GT too easy financially?

[designate-19L]

In past GTs, and currently in GT5, it's sometimes been the case where I have progressed a good way into the game, and accumulated a good amount of cash, and cars (with varying levels of tuning/mucking about), only to feel rather unfulfilled. The game AIs were always too easy, and after enough bored cruising through events, I'd be able to buy any car I wanted.

Such that I'd end up deciding to make a fresh start: Deleting my save data and beginning the game again, with the promise to myself that: "This time I'm going to be careful with my spending, never overtune my cars, and really APPRECIATE the game experience, and savour every race."

Never happens. I lose the self-discipline, and end up making a "comfort-splash" on some expensive car, which actually turns out to be decidedly lacklustre, and actually wouldn't stand a chance against a few of my current, existing, tuned cars. And soon I have a garage full of wonderful stuff, the means to complete the game with ease, which I just don't properly appreciate anymore.

The question I pose to you now is: Is Gran Turismo too easy in terms of money? Is the prize cash for winning races too much? Shouldn't you be made to really WORK, and FIGHT for race wins, and struggle to get the results in races, and have to really scrape together the credits to afford that one crucial upgrade or new car which allows you to win that Goddamn event once and for all? Should you win any money at all if you come below 3rd? Should you have to pay just to enter some races?

Have you ever wondered if were this the case, you'd perhaps appreciate the game a lot more? Really derive genuine satisfaction from finally being able to afford that much sought-after car, even when you're well into the game? In GT5, if we're not all multi-millionaires, we're able to become so with ease.

Agree/disagree?

Please discuss.

(Apologies if this topic has come before, I haven't seen one.)

 

[FlyWire]

I somehow remember grinding the Sunday Cup in GT3, because I buyed an useless car.

Meanwhile in GT5, you can have can have the 100 variations winthin 4 races :/

Still LMP/Group C are the expensivest thing ever.

 

[Midnight Snacks]

The need to grind was present in GT4, but I don't remember having to grind for cars in GT, GT2, or GT3.

 

[NFSCARBON1]

GT5 is the complete opposite. Sure the first few races are easy to obtain money from but as the game progresses it gets harder. Plus some cars that you really do need (like the FGT or the 2J/Toyota 7 for B-Spec historic races) cost a lot of money. The prizes seem to fall in value the further into the game you get.

GT5 is too hard financially!

 

[designate-19L]

I just think, if people want a nice and easy racing game: NFS. Ridge Racer.

This, however, is the Real Driving Simulator. This is a game which is largely about realism. Well, in the real world, life is HARD. Real racing is costly. Bloody expensive, especially in the professional world. Progress is hard-won. I don't think the game should be bloody near-impossible to progress through, but I just don't like how much of a breeze it is.

...I still get goosebumps, thinking about my first Sunday Cup win in GT1...having to scrape together the cash for that expensive turbo for my RM Skyline...finally cracking the last licence...

Driving your dream car is all well and good, but it's so much more satisfying for the thing to be hard-earned...

 

[designate-19L]

GT5 is the complete opposite. Sure the first few races are easy to obtain money from but as the game progresses it gets harder. Plus some cars that you really do need (like the FGT or the 2J/Toyota 7 for B-Spec historic races) cost a lot of money. The prizes seem to fall in value the further into the game you get.

GT5 is too hard financially!

But take into account the ridiculous prizes for the special events, and the seasonal events.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

The question I pose to you now is: Is Gran Turismo too easy in terms of money?

Well sure it is at times, imo. $70,000+ for a couple of Kart races? Heavens. To be fair, there have always been various parts of the Gran Turismo series (except the very first edition: GT1) that award insane amounts of cash fairly early in the game.

GT1 had some high-paying events, but generally the player had to work for this money. Money didn't just fall into our laps early in the game. The high payouts only showed up towards the end.

Is the prize cash for winning races too much?

I'm gonna sound like I"m contradicting myself but I don't know, really. Whether it's too much or too little is based on opinion.

Gran Turismo is a fantasy-based game with its own sense of economy. Perhaps the people who show up to GT5 races (notice stands are often packed) all have high-paying jobs, and have parted ways with 100 credits each just to watch a few 3-lap races. Maybe GT5's concession stand workers are all on Earth's equivalent of minimum wage. Track workers don't need to be paid, since there are no oil spills to clean up or debris to get cleared which means WE GET THE LION'S SHARE OF THE CREDITS.

