How should GT7's Arcade Mode work?

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GBalao888
GBalao888
I'm one of these guys who likes the pick-up-and-play aspects of racing games, and ever since GT5 until GT Sport, Gran Turismo has been lacking far behind in this aspect, as they only let us sample very few cars, and none get added and/or unlocked for use in these game modes, which promotes excessive grinding and could make the game become boring and tedious just to get everything that isn't there in that mode.

I love the idea of Gran Turismo's progression model, but leave that in the Campaign Mode. Allow people to "jump in and go" as they play through the game, especially here in this mode. It's time they should redefine Arcade Mode as a "free play" mode and not something half-assed or bare-bones, especially with the functionality and car selection.

Remember, Arcade Mode is only available when you're offline, and majority of the game's features require a constant internet connection (PS Plus not mandatory though, only mandatory for multiplayer).

I'm thinking GT7 should have an Arcade Mode similar to that of Gran Turismo 3 or the first two Forza games, with the functionality of GT Sport and custom championships, Assetto Corsa-style. That way, there's sort of some "past, present and future" to it.

It should look like this:
  • Single Race Challenge
  • Time Trial Challenge
  • Custom Race
  • Free Time Trial
  • Drift Trial
  • Custom Championship
  • 2-Player Battle
*Assuming that GT7 has the ability to have an option to be played in VR completely, VR Tour will not be included.

Single Race Challenges (similar to "Single Race" and not Custom Race in GT Sport) and Time Trial Challenges should be used as means to unlock more cars for use in the other modes, where we start off with a good majority of the game's car list, then go on to unlock all the rest, and plus, we can use our Garage cars too.

Cars in Arcade Mode should be split into the following:
  • Garage Cars
  • All Available Cars (all sorted by their respective manufacturers.)
  • Vision GT (separate folder for Vision Gran Turismo cars.)
You will know what new cars you have unlocked in Arcade Mode, either by completing Single Race or Time Trial Challenges, or any that have instantaneously arrived as DLC from updates. Locked cars should tell you which Single Race or Time Trial Challenge you should complete to unlock them.

There should also be a percentage showing how many percent of all the cars in the game you have unlocked in Arcade Mode so far.

NOTE: As compared to the cars in your Garage, Arcade Mode cars have limitations, such as:
  • Only car-specific colors can be used (no custom liveries and other such customization)
  • Only basic, car-specific tuning can be done (no performance upgrades and other parameters found in upgraded cars)
  • Credits, Mileage Points, XP and progress towards the Daily Workout system will not be earned driving those cars

Let me know what other ideas you want for GT7's Arcade Mode.
 
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more in-depth custom race/championship options:
Customable grid: select which car u want in the race and what place they should start
Qualifying on/off: Order grid by qualifying session (fastest first/slowest first)
BoP on/off for all cars
Different classes on the same race(e.g gr3 can race with LMP) (not really needed with the customable grid but make it add random cars for each class and it may be a good option to customable grid)
and all other settings thats allready in GT Sport.
 
They should have a free race mode that allows people to pick any track and any car in it's stock setup in the game and go. You shoud also be able to do the same online.

Having extensive options to set up the race as you want, including multi-class racing would be excellent. This is one area Forza 7 excelled in, it had a fantastic free race mode.

I think the unlocking of content should be reserved for the career mode, or if they wanted an arcade mode like GT3's then have that as a seperate mode to free race (though free race and the main campaign modes could make an in between mode like that redundant).

I'd love a custom championship feature, maybe one where you choose he license level, tracks, restrictions etc. and then can import it into the career mode. It would be cool if you could download other peoples custom championships too. You could get around creating cheat races by the game using an algorythm to determine the Cr payouts based on difficulty and race length (like Forza 7's free race does).
 
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This should take a Tourist Trophy approach and be like "pass the car you want".
Just a bunch of races like GT2 was and then "a new challenger" approaches.
 
I have only 1 request:

For the love of God, please PD, allow us to switch cars without having to back all the way out and re-select challenge type, region, track, difficulty level, auto / manual, driving options, track conditions...
 
Ermmmmm......

You already can......

