Career Mode: Incentive & Content

[DanaWhite]

I want to start this post out by congratulating and thanking Polyphony Digital for producing 6+ stellar racing games over the past 15 years, truly an outstanding achievement in the gaming industry. I've had a great time playing Gran Turismo 6, but I want to talk about a couple regressions/issues in the series.

Playing through the game I have noticed a lack of prize cars, and upon coming to this forum and viewing the prize car list I can see that there aren't many. As I advance through the game and get into longer races in IA, and get nothing save for some cash at the end, it feels as if there is a real lack of incentive to play. I decided to compare this to previous GT games and there is a huge decline in cars awarded.

GT1 gifts 30 out of its 140 cars (21.4%)
GT5 gifts 148 out of its 1086 cars (13.6%)
GT6 gifts 39 out of its 1200 cars (3.25%)

I'm not sure why this design decision was made, but it most likely related to microtransactions. I have heard people talking about GT6 being a more casual GT game, but im not sure how long a casual player would want to play seeing as their get so little for winning races. I feel like the easier gold times in missions and licenses play into this -- the only time you get any prizes is for gold, so the golds have to be easier to get so players win something. Of course the racing is fun, and the primary reason I play the game, but its disappointing and demotivating that there are so few prize cars.

My other issue with the Gran Turismo series and 6 in particular is how there can be such a vast array of cars and tracks, but not a huge amount of events. I can only assume the events are rather easy to put together, while the cars and tracks are a much more significant endeavor to implement. There is only 1 rally event, 1 nascar event, 0 endurance events, and tons of low pp cars that have no race to enter. There should be so many more events, this could easily be a 100 hour instead of a 50 hour career mode. Once again, im not sure why this design decision consistently gets made. Ideally PD would do as others have suggested on this board and add an event creator to GT6. They could take it one step further, and then take the best player created events in GT6 and add them as standard events in GT7, it would be something that would pay off greatly in the long run.

Just my two cents.

 

[redrick]

I want to start this post out by congratulating and thanking Polyphony Digital for producing 6+ stellar racing games over the past 15 years, truly an outstanding achievement in the gaming industry. I've had a great time playing Gran Turismo 6, but I want to talk about a couple regressions/issues in the series.

Playing through the game I have noticed a lack of prize cars, and upon coming to this forum and viewing the prize car list I can see that there aren't many. As I advance through the game and get into longer races in IA, and get nothing save for some cash at the end, it feels as if there is a real lack of incentive to play. I decided to compare this to previous GT games and there is a huge decline in cars awarded.

GT1 gifts 30 out of its 140 cars (21.4%)
GT5 gifts 148 out of its 1086 cars (13.6%)
GT6 gifts 39 out of its 1200 cars (3.25%)

I'm not sure why this design decision was made, but it most likely related to microtransactions. I have heard people talking about GT6 being a more casual GT game, but im not sure how long a casual player would want to play seeing as their get so little for winning races. I feel like the easier gold times in missions and licenses play into this -- the only time you get any prizes is for gold, so the golds have to be easier to get so players win something. Of course the racing is fun, and the primary reason I play the game, but its disappointing and demotivating that there are so few prize cars.

My other issue with the Gran Turismo series and 6 in particular is how there can be such a vast array of cars and tracks, but not a huge amount of events. I can only assume the events are rather easy to put together, while the cars and tracks are a much more significant endeavor to implement. There is only 1 rally event, 1 nascar event, 0 endurance events, and tons of low pp cars that have no race to enter. There should be so many more events, this could easily be a 100 hour instead of a 50 hour career mode. Once again, im not sure why this design decision consistently gets made. Ideally PD would do as others have suggested on this board and add an event creator to GT6. They could take it one step further, and then take the best player created events in GT6 and add them as standard events in GT7, it would be something that would pay off greatly in the long run.

Just my two cents.

I agree with just about everything you say. Posted Sunday and not answered. I'm surprised. Usually anyone who knocks the game is immediately inundated with attacks by fanboys, monitors, and fanboy-monitors in purple prose. There are so many features in GT5 that are missing in GT6. The lack of enduros is perhaps the biggest loss for me. And just generally the way the game could be played so many different ways, with so many different goals. Players choice.

And there are so many little things. The tuning page is a disaster. So much harder to work with. Why take out so many features, big and small, from enduros to a reset button on the Transmission tune page, or a way to copy tunings from A to B to C?

Of course one can expect some things to get fixed or improved as time goes on, but against this are the outrageous micros. Sony profiting from selling credits for cash. So you have to look at every missing feature from the standpoint of "Is this missing because it made earning credits too easy?". So one's hopes that enduros might at some point be added are disheartened by the idea that maybe they were removed because of the greed for more cash for credits.

Yes, if you're a very good driver you can make enough money to buy an LM car in not too many hours. I'm an elderly not very good driver and without spending too much time or effort in GT5 I had all the LM cars, so I could try them and decide for myself which I liked best, rather than having to pick just one based on what someone on the internet said was the one to go for. In the 4-wheel drive seasonal you could de-tune a car, skip huge chicanes, and with the 5 day bonus make a million and a half in a few laps around Sarthe. That seasonal was there for years, still is for all I know. Sony didn't care. Why should they? If that's the way people wanted to play the game they paid Sony for, why not let them?

Cheating, some people call things like that. What a joke. This is a game. A toy. I bought it. I can use it any way I like. Why is that such a big problem for some people? But such "my way only" people have their way with GT6. In some ways it's like a poorly constructed RPG. Only one way through the game with a few minor "side quests" to supposedly allow the player a little freedom. No, deep into the "Career Mode" it's still event after event, three thee-to-four lap races on three tracks, cars at 600pp or whatever.

