A Letter to Polyphony.

[Mikey24]

Ok, so possible fixes that players themselves can do would be:

• Limit the number of players
• Disable microphones
• Reduce race quality

Do you think the track makes any difference?

I think it might.

I think the "pretty" ones and city courses are the ones to blame, mainly Madrid.

Yeah, a way round is limiting the entries to, say, 12 and that should free up some server space, bearing in mind that your own connection plays a big part in your own ability to stay in the room.

I'm not entirely sure about tracks though, I do agree with @RESHIRAM5 though, except I've noticed that Rome has a few textural issues. Like after 7 or 8 laps you seem to find surroundings and even the road missing for a second or two before it appears when you're right next to it.

 

[nascarfan1400]

Ok, so possible fixes that players themselves can do would be:

• Limit the number of players
• Disable microphones
• Reduce race quality

Do you think the track makes any difference?

We had horrible issues with Midfield. After we changed tracks all was well

 

[Johnnypenso]

Ok, so possible fixes that players themselves can do would be:

• Limit the number of players
• Disable microphones
• Reduce race quality

Do you think the track makes any difference?

I couldn't race Bathurst online. Had no trouble with other tracks but when it came to Bathurst I usually lost sound right away and quite often got disconnected. Eventually I just left every lobby that went to Bathurst as soon as it loaded. Old Fatty here (PS3)

 

[Mikey24]

Also what I've started to notice, as Polyphony are adding more and more data into the game i.e. new cars, a new track etc. the old PlayStation's (known as the 'fatties') are starting to not be able to run the game correctly, could this be due to how much of the HDD the PS needs to use just to run the game? I know a few new cars aren't hardly any data whatsoever compared to how much is already on the game but like Kazunori said in the Chapparal VGT video, they had to develop a completely new code to run the 2X and they'd have to code it to run correctly on every different setting and every different track. That must be a lot of data to input into an already large game.

I mean, I'm not an expert or hold expertise in the coding/developing industry, but I know enough about technology to give a rough idea on what is causing these problems.

 

[eran0004]

Me either, in fact I rarely have any issues online. Be it hosting myself or joining a room everything works for me as it should. [knock on wood]
You and I reside in the same area so that could be a factor in us not having any problems?

God bless the Swedish internet infrastructure

I couldn't race Bathurst online. Had no trouble with other tracks but when it came to Bathurst I usually lost sound right away and quite often got disconnected. Eventually I just left every lobby that went to Bathurst as soon as it loaded. Old Fatty here (PS3)

Bathurst seems to be right at the limit for what the PS3 can handle. I guess it's all those 3D trees.

Also what I've started to notice, as Polyphony are adding more and more data into the game i.e. new cars, a new track etc. the old PlayStation's (known as the 'fatties') are starting to not be able to run the game correctly, could this be due to how much of the HDD the PS needs to use just to run the game? I know a few new cars aren't hardly any data whatsoever compared to how much is already on the game but like Kazunori said in the Chapparal VGT video, they had to develop a completely new code to run the 2X and they'd have to code it to run correctly on every different setting and every different track. That must be a lot of data to input into an already large game.

I mean, I'm not an expert or hold expertise in the coding/developing industry, but I know enough about technology to give a rough idea on what is causing these problems.

That data should just be text, so it should be pretty small in terms of file size. Basically, "all" you need to do to create a new type of engine in the game would be to come up with algorithms that describes how they work. It shouldn't tax the hardware, unless we're talking about seriously complex calculations. The 2X should be a lot simpler on the hardware than a normal engine script, because there's just thrust coming directly from the engine. No drivetrain, no gearbox, no traction.

We had horrible issues with Midfield. After we changed tracks all was well

I wonder if it's because it's a new track, or if it would indicate that Midfield is modeled to a higher standard than most other tracks? I haven't checked that track out in detail yet...

 

[mark wolf]

Also what I've started to notice, as Polyphony are adding more and more data into the game i.e. new cars, a new track etc. the old PlayStation's (known as the 'fatties') are starting to not be able to run the game correctly, could this be due to how much of the HDD the PS needs to use just to run the game? I know a few new cars aren't hardly any data whatsoever compared to how much is already on the game but like Kazunori said in the Chapparal VGT video, they had to develop a completely new code to run the 2X and they'd have to code it to run correctly on every different setting and every different track. That must be a lot of data to input into an already large game.

