GT League is Everything Good (and Bad) About Classic Gran Turismo

Joey D
GT League actually brought me back to the game. Shortly after buying GT Sport, I gave up on it because I was bored. I hated the online races and the missions were just a glorified license test. I knew going in this could be the case, but figured I had to at least give GT a chance. At the worst I'd be out $60 and at best I'd love it.

When they implemented the GT League, I found myself drawn back into the game and rather enjoying it. I don't care how lame the races are, it feels more like the GT games I grew up with so I'm good with that. I do hope they continue to expand it in future updates, even if it's just adding more championships/cups that are essentially the same thing just with different cars.

I do think prize cars are important though, as are proper championships. But I'm guessing those will come with time. I'd even be OK if you won paint chips, wheels, decals, or racing gear with the championships instead of cars. Not as exciting, but it'd be something.

I also think for the GT League to be even better, PD needs to include more low end cars. Race cars are great and all, but I feel like that's not really the spirit of GT games. To me, it's more about taking a slow car and building it up to be a competitive car or just keeping it slow and racing other slow cars.

Oh and for the love of all that's holy, bring back oil changes and car washes.
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I could not disagree more. This game is not supposed to be Gran Turismo 7. This game is loved by many because it is different.

I cite my poll: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/best-gran-turismo-poll.372304/page-3#post-12142343

While it is no landslide victory, I definitely think some will be disappointed to see this game go down the same old path.
 
Was a bit disappointed there weren't any prize cars for winning the championships. Felt no real sense of achievement from finishing each one besides "Oh look I'm more of a millionaire now". I mean I can just use the money to buy a car but that's still not the same.

At least a prize car for completing each tier would have satisfied me but oh well.
 
TheGeologist
I could not disagree more. This game is not supposed to be Gran Turismo 7. This game is loved by many because it is different.

I cite my poll: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/best-gran-turismo-poll.372304/page-3#post-12142343

While it is no landslide victory, I definitely think some will be disappointed to see this game go down the same old path.
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A poll located in the GT Sport section is going to get more people that favor the game and as such can’t be used as evidence. I have several friends who did not want this game until they added GT League and have since purchased it. I still have not used Sport mode and don’t plan on it. I have watched the racing eddicate video though just to get the go kart.
 
TheGeologist
I could not disagree more. This game is not supposed to be Gran Turismo 7. This game is loved by many because it is different.

I cite my poll: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/best-gran-turismo-poll.372304/page-3#post-12142343

While it is no landslide victory, I definitely think some will be disappointed to see this game go down the same old path.
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It's always going to be mixed. I was disappointed when it was announced as an online game, I loathe online gaming and rarely find it fun on any level (save for one or two MMORPGs).

I think for the GT series to continue to be relevant though, it needs both a solid on and offline mode. The online mode is already there, so improving the offline mode will only help it sell copies.

And the game is GT7, Kaz even said that himself.
 
TheGeologist
I could not disagree more. This game is not supposed to be Gran Turismo 7. This game is loved by many because it is different.
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I don't get this mentality. The only negative impact that offline content which you don't want to play, could possible have on you, is if it diverts resources from what you feel the game should be. I'm not an expert in game design by any stretch, but it seems highly reasonable to me that additional GT League events require very little input or development time from PD. It's not like them choosing to model an E46 M3 over an E36 M3 for example... in that case, one thing is very likely to have used the same resources, for the same amount of time, at a similar cost, as doing the other thing would have done. With GT league, the entire back-end is already there, the structure and layout is already there... assuming they've coded it remotely efficiently, we're pretty much just talking about updating some fields in a database and doing a little bit of graphic desing... this is not likely to divert any noticeable resource from the online aspect of the game.
 
TheGeologist
I could not disagree more. This game is not supposed to be Gran Turismo 7. This game is loved by many because it is different.

I cite my poll: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/best-gran-turismo-poll.372304/page-3#post-12142343

While it is no landslide victory, I definitely think some will be disappointed to see this game go down the same old path.
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You cite a poll created in the GT Sport section, which had barely over 300 responses, as proof? A poll where GT Sport currently only accounts for around a third of the votes?

I mean, by those results, more people like the old style of the game than the new one. They're just split on which did it better.

(The answer, of course, is GT3. :P)

Some people will be disappointed if the game goes down the same path. Some will (or rather, are) disappointed it went down a new one — check out the GT6 section for examples of that.