Actually I think I made more money in GT5 from silver trophies in Seasonals like the Italian one than from any grinding. I just had to get win that 20mil Ferrari by golding them all & made dozens and dozens of attempts, but at least was awarded with 2nd place money (more than first place money in GT6) and experience each time. In GT6, no repeat prizes, so you're actually discouraged from trying too many times to get better. You feel you're spending too much game time without making any credits.

There's also the fact that the game's designer has said there might be a GT7 for PS4 as early as next year. So how much effort are they going to put into fixing GT6? I just hope they consider that a lot of people will make the decision of whether or not to buy a $400 console as well as the game might make that decision based on their disappointment with GT6. (Combined perhaps with anger that the GT5 servers are being cut off.)

But PD/Sony does respond to criticism, note first big update was more changes than fixes. Lowered car prices, higher rewards. Obviously realizing from low sales and negative reviews they'd made a mistake. I think they respond more, though, to negative reviews on the sites of retailers so if you hope to influence the designers, write a review.

Regards,

Rick

 

[Boone]

The main reason for a lack of prize cars is: the novelty of a prize car is essentially null when one can simply purchase it in the dealership. GT5 had four prize cars which were only available to win(the rest you could purchase in a revolving used car dealership).

 

[fredyellowone]

I just fell of my chair by reading the first sentence.

 

[nib95]

I just fell of my chair by reading the first sentence.

Why? He's absolutely correct in his statement and it's quite refreshing to see some appreciation for the hard work these devs put in to these games for a change.

On a side note, I do agree that the number of vehicles gifted is far too low, and whether Sony/Polyphony admit it or not, I am sure this ties in to being somewhat intentionally designed to incentivise Microtransactions.

In terms of coding, it really is not hard to pick a car to gift after each championship or whatever. So many I've completed expecting something at the end to instead not be rewarded anything. Thankfully the 200% bonus and higher pay outs etc help, but still, there should be far more vehicle rewards.

 

[JackC8]

I never really cared about prize cars. In GT5 you got so many of them they became meaningless. I've made enough money just playing the game with the 200% login bonus to buy everything I want.

I agree that an event creator would be fantastic, and all it would really take would be to add prize money to arcade mode, but I doubt PD will ever do anything like that. Heck we're still waiting for the course creator and B-spec and the supposed improved engine sounds and the Jan. 1 X2014 event.

 

[Both Barrels]

I think only the hardcore collectors will really miss getting hundreds of prize cars. As I put GT5 away, I had over 1400 cars in total...that just ain't gonna happen this time around. I have what I want and that's about it.

 

[Unknown?]

Playing through the game I have noticed a lack of prize cars, and upon coming to this forum and viewing the prize car list I can see that there aren't many. As I advance through the game and get into longer races in IA, and get nothing save for some cash at the end, it feels as if there is a real lack of incentive to play. I decided to compare this to previous GT games and there is a huge decline in cars awarded.

GT1 gifts 30 out of its 140 cars (21.4%)
GT5 gifts 148 out of its 1086 cars (13.6%)
GT6 gifts 39 out of its 1200 cars (3.25%)

I'm not sure why this design decision was made, but it most likely related to microtransactions. I have heard people talking about GT6 being a more casual GT game, but im not sure how long a casual player would want to play seeing as their get so little for winning races. I feel like the easier gold times in missions and licenses play into this -- the only time you get any prizes is for gold, so the golds have to be easier to get so players win something. Of course the racing is fun, and the primary reason I play the game, but its disappointing and demotivating that there are so few prize cars.

My other issue with the Gran Turismo series and 6 in particular is how there can be such a vast array of cars and tracks, but not a huge amount of events. I can only assume the events are rather easy to put together, while the cars and tracks are a much more significant endeavor to implement. There is only 1 rally event, 1 nascar event, 0 endurance events, and tons of low pp cars that have no race to enter. There should be so many more events, this could easily be a 100 hour instead of a 50 hour career mode. Once again, im not sure why this design decision consistently gets made. Ideally PD would do as others have suggested on this board and add an event creator to GT6. They could take it one step further, and then take the best player created events in GT6 and add them as standard events in GT7, it would be something that would pay off greatly in the long run.

Just my two cents.

All of the cars in GT6 that I've won have been good cars(a few not so much but still appreciated as they helped me with events) but what percentage in GT5 or other GTs have actually been good prizes? I got tons of prize cars in GT5 that I never used and could have bought for very low credits. Seems to me like they just wanted people to have enough prize cars that they could beat 98% of the career without buying more than one car letting people decide what they want. As for money it's really a non issue after they brought back the log-in bonus, raised prizes, and brought seasonal events with huge amounts of credits.

An event creator would be highly appreciated! I agree with that.

 

[gnorman]

I think the problem is making a career mode that plays the way that everyone wants it to, I think there is too much money for little effort but redrick wants lots of money. Neither of us is right or wrong but as he says it is about choice.

I have been thinking about this a lot today for some reason and although I am not unhappy, I feel there is so much room for improvement in the way the career mode is done and am starting to agree with the GT5.5 comments.

I haven't played many other racing games for a long time but I do like some things in Real Racing 3 and think GT should be looking around for features in other games that make them fun, even though the handling and physics are not GT-like. The way that the sales figures have reportedly dropped off will have an effect, and it is possible that GT6 was only ever going to be a stopgap until GT7. We won't know and only few at Sony & PD will know for sure.

The only way to allow Gran Turismo to be the racing game for casual and hardcore, daily and irregular players is to have more flexibility. Whether it is having parameters to control everything, difficulty levels or expanding/merging offline/online/arcade/special events.

As far as the incentives for progressing go there are cars, money, achievement, perfection and surely more reasons why people keep playing, getting the balance right is the difficulty for the designers, but at least with updates the change to tweak is there and we all have an albeit limited voice