If Kaz cannot hear it for himself, they’ll never get better.
-
November 5th, 2012 at 2:49 pm - #TheGTGuy
There are 3 positives to take from the paragraph about sound.
1. Sorting out sounds after recording them
2. Kaz wants to make things sexier.
3. There team is growing in numbers, which could speed up production.
-
November 5th, 2012 at 2:42 pm - #TheGTGuy
Most start up sounds are perfect, hopefully he is reffering to this. As far as engine sounds go when racing its poor but I wish Jordan had of clarified what Kaz ment.
-
November 5th, 2012 at 3:14 pm - #hobanator24
I agree with the first part. If you listen to the Bugatti Veyron start up in GT5 & listen to Jeremy Clarkson start up the Veyron on Top Gear, it sounds almost identical. As for the driving sounds, they are good on most premium cars but not as good on some standard cars. They just don’t have enough feeling to them as they should
-
-
November 5th, 2012 at 2:22 pm - #KiroKai
Thank you Jordan, a very nice quick interview covering a lot of what the fanbase in general is wondering. I envy you for meeting Mr Yamauchi and personally speaking with him, although this is just another example how perfectly Kazunori can say a lot without telling anything.
The only aspect I thought of that you left out – though it’s a less popular demand than the at least partly supported drag – is a free roam mode in an open world (which got discussed a lot in the forums, and is mainly demanded by the cruisers) and if it is possible to appear in the future of GT. Kazunori said 2010 in an interview (excuse me, I tried googling but can’t find it atm, I’m just on my phone) that he had planned it for GT5 but quickly realised the resources/time needed to include it is not worth it, I would really like to know what he thinks about that today (also regarding Horizon as it’s – marketing wise – another part of the main rival’s offerings to their customers).
Maybe you could ask him about it at Sema 2013? :)
[short reply would be much appreciated, do you think this is important enough to ask him in case you get the chance to interview him again?]-
November 6th, 2012 at 10:29 am - #KiroKai
Thanks a lot!
You are right, it might or might not be a good addition to the Gran Turismo series, but I think he still has it in mind (there are some, small indicators in GT5 like the Hondas driving through the white city on the title screen), but I’d really love to know if it’s realistic to be included or not. :)
-
November 6th, 2012 at 10:29 am - #KiroKai
*so instead of but
-
November 5th, 2012 at 2:19 pm - #liampage123
I like what he has said, I am definelty looking forward to seeing the Deltawing and formal drag strip. I don’t fancy what he has said about the sound, the stock sounds of the cars sound good as in accuracy, like the LFA and 458, they both sound like and 458 and an LFA, but its too artificial. They need to stick with the raw sound that they have recorded, over artificial sound.
-
November 5th, 2012 at 2:18 pm - #Filip_Ovik
LOL, It seems like I got my last comment deleted for just posting this video how the engine sounds are recorded (just a joke), please don’t tell me I’m right… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCRi8bP0MGE
-
November 5th, 2012 at 1:57 pm - #GTP_Versatile
If the sound he is referring to is the startup sound when you switch to the car, then yes. Those sound nice. However, the sound when you actually drive the car is far from realistic. (At least in my opinion.)
-
November 5th, 2012 at 2:26 pm - #KiroKai
True. Although they cheated on a few start up sounds, I remember two rally cars from around ’00 use the same start up sound (read it some time ago on here), and some recordings of the start ups are not clean (the one of the DB9 is a good example, you can hear there are background noises while the car starts).
-
-
November 5th, 2012 at 1:10 pm - #Kobooi
What I read is:
* GT6 sound will still suck.
* GT6 will be inconsistent because Kaz has a lot of ideas but he doesn’t know yet (!) which will make it to the final release.
* GT6 doesn’t need to be good because it’s a movement, not a product.
* A lot of thinking by a lot of people is done to come up with a totally uninspired seasonal, so nothing is gonna change for the better.I can now just laugh with these kind of interviews, because on Saturday I bought an xbox with Forza Horizon.
-
November 5th, 2012 at 1:41 pm - #HKS racer
The seasonal one after the “sounds are just too real” was the most laughable…
how many “Japan Classics from the 80′s” they made??? LOLalways something new LOL
LOL
and LOL again.
-
November 5th, 2012 at 2:13 pm - #ncrthree
LOL indeed!
We can’t get enough 5 lap sprints! More 2J TT’s!
C’mon Man.
-
-
November 5th, 2012 at 1:00 pm - #phil_75
Too real! LoooooooooooooL!
Take your ear plugs out Kaz!
-
November 5th, 2012 at 12:48 pm - #CorvetteConquer
Thank God 2013 is looking good for racing games fans, because Kaz’s awkward answers definitely don’t encourage me.
After the 5 year wait for GT5, and after actually playing it, it’s simply a mess.
Kaz’s words in this interview are very strange. I sense a lot of hesitance and doubt, even though his team is getting larger (yet, this is a barrier to certain goals, he admits). Huh? Mismanagement, perhaps?
I really appreciate all that KY has done for Sony and for car enthusiasts, but a change in leadership could be a great thing. It’s just a shame that sales remain high. Too bad high sales doesn’t mean it’s a good game.
-
November 5th, 2012 at 3:53 pm - #TokoTurismo
“Thank God 2013 is looking good for racing games fans,”
I’m SOOOO thinking about getting Project CARS for the Wii U, and hopefully Nintendo getting their own racing game ready for their system to be my new Gran Turismo. GT6 better be great, or else I’m done with GT for good.. :/
-
November 5th, 2012 at 11:40 pm - #aronh17
No, sales do not say if a game is good. But if you generally realize that people buy these games and play them due to it being their “cup of tea” if you will, then it actually is a good game to it’s fan base, which doesn’t really need you in the equation because the fans of the game are still happy. I don’t see the mess of this game… 1,000 cars that act differently no matter if they’re premium or standard. Really accurate premium models, very accurate Nurburgring track model, day/night and rain on Nurburgring and Le Mans, two big tracks in the racing world… Major real world circuits, license tests, schools to learn how to drive NASCAR with Jeff Gordan, learning the X1 with Sebastian Vettel, doing the Samba Bus challenge on the Top Gear Test Track, Rally with Sebastien Loeb, doing the Tour of Italy with Italian cars, all the Endurance races, Professional Series, etc. It’s a complete game… One of my favorite racing games ever released to date. Not to mention the subtle yet insane physics system. I will be buying GT6 day 1 just like GT5. the game is truly a good genuine racing game, you have to look at it’s true beauty.
-
November 6th, 2012 at 12:35 pm - #mr_pepps
^^ I’m gonna re-do the Italian Job event again – good reminder :)
-
-
November 5th, 2012 at 12:36 pm - #Bahundanda
All he says is: I think… we maybe need… I would like to challenge…
Jordan said that fans would like to know more about future plans for the GT series.
Well, I don`t know anything new. (as usual when Kaz gave an Interview)
GTPlanet on Google+
I just compared a few cars on Top Gear to their equivalents in GT5 and, well they are actually very close. I drove the Ferrari 599 GTB, Ferrari 458, Jaguar XKR, and the Aston V12 Vantage (All premium). The one I would say needs the most work in the sound dept. is the 458. When you hit the redline, it doesn’t feel like you’re hitting 9,000 RPMs. But at least it’s not as bad as how they butchered the sound of the Eagle Speedster in Forza Horizon.