The Importance of Original Tracks in Racing Games

So true! Why always the Nordschleife? Why always Le Mans? Why always Spa? It's almost like you aren't a serious racing game nowadays unless you have 2 of those 3. Well-designed fantasy tracks can become almost more famous than real places.

Another important thing is having a unique racing series. We've all driven GT3s and V8 Supercars, it's becoming boring. I prefer racing on different cars like legends/AussieRacingCars, V8Star cars, old GP cars, old touring cars... I also like driving weird single-brand cup cars (Nissan Micra, Volkswagen Polo...).
 
I haven't truly enjoyed a fictional racing circuit since the early Gran Turismo years. I'm not even sure I enjoyed them because of their layouts, but rather because of their unique and over the top settings. Aside from some rather irrelevant experiences with classic F1 venues in the Amiga and DOS era, I didn't have any noteworthy experience with real racing circuits in video games until I drove Laguna Seca in GT2, and perhaps not until laser scanning became somewhat standard for the genre in more recent years.

Today, I don't think much comes close to a good laser scan of the infamous circuits around the globe, and now I rarely find the motivation to drive layouts imagined by sim racing studios. There's also the immersive factor to consider, especially in titles prioritizing high degress of simulation. Going for track day or race day in a near perfect recreation of a real car while driving in some unthinkable environment simply doesn't cut it for me. In fact, I get a little irritated whenever I read that resources have been devoted to yet another fictional track for the sim world. Understandable though, many players seem enjoy original layouts.

I very much prefer fictional open world settings inspired by real world locations. That's what I think simulation titles should focus on when not spending resources on real world circuits.
 
Nielsen
I haven't truly enjoyed a fictional racing circuit since the early Gran Turismo years. I'm not even sure I enjoyed them because of their layouts, but rather because of their unique and over the top settings. Aside from some rather irrelevant experiences with classic F1 venues in the Amiga and DOS era, I didn't have any noteworthy experience with real racing circuits in video games until I drove Laguna Seca in GT2, and perhaps not until laser scanning became somewhat standard for the genre in more recent years.

Today, I don't think much comes close to a good laser scan of the infamous circuits around the globe, and now I rarely find the motivation to drive layouts imagined by racing game developers. There's also the immersive factor to consider, especially in titles prioritizing high degress of simulation. Going for track day or race day in a near perfect recreation of a real car while driving in some unthinkable environment simply doesn't cut it for me. In fact, I get a little irritated whenever I read that resources have been devoted to yet another fictional track for the sim world. Understandable though, many players seem enjoy original layouts.

I very much prefer fictional open world settings inspired by real world locations. That's what I think simulation titles should focus on when not spending resources on real world circuits.
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Great points, @Nielsen!

I think it's very much a balancing act, in the same way our favourite titles have to walk the sim/game line. A title can't really claim realism if it's missing all the big real-world circuits, but it also risks feeling same-ish if the lineup is nothing but those places we see in every game (hello Nurburgring, Brands Hatch, and Silverstone).

It's part of what has made Assetto Corsa so hard to stick with for me. Sure, there are a few tracks in there that I've never tried in any other game, but they're not exactly the most exciting. Driving a GT3 class car on the 'Ring is very much a deja vu experience. I get why including some crossover with the rest of the genre is a good thing — the content is in high demand, and it offers a direct comparison for those into that sort of thing — but I think every racing game needs some standout cars and tracks.

GT's original circuits are instantly recognizable to me: I'll be very sad if the "GT Holy Trinity" of Grand Valley, Deep Forest, and Trial Mountain isn't in GT Sport, because those three have been in every single full GT game from day one. Admittedly, I haven't really cared for any of the creations since the PS2 era ended, though Dragon Trail is looking pretty good. In GT Sport's case, it seems the original circuits, at least the ovals, have been used to bypass getting the real tracks they're so obviously based on.

Forza's done a decent job with its original circuits. They're not all winners, but Prague and Rio can both be good with the right cars. I did a race at Rio in the '70s F1 cars back before FM6 released, and it was one of the best online races I've done in any game. As the article mentions, Fujimi was in a league of its own (though I've never been a huge fan of it), and I miss the long-form Positano from FM3. Maple Valley was another great one too.
 
die996
So true! Why always the Nordschleife? Why always Le Mans? Why always Spa? It's almost like you aren't a serious racing game nowadays unless you have 2 of those 3. Well-designed fantasy tracks can become almost more famous than real places.

Another important thing is having a unique racing series. We've all driven GT3s and V8 Supercars, it's becoming boring. I prefer racing on different cars like legends/AussieRacingCars, V8Star cars, old GP cars, old touring cars... I also like driving weird single-brand cup cars (Nissan Micra, Volkswagen Polo...).
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Why always real cars ??? ....... Because thats the point Sim is sim. Fantasy is fantasy. GT Sport will have so far most fantasy tracks and cars too. But they should remove The real driving simulator slogan from the game
 
Silvio
Why always real cars ??? ....... Because thats the point Sim is sim. Fantasy is fantasy. GT Sport will have so far most fantasy tracks and cars too. But they should remove The real driving simulator slogan from the game
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Fantasy tracks dont automatically lower any simulation. Either way, I think they did drop that slogan already.
 
