Tiff Needell tests gt4 on 5th gear

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lunchbox147

lunchbox147

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My friend told me that tiff needell tested gt4 on the channel 5 program 5th gear (uk) monday but i missed it. He raced the game creator Kazunori and got thrashed :)
The program is repeated on friday 7:30pm
Tiff needell who is a retired racing driver and car tester was amazed how realistic the game feels.
here is a link to the tv program 5th gear
I personaly rate tiff Needell very highly and considering he crashed at 230mph on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans, gives him a certain amount of experince to rate a game.
 
Is the games creator a professional driver or atleast a well known accomplished driver? If not it doesn't make sense a driver being beaten by a GAMER in a driving sim.
 
Driftster
Is the games creator a professional driver or atleast a well known accomplished driver? If not it doesn't make sense a driver being beaten by a GAMER in a driving sim.
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He isn't a gamer - he's the game author. So I think he's a tad more experienced in playing on a PS2.

If you reversed the roles I bet Tiff Needell would have made a monkey out of him.
 
Driftster
Is the games creator a professional driver or at least a well known accomplished driver? If not it doesn't make sense a driver being beaten by a GAMER in a driving sim.
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The games creator is a clubman racer in Japan and a lifelong driving and car fan; you also have to remember that Tiff would have had limited experience with the game and the DFP, while Kazunori Yamauchi has of course worked on every GT game and its doubtful that many other people have had as much track time in GT4 as he has.

Any Sim (an if GT4 qualifies for this title is another subject), on any format is a compromise when compared to a real car; even the finest implimentation of Force Feedback will never replicate the real feel a car gives. Combine this with a lack of g-force that a real racing driver would also use to 'read' a car and it does not surprise me that Tiff lost.

Just a bit annoyed with myself that I missed 5th Gear, better make sure I don't miss it on Friday.
 
I watched that. Notice that Kaz actually had the advantage in the race, since the WoodOne Supra he was driving has about 50hp more than the Castrol Supra Tiff used. Plus Tiff got in the lead for a while but then went off the track.
 
I wouldn't say he was thrashed... He attempted to take a corner flat out like he would in real life... He went off the track and that was it...
That Kaz guy also had pole...
He allegedly drove all 745 or something cars from the game in real life... I'd say that makes him pretty qualified... Notice how cool he was when the rear end of the real 350Z came out...
Tiff also said that the game has too much movement on the lemans straight... Since he did it in real life I guess he can comment best...

Ash
 
What did come out of this show is SONY is quoted as saying that Porsche and Ferrari want too much money for licencing fees. (Their loss.)

This is the closest I've heard of SONY saying this is _the_ reason and not Electronic Arts.

I was more interested in the new A1 Grand Prix track, in Dubai.
Anyone have a map?

Cheers,

MasterGT
 
That A1GP looks good, so did that track. As for Kaz driving all 745 cars in GT4, not only is that not true but it's a\lso impossible. Do you really think he's driven the Bentley Speed 8, Audi R8 and Sauber C9. Also some of the cars in GT4 don't actually have engines irl, they are concepts, even if they did have engines Kaz wouldn't be able to drive them one inch, let alone round a track. Then theres the "dream cars" in GT4 like the S2000 LM, FTO super touring car and GT-R concept LM, they don't even exist irl so I'd love to see Kaz testing thoes on a track day.
 
lunchbox147
I personaly rate tiff Needell very highly and considering he crashed at 230mph on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans, gives him a certain amount of experince to rate a game.
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I'm sorry, but I find it funny that how spectacularly someone crashes at speed is the grounds of merit for their ability to rate a game.
 
Also, racing drivers drive mainly through seat of the pants feel, you don't get with a computer game/sim, you have to get an idea of what the car is doing from visual and audio clues, it's a whole different set of skills. A great racing driver would not instantly be a great game/sim driver just like a great GT driver wouldn't be able to jump into an F1 car and drive it flat-out, or even keep it on the road.

