I've been playing the Japanese version of Gran Turismo 4 for some time now and am about to trade it in for a PAL version, in order to play a more refined version of the game.
Today I recieved my copy of Famitsu Wave magazine, a monthly Japanese Magazine that comes with a DVD packed with video footage of new games and other stuff.
Anyway, on the disc was a preview of Konami's Enthusia Racing. Having watched the footage, I was impressed as the game seems to include a range of features that put the emphasis on good driving and racing, as well as promising what likes a better game structure than GT4.
Here's what the video shows: -
1. First of all, the player has a "HP Meter", a life bar of sorts that is reduced when the player makes mistakes. In the video, you see the meter deplete when running wide onto run off, as well as when hitting AI cars or barriers. From what I've read elsewhere, the bar depleting to zero means race over for the player. I think this is an excellent addition. Its almost like a damage system in that the more mistakes you make, the less likely it is that you will be able to continue. Looking at the system, it appears that the classic Turismo tactic of using AI cars as bumpers will be penalised. Sure, you may be able to get away with a few bumps in order to win but someone who wins without resorting to this tactic will have more of their HP bar at the end of the race, which seems to translate to more bonus points.
2. The point system in Enthusia seems more worthwhile than the "Spec" points seen in GT4. The points earned by the player are directly related to their ability to unlock new cars, tune existing models and race in new events. Points are given for race results, with deductions for bad driving as seen above. In addition, each race applies a point multiplier to the player, based on how good their vehicle is compared to their opponents. If you have the best car on the track, the multiplier is non existent whereas a poor car has a high multiplier. Win with a poor car and earn tons of points, meaning upgrades, new cars and other events are available sooner. Far better than GT4's A & B Spec points.
From my perspective, I've enjoyed playing GT4 in the sense that I love selecting arcade mode and setting up well balanced races on tracks such as the Nordschlife. However, in order to get all the cars and tracks I want, Turismo mode has to be played. I've been critical of the structure of Turismo mode for some time now and its disappointing that this mode has been left relatively unchanged compared to previous versions.
Here are a few suggestions I'd like to make for GT5's Turismo mode game structure: -
1. Remove the "active car" system whereby the player selects a car in their garage prior to tuning and entering events. I'd much rather go to an event and have the game filter the cars in my garage in order to show which ones are eligible. The same goes for tuning. I'd much rather go to Nismo and be presented with a list of all the Nissan models in my garage, allowing me to select and tune each one there and then. All of the hopping back to the garage to change car stuff is clumsy.
2. Change the style of manufacturer races. There are too many manufacturer races where the player has to buy a certain car to enter, only to then win that same car when the event is won. I would prefer to see manufacturer races where the player is given a stock car, races against closely matched opposition and then wins that car on winning the event. If these cars were not available to buy normally then it would make their ownership a bit more worthwhile. Buying VW Beetles and racing them in Beetle events in order to win a Beetle seems plain daft.
3. Tie A spec & B Spec points into the licensing system. This way, players would have to reach points targets in order to become eligible to earn licenses. This would encourage players to enter challenging events. At the moment there is no incentive to enter a competitive car into an event, with players instead turning up for most events with cars that tower over the opposition. Players who enter races with cars similar in performance to their AI rivals should see their larger A spec points go towards the chance to get new licenses before players who try to dominate with overpowered vehicles.
4. A & B Spec points should be modified in accordance with the players performance. For every impact the player has or excursion off the track, points should be deducted. For setting fastest laps, split times or highest average speeds bonus points should be given. Clean passing should be rewarded, as well as drafting.
What has always bothered me about Turismo mode is that its one of the only examples of a game which starts off difficult and then gets easier, to the point where the game's scale becomes more a chore than a challenge.
Any thoughts?
[Moderator's note: though the topics in this thread have been discussed elsewhere, this post was approved due to its in-depth nature and readability.]
Today I recieved my copy of Famitsu Wave magazine, a monthly Japanese Magazine that comes with a DVD packed with video footage of new games and other stuff.
Anyway, on the disc was a preview of Konami's Enthusia Racing. Having watched the footage, I was impressed as the game seems to include a range of features that put the emphasis on good driving and racing, as well as promising what likes a better game structure than GT4.
Here's what the video shows: -
1. First of all, the player has a "HP Meter", a life bar of sorts that is reduced when the player makes mistakes. In the video, you see the meter deplete when running wide onto run off, as well as when hitting AI cars or barriers. From what I've read elsewhere, the bar depleting to zero means race over for the player. I think this is an excellent addition. Its almost like a damage system in that the more mistakes you make, the less likely it is that you will be able to continue. Looking at the system, it appears that the classic Turismo tactic of using AI cars as bumpers will be penalised. Sure, you may be able to get away with a few bumps in order to win but someone who wins without resorting to this tactic will have more of their HP bar at the end of the race, which seems to translate to more bonus points.
2. The point system in Enthusia seems more worthwhile than the "Spec" points seen in GT4. The points earned by the player are directly related to their ability to unlock new cars, tune existing models and race in new events. Points are given for race results, with deductions for bad driving as seen above. In addition, each race applies a point multiplier to the player, based on how good their vehicle is compared to their opponents. If you have the best car on the track, the multiplier is non existent whereas a poor car has a high multiplier. Win with a poor car and earn tons of points, meaning upgrades, new cars and other events are available sooner. Far better than GT4's A & B Spec points.
From my perspective, I've enjoyed playing GT4 in the sense that I love selecting arcade mode and setting up well balanced races on tracks such as the Nordschlife. However, in order to get all the cars and tracks I want, Turismo mode has to be played. I've been critical of the structure of Turismo mode for some time now and its disappointing that this mode has been left relatively unchanged compared to previous versions.
Here are a few suggestions I'd like to make for GT5's Turismo mode game structure: -
1. Remove the "active car" system whereby the player selects a car in their garage prior to tuning and entering events. I'd much rather go to an event and have the game filter the cars in my garage in order to show which ones are eligible. The same goes for tuning. I'd much rather go to Nismo and be presented with a list of all the Nissan models in my garage, allowing me to select and tune each one there and then. All of the hopping back to the garage to change car stuff is clumsy.
2. Change the style of manufacturer races. There are too many manufacturer races where the player has to buy a certain car to enter, only to then win that same car when the event is won. I would prefer to see manufacturer races where the player is given a stock car, races against closely matched opposition and then wins that car on winning the event. If these cars were not available to buy normally then it would make their ownership a bit more worthwhile. Buying VW Beetles and racing them in Beetle events in order to win a Beetle seems plain daft.
3. Tie A spec & B Spec points into the licensing system. This way, players would have to reach points targets in order to become eligible to earn licenses. This would encourage players to enter challenging events. At the moment there is no incentive to enter a competitive car into an event, with players instead turning up for most events with cars that tower over the opposition. Players who enter races with cars similar in performance to their AI rivals should see their larger A spec points go towards the chance to get new licenses before players who try to dominate with overpowered vehicles.
4. A & B Spec points should be modified in accordance with the players performance. For every impact the player has or excursion off the track, points should be deducted. For setting fastest laps, split times or highest average speeds bonus points should be given. Clean passing should be rewarded, as well as drafting.
What has always bothered me about Turismo mode is that its one of the only examples of a game which starts off difficult and then gets easier, to the point where the game's scale becomes more a chore than a challenge.
Any thoughts?
[Moderator's note: though the topics in this thread have been discussed elsewhere, this post was approved due to its in-depth nature and readability.]
