Does Building A Spec points = replayability

U

Uncle Harry

1,418
I am wanting to hear everyones opinion on the replayabilty of the A spec points system in GT4 over the GT3 system that winning all cars meant you had to run championships a large number of times.

To me the GT3 method provided more replay value because I wanted all the cars.

With GT4 only having one prize car per event means the developers had to find something new. A spec points.
Some of my thoughts are :
Certain races can be done once for 200 points ( Sportster and 206 races) which limits replay value.
Certain cars can be used (Dodge Ram) to get 200 points.
Some races dont let you get 200 (S4 and Crossfire). (Why bother trying for more)
How many 24 hour races are you going to run chasing A spec points. ( Then they put in B spec any way).
I had a hard time winning with one point awarded there is no way I can get 20 let alone 200.
I played GT3 for 3 years, will GT4 be able to match that?
Lets hear what you think.
 
I think A-spec points are good (maybe that's because i've got lots!), but they can be annoying, however It annoyed me a lot that I had to keep running series over and over again to win all the cars in GT3 so for me it works out the same.
The Dodge RAM is a glitch, but i've said it before and i'll say it again - you don't have to use it, and even if you do it really won't get that many points for you (yes at the start it looks like you've managed 20000 really easily, but the next 80000 aren't so easy and the last 10000, well expletives are necessary)
For the 24hr races - yes I did all three and got 200pts at Sarthe I and II and 150 at Nurburgring. Yes it's stupid, no it doesn't get you anything but hey I know I'm considering doing the Ring again to get more points!

Realistically though I think I played GT3 so long because I wanted to drive all the cars. and tune them all. and race them all. So since GT4 is much bigger i think i'll still be playing it when GT5 and PS3 are here!
 
IMHO, a-spec points are a sweet feature, yes the systems not perfect, but its a heck of lot better than re-racing a whole series in order to win the 4th possible winning car (GT3 style having already raced it x 10 times). I'm much happier taking race wins in a crappy car and aiming for 200 points. 24,000 and counting.

still no where near the godly 100K, but given time.
I'll still be playing this game, this time next year !
 
I hated GT3's style of prize car giving. I swear I did one race over so many times I started dreaming about racing it in my sleep. God bless A-Spec points. 👍
If the old system was brought back, I think B-Spec'n would become out of control with people tryin to get their drivers good enough to drive a lower class car to win a specific prize car. We'd have people braggin bout their B-Spec numbers and not their A-Spec. :ill:
 
SRV2LOW4ME
We'd have people braggin bout their B-Spec numbers and not their A-Spec. :ill:
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We already do.

The biggest prize car feature of GT4 I'm disappointed in is the pieces of crap rewarded for many of the races. GT3 was setup to the point you could play the entire game with your prize cars, GT4 isn't. However in regards to Aspec points it has given me more playability, going back through races with lesser cars creates more competition. Many are right, the balance of Aspec is quite off. In many of the races it is not possible to reach the 200 mark. Most are. Many require adding weight to the car or equipping road tires to get to 200. Now that for me takes a little fun out of the game.
 
I can only attest for myself, but after getting 100% about a month ago, trying to get A-Spec points has kept me busy/entertained since and I still have about 40,000 more to go to reach Route 66's impressive total. So I would say yes.
 
for me it is just one of those games that have a degree of replayability built in. like quake or tony hawk games. every now and then, i play one of those. a spin in supra, quick ctf or few rounds skating is just plain fun. i dont care too much about a-spec points. i just go for a spin in a car i want, thats it.
 
Uncle Harry
I am wanting to hear everyones opinion on the replayabilty of the A spec points system in GT4 over the GT3 system that winning all cars meant you had to run championships a large number of times.

...Snip...

I played GT3 for 3 years, will GT4 be able to match that?
Lets hear what you think.
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Hi Harry, good question mate!

Does gathering A_Spec pionts = Replayabilty?

For me, the answer is a definate no.

You see i've still got cars to get and some races to finish in GT3, and GT3 is nicer to drive.

In GT3 the music is better. The interface structure is better. The prize cars are better. The handling is better. The tracks are not infuriatingly different from before. The AI is fairer. And GT3 doesn't cheat all that much.

/Start rant.

Arcade is a very great deal better in GT3, in GT4 it is not so good.

Rally is a very great deal better in GT3, in GT4 it is not so good.

The Endurances which i enjoyed in GT3, are just B_Spec foder in GT4.

GT4 is an terrible cheat, i've lost count of the times it has twitched my car off of the track, when i didn't put it there!