But the chances are that the best GT driver in the world is far more talented than Michael Schumacher because there are far, far more people playing GT games than there are people with the opportunities to take part in motorsport. The best racing drivers are the best of a very small number of people.
 
GBB
But the chances are that the best GT driver in the world is far more talented than Michael Schumacher because there are far, far more people playing GT games than there are people with the opportunities to take part in motorsport. The best racing drivers are the best of a very small number of people.
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I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately you still need a very rich daddy to get started in motorsports, and there are many lost super drivers around the world, simply because they didn't/don't have the money to race.
 
There is a chance of tha\t, but I have to dissagree that it's a high chance. For example the best GT4 player in the world could be an obese 14 year old, how the hell is an obese 14 year old going to cope in an F1 car, the forces would probably kill him if he didn't just lose conciousness after the first corner and fly into the next barrier. Driving a car for real is a very different challenge to driving a car in GT4, with or without the DFP. The average GT player does far more races in GT than several professional race drivers do their whole careers, so getting a good feel for the game will come. I don't think any GT players I know, and I do know some very good ones would get through a professional race irl without being lapped. GT4 is realistic, but it's not real and you can tell.
 
I cant wait to see ths episode on friday. Is top gear back on now as well?

I have huge amounts of respect for real racing drivers, especially f1 drivers. It's simple really. I mean at the end of the day you may be able to lap Suzuka faster than a touring car driver or beat a Falken GT-R around the ring in GT4 but it isn't even close to the real thing. None of us feel any fear when we have a near miss with a wall after a high speed bend at 190mph in GT4 but with the real thing it's a completely different matter. For example, in a sim you need to focus on folllowing the racing line and getting a fast, clean lap in without careering off the track. Whereas in real life you have all that to think about but then there's also the small matter of trying not to kill yourself. I personally agree with Lunchbox147, I dont see how you can think Tiff doesn't qualify as a good enough driver to rate the game when he crashed a car at 230mph risking his life and then continued to persue his passion for driving race cars afterwards.
 
:
Kolyana
I'm sorry, but I find it funny that how spectacularly someone crashes at speed is the grounds of merit for their ability to rate a game.
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That's the funniest thing posted on this thread yet :) 👍
 
live4speed
There is a chance of tha\t, but I have to dissagree that it's a high chance. For example the best GT4 player in the world could be an obese 14 year old, how the hell is an obese 14 year old going to cope in an F1 car, the forces would probably kill him if he didn't just lose conciousness after the first corner and fly into the next barrier. Driving a car for real is a very different challenge to driving a car in GT4, with or without the DFP. The average GT player does far more races in GT than several professional race drivers do their whole careers, so getting a good feel for the game will come. I don't think any GT players I know, and I do know some very good ones would get through a professional race irl without being lapped. GT4 is realistic, but it's not real and you can tell.
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I'm talking about natural ability though, apart from a few exceptions, like Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill and Mark Blundell just about all Formula 1 drivers started out karting before they were 10 or at least before their teens.

I'd guess there are are probably less than a thousand 5-15 year old racing karts in the UK, how many 5-15 year olds do you think there are in the UK regularly playing Gran Turismo?

Ok there are other factors involved in being a racing driver but statistically there will be people out there playing Gran Turismo that are the right build, have the right temperament and whatever, but were never given the opportunities to get into motorsport at a young age, that if they had would beat the pants off Michael Schumacher.
 
As per a 'request' there are some 'spoilers' in my post :)

As Tiff Needell said "I think I'll stick with the real thing" Thats got to say something about the gap between GT & realism, but then people with common sense know that already. Still Tiff enjoyed himself & commented how they had got right the differences between FR & FF. He also mentioned how the drifts weren't as easy to control as in real life due to the lack of feedback (And of course he isn't experienced at GT or the DFP).

Still its a lot better 'review' than what he thought of GT1 in an old magazine of mine which he said he was dissapointed with it as it was in no way realistic :) (Compared with a real car of course).
 