I mean, I'm not an expert or hold expertise in the coding/developing industry, but I know enough about technology to give a rough idea on what is causing these problems.

The new playstations are quicker. Thats probably why the old ones struggle. I noticed a big reduction in load times when my ps3 died and I bought a new slim.

If I had to take a guess Id say the online infrastructure is not powerfull enough to maintain the online integrity required. This could be many reasons, here are a possible few: reduced server costs and resources because its last gen and not making as much money; increased data thats going through because there are more players or more data is moving through gt; the servers are sharing resources with other games; the server resources have been moved to ps4 and ps3 has a reduction in online resources.

If theres ever an answer to any question in business its always money. Theyre just not making much money off gt6 anymore so they dont care about our problems.

 

[V8-Johnboy]

Yes, this problem has been there since the beginning. But since the recent update, the number of issues has increased greatly.

So GT6 got even worse??? That's quite an accomplishment.

Hurry Pcars don't be plop!

 

[Ameer67]

So GT6 got even worse??? That's quite an accomplishment.

Hurry Pcars don't be plop!

I thought online was bad enough since it was worse than GT5 when GT6 came out. Guess I underestimated how bad it could get.

 

[mark wolf]

I am pretty sure they are well aware of the problems with online and the people that can fix the problem dont have the resources to do so. Its a legacy game on a legacy system with free online. I bet the decision makers have given them a small budget to maintain the game and the rest has gone to the next game on the next platform. I also suspect everytime they make changes or improvements to the game it strains the hardware more and exacerbates the problems.

 

[Mikey24]

I am pretty sure they are well aware of the problems with online and the people that can fix the problem dont have the resources to do so. Its a legacy game on a legacy system with free online. I bet the decision makers have given them a small budget to maintain the game and the rest has gone to the next game on the next platform. I also suspect everytime they make changes or improvements to the game it strains the hardware more and exacerbates the problems.

Yeah that is most likely the biggest problem, Polyphony have some of the best programmers on earth, arguably, and they know about the ever-increasing problems online on GT6. But, the don't have the budget to fully solve the problem, but rather just enough to try and find a way around the problem.

 

[Imari]

The servers in GT6 are only built to support 16 players, and when 16 players are in the room, there is hardly any more space for extras - such as race quality and voice chat - unless there are decent connections in the room. What I think is Polyphony should develop the servers to hold more than 16 players but then limit the amount of traffic that can access it. This would free up some space for those extras and possibly allow for more connection space i.e. a better chance of staying in the room and not being 'squeezed' out, literally.

My understanding was that there are no servers in GT6 online, it's all P2P. There are servers used for matchmaking, but once you're in game it's just the PS3s of the players doing all the work.

I could be wrong, I haven't paid serious attention to GT online since GT5, but I didn't hear about any of it changing and a lot of the same problems still seem to exist.

 

[TT92]

Isn't it ironic that every time there is server maintenance it comes back online worse? ;-)

For the record, online now is the worse I have seen it since the start of GT5. And we have the full range of all the classic problems at the same time. The DCs, the not seeing people, the not hearing people, the lag spikes, the "slippery track" syndrome, the can't enter a room etc, etc.

I am just very glad I am not in a racing league or trying to run serious races as it must be driving you guys nuts at the moment.

My solution is to patiently wait for Pcars to get here ;-) Quite frankly I am over the GT series and 16 months out we are still complaining about GT6 being and unfinished laggy game :-( Deja Vu

 

[Johnnypenso]

Isn't it ironic that every time there is server maintenance it comes back online worse? ;-)

For the record, online now is the worse I have seen it since the start of GT5. And we have the full range of all the classic problems at the same time. The DCs, the not seeing people, the not hearing people, the lag spikes, the "slippery track" syndrome, the can't enter a room etc, etc.

I am just very glad I am not in a racing league or trying to run serious races as it must be driving you guys nuts at the moment.