In fact i'm only still playing this infuriating monster called GT4, just to see how far i have to go until the real racing starts.

I'm curently at 35.8% complete and just have two series to do to open up Extreme, where i suspect the mother load is at.

That is races that don't require 'Normal or Sports' rubber ice skates, or are limited in some other way.

In fact, IMHO GT3 owns GT4 in all areas, except for two: Slightly better graphics and the inclusion of Nurburgring/Le Sarthe, and that really is all.

There you are i've finally come out and said it: "I like GT3 a whole lot more than GT4!"

/End of rant.

So, is GT4 replayable at all?

No, i really don't think so!


Whilst i am just slipping on my flame-proof suit......

Please remember that this is just my point of view.
Which is just as valid, as the point of view of someone who disagrees with me.

Oh and, better just pass that fire extinguisher as well, just to be sure!
 
L28eT
If you want A-Spec points jsut do mission 1 over and over again:)
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You get those points only once. Doesn't matter if you do Mission 1 over and over again you will still get those 250Pts once.
 
L28eT
If you want A-Spec points jsut do mission 1 over and over again:)
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Well... since ASpec points don't accumulate per race that doesn't work. Thankfully so. If you could do that, A-Spec point totals really would be worthless.

I'd have to come down on the opposite of Gram. Gram, you had me on your opinion until the "handling" part ;) Oh well...

As I've said before, I became quickly bored with GT3 because I never had an indication of challenge. There was no real motivating factor to find a challenge. And the prize car issue was a disaster. It worked fine in some places... but having to redo Endurance races over and over and over to get the cars was too much. Maybe if GT3 had *checklisted* the cars you had won to bring the max repeats down to 4 (1 for each prize car) rather than making it purely random?

Yeah, the ASpec system is flawed... no question. Dealing with ballast and comfort tires isn't that great either. Fortunately, those issues really don't come into play until the Manufacturer races.

And... thanks to the good people on this board we've been exploring MORE than ONE way to get ASpec points. Look for hispeed's thread on stock car's. The FAQ I'm composing tries to create a middle ground tier (e.g. no Nitrous, no RAM, etc)


The RAM and Nitrous are exploits of the system that you have some choice over. But what videogame doesn't have exploits? Does the existence of the exploit automatically eliminate the accomplishment? I don't think so...


I'm doing many, many repeats of races... step 1 - Trying to get the most points with a Stock Car, step 2 - If #1 didn't get 200, trying to get the most points with basic upgrades, step 3 - If #2 didn't get 200, do what I have to (ballast, tires, Nitrous as a last resort)
 
As ever it seems to have divided straight down two sides.
GT4 is more realistic (Note MORE not actually) in terms of handling, grip levels and physics than GT3.

GramNitrous mentioned not liking running on Normal/Sports "ice skates" well these tyres are more realistic and more of a challenge and that's what some people (like me) wanted. GT4 has more cars and more tracks (which surely no one is complaining about?), but GT3's less "real" physics makes a more jump-right-in arcady feel and I can understand that that's what some people want.

It's going to come down to what you wanted out of it. If you wanted more realism - here you go, GT4, better (not perfect by a long shot, but better) and it'll keep you happy.
If you just want a quick blast without really concentrating GT3. Maybe GT5 will make everyone happy (yeah right)
 
For me, A-Spec points do = replayability, because they point to me just how far down the suckage meter I live. :P

Seriously, I've begun to fall into the range where I can fairly easily win in the high double digit range, which was something I wasn't able to do early on. 200 points? Pshaw...right....

It makes me want to replay until I can start winning these 200 point races. Of course, I gotta break through my Silver Medal cap on the guided lap license tests before I can even hope for that. :(
 
I am only 40% complete, even tho i got the game the day it came out. the replayability for me is 2 player mode, all of my money is spent working up new cars, my time spent tuning them to beat my friends.

the trash talking and the loyalty to cars *hugs his nissan* is what kept me playing gt1, 2 and 3 with out stopping. to me that is what a game is for to play with friends.
 
I just went back and won a race for 200 points that I had previously gotten 199 points for.

Yes, the a-spec point system can help replayability. It was just one extra point, but it was on el capitan, and me driving a sylvia. If there is a gran turismo god out there, then he was surely smiling on the day that both the silvia and el capitan were created.

Right now, I'm at the point where if I see that I've got a 190 point race, I'm probably going to duck out of the race and see what I can do to get those extra ten points.