The thing is, there's no need for it to be an either/or situation. A great online experience can co-exist with a great offline one. Even iRacing is seemingly catching onto that with the plan to introduce AI this year.

Not everybody wants to only race online. Some folks want to race against AI and win races, and get a sense of "beating" what is still, at the end of the day, a video game. Plus, a more expanded GT League would give players more incentive to explore the cars in the game, specifically the road cars. In its current guise, Sport Mode rarely makes that a priority; you can settle on your preferred Gr.4 and Gr.3 cars and that's about it. There hasn't even been a use for Gr.1 or Gr.B there.
 
Everything you mentioned as BAD is exactly why I preferred the Mission Challenges of GT Sport. I'm sick of the traditional GT career frankly. The racing just isn't satisfying enough most of the time while in the Mission Challenges, most of it was. There just wasn't enough of it.
 
I've been sinking my teeth a bit into GT League and it can actually be very enjoyable.

I was doing the Clubman Cup Lake Maggiorre race and did that one race 7 times! It's an N500 with sport soft tires and I was trying to see how much I can handicap myself and still win.

First I tried a Miata and tried it in several setups but even maxed out with full power and weight reduction, I only managed 12th. Fun car to drive and when you up the BHP, you now need to be more careful with the throttle coming out of the corners.

All throughout these, I also changed my camera from time to time, switching between cockpit view for the immersion and sound, to roof cam for the great view and brilliant sense of speed. I can't decide which I like more!

Anyway, I tried a Stingray next at N300 a couple times but I still couldn't win. It's not a great handling car but not terrible either, I liked driving it.

Then I tried a detuned Porsche 911 to N400 and DAMN!! That car handles so superbly, sounds good and the interior makes you feel like you're driving something special. And it takes off like a rocket ship! I usually race GT3 but I guess slowing things down with these previous cars makes me really appreciate the speed. I loved it!

I also tried detuned F40 and Countach on Interlagos and loved those too. I had that little old Lambo at N300 but still won easily, wish you could detune it more!

I also raced Willow Spring in the Midship Challenge I think and drove the Xbow and it's also a wonderful drive and awesome view with the open cockpit and cool shock absorber constantly working away.

Anyway, tl;dr GT League is making me fall in love over again.

PS I'm now trying the Premium Sports Lounge and I don't understand how it says Limited to cars over 10mi credits yet you can use almost any cars which aren't worth anywhere near that. Also, it's stupid how the AI in this event races on SH tires!
 
It's the only thing I play in GT Sport.
I bought the game, did the missions, did a few online races, and put it on the shelf.

Now I'm playing it for fun with a controller. If it weren't for GT League the game would still be gathering dust.

Funny thing is, in the Boxer championship you pass a VW Kombi running in last place. Haha!
 
Well the thing is the game is half priced now and this is the extent of what I expect from PD... I didnt think I would be getting anything new so...

This is a world where 'standing starts' eludes them for some reason... but seeing how FM7 turn 1 is always comedy central.

I do enjoy the races but its getting to the point that its also getting into 'comedy central' territory.

I had a race where I beat them in a N400 Mustang as the lead guy in a Ford GT 2004 seems to spin out every corner but tried really hard on the straights but never quite got there.
 
MMX
The Porsche enduro reminds me why I've never cared for Porsche/Ruf. They drive like 🤬 !

Rear tires were almost toast by lap 6, by lap 10 I said to hell with it. I won't be completing that race.
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Around Suzuka a tyre change every 6 laps is the way to go, for an easy win. Around Dragon Trail you can do 8 if you thin the fuel.
 
Tyre changes is a staple of GT6 enduros... didnt expect things to change there.

Also the 911 GT3RS is the best handling car I've driven so far, even above more powerful supercars.

I get it though, it does have a high learning curve and you do need to be a bit more than intermediate but even in stock form its entirely driveable and it provides easy wins with TC-0 ABS-weak/default.
 
Sander 001
I've been sinking my teeth a bit into GT League and it can actually be very enjoyable.

I was doing the Clubman Cup Lake Maggiorre race and did that one race 7 times! It's an N500 with sport soft tires and I was trying to see how much I can handicap myself and still win.

First I tried a Miata and tried it in several setups but even maxed out with full power and weight reduction, I only managed 12th. Fun car to drive and when you up the BHP, you now need to be more careful with the throttle coming out of the corners.

All throughout these, I also changed my camera from time to time, switching between cockpit view for the immersion and sound, to roof cam for the great view and brilliant sense of speed. I can't decide which I like more!

