The reality of Maintenance on GT6

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TJC_69
So maintenance ._._. Will it bring anything ? Does anyone with a decent driving sim now really care ? Or is it just people stuck on old gen machines ?
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I'm hoping it does, since there's still things outstanding from GT6 that I'm looking forward to.
 
El Abrak
Yeah 16 hours of maintenance will probably bring something new besides improving servers quality or anything related to online, my bet is at least one new car if it's not more.
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I think a car would be no reason of 7+7 hours of maintenance. But would be a good present for waiting without online services.:lol:

Maybe they are testing a possible addon to the comunity where we can share our custom tracks? (Pure speculation)
 
Basic truth is that we have no idea how PD is working behind the scenes and likely never will. This is pretty hollow speculation but I understand why topics like this are coming up as not much compelling news has happened as of late.

I think you're trying to make out signal where there's only noise. Updates and maintenance are done on a need-to-be-done basis. So I'd be really surprised to see them following some sort of planned pattern.

I mean, we don't even know if it's only GT content on the servers being taken offline for "maintenance," you know?
 
NixxxoN
Disagree. Cars in GT5 felt quite a lot more bland and similar. Now you have a new massive range of new feelings and new physics for all the cars.
And the sounds have nothing to do with car's physics.
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Again, for you, not for me. Cars in GT6 all feel quite bland and similar to me as opposed to the better sims where every car feels dramatically different as they did in real life.
 
Johnnypenso
Again, for you, not for me. Cars in GT6 all feel quite bland and similar to me as opposed to the better sims where every car feels dramatically different as they did in real life.
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Why you bring other games here? It has nothing to do with what we're talking (GT5 and GT6 physics) and before you did bring car sounds which again had nothing to do with what we're talking. But I guess everything is valid to keep bashing the GT franchise non stop, right?
 
NixxxoN
Why you bring other games here? It has nothing to do with what we're talking (GT5 and GT6 physics) and before you did bring car sounds which again had nothing to do with what we're talking. But I guess everything is valid to keep bashing the GT franchise non stop, right?
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Most of us play games other than GT so the comparison is relevant. Even without other games, it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to know that that a 1971 Ferrari or a 1974 Lamborghini would not keep up on the track at similar specs to a modern car or feel very similar to a modern car for that matter, and yet it does. A very generic tire model makes this happen and it's also part of the reason why the cars all feel so similar in GT, but very different in better sims. Maybe it takes the perspective of driving in other games to bring out the blandness of driving in GT.
 
Johnnypenso
Many of us have been playing GT for a long time so we've already tried most of the cars in GT3,4,5 that caught our interest and don't have a lot of interest in driving the same cars over and over. GT6 had less than 100 unique premium cars added and anyone that plays regularly will have used any new cars they have interest in quite extensively already. Hence the need for new cars. Besides, getting new stuff gives you the feeling the game is fresh and alive.
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Only 100 new preiumum cars? :confused: :sly:

I've been playing the GT series since GT2, and each title has felt new mainly because of controller and wheel development.

GT2: Controls consisted of mashing the X and square button and steering with a D-pad. Had a Mad Catz wheel and the pedals weren't very durable and stopped working properly in a few months.

GT3/GT4: Was it a DS2 I used? It definitely wasn't a DS3, but at least I could steer and accelerate/brake a little smoother. But let's be honest, that isn't driving. Oh and the dual shock feedback! Didn't have that before.

GT5: Ah! A decent wheel at last. A DFGT. What a difference and a completely new experience. Force feedback? New too. Time to experience those cars I fondly recall from past games.

GT6: Even better FFB and physics compared to GT5. And the shifter on the G27 improved the experience too.

So you see, those same cars we've had over and over *can* feel alive and fresh. No complaints here. :)
 
When there is ACTUAL server maintenance happening, you get rolling disconnections. This can be experienced when we get seasonal event updates. individual servers in the farm get taken down, causing disconnects. If there is no connection for anyone at all, that means the servers are getting a new version.

During the last maintenance period, I must have totally missed out on disconnects. I had no issue connecting when ever I checked.

If there is no connection for anyone during the next two updates, a new version is coming. Given how long the updates are though, it has to be something technically significant. That's not to say that players will see it as a significant thing, but technically, it will be. It might be an overhaul of the online mics.

Who knows?

I still wish there was more transparency. It takes an intern half an hour at most to write up a release. That would save a lot of frustration and that impacts future sales.
 
