Gran Turismo at heart has always been to me a driving simulator, and a celebration of the automobile and it's history. and through it's numerous iterations, it has been rather more of an evolution rather than a complete overhaul. what I'm proposing in this imaginary title is just this. an overhaul of Gran Turismo, while keeping the basic philosophies and vision of Yamauchi intact.
Aspec: Career Mode
first off, let's talk about the experience system in Gran Turismo 5. while this is something new, I can't see the purpose of it as mentioned earlier. what I would do rather is keeping the system, and adding a further limit in that cars can't be purchased or driven below their stated levels. also, experience generated doesn't depend solely on races completed. mileage is added into the equation, and license tests generates corresponding experience points. the purpose of this is to only enable "qualified" drivers to drive certain cars, in tandem with their driving experience. this should ensure more realism in the game, and give levels more meaning.
as for credits, some readjustment is necessary for the values of certain vehicles in dealerships and prize credits being given out by certain races. apart from that, there is nothing much to change here. however, I am proposing an alternative "currency" in Gran Turismo known as "Prestige Points" (PP, haha!). how this works is PP is given out with each race or license test completed, and also ranked online races (more on that in a bit). PP can be used to unlock certain cars, or purchase levels if necessary.
for trading, limits on item and car trades are removed. however, garages and item collection are now synced to online databases linked to each PSN which in effect removes the duping ability. as soon as a trade is completed for instance, the save file is updated online. each save file is unique, though backup to flash drives is still possible for non PlayStation Plus subscribers. however, this means that any single user can only have a single running save at one time.
moving on to dealerships. premiums are maintained of course and can be purchased from new car dealerships as level and credits permit, except for unlockables. standards should be upgraded to premiums altogether, though these are still sold at the used car dealership. the balance of cars between new and used is revised, to ensure that ALL Aspec events can be completed using cars purchased from the new car dealership. used car dealerships of course cater to those rare and unique older vehicles that one may want to purchase for collection sakes.
on release, there might be issues with having a complete list of premium cars. hence, Polyphony Digital could start off with maybe 300 premium cars and regularly updating the list through patches as they complete the process. also, new models can be added this way making Gran Turismo perhaps the most relevent car simulator on the market.
the online dealership is removed altogether, to make way for a specialist car dealership. these deals with the catalogue of cars in the used dealership, at mint condition and at a premium markup from the original price. anyone would expect a mint condition classic to sell at way above market price, correct? for instance, a Shelby GT350R would be offered at 200% of it's list price, whereas a Civic Type R would go at 90% of list price to reflect it's actual rareity. the number of cars sold in the specialist car dealership is determined by Polyphony Digital, and refreshed every week and discount sales are allowed at their discretion. I think that this would give a fresh twist to buying cars. those who can't afford to purchase a mint classic could always turn to the used dealership, and the value of cars would actually mean something then to regular traders.
parts purchase, tuning and such is done in the garage itself removing the need for a separate tuning shop. this reduces at least one obsolete item from the menu. streamlining! having a proper garage for racing means one should be able to employ mechanics and stuff as in a works team, no?
race series are no longer classed by denominations such as expert, etc. instead, going to the race screen gives you a map of the globe with the races in their particular locations. races would have their level stated, and a green or red indicator on whether the player has sufficient level to participate. the number of races in Aspec are reduced and replaced by Seasonal Events which also shows up on the same "map" whenever a player is online. these Seasonal Events would no longer be permanent, and revolves weekly or so.
as for rewards, certain events such as Sunday Cup has repeatable rewards in the form of corresponding Gift Cards (as to the race level). others which give unique Gift Cards can only be obtained once. for example, the SuperGT. the prize for this event could be a historically significant GT500 car, in tandem with the event. this car is considered an unlockable and can only be purchased in USED condition otherwise. credit and PP rewards are however infinitely obtainable.
Aspec: Online Mode
the Online aspect of Gran Turismo would be rehashed to include "ranked" races, that is races with set requirements and restrictions/penalties. deposits of PP would be required to join these races according to rank of race or league, and would be refunded once the player completes the series. in addition, level would also be a pre-requisite for joining ranked races. rewards of PP, experience points and credits are given upon completion determined by placing.
a simulation mode is included for the highest ranked races or leagues, which include actual damage. a vehicle can be totaled in heavy collisions disqualifying the player involved for that one race which results in lost PP. while this can't ensure sabotage by immature players, the level caps and deposit involved does reduce the likelihood of this happening.
Downloadable Content
Downloadable Content would come in the form of Event Packs and Customization Packs.
Event Packs would add new tracks and cars to the experience. for example, a NASCAR pack would add the 2011 season tracks and events to your race map, with the corresponding cars added to the new car dealership to simulate an actual season. prizes for completing these would be a new unlockable that comes with the DLC, maybe the 2011 season driver champion's car. these packs wouldn't be cheap, due to licensing fees and such. however, the worth should be evident as it's like a new game altogether instead of having separate games such as NASCAR2011 or whatever*.
Customization Packs would add new race modifications to existing cars, as well as having special driving suits or something.
GranTurismo.com Community
car settings and spec-sheets can be shared through a specialized in-game board and "sold" to other players. not as in the spec-sheet itself, but any player who choose to download the spec-sheets would have the exact car given to them and the necessary credit for parts and such deducted. ranking can be given to spec-sheets, and rewards provided to the ones with good reviews.
players can send out forms detailing car specifications in events of inaccuracy to the in-game board, which can then be moderated by Polyphony Digital and corrected in minor patch updates regularly. this is sort of like a Wiki, except it concerns Gran Turismo in specific.
Polyphony Digital could have a specific team dedicated to maintaining these boards, and ensuring speedy updates and corrections is done to the game. in this way, Gran Turismo would have the most accurate databases with the help of it's players and players would feel encouraged to be more enthusiastic about their vehicles.
*yes, what I'm proposing is having Gran Turismo as a base for all simulation motorsports.
works in progress!
