So you're saying that they support the game without supporting the game? That doesn't make sense.
You'll need to define what you mean with "abandoned".
GT5 patch contents until 1.06:
- Mechanical damage option for online lobbies
- Seasonal events
- OCD
- User BGM
- Remote racing
- Performance points
- Multi-monitor feature
+ minor tweaks and fixes
GT6 patch contents until 1.05:
- Seasonal events
- VGT
- Online features
- Red Bull X challenge part 1
- Login bonus
- Red Bull X challenge part 2
- New lobby features
- Multi-monitor feature
+ minor tweaks and fixes
Seems to amount to just about the same. I've counted GT5 until 1.06 because 1.04 was never an individual release, but instead it was merged with 1.05.
Why not count over the same time frame instead of the same number of patches?
And why not reference the full summary of patch notes that I did for both games a couple of pages ago, instead of cherry picking? GT5 got a lot more than that, as did GT6.
Let's take a look at what was received in those early patches and compare then, shall we?
GT5
1.02 - 27 November
Online – Weight and Power Limits added.
1.03 - 6 December
Mechanical damage added to all modes
1.04 and 1.05 - 20 December
Seasonal Events
Online Collector's Dealership
Online – Rewards and Experience added.
Online stat tracking added.
GT Mode rewards tweaked.
Race Information Display options added.
Save Data Backup added.
User BGM (Menu) added.
Website Integration added – community features now available through granturismo.com
1.06 - 11 February
Remote Racing added.
Can use Course Maker tracks online.
Performance points added for online.
Rewards and Experience for online tweaked.
Tyre/fuel depletion and auto start added to online options.
Special Event penalties tweaked.
Rewards and Experience for GT Life tweaked (again).
Car Loans added.
Additional car settings made available (power limiter/ballast).
Multi-monitor support added.
Various settings changes.
AI upgrades.
1.07 - 24 February
Friend rankings in drift and time trials.
Million credit limit on trades.
1.08 - 9 March
SSR7 hack patch.
Continued with minor hack patches until 1.10 on 7 June.
GT6
1.01 - 6 December
Vision GT has been added to the home screen.
Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo is available as a gift car.
Car tuning menus has been updater to expand/collapse function.
Freshman Cup added to National B mode.
Status screen has an updated layout.
Tyre type fitted to car is now displayed in lower left corner of race display when driving.
1.02 - 18 December
Red Bull X Challenge Part 1 added.
BMW M4 added.
Login Bonus added.
Credits in Career mode tweaked.
Entry requirements for seasonals tweaked.
1.03 - 14 January
Toyota FT-1 Added.
BMW M4 interior added.
1.04 - 28 January
Red Bull X Challenge Part 2 added.
Mercedes-Benz Vision GT Racing added.
Corvette Stingray GT Concept added.
Birthday bonus added.
Remove Ghost Replay button added.
Prize info added to seasonal events.
1.05 - 10 March
New race types added to Open Lobby (TT, Drift, Free Run).
Multiple filters can be used to search.
Karts usable on tracks with weather.
Can see regulations before entering a room.
Multi-monitor support added.
Car Search added.
Racing Gear can be purchased in individual colours.
Tuning for karts expanded.
GT6 has received some content in the new cars and extra Red Bull events, but little in the way of updated features.
GT5 received no new content, but added a lot of useful features.
I wouldn't describe either game as lacking in content. What they both needed at release was features. One got them, the other so far hasn't.
By March, GT5 had changed significantly as a game from 1.01. A lot of major issues had been solved, like the grind of the single player campaign, the difficulty of finding some needed cars, and the pathetic state of the online options at release.
By March, GT6 has added some new cars, which are much appreciated, some Red Bull events which are likewise appreciated, some features that were in GT5 and bafflingly removed, and some usability tweaks. It's fundamentally very similar to GT6 1.01 with a few more cars and races. Woo.
As long as they're updating seasonals, it's going to be enough for you and others to say "look, it's not abandoned". That's fine, you're welcome to think what you like.
Me, I don't count token support as support. GT6 has real issues that need to be addressed, like the pit bug. It has features missing that were in GT5, for no apparently good reason. It has a massive list of features and content that need to be included in the next 8 months that they haven't even scraped the surface of.
They can keep tinkering here and there, adding seasonals and car searching and race suit ordering and such. I consider this to be misdirection at best. Either they need more time to get the real features out and they're trying to keep the natives enthralled with trinkets, or they've bailed to GT7P and are trying to keep the natives enthralled with trinkets. We'll know if and when they actually release a non-trivial update.
Or if they hit the end of May without Senna content. Whichever comes first.
Although I will be horrified if the Senna content amounts to some specialised seasonals and some liveried cars we already have, and will not consider that to be support either.
So that's what I think of support. I don't think it's enough that the receptionist keeps coming into the waiting room to give me another cup of coffee and a biscuit. Yes, they're attending to me, but they're not attending to the issue. I want my damn car fixed, or at least I want progress.