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Not a big fan of fantasy tracks, & especially the ones in GT games that are all dead flat & smooth as glass. I bought my FFB wheel for a reason you know! I'd much rather see some lesser known racing tracks being included with a full laser scan in modern games than more fantasy ones. However, fictional tracks based on real world roads are fine, as long as they're laser scanned too.


:P
 
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I want my Seattle back, dammit! :grumpy:

Seriously, Seattle and Laguna Seca were my favorite tracks on GT4.

Current favorite fantasy tracks on GT6 are Trial Mountain, Autumn Ring and Mid-Field. Mid-Field is probably the most up to date interpretation of a fantasy track on GT6. It's simply stunning.

Dragon Trail is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites, in a very short period of time. It has such amazing flow and has a little bit of everything. Can't wait to see how it goes down in the history of PD fantasy tracks.
 
Fond memories of San Fran GP from Grid, which (at around 9 or 10 laps) started ripping out chunks of car and tried its damnedest to retire you from the race... guess GT1 cars weren't built for airtime. Literally fighting to survive the track let alone the other drivers.

Must mention Battersea in Dirt 2, preferably the layout without the jump. Very technical; great fun to drive. It looked so good at night. It's all spotlights and flares and braziers and fireworks.
 
Tornado
Cape Ring sucks because it sucks. Hockenheim sucks because it sucks. Grand Valley doesn't. Spa doesn't. The quality of the design and its ability to have enjoyable racing is the important part of a track, not its "realism".
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First draft of this actually had a slandering paragraph toward Cape Ring... :lol: :lol:
 
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Wouldn't it be great if GTSport had all the tracks in previous the previous games. I would rather have all the tracks than all the cars, but that would be really cool if they had both.
 
Apricot Hill, Grand Valley, and Midfield are my favorites. Trial Mountain, Deep Forest, and Seattle are on my next tier. SSR11from GT1, Circuito de la Sierra, and Citta di Aria deserve honorable mention. Cape Ring is the only one that I really dislike. Dragon Trail looks pretty nice from the videos I've seen.
 
Apricot Hill, Red Rock Valley, Grand Valley Speedway, Special Stage R11 (GT1 iteration) and Seattle. My all time favorites.

EDK
Dragon Trail is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites, in a very short period of time. It has such amazing flow and has a little bit of everything. Can't wait to see how it goes down in the history of PD fantasy tracks.
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I'm hoping we can get a night version of this or a rainy version in the final version of the game. Would make for some good racing.
 
Ever since I played GT4, I've had a fondness for the Nordschleife. Ten year old me dreaded it in GT4, and I turned countless laps in GT5 and 6. I've driven it in mutiple franchises, and even though they all have their own feel, it's still the same layout.

There's a special feeling I love when a new game comes out; a new, unknown feeling. Take Battlefield 1 for example. You join that first map, with no idea where anything is, or the weapon and how it handles. I love that feeling of uncertainty.

If you've driven Le Mans in one game and you've learned the layout, odds are you can pick it up relatively quickly on another game or franchise.

Fantasy tracks offer this same feeling, albeit on a smaller scale. No other series has Midfield, Grand Valley, or High Speed Ring. (My personal favorites) You aren't going to find those anywhere else, and they may offer different sceneries that we haven't seen before. It's a new breath of fresh air. I love what PD has done with Midfield, updating it every few years. You know the layout, but it feels like a new place.

They may not hold as much presence as Le Mans or the Nurburgring, but they still offer some great feelings for players.
 
I think in the past where there were serious hardware limitations on creating a decent render of a real world track fantasy tracks had a major role in that they could be customised to a far greater degree to meet the needs of the hardware. See how Deep Forest and Trial Mountain have no run off and very short lines of sight. Designed to run well on the hardware of the time.

Unfortunately, now that those restrictions are essentially lifted I don't think fantasy track designers have fully transitioned away from that mindset. Add in the fact that actually designing a great track is a much more involved job than simply sketching out a ribbon, and the modern fantasy tracks start to look pretty tame to a real world track where someone probably spent months and months tweaking the layout before a shovel ever hit dirt.

Fantasy tracks can and should offer things that real world track cannot. At the very least, one has the freedom to design the surroundings to be visually engaging. Which doesn't necessarily mean making sure that there are ferris wheels and festivals alongside every one, but making sure that it's an appealing environment that evokes some emotion or sense of enjoyment in the player. A prime offender in this regard would be Cape Ring, the track is simply plonked in the middle of some green.

Fantasy tracks also give games personality. Exclusive licenses aside, all games can have real world tracks in them. But only Gran Turismo can have Grand Valley. Only Forza can have Positano. They add to the sense that you're getting something special and unique with that particular game. I think it's why it's really good that Forza builds at least one stunning new fantasy track for each game and uses that essentially as a "cover track", the majority of promo footage gets shown on it and it's generally used as a backdrop for the new game.