My solution is to patiently wait for Pcars to get here ;-) Quite frankly I am over the GT series and 16 months out we are still complaining about GT6 being and unfinished laggy game :-( Deja Vu

It's going to be very interesting to see how the online stability of PCars on the PS4 flushes out.

 

[GTPorsche]

PS4 has better online infrastructure, but only marginally if you use wireless. Wired is the way to go.

Also, if it's anything to go on, I have to DMZ my PS3 with it wired to be able to do any multiplayer, but I don't have to with the PS4 and I play online a lot on PS4 with the games I have for it. Never had issues with my slow connection on the PS4.

Hopefully pCARS doesn't have online issues, or I'll be disappointed.

 

[Imari]

I am pretty sure they are well aware of the problems with online and the people that can fix the problem dont have the resources to do so.

Maybe they can't fix the problem now, but it's something that shouldn't have been a problem in the first place.

Ultimately, it comes back to Polyphony and their design choices. If they've chosen to shortcut the development of online during the initial development of the game, that's their call. If they know that it's not up to scratch and they've chosen not to put a team on fixing it post-release, that's their call.

Its a legacy game on a legacy system with free online.

Doesn't mean a thing.

I also suspect everytime they make changes or improvements to the game it strains the hardware more and exacerbates the problems.

Again, design decisions. If Polyphony want to keep adding other stuff at the expense of online stability, that's their call.

They may be well aware of these problems, but they obviously don't consider them important enough to put time and money into making them not happen. Budget is not an excuse, Gran Turismo is one of the best funded games on the planet. The money is there if they want to fix it, they just have to choose to spend it on online development instead of other things.

 

[TT92]

It's going to be very interesting to see how the online stability of PCars on the PS4 flushes out.

I already play a couple of PS4 games online and apart from COD AW's historic bad lag compensation software everything is fine.

I would assume Pcars with it's small numbers (compared to GT6) playing online it should be quite good, until it reaches critical mass and then we will have to see how good it is ;-)

BUT we do have the recent example of the fiasco Drive Club had crashing the servers from day one and it took them weeks to sort out. I would hope that SMS has noted this disaster and have taken steps so it does not happen to them.

While I am bagging DC I should mention the *promised* free PS+ edition is still no where to be seen and it would indicate their servers are still flaky. The reason (initially) given for non-release was the server load issues so therefore I infer no free DC so servers are still not fixed.

 

[mark wolf]

Maybe they can't fix the problem now, but it's something that shouldn't have been a problem in the first place.

Ultimately, it comes back to Polyphony and their design choices. If they've chosen to shortcut the development of online during the initial development of the game, that's their call. If they know that it's not up to scratch and they've chosen not to put a team on fixing it post-release, that's their call.



Doesn't mean a thing.



Again, design decisions. If Polyphony want to keep adding other stuff at the expense of online stability, that's their call.

They may be well aware of these problems, but they obviously don't consider them important enough to put time and money into making them not happen. Budget is not an excuse, Gran Turismo is one of the best funded games on the planet. The money is there if they want to fix it, they just have to choose to spend it on online development instead of other things.

I am not making excuses for pd. I am telling you what I believe the situation is now.

How can you say that an old game on an old system with free online has nothing to do with decisions made in sony. These are the same people at sony that shifted to paid psn and removed support for all legacy steering wheels. They only care about money.

If we buy pcars on ps4 sony wins, thats a ps4, a wheel and a game. I wouldnt be surpised if thats their strategy. Its called planned obselecence. Apple do it and noone cares. My ipad crashes constantly and i cant install apps I paid for. People still buy apple. Windows gets slower everytime you update it and has constant virus and security issues and people still buy windows.

When gt7 comes out most people will buy that regardless of the problems in the past. The people in this forum represent a minority of gt players, most people that buy gt dont know whats going on or dont care. Gt marketing will make the 7th game sell, the brand is too strong.

If you want something to change you need to complain to pd and sony. Complaining in a forum on a fansite will accomplish little.

 

[Voodoovaj]

This might be a server provider issue. If a third party is hosting, there isn't much Sony can do other than seek out a new provider. Does anyone know if this is indeed the case?