The downside is that once I've won a race with 200 points, I can use any car I want for that race. Wait a minute... That's not a downside! I can actually take all that ballast off my cars, maybe do some engine modifications, and trounce those cars that were giving me such a headache back when I was driving a heavy underpowered slow tub of lard!
 
Personally, I think the a-spec points system does give a good indication of your talents as a driver, but to me, completing the game, whether in a-spec or b-spec mode comes first.
Some of the manufacturer races, I'm on the hyundai ones at the moment, are a nightmare to do in a stock car, let alone one that is ballasted to get max a-spec points.
A-spec points would seem to appeal more to the dedicated 100% guys, but, definitely increase the life-span and replayability o the game.
 
oxide
Personally, I think the a-spec points system does give a good indication of your talents as a driver, but to me, completing the game, whether in a-spec or b-spec mode comes first.
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Well i've said this before - A-spec points don't prove your talent as such. If you manage to get 200 a lot, then, yes, you must be a skilled driver. However, just because someone is picking up 10-20 per race sometimes, doesnt necessarily make them a bad driver - they just haven't chosen a car that will yield 200pts. They still might be awesomely quick in that car. Lets also not forget the '3pts=a thrashing' scenario, very much the domain of the Legend of Silver Arrow around the Nordschleife.

As route_66 said many times- its just purely braggin rights. I want 100,000 but not gonna happen for a while - so Im gonna enjoy ragging random cars around the nordschleife until I have the skills needed to get 200pts.
 
RenesisEvo
Well i've said this before - A-spec points don't prove your talent as such. If you manage to get 200 a lot, then, yes, you must be a skilled driver. However, just because someone is picking up 10-20 per race sometimes, doesnt necessarily make them a bad driver - they just haven't chosen a car that will yield 200pts. They still might be awesomely quick in that car. Lets also not forget the '3pts=a thrashing' scenario, very much the domain of the Legend of Silver Arrow around the Nordschleife.
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Yup, that's all true to a point. Picking the right car is a key... but 10 vs. 200 is an exagerration. It can definitely make the difference between 180 or even 150 and 200. Every once in a while, 100 vs. 200 but that's rare. The system is a mess but it's not THAT bad :sly:

But that's what these lists help people do... reduce the annoyance of finding the "right" car.

And while, yes, you need some amount of skill... the funny thing is, there's quite a bit of strategy to it. Finding the right car is only part of it.

I for one am definitely NOT the greatest driver. I don't have all golds, am using a DS controller, and I still keep the Aids at default (feel free to laugh ;) ), but the points are fun because of the competition, the strategy and the crazy races I get into because of it! YMMV of course.


Fortunately, while the '3pts=a thrashing' scenario exists (and is truly annoying), it doesn't occur very often. About 1/2 dozen races. World Classics... grrrr.... 🤬 :)
 
jdw
Yup, that's all true to a point. Picking the right car is a key... but 10 vs. 200 is an exagerration. It can definitely make the difference between 180 or even 150 and 200. Every once in a while, 100 vs. 200 but that's rare. The system is a mess but it's not THAT bad :sly:
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I meant that if you just take any car along, and you know its over-powered, you can get around 10, maybe more, maybe not - depends. I remember getting 8pts consistently with my first races in a 1-series BMW. What i was getting at is the A-spec points is determined by the car you chose, not how good you can drive. (But the better the driver you are, the more likely you are to be able to achieve the maximum points.)

Im in 2 minds - I want to have fun, but I hating seeing "1pt" on the screen. But then if I've already gained more points on that race, I guess it dont matter. Its time to do some tuning methinks - Ive had stock cars for too long now. I want to see what my 1-series can really do. :sly:
 
A-spec points were a rather stupid idea... The game got so boring after a while... I don't want to be able to race a 900 hp car in almost every cup.... in Gran Turismo 2 there were strict hp classes.... that was motivating... who cares about a number in a submenu of the garage ? I don't ! Let's hope GT5 will do this better.... Also I think there are not enough cups, I would have liked something like that :
FR Cup Easy : hp limit :200, normal tires only
Fr Cup Medium : hp limit : 350, sports tires
Fr Cup Hard : no horse power limit, racing tires

All 6 bcars including mine would have to accept these cup rules, best would win... for GT beginners there could be an easy mode, for example In FR Cup Easy the rivals would than have only 180 hp etc
 
Try getting 200 a-spec points in each race, and then telling me that a-spec points are a stupid idea.

I've had some incredibly fun and tight races while chasing those magical 200 a-spec races.
 
