The first thing I did with GT4 (once I was able) was run the McLaren F1 GTR on the Nurburgring.
Of course, that's not exactly weekend warrior but none the less, I wanted to mention it as a reminder that some of us enjoy those cars... Why do I mention the obvious?
Just my way of applying the Euro Accord-R situation in reverse.
I really don't like the little crap cars (that's what I call them usually) but I know there are others out there who love them. So what is to be done? Well that comes back to what I said earlier... Better to have cars you don't drive than not have cars you would drive.
Regarding the idea of downloadable content... I agree that it will be a great advance in gaming (in general) and T10 may be able to really use that to their advantage. However, I allowing the window to remain open on the idea that PD will do the same.
All in all, this is going to come down to the improvements each company makes on the previous game.
Big points for PD and T10 to get right in my book:
T10:
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Decals need to be car and brand specific... No more after market tuner brand stickers for cars that can't run their product. Also, make sure any tuner I can apply to my car is avaible as a decal brand for that car.
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Track replication for places like the Nurburgring needs to atleast match PD's efforts from GT4. Simple as that... Track list could use an expansion as well (and I expect that has already been confirmed).
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Car list... I was talking about this earlier today (as with much of the material here). When you have tuning options like Forza, you need to have the base model of every car possible. Allowing upgrades from there is a perfect way to let users get what they want everytime.
(honorable mention but not a deal breaker... physics, handling of cars with the controller wasn't very good)
PD:
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Mods... You've got to get with the game and atleast match FM2 (not gonna happen

)

How about
Just a PaintShop.
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Day & Night realtime values... 24hr Race = 24hr progression of Light-> Dark-> Light with the values you would expect.
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Mid Race Saves...

Need I explain how fundamental this is to the player of a 24hr hour race (even on B-spec)? (NOT_A_Legal disclaimer: Playing any video game for extended periods of time may affect the player's vision)
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The low speed and roll-over physics need to match the competition. The conditions GT4 used were pathetic (as "Dave_A" so well displayed).👍
For Forza I feel like the work is all really simple to fill... Almost like cutting away fat from the base design. Nothing in their philosophy needs to fundamentally change. As a player, my one place to bend would be the physics. I believe FM2 would continue to bother me temperarily, not continually (I hope), and just like any racing game, I would adapt.
On PD and GT...
I my opinion (who am I to say

),
GT needs a slight philosophy change. The enthusiasm is great, the quality is high, but we need more fluidity in design if you expect the product to hold value. However, the overall quality really is great and more importantly... With a few corrections to GT4 and none of the fast and furious, GT5 can definately be a great game.