Least favorite track

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Tahiti Road is an okay course actually, there's some fast and slow sections. Couple of 90 degree corners, elevations changes, and turn 3/4 IIRC is like a mini Eau Rouge. The last corner also requires some guts to take flat-out, as you can smack into the pit divider if you're just a tad too fast. The thing that lets this circuit down though, is the graphics. I am 100% sure PD spends the least amount of time modelling this circuit. It's way too pixellated, even for PS1 standards :yuck:. Otherwise I think it's a fine circuit.

Yea, I like Tahiti, too. 👍
No comment on Seoul as I've never played GT4.

It's one of those tracks that seems like a big "so what". :grumpy: Not much challenge, and the Ai drives it horribly sometimes--smacking the walls in the Supercar Challenge and stuff like that. :lol:👎 It seems PD put Seoul in GT4 for its scenery. I would have much preferred a real-life track made an appearance in the game.

On the other hand, Seoul has a very long straight section, which is kinda fun.
Again, this track is not in GT1, but I can give you a reason why quite a lot of people like it. Tsukuba is the TOP Time Trial circuit in Japan. Especially for JGTC and JDM/Tuned cars. It's sort of like the Japanese version of Nordschleife (not for length, but for popularity and status as a TT circuit). So I can understand why many people like to drive on it, whether it is to test cars or just to compare their laptimes with real world laptimes. I haven't driven this circuit personally, and from the track map I must say it looks pretty boring. But I'm not counting it out yet.

The problem with Tsukuba (my opinion) is that PD uses it way too much in GT4. It seems 90% of the race series have a Tsukuba part, so personally, I get a bit bored with having to race there again. But it's not a bad track in and of itself, it just appears too often.


Hell yes! Another lover of the old HSR & SSR11 :):). I really hate the new HSR in GT5P, it's more beautiful and looks more professional, but HSR isn't supposed to be a top-tier circuit. It's like a high speed go-kart track for normal cars. That said, I doubt the old HSR will suit GT5P/GT5's physics well (banks too steep, kerbs too high, etc). I hope it comes back as a separate version though, HSR - Classic & HSR - Modern :sly:.

As for SSR11, it's the best fictional track EVER (and yes, I mean the GT1 version, not the unchicaned GT3 version). Heaven knows why PD decides to scrap it.

I agree. I'm not sure why, but I like the HSR in earlier games, even tho the graphics aren't as good. One thing I hate about it in later games is they flattened Turn 3 (the sharp right) so that it's not banked like it was in GT1 & 2. :grumpy:👎
 
Haha, my bad :dunce:. I was thinking in terms of the series.

No problem, it's easy to get confused with the mind boggling number of tracks in the GT series and all of their variations :).

It's one of those tracks that seems like a big "so what". :grumpy: Not much challenge, and the Ai drives it horribly sometimes--smacking the walls in the Supercar Challenge and stuff like that. :lol:👎 It seems PD put Seoul in GT4 for its scenery. I would have much preferred a real-life track made an appearance in the game.

On the other hand, Seoul has a very long straight section, which is kinda fun.

I see. So it's another one of those 'afterthought' tracks by PD. Like London in GT5P. Tracks like these are better for photomode than racing I suppose 💡.

The problem with Tsukuba (my opinion) is that PD uses it way too much in GT4. It seems 90% of the race series have a Tsukuba part, so personally, I get a bit bored with having to race there again. But it's not a bad track in and of itself, it just appears too often.

So it's an overused track, and that's what makes people hate it. I'd get bored too if I have to drive a track over and over again, no matter how good it is. Let's hope the circuit selection in GT5 career mode is more varied 👍.

I agree. I'm not sure why, but I like the HSR in earlier games, even tho the graphics aren't as good. One thing I hate about it in later games is they flattened Turn 3 (the sharp right) so that it's not banked like it was in GT1 & 2. :grumpy:👎

It's called the Purist Syndrome :sly:. Us hardcore GT followers tend to like old things more than newer ones, just because of the memories :lol:.
 
London is a challenging track, at least, and the overload of sensory input caused by racing at London always puts a smile on my face. :)

Seoul is: 4 sharp turns, plus a roundabout towards the end of the track's longest straight. :indiff: Despite this, the Ai still doesn't quite get it. :lol: The only good thing is: at least Seoul doesn't make very many appearances in GT4.