If those Kart races mentioned above were based on a real-life event on Earth, for instance, we could definitely say "yes" or "no". Like if there was a Eifel Weekend Cup race in real-life, and the drivers were getting paid $1,000 for first place, then we could definitely say "yes, GT5's race winnings are way too high".

Shouldn't you be made to really WORK, and FIGHT for race wins, and struggle to get the results in races, and have to really scrape together the credits to afford that one crucial upgrade or new car which allows you to win that Goddamn event once and for all?

I would say "yes". I'm creating my own racing guide (in progress) to make this happen. If the math doesn't turn you off, perhaps you'll find it useful as a frame of reference.

http://www.gtcarreviews.com/id242.html

Should you win any money at all if you come below 3rd?

Yes. Real-life Earth race drivers do, even if they come in 40th. 4th, 5th, or even 16th should be rewarded.

Should you have to pay just to enter some races?

I dunno. Isn't dropping 10,000 cr. on a turbo system (and cash for dozens of other upgrades) enough? This is a good idea, but I'd rather see PD focus on other things...

Have you ever wondered if were this the case, you'd perhaps appreciate the game a lot more? Really derive genuine satisfaction from finally being able to afford that much sought-after car, even when you're well into the game? In GT5, if we're not all multi-millionaires, we're able to become so with ease.

But I do appreciate the game. Being a multi-millionaire doesn't bother me. The main thing I'm after with Gran Turismo is the adrenaline rush. I LOVE the rush. I want to be challenged. If I survive and win such challenges, I want to be PAID for such, know what I mean?

Agree/disagree?

Please discuss.

(Apologies if this topic has come before, I haven't seen one.)

I don't think it has. Thanks for posting, these were good Q's.

 

[madrab73]

Far to easy both skill wise and financially.

Have your Bspec driver racing while you sleep and work and you can't spend all the money.

 

[Parnelli Bone]

...I still get goosebumps, thinking about my first Sunday Cup win in GT1...having to scrape together the cash for that expensive turbo for my RM Skyline...finally cracking the last licence...

Me too. Only diff is I drove an '88 Nissan Silvia Q's as my first. Grinding race after race until I finally got that Viper.

 

[designate-19L]

Yeah, I think my first was a GTO Twin Turbo (that's right, 276bhp for under 10K!). Fun for a while.

And then I have a couple of friends who've won me God-knows-how-much-now money, by entering my B-spec drivers. Call me mad, but - I don't deserve it! I did nothing!!!

Here's an idea: Tyres should count as consumables, just like engine oil. Perhaps they could be cheaper to buy, but you'd need to replace them every so often.

Also, cars should have more realistic selling prices (which take into account tuning, etc.), and experience depreciation.

 

[YellowG1]

GT5 is the complete opposite. Sure the first few races are easy to obtain money from but as the game progresses it gets harder. Plus some cars that you really do need (like the FGT or the 2J/Toyota 7 for B-Spec historic races) cost a lot of money. The prizes seem to fall in value the further into the game you get.

GT5 is too hard financially!

Agree. Way too much grinding necessary to afford cars. All money rewards from races should be doubled. Some of the B-spec series (particularly the enduros) need to be quadrupled. Kind of crazy to do the 4-hour Roadster race at Tsukuba for a total of 52,000 credits.

 

[shmogt]

GT5 is awful for money. They have so many cars and fully tuning is so expensive. The easiest/most money race is the american car one in extreme but even that is under $100,000. Im at the point now where im done everything and just want to collect really rare cars than get all the cars and having enough money to do that is so tough. Since only way to get newer cars to show up in UCD is to do races etc I like to drift or tune other cars I have, but that also cost money so I can either have fun tuning cars I have already and have fun or get all the cars I want, but be really bored grinding all the time. They need to make a race that has a huge jack pot that is easy to do and make way more money for online races.

 

[designate-19L]

It sounds like, for some people, GT is a bit like Pokemon - "Gotta Catch 'Em All!"

 

[MercilessOne]

I'm to the point in the game where money really isn't a problem. Now needing experience for the next level, that's another issue.

But I can see where everyone is at. Truth is, money is harder to acquire in this game than in it is in previous GTs. I believe that grinding wouldn't be such a big deal if prize cars were obtainable again instead of only winning them once, and that's it. Also, really expensive cars (those costing 1 million and higher), should be allowed to be sold for monetary gain. Just think how much you could get from selling that extra Ferrari 330 P4 that I didn't want.

