Alright let's not turn this thread into a battle between individuals. ShiftingGears- when there are SO many non-simulator options in the current racing game genre, why on earth are you in a Gran Turismo forum asking for it to be less of a sim?
I'm not sure I would describe GT as a simulator. On the flipside, there are many games that qualify as racing simulators, so I could ask you the exact opposite question.
I didn't call for it to be less of a simulator either - but I'm saying I wouldn't want to compromise the range of the cars. They could cull a few, but fundamentally the cars, and the sheer number of them, has been one of the main drawcards for the series.
I hope that this can be attributed to GT being incredibly boring- and you are just reaching for ways to make it more fun. No need to reach like that. GT will always strive be a simulator. Right now it falls a bit short on that goal, and way short on fun-factor. This thread is an attempt to brainstorm ideas that could improve the fun- specifically in the Racing category. If you want to discuss vehicles that need to be removed/added, there are threads for that. Same goes for livery/visual modification options- even though an improvement in this area could possibly be counted as 'racing' improvements by some.
Polyphony does not need to lessen the simulation accuracies to improve the racing and fun-factor. Build upon GT5's platform as was the stated plan, add some of the cool ideas from this thread, ship the game with most of the driving aids 'on' and we're good!
I actually would prefer if GT had the default settings of all driver aids to be
off. Driving a muscle car with traction control, or a NASCAR with active stability, is a massive joke. Although I didn't really use an ABS level of zero, simply because it wasn't what I was used to with every other GT game. On the whole, the default implementation of driving aids is a joke, and unnecessary.
On the use of flags - I simply don't have faith that PD could implement penalties for ignoring flags (and with that, any sort of compliance to them) without it being a frustrating and unrealistic experience (ie, ludicrous and unrealistic penalties). Use of safety cars is completely dependent on drivers being able to retire from the race from terminal vehicle damage. So that is a few steps above what they have now - I don't believe it will be something implemented for GT6.
Could you imagine mandatory drive-through or stop-go penalties for collisions with GT5-quality AI? It was bad enough in GT4 in arcade mode, and that was only with 5 rivals. The AI is the factor which everything hinges on, PD need to sort this out before anything more elaborate can be done.
I wouldn't mind several of these ideas regarding flags being implemented, but after 10 years of the Gran Turismo series without the AI being sorted, I will have to see a massive improvement before I jump onboard with the idea of all these additions hinging on the quality of the AI.
I find qualifying important. I've no idea why they dropped it for GT5, I thought it was nice to have it back in GT4. The format was fairly good as well, if I was bothered doing two laps.
As far as victory laps go, I think one thing GT6 doesn't need is superfluous animations. If the fight for the victory still leaves you yearning for more after the checkered flag falls, then Polyphony Digital will have failed, and time spent animating a victory lap won't adjust that. I actually felt that GT5 had too many unnecessary animations just for the sake of having animations, but that is another point.
As far as careers go - I don't know how Forza does it (if I had an XBox I would buy their games for comparison) but whatever it is, GT5's levelling system isn't how. I want to try the 24h races but I just don't care to grind until I unlock them. I think I prefer the freedom of entering events as I please, but I haven't had many games to compare it to.
As far as vehicle damage - I think a gauge would be the only fair way to do it (engine, transmission, suspension damage). Random failures would be simply too frustrating - and besides, the Gran Turismo series need to ease into it. It won't be perfect the first time out, so I think they should input less features if it means getting those features right, rather than implementing half-arsed features. It would be tough because it would then involve damage modelling that looks realistic, like a simulator should.
In any case, B-spec should only be used to fast-forward otherwise time-consuming events. That's the only reason I used it in GT4, because it sure isn't enjoyable to sit and watch it.