You might be right about the purist syndrome. Personally, REALLY wish Turns 3 and 4 were still banked at HSR. It would be perfect for me, then. :D
 
London is a challenging track, at least, and the overload of sensory input caused by racing at London always puts a smile on my face. :)

You're right about the challenging part. Out of all the tracks in GT5P, I took the longest time to find the correct racing line at London. Even then, I sometimes still smack into the walls because I'm carrying a bit too much speed/running a bit wide. The buildings surrounding the tracks are beautiful as well, especially that tower (?) halfway round the track.

Problem is, London has the feeling of a randomly put together track. It's like PD said "Let's take this street, and that street, and join them." Tada! London circuit is done. It doesn't quite have the flow of PD's more well thought-out fictional tracks like TM or GVS.

I still like it though, some sections reminds me of SSR11 and Rome-Night.

Seoul is: 4 sharp turns, plus a roundabout towards the end of the track's longest straight. :indiff: Despite this, the Ai still doesn't quite get it. :lol: The only good thing is: at least Seoul doesn't make very many appearances in GT4.

:lol: I googled Seoul after reading this, and you're right, it doesn't look interesting to drive at all. Lucky that it's not used very often then.

You might be right about the purist syndrome. Personally, REALLY wish Turns 3 and 4 were still banked at HSR. It would be perfect for me, then. :D

And they should put the yellow stripes on the road after turn 1 again. And move the pit entry to the old position. Only then it would be perfect :D.
 
Yup about the painted stripes. 👍 I still love the sensation of speed as you fly towards and onto that first bank, but once you cross the bridge, it doesn't look right. It looks unfinished. Not only is turns 3 and 4 not banked, but there's no grandstands of people watching this area. 👎:ill:

I think NAMCO (who put Fuji in Pole Position long ago) had some beef with PD using HSR in the first 2 games, which could be why HSR is kinda lame in GT4. I should google or wiki this to learn exactly what happened.
 
But the bankings make HSR less like Fuji.

The old disused banking of Fuji was huge; a 2.5 mile oval was supposed to circle the entire current track. The disused banking is actually beyond the hairpin end of the track, and does not correspond to the steeply banked portion of HSR at all. The tracks a similar in vague shape only. The wiggly parts were never significantly banked in real life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuji_Speedway
(I don't 100% trust the track diagrams shown there, however).
 
Classic Fuji and HSR look hardly alike. The original HSR doesn't have a single slow speed corner on it at all, while Fuji has several. Never mind that Namco is defending a circuit that they don't own any part of. I guess you could call HSR a cariacature of Fuji but it's definitely far from a copycat.
 
I'd disagree on the shape. High Speed Ring and Fuji have a similar shape to them, even if there are some definate differences between these tracks. I'll have to see if I can find whatever article of info I read about NAMCO's beef with PD.....
 
Yup about the painted stripes. 👍 I still love the sensation of speed as you fly towards and onto that first bank, but once you cross the bridge, it doesn't look right. It looks unfinished. Not only is turns 3 and 4 not banked, but there's no grandstands of people watching this area. 👎:ill:

Yeah, the long left sweeper of the new HSR is still exciting. I daresay the new version makes it even more dangerous because you don't have the extra runoff area (although it's only a car's width) at the exit. The new physics also makes it harder to go through that turn at full throttle now, unless you're on R tyres with max downforce.

The bridge is the biggest flaw of the new HSR. It changes the atmosphere of the track too much. Thing is, it looks great in the replays. Only when I'm driving does it get distracting. I'm not that miffed with the unbanked turn 3 and 4, but it does feel weird to drive when I first got GT5P. I can't figure out why I can't slide through it like I used to :lol:. Instead of oversteer heaven, turn 3/4 are now understeer heaven :grumpy:. The lack of grandstand is terrible too. I don't like driving around empty tracks 👎.

I think NAMCO (who put Fuji in Pole Position long ago) had some beef with PD using HSR in the first 2 games, which could be why HSR is kinda lame in GT4. I should google or wiki this to learn exactly what happened.