My gut feel is that in the modern era a "simulation"-esque game like GT or Forza should probably be aiming to have about a third of it's tracks as unique to series fantasy tracks. Enough to give personality and differentiation, but still leaving enough room for the real world tracks that the players expect in such a title.

P.S. Can I also give a shout out to the "combined" tracks from Forza 4, Camino Viejo, Iberian International and Ladera Test. Decent tracks in their own right, and having them placed together really gave a sense of the surrounding space even if one was only driving a small section.

Similar props to Sedona Raceway for having a decent oval, road course and combined without the restrictions and drab of normal infield road tracks. In the real world no track owner would feed the road course under the oval and out into the surrounds because that's away from the viewing fans, but that's a great solution for a driver. Also, it's awesome dipping through a tunnel in and out of the oval.
 
Imari
I think in the past where there were serious hardware limitations on creating a decent render of a real world track fantasy tracks had a major role in that they could be customised to a far greater degree to meet the needs of the hardware. See how Deep Forest and Trial Mountain have no run off and very short lines of sight. Designed to run well on the hardware of the time.

Unfortunately, now that those restrictions are essentially lifted I don't think fantasy track designers have fully transitioned away from that mindset. Add in the fact that actually designing a great track is a much more involved job than simply sketching out a ribbon, and the modern fantasy tracks start to look pretty tame to a real world track where someone probably spent months and months tweaking the layout before a shovel ever hit dirt.

Fantasy tracks can and should offer things that real world track cannot. At the very least, one has the freedom to design the surroundings to be visually engaging. Which doesn't necessarily mean making sure that there are ferris wheels and festivals alongside every one, but making sure that it's an appealing environment that evokes some emotion or sense of enjoyment in the player. A prime offender in this regard would be Cape Ring, the track is simply plonked in the middle of some green.

Fantasy tracks also give games personality. Exclusive licenses aside, all games can have real world tracks in them. But only Gran Turismo can have Grand Valley. Only Forza can have Positano. They add to the sense that you're getting something special and unique with that particular game. I think it's why it's really good that Forza builds at least one stunning new fantasy track for each game and uses that essentially as a "cover track", the majority of promo footage gets shown on it and it's generally used as a backdrop for the new game.

My gut feel is that in the modern era a "simulation"-esque game like GT or Forza should probably be aiming to have about a third of it's tracks as unique to series fantasy tracks. Enough to give personality and differentiation, but still leaving enough room for the real world tracks that the players expect in such a title.

P.S. Can I also give a shout out to the "combined" tracks from Forza 4, Camino Viejo, Iberian International and Ladera Test. Decent tracks in their own right, and having them placed together really gave a sense of the surrounding space even if one was only driving a small section.

Similar props to Sedona Raceway for having a decent oval, road course and combined without the restrictions and drab of normal infield road tracks. In the real world no track owner would feed the road course under the oval and out into the surrounds because that's away from the viewing fans, but that's a great solution for a driver. Also, it's awesome dipping through a tunnel in and out of the oval.
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The key drive for me writing this article was trying to point out that the 'suspension of disbelief' playing a huge part of what makes an original circuit great. Something, as you say, Cape Ring lacks.
 
Samsonknight
I love this read. Totally whole heartedly agree with it all. Seattle Circuit, Autumn Ring, SSR5, Tahiti Road, Azure Circuit, Scottish Highlands and California Highway(on Project Cars) have been a blast to drive around.
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Glad you enjoyed it. :)
 
My early days with GT were great fun. Midfield, Trial Mountain, Seattle always bring back memories. Some of those Project Gotham Racer tracks also remind me of the old days.

However, the current fantasy tracks today are mostly rubbish now. I cannot stand the FM6 tracks- Rio, Prague and the Bernese Alps one are horrible and boring IMO. I avoid them whenever possible and only use them in career.

Camino Viejo and Sedona were great though. Typical that good tracks were removed from the series.

The best current track I enjoy is Sakitto (Pcars). Racing around it in the rain with a 700 hp Audi AWD is a blast. I love the tree detail on that turn one and mini tunnel/fencing/cut chicane into the straight. I find it much better than the real Suzuka.
 
To me the best part about fantasy tracks has always been the fact that they aren't held back by regulations and money. Granted there have certainly been quite a few tracks that I could see existing in real life, but there is no way a track like El Capitan, Trial Mountain, Grand Valley or Maple Valley* would ever be feasible in the real world.

Than you have city tracks, which I've always felt is where PD really shines in the fantasy track department (granted I believe they are all based on actual roads). Seattle, Tokyo R246 and the Special Stages are all deservedly legendary, but some of their other city tracks are also insanely good in my mind like Madrid and Rome from recent games as well as the special events tracks Citta di Aria and Costa di Amalfi in GT4. There have been a few other games with great city tracks, but PD's seem to be the only ones that have had a lasting impact.

* Yes, I know Maple Valley's short course is pretty much Brands Hatch Indy with a few modifications.
 

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