I can't possibly disagree more. I am VERY pleased with the DLC.
First, for context and for the benefit of those who don't have the DLC, the AI pretty much sticks to it's own lap pace. The cars at the front of the field pace faster than those at the back. This is important to keep in mind.
I went through all the tiers of first Hakosuka. Yes, the initial (easy/no peppers) is, indeed, easy and if you leave it at that, there is disappointment to be had. It doesn't feel different from the regular AI because it's easy to get to pole position and it's easy to finish first. You never fight for anything. The upside is that you can blast through it to get the cool cars and prizes if you wish.
Move up to hard and it's a different story. You have to be on your game.
FIRST ATTEMPT - The first time I did the hard level, I started myself last (given how easy played out). From 16th I managed to get myself to 10th in the three laps. I thought to myself "ok, this is going to require effort".
SECOND ATTEMPT - I started second ( I thought that was good enough). Muffed the start, fell back to third, and watched the two lead cars pull away. I managed to close the gap somewhat on lap three but I still finished 3RD about 2 seconds back.
THIRD ATTEMPT - Ok, now I knew what I was dealing with. You have to approach this not as "single player", but as you would Sport Mode. You want to get yourself to the front of the field and you have to focus on your line, of they will eat you up. I started on Pole and I knew that the field will pull away at the start (I believe it's built this way). Anyway, my first move was to Schumacher the 2nd place car and slice across his nose to force him to drop back. I was passed for 1st into T1, but we were 2 wide into T2 with me ahead so I ran him to the edge of the track, allowing the following car by. Now, with the two fastest cars stuck in traffic, I bolted. I started to lay down fast laps. On lap 3, the other front row starter got to second place and started to close me down. I pushed a little too hard and lost some time, while it did a Q lap. I finished 0.6 in the lead.
If this is what GT8 will be like, I am already excited. Now, it will likely be somewhat different, but still a very good sign. I understand now why they didn't include the handicap bonus in the regular single player, because it's in the DLC. I hope it carries over to GT8 where the cars lap and drive at a reasonable pace and you can buff or handicap yourself, and get rewarded for the handicap.
"it’s not worth it for those looking for a hardcore reason to purchase this DLC"
No offense but I will never, EVER, understand how, after nearly 30 years of Gran Turismo, people still complain about it vs "hardcore". As someone who has been at track days in real life, who has been hospitalized for such antics, and who has loved cars, motorcycles, and motorsport for my entire life, I will be the first to say that I HATE "hardcore" sims. Now, others love them, that's great for them, but WHY OH WHY keep asking to bring that experience here? When it has been a winning formula for 30 years? This is close enough thank you.
(don't even get me started on how some of these "hardcore" games are more difficult to control than real life, to appease those who think that hard=real)
As a "hardcore" Sport Mode player, this DLC is on par with that experience. Is it like being in World Tour event where everyone is an alien? No, and THANK GOD it isn't. Is it on par with a typical Race A without the grief? Yes, absolutely. My experience today is EXACTLY how a Race A experience goes.
If I start last, I finish midpack
If I start on the front row, I can be pretty confident of a podium
If I start on pole, I can be confident that I will win
And NONE of that is guaranteed. And, important note, there is no "restart". You screw up, you have to start over from scratch. Keep that in mind when you are 22 hours into a 24 hour event.
IMHO, I HIGHLY recommend this DLC for everyone. For single player fans, it's a great challenge. For Sport Mode fans, it's great training. All for the price of a pizza and drinks.
- I don't need the rabbit because as I make my cars better, Sophy exploits them. The rabbit is the easier way to achieve this, so it's recommended by most.
One thing I wonder about... is a qualification lap ruined by colliding or going off track and are any errors penalized during the main race?