I don't think Namco would care, especially after all these years. Besides, the only racing game Namco makes now is Ridge Racer right? IMO they couldn't care less whether another game company copies their old track (which is not theirs anyway, since Fuji is owned by Toyota).

I think the most plausible reason is, PD wants to adapt HSR to the new, more realistic physics and also 'jazz' it up a bit in the looks department. Problem is, us long time GT followers like the old, simple, straightforward and fun HSR better :(. I don't care if it's ugly, I only care about the driving!

But the bankings make HSR less like Fuji.

The old disused banking of Fuji was huge; a 2.5 mile oval was supposed to circle the entire current track. The disused banking is actually beyond the hairpin end of the track, and does not correspond to the steeply banked portion of HSR at all. The tracks a similar in vague shape only. The wiggly parts were never significantly banked in real life.

Classic Fuji and HSR look hardly alike. The original HSR doesn't have a single slow speed corner on it at all, while Fuji has several. Never mind that Namco is defending a circuit that they don't own any part of. I guess you could call HSR a cariacature of Fuji but it's definitely far from a copycat.

I'd disagree on the shape. High Speed Ring and Fuji have a similar shape to them, even if there are some definate differences between these tracks. I'll have to see if I can find whatever article of info I read about NAMCO's beef with PD.....

I agree with parts of all posts above. It's true that the used part of Fuji (which resembles HSR), have no banks at all. The layout itself is only similar until the 80's. In the 90's they added a chicane to the final corner and more recently Tilke (the guy who is responsible for designing almost all mdoern F1 tracks) butchered the last 1/4 section of the track and makes it completely different. When I drove Fuji in GT5P, I feel no similarities at all to HSR (this is taking into account that Fuji Forward is HSR Reverse). I think HSR is PD's version of what Fuji could have been, instead of what it was. Which is pretty cool IMO 👍.

Come to think of it, PD has always incorporated elements of RL tracks into their fictional ones. Apricot Hill (in GT2) feels curiously similar to Suzuka. First corner is a double apex tightening left (a mirror of Suzuka's T1). The esses followed by long left (Dunlop). Short straight then very tight hairpin. Then finally the chicane (Casio). There are some other tracks too, but I can't remember them now.
 
SSR11.. it's too long.

It's not that long. Most cars will do it in around 2 minutes or so. Same as the laptime for most normal cars around Suzuka, which has pretty standard length as far as racing circuits go. Besides, if you enjoy SSR11 like me it's WAY too short :D:sly:.
 
It's not that long. Most cars will do it in around 2 minutes or so. Same as the laptime for most normal cars around Suzuka, which has pretty standard length as far as racing circuits go. Besides, if you enjoy SSR11 like me it's WAY too short :D:sly:.

Really? I love SSR11!!! Its one of my favorite tracks. I hope its in GT5 because I miss racing in that track.
 
Autumn Ring. For some reason, the track doesn't click well with me. Something about the autumn foliage rubs me the wrong way. The track isn't as exciting as say SSR11 or Trial Mountain either.
 
a least favourite track? hmmm....lets see.... ah! Test Course!
Its nice for a high speed test, but its boring for racing! :D
Autumn Ring is ok to me...
 
If there's one thing that's wrong with Autumn Ring, it's the lack of leaves on the road. Imagine if PD takes the slipperiness into account! AR will feel like a completely different track to drive on! And I hope they make the trees more 'orange' and less 'yellow' in GT5. Otherwise the layout is excellent (that 360 corner is perfect for drifting as well).
 
If there's one thing that's wrong with Autumn Ring, it's the lack of leaves on the road. Imagine if PD takes the slipperiness into account! AR will feel like a completely different track to drive on! And I hope they make the trees more 'orange' and less 'yellow' in GT5. Otherwise the layout is excellent (that 360 corner is perfect for drifting as well).

Naw, I would assume there'd be a massive cleanup effort before each race to clear any falling tree debris. :)

Has anyone ever noticed leaves do up and off the side of the track in the dual-kink area of Autumn Ring? In GT4, this is.
 
The 360 degree corner (I make it actually only about 270) was probably put in deliberately to showcase their drift modeling.
 
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