Bilgewater
Try getting 200 a-spec points in each race, and then telling me that a-spec points are a stupid idea.

I've had some incredibly fun and tight races while chasing those magical 200 a-spec races.
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Why should I ? I want a difficult game , not a game that forces me to drive underpowered cars.... I don't like making my life harder myself, that is the task of the game... Imagine Splinter Cell would be a game you could just run through with your unlimited ammo gatling gun .... ok you still could hide in the shaddows and attack the enemies from behind... but that would be half the fun because there is not as much motivation anymore... Welcome to my Gt4 world * havn't played it for like 2 months*
PD just wanted to make it easy for the average gamer, which is ok, but I still think the A-spec point system was the wrong way... take my idea from above ( not new btw, look at GT2), you could have the same "fun and tight races" and I also would have my fun....
 
The game doesn't force you to drive underpowered cars. Those 200 a-spec point races do.

If you want a hard game to play, then base your a-spec points on your completion ratio. If you've got 25% completed, then make sure your a-spec points total 25,000, 50% should be 50,000...

Or you can complain because PD doesn't force you to drive underpowered cars. I will guarantee you one thing, though. If you follow my advice, you'll have some decent races under your belt once you reach 50%. At 75%, you'll be sweating blood, and at 100%, you'll know you have given everything you have to offer, and you'll either be below 100,000 points, or you'll know that you have managed what most will never achieve.

Me? I'm at 50.2% with about 37,000 a-spec points, and the races now are as tough as nails because I'm not happy with a mere 150 points per race. There are some easier races I can still do that will net 200, and several of the missions, but I am sweating buckets of blood right now. And no, don't ask me my win/loss ratio because I'm losing more than I'm winning.

btw: Your idea of how to make GT4 more difficult is the same thing as chasing a-spec points. It's just not part of the game, whereas a-spec points are.
 
Bilgewater
The game doesn't force you to drive underpowered cars. Those 200 a-spec point races do.

If you want a hard game to play, then base your a-spec points on your completion ratio. If you've got 25% completed, then make sure your a-spec points total 25,000, 50% should be 50,000...

Or you can complain because PD doesn't force you to drive underpowered cars. I will guarantee you one thing, though. If you follow my advice, you'll have some decent races under your belt once you reach 50%. At 75%, you'll be sweating blood, and at 100%, you'll know you have given everything you have to offer, and you'll either be below 100,000 points, or you'll know that you have managed what most will never achieve.

Me? I'm at 50.2% with about 37,000 a-spec points, and the races now are as tough as nails because I'm not happy with a mere 150 points per race. There are some easier races I can still do that will net 200, and several of the missions, but I am sweating buckets of blood right now. And no, don't ask me my win/loss ratio because I'm losing more than I'm winning.

btw: Your idea of how to make GT4 more difficult is the same thing as chasing a-spec points. It's just not part of the game, whereas a-spec points are.
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It forces me to drive underpowered cars if I don't want to have a boring start-finish 1st place win.... So if I want competition I have do drive low powered ones...
Why should I want 200 Aspec points? For what ? I want to beat the game and I don't like games that are too easy... Take my Splinter Cell example, stealth is only half the fun if it is only an option... if it is a must I am motivated, same goes with races, I want hard races with equal cars and not chosen hard races because I drive 150 hp car against a 300 hp car... I have 100+ racing games (all orginal, no copies) for over 12 consoles, many racing games from Japan that are not even published ( and never will be) outsinde Asia... I play racing games longer than GT exists and I love the series, but GT4 is just not motivating for me... I mean perhaps I want to beat the 4WD cup with a 500 hp Nissan Skyline... but the rivals still drive their 250 hp cars? What can I do? Driving a car I don't want to and have competion, or I drive my Skyline and see my rivals only at the start..., at the moment I play Enthusia, C1 Racing Battle ( Genki, release this month in Japan) is already preordered and maybe I come back to GT4 someday... to be honest...chances are good that this one wil be the first GT I don't finish... 👎
In terms of balanced gameplay, there are a ton of better racing games....
 
How many people will re run races once they get the 200 points for that race?

The major difference to me seems certain people prefer driving close races and other people who like driving fast and winning the races in the fastest possible times.

For GT5 could PD implement a points based system that also added on extra points for winning by 5 seconds, more for 10 seconds and so on to better cater for players that prefer to drive a fast car way out in front. Would that suit both style of GT players?
 
a-spec points are ok... they give you some idea of how you are compared to the field. and in this make the game replayable. actually building of total points I see as erm.... pointless
:P
 

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