In GT Sport......

At the top left corner......
Wow! At last; thank you mate.

I've never seen GTS but obviously this issue has been a PITA for me right up to GT6, which is where I sit now whilst waiting for 7.

Great news, man. Now all I need is to be able to set a max or fixed DoR and I'll be a happy camper.
 
Like GT3, unlocking tracks, more cars in classes and new rewards like decals, paint chips etc.
Though wdyt about people that don't have time to complete that Arcade Mode? People want all unlocked cars & tracks for Arcade and perhaps Online.
Car classes in GT7 is the N Class and Gr.
 
I would like it where when we purchase a car, that car with all its colors will then be available to play in Arcade mode just like in GT4. And as we play more, more tracks become available, also just like in GT4. I loved that method, adds more replay-ability to the game too imo.
 
Though wdyt about people that don't have time to complete that Arcade Mode? People want all unlocked cars & tracks for Arcade and perhaps Online.
Car classes in GT7 is the N Class and Gr.
This "having all cars unlocked" thing should stay right away from Gran Turismo. I'm not trying to insult those who are short on time, but Gran Turismo has always been about progression and catering to these casuals who either can't or don't want to progress will ruin the essence of the game. This isn't me being totalitarian, it's just how Gran Turismo should be.
 
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This "having all cars unlocked" thing should stay right away from Gran Turismo. I'm not trying to insult those who are short on time, but Gran Turismo has always been about progression and catering to these casuals who either can't or don't want to progress will ruin the essence of the game. This isn't me being totalitarian, it's just how Gran Turismo should be.
My ideal form of progression, this way, is something along the lines of Gran Turismo 3 and Forza Motorsport 2, where we have to complete all single race and time trial challenges if we want to have all the cars in the game in Arcade Mode.

They need to be unlocked, but you start off with quite a decent amount of cars for use in the other modes (Custom Race, Free Time Trial, Drift Trial, Custom Championship and 2-Player Battle). The ones to unlock should be like the highly-desirable cars (e.g. some high-end race cars, supercars, Vision GT's and concepts).

Unlike GT3, which doesn't show locked cars, GT7 should tell you how to unlock specific cars for use in Arcade Mode (e.g. by winning a certain race or time trial event).

And they should make it where 1st place would unlock three cars, 2nd would unlock two and bronze will unlock one car, from the Single Races, while in the Time Trial Challenges, in order to unlock the car for use in Arcade Mode, you have to beat the target time using that car, so it's kind of like Motorsport 2's Arcade Mode.

As for DLC cars that come in updates, they'd have to add them directly to Arcade Mode, because there's no guarantee that content updates could feature new tracks, like later on in the game's lifespan.
 
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Access to all cars and tracks in Single Player and Time Trial.

There should be a Practice Mode like GT4. Multiple cars on track, infinite time, infinite laps. Access to all cars and tracks.

Custom Race. I'd prefer access to all cars and tracks, BUT even though I'm an advocate for it, maybe only Cars acquired by gifts, Cr., DLC, real money, can only be used.

Arcade Mode is going to depend on how much content is available from game debut.
 
...PD, allow us to switch cars without having to back all the way out and re-select challenge type, region, track, difficulty level, auto / manual, driving options, track conditions...

...You already can......

In GT Sport......

At the top left corner......

Great tip, @261004. I raced GT League for quite a while before I accidentally discovered this feature while rummaging through menu items between races. I really enjoy having this ability to quickly change tracks or cars.

I do not have access to GTS now for reference on this, but I still find a few option parameters missing from this method. I remember being unable to adjust field start type (grid or rolling), my starting position, number of AI competitors (which will not reset from exactly one AI driver after having selected a dirt track to the previously chosen number when reverting to a tarmac track), AI difficulty level (am, int, pro), AI class (N200, Gr.4, one-make, although GTS seems to adjust (not always to my preference) when I change my car) and event duration (3 laps, 15 minutes).
 
This "having all cars unlocked" thing should stay right away from Gran Turismo. I'm not trying to insult those who are short on time, but Gran Turismo has always been about progression and catering to these casuals who either can't or don't want to progress will ruin the essence of the game. This isn't me being totalitarian, it's just how Gran Turismo should be.