 

[TeamCZRRacing]

Disclaimer: This is a rant, but not a senseless one. It is a formal one centered around the issues regarding connection issues and an explanation of how it easily takes a fun race and turns it to mud. This is NOT an "OMGPDSUCS" type of rant. Thankyou.


Dear Polyphony,

Update 1.16 has brought to us many wanted features and fun gamemodes. I applaud you for that innovation on a single player side of things. Something, however, has happened to the online infrastructure that has quickly taken the quality of online play from "Bearable" to "Awful". Ever since 1.16 several players including myself have noticed that racing is now more of a struggle than a way to have fun. Upon entering a lobby, regardless of your geographic location and Internet speed, you have a 75% of not being able to see other drivers on track, or others may not see you. What does this mean? It means that you may see Drivers A, B, C, and E on the racetrack. But not driver D. In some cases, driver D can't see you, and in others, they can. What usually takes place is the drivers in question leaving the lobby to clear their caches. Upon returning a number of things may happen:

• You are all of a sudden incompatible with the host
• You are stuck on a loading screen and disconnect
• You cannot be seen by anyone but you can see them (This includes not being seen by the host of the room)
• You still can't see the person you left for.
• And in a very very rare circumstance, you will be able to see all Drivers and go racing

Obviously this is an important issue. Several people have experienced issues, even GTPES director @AJ is experiencing this. There is no hiding it, it's not any longer a minor nuisance. It is now an extreme issue and easily ruins the game play. PLEASE FIX THIS POLYPHONY! This cannot continue any longer. Hotfix it, release a 3 gigabyte update, do something to fix this! We as a community are begging you. We just want to race and now we can't even do that. I have supported you for a very long time. I will Continue to do so, but this issue needs to be solved immediately. I look forward to seeing the PD team fix this issue. Thankyou for your time.

Sincerely,
Nascarfan1400​

I'm not sure of the point of this thread. They probably already know that these issues exist and are working to fix them. No use yelling at them - it's like your mom screaming at you to get your homework done as you're already doing it.

 

[Ameer67]

I'm not sure of the point of this thread. They probably already know that these issues exist and are working to fix them. No use yelling at them - it's like your mom screaming at you to get your homework done as you're already doing it.

Maybe it's because things haven't gotten better in the past 15 or so months and they need to be fixed.

 

[TeamCZRRacing]

Maybe it's because things haven't gotten better in the past 15 or so months and they need to be fixed.

So the homework's overdue. How's yelling at them going to help? They already know to get their asses in gear; they don't need it beaten into their skulls.

 

[MGR]

I am not making excuses for pd. I am telling you what I believe the situation is now.

How can you say that an old game on an old system with free online has nothing to do with decisions made in sony. These are the same people at sony that shifted to paid psn and removed support for all legacy steering wheels. They only care about money.

If we buy pcars on ps4 sony wins, thats a ps4, a wheel and a game. I wouldnt be surpised if thats their strategy. Its called planned obselecence. Apple do it and noone cares. My ipad crashes constantly and i cant install apps I paid for. People still buy apple. Windows gets slower everytime you update it and has constant virus and security issues and people still buy windows.

When gt7 comes out most people will buy that regardless of the problems in the past. The people in this forum represent a minority of gt players, most people that buy gt dont know whats going on or dont care. Gt marketing will make the 7th game sell, the brand is too strong.

If you want something to change you need to complain to pd and sony. Complaining in a forum on a fansite will accomplish little.

Good gravy! What is this gibberish?

I'm not sure of the point of this thread. They probably already know that these issues exist and are working to fix them.

What gives you that idea? (Serious question)

 

[mark wolf]

Good gravy! What is this gibberish?



What gives you that idea? (Serious question)

I am a professional software developer. I know from experience that you always know whats going on with your own product. Whether you can fix it is another matter.

 

[Ameer67]

So the homework's overdue. How's yelling at them going to help? They already know to get their asses in gear; they don't need it beaten into their skulls.

How do you know they're working on it?

(I think they know of the issue myself, but I am asking how we can confirm they are trying to solve the problems.)