Anyway, I tried a Stingray next at N300 a couple times but I still couldn't win. It's not a great handling car but not terrible either, I liked driving it.

Then I tried a detuned Porsche 911 to N400 and DAMN!! That car handles so superbly, sounds good and the interior makes you feel like you're driving something special. And it takes off like a rocket ship! I usually race GT3 but I guess slowing things down with these previous cars makes me really appreciate the speed. I loved it!

I also tried detuned F40 and Countach on Interlagos and loved those too. I had that little old Lambo at N300 but still won easily, wish you could detune it more!

I also raced Willow Spring in the Midship Challenge I think and drove the Xbow and it's also a wonderful drive and awesome view with the open cockpit and cool shock absorber constantly working away.

Anyway, tl;dr GT League is making me fall in love over again.

PS I'm now trying the Premium Sports Lounge and I don't understand how it says Limited to cars over 10mi credits yet you can use almost any cars which aren't worth anywhere near that. Also, it's stupid how the AI in this event races on SH tires!
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I remember spending lots of hours in gt6 chasing the lowest pp to win the career races. I also remember experimenting with "stock" cars in àn effort to find the lowest pp you could win the online challenges with.
I find with gtsport it is rewarding for me to race in lobbies in league races with friends. Very close hard racing and mostly fair where issues are sorted with peers rather than algorithms.
 
I play GT League when I have drunk too much to race online :) glad it's there for that reason.

Also, as @Sander 001 said too, I use cockpit view in GT League which adds a sense of fun which I couldn't use on Sport Modem, so it's something different to kill some time :)
 
GT League can be quite challenging if you want it to be.

1. Always use a lower N-Class car than the race calls for. Example the premium league race allows up to N-1000 but only use N-500 To 600.

2. Stay off Race Tires and challenge yourself by only running street tires.

3. Do not tune the car leave it exactly like it came stock.

4. Don't pick the fastest car from the group and try choosing a car you normally don't drive. Also choose a track or reverse layout your not as comfortable with.

5. Turn off all assist (ABS is fine) and drive in cockpit view. If your in custom race's turn on full damage all penalties, fuel and tire wear and stay on Pro setting.

Just by following all those suggestion you will find that the AI are no longer pushovers and can put up quite a fight.

I've had several good challenging race's like this. To the point where if you can't race mistake free for a 10 lap race your not even going to see a top 3 spot.
 
Rinsky
GT League can be quite challenging if you want it to be.
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I've always enjoyed them. You can either smoke the pack with a top tier car and try to score the Clean bonus and not touch anyone or grab a low tier car and battle the pack. Where it gets crazy challenging is when you pick a car low enough to beat the pack but it technically can't beat the white rabbit car. I think it's referred to as the white rabbit, it's that one top tier car in the field that's usually sandbagging in the back to only catch up in the last couple of laps. Holding off a high performance sports car with a Miata for a whole lap is a weird level of challenge in dirty blocking tactics. It's both frustrating and rewarding when you can pull off a win.
 
BallPtPenTheif
I've always enjoyed them. You can either smoke the pack with a top tier car and try to score the Clean bonus and not touch anyone or grab a low tier car and battle the pack. Where it gets crazy challenging is when you pick a car low enough to beat the pack but it technically can't beat the white rabbit car. I think it's referred to as the white rabbit, it's that one top tier car in the field that's usually sandbagging in the back to only catch up in the last couple of laps. Holding off a high performance sports car with a Miata for a whole lap is a weird level of challenge in dirty blocking tactics. It's both frustrating and rewarding when you can pull off a win.
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Exactly. I run into both of those situations quite often and it definitely adds to the experience. I have had that fast sandbagger spin me out more than once trying to block him and the AI will play dirty sometimes. I have noticed that if you bump or push your way through the AI at that level that they will retaliate.
 
I think League events should have qualifying... and championships would be fun.
AKA GT4.
Always loved battling the GT500 cars with a GT300(stock power) car after putting a good qualifying together.
Adding qualifying, then there is no need for, so, eliminate boost/rubberband/white-rabbit... done.
Oh, and keep adding events.

Thanks
 
cleanLX
I think League events should have qualifying... and championships would be fun.
AKA GT4.
Always loved battling the GT500 cars with a GT300(stock power) car after putting a good qualifying together.
Adding qualifying, then there is no need for, so, eliminate boost/rubberband/white-rabbit... done.
Oh, and keep adding events.