Gran Turismo has always been about single player hero to zero progression..until GT Sport got rid of it and changed the series into an online focused racing title.

Things can always change and evolve. It's very rarely the case that "it's always been like that, so it should never change, end of" is a valid position to take.
 
Custom grids !

oh and please no more VR Tour. I expect that GT7 will be fully playable in VR not some kind of barebones mode.
If the whole game is going to be playable in VR, I am 100000000% gonna fork out the cash for a VR headset, that would be a dream come true as I'm not a PC player.
 
Gran Turismo has always been about single player hero to zero progression..until GT Sport got rid of it and changed the series into an online focused racing title.

Things can always change and evolve. It's very rarely the case that "it's always been like that, so it should never change, end of" is a valid position to take.
The change wasn't welcome though you see.
 
Oohh I sure would love a drift trial with actual clipping points laid across the track and a scoring system that scores your run according to actual drift criteria and wouldn't reset if your drift angle is too big.
 
Thinking about Time Trial. Times should be recorded for all makes. Such as, Fastest Ford Mustang GT.

The way Online TT are, many will use the META. Acknowledging fastest in a specific make, in the way FIA does, should apply to Time Trials.

Circuit Experience and certain Missions races, show who are the quickest on player's friends lists. Some of the missions allow players to choose from their garage. Would be good to know who used what car to achieve a result.
 
All cars, tracks and modes unlocked over there.

Arcade cars are only in stock form and cannot be upgraded, tuned or customized beyond stock colors/liveries. You cannot earn XP or credits for GT Mode if you race in one of these.

If you go in with one of your garage cars, then you can tune and the races have a credit and XP payout.
 
All cars, tracks and modes unlocked over there.

Arcade cars are only in stock form and cannot be upgraded, tuned or customized beyond stock colors/liveries. You cannot earn XP or credits for GT Mode if you race in one of these.

If you go in with one of your garage cars, then you can tune and the races have a credit and XP payout.
I also like this idea, goes straight to the point where you have a "pick up and play" option, so it's just like in the modern Forza games. Don't forget that you also cannot obtain Mileage Points or Daily Workout progress driving these cars as well.

I want them to bring back Gran Turismo 4's arcade mode theme.

With this, people will probably go to Arcade Mode just to listen to "Light Velocity" non-stop, only that they will use the actual song and not the compressed version in GT4 in-game.
 
I want custom races to be more customisable. Custom time, weather, grid, maybe even prize money (to a certain extent) mandatory pitstops, tyre compounds plus all tracks/cars unlocked from the beginning.
 
In teaching players the physics of the cars and making it a bit more enjoyable, adopting Keiichi Tsuchiya's Drift Bible would be a hit.

Start off with a base AE86. Learn how to navigate a beginner's course. Seriously, follow the example in the Drift Bible.

Move up to an MR-2 GTS.

Remember the NISMO Silvia from GT2? Use that as a tuned car, to try a bit more advanced drifting.

Step up to a highly tuned car, not a drift machine, but more horsepower and tuned for the track.

Professional trials with specific drift machines. Players being able to choose the Ken Nomura Skyline, FC Drift car, BR-Z drift car, Nobutero Taniguchi drift Silvia.

Final test could be players having the choice of "building" their own drift tuned car and completing drift trials.

This is one of the reasons why I hope PD have used the online only save data to good use. To see how people are playing these games modes.
 
If you have a truly flexible granualar custom race mode you dont need arcade mode.

I dont know how to make an arcade mode that isnt just a throwaway feature like it is in GT Sport.

To me I dont think "Arcade" mixes in well with what GT7 is trying to be. I feel like people play GT7 because they want to true PD experience and I dont think people want a watered down hand held encapsulated quick race mode???

There's lots of arcade racers out there. I personally just dont find any value out of this but my experiences with the above have been poor over the last two gens or close to 20 odd years so I'm willing to be surprised but I doubt I will be... they will devote like one day of programming into it and it'll be perfunctory like GT Sport's completely odd "three rings of completion" arcade mode.
 
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