 

[TeamCZRRacing]

What gives you that idea? (Serious question)

The fact that they are known to beta-test their software, for one thing. If they didn't test it then it would be another Ride to Hell: Retribution.

@Ameer67 I refer you to this post to answer your question.

 

[Com Fox]

If we buy pcars on ps4 sony wins, thats a ps4, a wheel and a game. I wouldnt be surpised if thats their strategy. Its called planned obselecence. Apple do it and noone cares. My ipad crashes constantly and i cant install apps I paid for. People still buy apple. Windows gets slower everytime you update it and has constant virus and security issues and people still buy windows.

When gt7 comes out most people will buy that regardless of the problems in the past. The people in this forum represent a minority of gt players, most people that buy gt dont know whats going on or dont care. Gt marketing will make the 7th game sell, the brand is too strong.

If you want something to change you need to complain to pd and sony. Complaining in a forum on a fansite will accomplish little.

You can't rely on a multi-platform game to give you the cash, especially when it has PS4 Rivals like DC and GT6. There was actually a poll that showed which was the most popular version of PCars. Wii U actually beat the other 4, however that wouldn't be a surprise because PCars will be unrivalled there. So if that lead to sales Nintendo would get the most benefits. Source: http://www.projectcarsgame.com/home/which-platform-are-you-getting-project-cars-on

Kaz has actually said numerous times, he is aware of the forum site and has read it.

 

[Johnnypenso]

I already play a couple of PS4 games online and apart from COD AW's historic bad lag compensation software everything is fine.

I would assume Pcars with it's small numbers (compared to GT6) playing online it should be quite good, until it reaches critical mass and then we will have to see how good it is ;-)

BUT we do have the recent example of the fiasco Drive Club had crashing the servers from day one and it took them weeks to sort out. I would hope that SMS has noted this disaster and have taken steps so it does not happen to them.

While I am bagging DC I should mention the *promised* free PS+ edition is still no where to be seen and it would indicate their servers are still flaky. The reason (initially) given for non-release was the server load issues so therefore I infer no free DC so servers are still not fixed.

Before QM was launched, there were usually only 100-200 open lobbies active worldwide for GT, not sure how many private lobbies there were of course. I used to count them in GT5 as well and at it's peak it was around 300-400 max. At an average of around 8 participants that's not very big numbers to deal with at all. Many games are in the hundreds of thousands. I fully expect Project Cars to exceed those numbers pretty soon after release seeing as how the game is all about racing online and off, and all cars are available from the start.

I'm not sure of the point of this thread. They probably already know that these issues exist and are working to fix them. No use yelling at them - it's like your mom screaming at you to get your homework done as you're already doing it.

It's the purpose of these forums. Speak your mind, share your thoughts. You have no idea what they are working on and what their priorities are and no idea whether communication in this area is beneficial or not. How about we just let people share their thoughts and let PD and Sony decide whether it's worthwhile or not?

 

[mark wolf]

You can't rely on a multi-platform game to give you the cash, especially when it has PS4 Rivals like DC and GT6. There was actually a poll that showed which was the most popular version of PCars. Wii U actually beat the other 4, however that wouldn't be a surprise because PCars will be unrivalled there. So if that lead to sales Nintendo would get the most benefits. Source: http://www.projectcarsgame.com/home/which-platform-are-you-getting-project-cars-on

Kaz has actually said numerous times, he is aware of the forum site and has read it.

Fair point about the multiplatform. I still believe they are trying to get people to move to ps4 regardless of the game.

In regards to kaz reading the forum, its obvious he hasnt been here in a long time. I suspect sony is more likely the cause of our problems and not pd, since they are the decision makers when it comes to money.

 

[Com Fox]

Fair point about the multiplatform. I still believe they are trying to get people to move to ps4 regardless of the game.

In regards to kaz reading the forum, its obvious he hasnt been here in a long time. I suspect sony is more likely the cause of our problems and not pd, since they are the decision makers when it comes to money.

Money shouldn't be an issue however, GT is one of the most funded franchises.

 

[mark wolf]

Money shouldn't be an issue however, GT is one of the most funded franchises.

What is the issue then? If I am wrong about evrything, tell me what is right?