Voodoovaj
When there is ACTUAL server maintenance happening, you get rolling disconnections. This can be experienced when we get seasonal event updates. individual servers in the farm get taken down, causing disconnects. If there is no connection for anyone at all, that means the servers are getting a new version.

During the last maintenance period, I must have totally missed out on disconnects. I had no issue connecting when ever I checked.

If there is no connection for anyone during the next two updates, a new version is coming. Given how long the updates are though, it has to be something technically significant. That's not to say that players will see it as a significant thing, but technically, it will be. It might be an overhaul of the online mics.

Who knows?

I still wish there was more transparency. It takes an intern half an hour at most to write up a release. That would save a lot of frustration and that impacts future sales.
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It could quite simply be hardware/firmware/software upgrades in their datacenter. Either to the servers themselves, or to the network infrastructure supporting those servers. New router firmware for example will result in network outages and therefore a lack of ability to connect to the servers. In other words, this could very well be honest MAINTENANCE and not have anything to do with GT6 at all (other than impacting access to the servers).

It would not be the first time this has happened either. Far too many people assume that a GT6 Maintenance window automatically means a patch/update. The reality is that the supporting infrastructure needs some regular love too, not just the software running on it.
 
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F1Racer68
In other words, this could very well be honest MAINTENANCE and not have anything to do with GT6 at all (other than impacting access to the servers).
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That's what every maintenance is. Any updates that come along with them are extra additions and mostly unrelated to the maintenance.
 
With GT6 being the last edition on the PS3 they should not kill off online support for a very long time. It was really sad that they killed off GT5 shortly after GT6 was released. That really was not a good move on their part and if they do the same to GT6 it may very well hurt them down the road.

Forza 2 for example still allows you to play online as does Forza 3 and 4 even though Forza 6 will be out soon. They did shut down some of the online features [auction house, gifting cars] after a while but online racing and leaderboards are still online
 
F1Racer68
It could quite simply be hardware/firmware/software upgrades in their datacenter. Either to the servers themselves, or to the network infrastructure supporting those servers. New router firmware for example will result in network outages and therefore a lack of ability to connect to the servers. In other words, this could very well be honest MAINTENANCE and not have anything to do with GT6 at all (other than impacting access to the servers).

It would not be the first time this has happened either. Far too many people assume that a GT6 Maintenance window automatically means a patch/update. The reality is that the supporting infrastructure needs some regular love too, not just the software running on it.
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You're correct, but having to shut down an entire data center at once for maintenance TWICE in the same week, a couple of days after having scheduled maintenance seems suspect to me. If they need to completely block access from the game to their servers, for two 8 hours periods, something big is changing.

I'm a gambling man. I am going to speculate that half the dedicated servers are being upgraded to a new version. The other half will be kept offline until that update is done. On the second day, they'll test to make sure the update has no show stopper issues, then on the third day if all goes well, the other half of the servers will get the update.

8 hours though....That's a BIG chunk of time.

We shall see Thursday night.

There was a GT5 Spec II, just saying.
 
Personally I think it's more than a coincidence that the Eiger block is back since the last maintenance :odd::lol:

I think they are upgrading the servers personally, to newer machines. If they're still using the servers that were installed during the last major downtime in 2011 they could be struggling. 4 years seems about the right gap for them to be doing this. We change servers around every 3-4 years where I am.

I don't think there's an over-arching pattern to this, although I do see it as part of their overall plan for development towards the eventual release of the course creator and beyond that for the next GT whenever it comes in 2016.

EDIT I forgot to say I don't think any update is coming this week.
 
When I've heard about this strange maintenance my first thought was : they need storage/cpu/bandwidth in order to test "GT7/PS4" servers. I really hope they will announce it quick...

Honestly I don't expect anything from GT6. We will have the remaining Vision GT cars and a course maker probably as bad as it was in GT5 (perhaps even worse, when I see what they've done with the B-Spec...).
 
sirjim73
Personally I think it's more than a coincidence that the Eiger block is back since the last maintenance :odd::lol:

I think they are upgrading the servers personally, to newer machines. If they're still using the servers that were installed during the last major downtime in 2011 they could be struggling. 4 years seems about the right gap for them to be doing this. We change servers around every 3-4 years where I am.

I don't think there's an over-arching pattern to this, although I do see it as part of their overall plan for development towards the eventual release of the course creator and beyond that for the next GT whenever it comes in 2016.

EDIT I forgot to say I don't think any update is coming this week.
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poumpoum
When I've heard about this strange maintenance my first thought was : they need storage/cpu/bandwidth in order to test "GT7/PS4" servers. I really hope they will announce it quick...