One obvious difference between real life ang gt4 is that gt4;s steering is very very sensative compared to real life in most cars. IRL your not looking at the steering wheel as such an important source of feedback (besides visual) like the game. But thats because, like others have said, G-force simulators are expensive. :P


plus with all that low speed traction and a slow spinning wheel, gt4 isnt a great drifting simulator.
 
daggoth
I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately you still need a very rich daddy to get started in motorsports, and there are many lost super drivers around the world, simply because they didn't/don't have the money to race.
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If you believe that, then you should read up on Alex Zanardi, who became a pro racer despite being very poor.

Anything is possible if you have the motivation to do it 👍

-a
 
Kolyana
I'm sorry, but I find it funny that how spectacularly someone crashes at speed is the grounds of merit for their ability to rate a game.
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From his profile on the fifth gear website:

"Tiff's television career started in the mid 1980s as part of the BBC's motor racing commentary team, where he worked alongside Murray Walker. In 1987 he joined Top Gear as the performance car specialist and presented some quite legendary road tests of cars like the McLaren F1 (in fact Tiff and the F1 still hold the UK circuit lap record for a production road car, topping 200.8mph).

In 2002 he became a founder member of the Fifth Gear team and says his highlight to date is "accidentally, ahem, ignoring the strict instructions Ferrari issued about not touching the traction control on their half million pound Enzo..."

Tiff remains a racer at heart. As a child he'd sneak into grand prixs and watch his heroes Jim Clark and Graham Hill. In 1971 he won a racing car in a magazine competition, and after winning the Premier Grovewood Award in 1976, he turned professional. He's raced all over the world in saloons, sportscars and single seaters, including an all too fleeting experience in Formula One. Tiff has raced at the Le Mans 24 hours an incredible 14 times, and his proudest moment came in 1990, when he achieved third place in a privately entered Porsche 962.

Recently Tiff has been enjoying the competitive world of historic racing – bashing bumpers of rare race cars worth millions of pounds to take wins in an ex-works Aston Martin DB4. He's also mentoring the young hopefuls of Barwell Motorsport's Formula BMW entry, and masterminding Fifth Gear's project to build a 200mph supercar."

*that* makes him reasonably qualified, however.
 
No anything is not possible with the motivation. That's the biggest lie in the world. Do you realize the poverty line in America is SOOOOO below the actual poverty line? Hence the phrase "Working poor" I really doubt you have the chance to be a great driver when the only motor vehicle you can get ahold of is either a stolen ATV or a used power wheel....


PS...I'm sure the guy knows that tiff is a well rounded car guy who DOES have the right to compare, but he was commenting on the guys prior statement where all he mentioned was
I personaly rate tiff Needell very highly and considering he crashed at 230mph on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans, gives him a certain amount of experince to rate a game.
Click to expand...
 
T5-R
As Tiff Needell said "I think I'll stick with the real thing" Thats got to say something about the gap between GT & realism, but then people with common sense know that already. Still Tiff enjoyed himself & commented how they had got right the differences between FR & FF. He also mentioned how the drifts weren't as easy to control as in real life due to the lack of feedback (And of course he isn't experienced at GT or the DFP).

Still its a lot better 'review' than what he thought of GT1 in an old magazine of mine which he said he was dissapointed with it as it was in no way realistic :) (Compared with a real car of course).
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some of us haven't seen it yet.. u shouldn't have. not like it's a movie but still.. i'd prefer finding it all out as i'm watching it.
 
For those saying that Tiff 'sucked' at GT4 - have you ever watched your sister/grandparent/father etc play Gran Turismo before? The vast majority of the time they keep running off the track or keep spinning out/hitting things. Because they haven't had much experience with PS2/Gran Turismo - just like Tiff.

Does anyone know when this episode will air in New Zealand? We seem to be behind a bit i think.
 
Driftster
but Tiff didn't just lose. Tiff SUCKED.
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yeah he may suck in his first ever GT4 race against kaz, but he definately rules on the real track. i want to see you driving an M5, M3, lotus carlton, mosler or whatever as fast on the real track as he does.

i would exchange my GT4 career for his real driving career instantly if i had the chance.

and i bet your first laps did not look much better either. ;)
 

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