 

[NFSCARBON1]

But take into account the ridiculous prizes for the special events, and the seasonal events.

The Special Events are quite hard though, especially the Loeb and Vettel challenges. Even more so with a DS3, which at a guess is what is used by most GT players world wide. Just look at the endurance events. What is it 250,000cr for a 24hour race with no A/B spec mixing, or in race saves (yet).

 

[Limelight788]

How ironic that this thread got made, people are more likely to complain about how hard it is to get cars.

My answer is "No". I don't think it's a nightmare just to get cars, just be patience and you will get it. It also doesn't pay you too much to where you can get Red Bull's in a matter of a few races, you have to work for it. If they would increase the Gran Valley Endurance to at least $100,000 and increase money you get online to comparable amounts with A/B-Spec races, I will have no complaints with how much money you earn.

 

[designate-19L]

I'll also mention here, I now have two PSN accounts, a regular one for the whole game, and the second one is for online racing only. I'm doing it as an experiment, to see just what kind of money I can make by racing, how far I can get and in how much time. I've got the one car, a Mk1 MR2. Building it up with online prize money, racing it in PP restricted events. It's actually really satisfying, it being my only owned car, it's like my baby. Although, I still race sometimes with the recommended cars. Those, at least, are "borrowed" and not owned. The satisfaction and pride of ownership is something quite important for me personally.

 

[HOODFIELD]

It sort of depends too when you started the game. If you started back in November you did not have the luxury of seasonal events where literally 3-4 races would be enough to unlock Extreme Series. Thats when money was a big problem.

 

[marxlien]

i think that some A-spec races should have a little more restrictions but not too much, an impossible race is as bad as an extremely easy race.

My hardest race till now was the historic cup with a countach, but after win it the sensation was awesome, a lot better than the other races.

 

[Jmac279]

It would be nice if there were a story to GT5 or at least some sort of campaign mode.

For example, you would have a list of events happening each week through the year that you could participate in which would have certain requirements (license, XP/Reputation, entry fee, and, obviously, car requirements). Say in any given week, there would be a choice of 3 of the following: Street Circuit, Circuit, Rally, Endurance, Drag, Oval, Drift, Other (I feel like I'm leaving some events out), and an Auction event, where you can buy rare used cars instead of racing (but forfeit opportunity for points).

Each season, you would be competing against AI that gets progressively harder as you advance into better leagues with rewards growing accordingly. To advance to the next league, you'd need to finish 1st in points for the season. Also, if you finish outside of the Top 50 in points, you would be demoted to a lesser league (each league would have 99 AI participants + you).

Leagues:

Rookie - Very easy AI, requires A license, no entry fees, street cars, tutorials before each race (skippable), rewards ranging from $100 (10th) - $1,000 (1st) per race (10x more for major events)
Amateur - Easy AI, requires B license, no entry fees, street cars, rewards ranging from $500 (10th) - $5,000 (1st) per race (10x more for major events)
Semi-Pro - Medium AI, requires I-C license, small entry fees ($500 per race), street cars, rewards ranging from $1,000 (10th) - $10,000 (1st) per race (10x more for major events)
Profesional - Hard AI, requires I-B license (I-A for some events), medium entry fees ($1000 per race), race cars (though you can still use street cars), rewards ranging from $5,000 (10th) - $50,000 (1st) per race (10x more for major events).
Elite - Extreme AI, requires Super license, high entry fees ($5000 per race), race cars (though you can still use street cars), rewards ranging from $10,000 (10th) - $100,000 (1st) per race (10x more for major events).

 

[boredgunner]

It takes too long to earn money in GT5 now (ever since update 1.07 I think). The money from races is crap (although I can't speak for every endurance race) and the Bonus races are gone. The only thing that makes it easy is the glitching but it's hard to find a server that does it right.

 

[GTOne2Three]

Easy? Let me have your copy..

 

[designate-19L]

I really think it's a worthwhile proposal, about finite tyres. And why not go further - FUEL! Why not have to actually pay for the juice to run?! I want GT to be more than the Real Driving Simulator, and a bit more like the Real Car Ownership Simulator - that'd be so much more satisfying, I'd have so much more respect for the game. If there was a "SimRace" game, you'd have to take care of everything, pay for everything.