Honestly I don't expect anything from GT6. We will have the remaining Vision GT cars and a course maker probably as bad as it was in GT5 (perhaps even worse, when I see what they've done with the B-Spec...).
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Why would they need more bandwidth that they did in 2011? There are less people playing on GT now than there was in 2011. Testing PS4 servers... They would only have a small in house testing team. So again, why would they need more bandwidth than in 2011?

IMO based on the evidence of "16 hour downtime" They are updating something, are they updating GT6? We don't know yet. They might b- *Stops writing*

2011... Spec 2.0 was released... but who says that they didn't upload the original GT6 build to the server that day too for online testing... @poumpoum I think you might be right... I think they might be putting an alpha GT7 onto their servers for online capabilities.
 
sk8er913
2011... Spec 2.0 was released... but who says that they didn't upload the original GT6 build to the server that day too for online testing... @poumpoum I think you might be right... I think they might be putting an alpha GT7 onto their servers for online capabilities.
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Kaz: It's possible... :lol:

By the way it keeps being mentioned that the timing is odd. But if you think of it in Japanese time frame, not in western time frame, which you should, the maintenance starts around 10pm and finishes around 6am. If they are replacing the servers, doing it overnight would make sense for them in Japan. Most of the staff won't be around so it won't get in their way.

They then come in next morning to start work with everything back up and running. They hope :lol:
 
NixxxoN
Why you bring other games here? It has nothing to do with what we're talking (GT5 and GT6 physics) and before you did bring car sounds which again had nothing to do with what we're talking. But I guess everything is valid to keep bashing the GT franchise non stop, right?
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Probably because nobody pays attention to him in the epic whining and crying thread.
 
HBR-Roadhog
Forza 2 for example still allows you to play online as does Forza 3 and 4 even though Forza 6 will be out soon. They did shut down some of the online features [auction house, gifting cars] after a while but online racing and leaderboards are still online
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The remaining online features in FM are provided by the universal XBL infrastructure.
GT5/6 depend on game specific servers.

Most 360 games can be played online until MS shuts down XBL for Xbox360 (big exception is EA because they use their own servers).
 
ccaranna
Only 100 new preiumum cars? :confused: :sly:

I've been playing the GT series since GT2, and each title has felt new mainly because of controller and wheel development.

GT2: Controls consisted of mashing the X and square button and steering with a D-pad. Had a Mad Catz wheel and the pedals weren't very durable and stopped working properly in a few months.

GT3/GT4: Was it a DS2 I used? It definitely wasn't a DS3, but at least I could steer and accelerate/brake a little smoother. But let's be honest, that isn't driving. Oh and the dual shock feedback! Didn't have that before.

GT5: Ah! A decent wheel at last. A DFGT. What a difference and a completely new experience. Force feedback? New too. Time to experience those cars I fondly recall from past games.

GT6: Even better FFB and physics compared to GT5. And the shifter on the G27 improved the experience too.

So you see, those same cars we've had over and over *can* feel alive and fresh. No complaints here. :)
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100 "unique" premium cars. If you take out all the base cars which are just paintable versions of other cars, and identical cars with different liveries, it's less than 100 new unique cars added to GT6, at launch of course.
 
Johnnypenso
100 "unique" premium cars. If you take out all the base cars which are just paintable versions of other cars, and identical cars with different liveries, it's less than 100 new unique cars added to GT6, at launch of course.
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100 new cars is a lot actually, more than many games have in total and that is in addition to the 1000 or so that was already there.

Lack of cars is not an issue in the GT series for sure. The real downside is the total lack of a proper leaderboard system, promised features that are still not present, inferior sounds and poor structure for online play. Tuning is also an issue with GT still having the A,B,C system of tuning and even then some settings carry over from one to the other, no tire pressure settings and camber that does not seem to do anything remotely realistic.

I really do hope that GT7 will change some of these things and make GT a great game again. If it on the other hand follows the pattern we have saw in 5 and 6 then at least I will not be tempted to buy a PS4.
 
Also just pointing out that GT6 has virtually no microtransactions and free DLC... I gotta go pay 6.65 on FH2 for a Evora. On GT6 its free. Anyway... I reckon... something is coming. I don't know what however.
 
NW48
It starts at 20:00 in Japan and finishes at 03:00. :)

But yes, it will take place overnight in Japan.
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With about seven or more hours, and if we have to, over night maintenance from Japan.
 

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