Thanks
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It probably sounds weird but I wish they had a Track Day mode where you log clean lap times on a track full of dummy cars from different car classes. It would be a good way to practice lap times on a full track.
 
Damn, this white rabbit stuff is just crazy.

All of a sudden, Mr Ubend from Germany driving a 458 Ferrari decides the soul of M Schumacher now resides within him and stars putting in some epic lap times on Maggiorre in the Midship Challenge.

For the first 5 laps of the race he's consistently lapping at 2:18 and had one 2:20. He sits 3rd while I just overtook the leader in a Veyron who smashed into the barriers at an alarming speed. So now Ubend is the leading AI and that's just like a switch has been flipped. Suddenly he's lapping 4 seconds faster than his previous best and as if I wasn't stunned enough, for his final lap he puts in a 2:09, which is a further 3.5 seconds faster on top of that, overtaking me in the last 3 meters of the race!

If I hadn't seen Ali vs. Foreman, I'd say this was the greatest comeback in the history of all sport.

Goodnight where are my pills
 
I have some fun with these races and driving different cars, but that AI behavior is just so silly. :lol:

Doing a 5-lap sunday cup race in my little MiTo, and once in clean air my fast lap is right around 1:01. I noticed 1st place laid down a 0:57 even though I was gaining on him in the end, so I watched him on the second try.

He clears traffic right at the end of lap 3 and sets down that blistering lap to end up 8 seconds ahead of me at the end of lap 4. Not sure why, but he starts to cruise to the point that I cross the line just 1 second behind. I wonder if he spilled his big gulp in his lap.

edit: I just watched the replay, and I noticed that the lead car starts short-shifting really early in the final lap. Weird.
 
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I just did the Audi TT race on the "Ring.

I'm having a bad day being in 3rd... these cars are so underpowered.

On the final corner, #1 collides with #2 and I thread the needle and take 1st. Never doing that again thank god.

I also did the N500 Ring race and used the 480hp Atenza Gr.4 road car. This makes easy work of the N300 class Skylines but even with that hp on 1,450kg its surprisingly slow.

I dont think it even tops 250km/h.

Saw a lot of nonsense driving on the ring but at least it feels like I'm not against robots with such colourful driving.
 
They could do well with single make races or stuff like Gr3 road car only events... there seems to be almost nil dirt road events.

I suppose they are coming, there is enough menu space for more events.

I'm having good fun with the premium car leagues. Although it says N1000 you can use N400/500 class cars or even your KTM Crossbow... however even in my N500 GT3RS you're taking down multiple veyrons venenos and other N700 plus cars so they feel like they are slightly hobbled.
 
I've never liked the career mode in GT games, & while I love online racing Sport Mode has managed to kill pretty much everything I liked about it in GT5/GT6. That said, if I can win a car everyday by driving a certain amount of miles, then maybe I can get enough cars to go into the public lobbies again. Might pick up a copy if I see it for under a tenner...maybe...

EDIT: Just remembered that I'd also need to Pay the Japanese company £50 a year to have the privilege of using my own internet, so maybe not!
 
Silver Arrows
It is so painfully obvious at this point that the AI in GT games, but especially now in a sim racing marketplace like GT is in, where Assetto Corsa and PCARS 2 have raised the bar for smart AI that presents an actual challenge and actually acts like racers instead of just slot cars in a straight line, that playing through GT League is a silly chore.
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The weird thing is that, occasionally, the GTS AI does show some racing spirit; During the GT League FT1500 races I was flabbergasted to see, ahead of me, AI cars battling for position, cars spinning out when pushing too hard, and mid-pack cars attempting to come back at me (not just 2nd place getting the infamous boost when you're in the lead). In fact I was so surprised to see it I took to Twitter to mention it...

upload_2018-5-4_20-20-17.png


Since then I've noticed it happening in another race, but I can't remember which one it was (it was either a Gr.X or Gr.1 race).

This goes to show that PD have programmed the AI to be competitive, and races don't have to have the usual AI rolling-roadblocks, but for some bizarre reason have only chosen to deploy it for certain, very limited, races. PD need to add the option to use this more competitive AI in all races, not just the odd few; like other titles (Assetto Corsa?) have selectable AI competitiveness.

VBR
Just remembered that I'd also need to Pay the Japanese company £50 a year to have the privilege of using my own internet, so maybe not!
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You're not paying to use your own internet, you're paying to use their network. I guess you think toll roads should be free because you've paid your "road tax"?
 

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