 

[mekonrider]

There are very few rags to riches stories in motorsport so equating the GT5 earning slog with real life is not realistic.

Even the 'poor' people in say BSB doing Superstock are still looking at £40k a year to run. That £40k a year to have SPARE to race. Not many poor people doing real racing. I worked with a team in superstock 1000 for a few years and the the budget for 2 riders was £80k.

The last thing I want in a racing game is money managment. GT5 needs a 'pretend I'm rich' option.

 

[Bigbazz]

GT5 isnt too easy financially, its just too easy at the start of the game. There is generally no struggle, you jump straight in and there is good money available early on, but later in the game money is short and you have to work(grind) hard for it.

Was just as easy to make money in GT4, just slightly harder to get on your feet.

 

[Cainius]

Judging from what I see in this thread the difficulty is about right. As several of you are complaining that it's too easy, and several of you are complaining that it's too hard. Guess what, you both can't be satisfied. Compromise at this point is what you're gonna get. Bitching won't change much, except to lower other users opinions of you.

 

[Yev]

GT5 is really hard financially.
I had 11mil once...now more than 1 month later I'm at 4.5 mil and I haven't bought too many cars.

 

[dixonbaps]

A little off topic but in my opinion there is not enough to do in GT5, Sure the seasonals give a little extra but they get too old too fast and as for money being too easy well it is if you only need it for street cars, but for race cars it's way too hard to get cash quickly for them. I mean the quickest you can get 4000000 credits for an LMP car is about 3 hours none stop grinding at Indy in the American championship or even longer if you do the dream car championship. And the price of the classic race cars is ridiculous. They should be prizes for the endurances & you shouldn't have to pay more than 5 Million for any car IMHO.

I remember grinding in GT2 to get my ride ready for the muscle car championship but after that there was no more grinding, just the joy of the game which I played for months on end if not years. In GT5 the game is structured to give you cars left, right and center when you start, with a good amount of cash but then there is a great big void when you progress a little to afford anything you need for later races. And then the races seam a little pointless when you know that most of the prize cars are just rubbish that can be bought fairly cheaply from the UCD. No point in spending 5 million on an FGT car for the FGT championship for a bleeding Caterham 7 Fireblade as a prize you only win once and then realizing they regularly pop up in the UCD for about 150,000 grand or something. A waste of a few hours and 5 million credits in my honest opinion. Also it's a bit of a pointless and too hard of a championship. If you just want an FGT race for the thrill of it then just have a one make race in arcade on any track you wish and as many laps as you wish.

I'm at the point in GT5 now that I have all the cars I need and cash isn't really a problem. I've had between 7 and 9 million for the last few weeks. I just play for the thrill of it, trying different cars in different championships, 2 player with my son etc. But it's growing too old now. I found that i'm loosing interest quickly. I've even started playing GT2 again. GT2 has a 100% better game structure than GT5 in my opinion. It's a shame the PS3 wasn't around when they released GT2. Now that would be an awesome game and probably the best on the planet with GT5 physics & graphics. This could also be said for GT1, GT3 & GT4 but as i've said, there is nothing really there with GT5 to keep me interested for much longer. Sure, It's an awesome game and probably the best racer going at the moment but it's no good being awesome if there is nothing to do and keep you interested for more than a few weeks.

 

[Xavier2342]

In my opinion getting credits is GT5 isn't necessarily easy or difficult, it's time consuming.

 

[Corpsey]

yeah I got 20 mil and when I found out there was a cap I was like okay well.. that's just not enough money for me.. so I set a goal for myself to collect every car in every colour (or for cars in multiple colours, just the paint chips is fine).. then money starts becoming scarce That is, I am planning to get every veyron, every touring car etc. in all the colours they come in. Also, I am planning on getting most of the cars with less than 5000km (near-perfect condition) just because. And so, really, I want more money on victories, but the amount I've been getting has enabled me to pretty much be achieving this goal ~ and it's hard when you see a car you can't purchase that you would like and has less than 5000km!.. of course, it really doesn't matter, but it's nice to know that you own the car in near-perfect condition. And really, I feel the opposite now that I'm doing this.. that races don't give enough.. but it's not that, there's just no race that's balanced for the winnings.. the endurance series kind of skips a "Hardcore" mode.. in between it and expert imo. Endurance gives too little cash aswell.. for the amount of racing you do. Like the Wind used to give like 114000 now it only gives 70000 per win D: