Track Modifications

[JohnBM01]

Hello, GTPlanet. Nice to have another oppurtunity to express myself with yet another topic.

The tracks in Gran Turismo don't really have a lot of tracks with noticable modifications. Maybe one track has had some changes, and that was Laguna Seca. The runoff area on the corkscrew is now gone in GT3. But this time, you get a chance to talk about what modifications should be made to make it an easier or harder track. I'll start with two simple ideas.

The first of which concerns two chicanes through SSR11. I think the first chicane on the high speed section should be made to be like the chicane at the high speed section of Tokyo R246, only without elevation changes like on R246. The other chicane leading to the final turn should be a short curve to allow for faster speeds and make this slow circuit a little faster.

The second of which concerns the Super Speedway, based on Motegi's oval. I tend to think turns 3 and 4 need either some extra curbing or some extra road to corner better.

That's it for me. I'll have more ideas to make GT4 a LITTLE easier.

 

[Kaniyodrift]

Originally posted by JohnBM01
I'll have more ideas to make GT4 a LITTLE easier.

anyway i'd like GT1's SS11 back. nuff said.

 

[SuntoucherUK]

I'd rather do away with SSR11...I think its a horrible track which is needlessly long and flows about as well as jelly through cement.

Route 5 is enough for anybody. I don't really like the night tracks and won't until they make the headlights light the road surface. Anyone ever tried racing SSR11 when the sun's streaming in the window? I did today and its pretty much impossible to pick out braking points through the reflections on the TV. Oh, and before anyone mentions it the brightness on my TV is just fine thanks.

Rant over; that was a bit off topic...

I'm happy with the rest of the tracks in GT3, apart from Test Track of course, but it seems like most of the new GT4 tracks are more open which I prefer. At least the new enclosed tracks such as Capri have natural barriers instead of those irritating metal ones.

Anway thats my two cents over...

 

[Dave A]

I'd rather just do away with all the previouse tracks and just have 50-100 new ones.

 

[Eagle]

Personally I love SSR11, I'm a fan of street circuits, I think it's a fairly unique challenge and a beautiful circuit to boot. The changes from GT1 surprised me but I like them. I imagine they'll fiddle with it again and I'll come to know and love the new version. I don't see why we should do away with the old courses, I like to see how they get updated, as long as they don't rest on their laurels just making those tracks look nicer at the expense of making new, exciting circuits. Grand Valley Speedway is to GT what Spa or Nurburgring are to Formula 1.

 

[Dave A]

Nah, I've raced on them all far too much to see them take up half of GT4's track list. Just get rid of them and make some new fantastic circuets to race on.=, thats my view anyway.

 

[Eagle]

How about they just add on 50 new circuits and give us the best of both worlds?

 

[SkylineObsession]

Midfield Raceway
> More run off at turn one - not safe for drivers or spectators.
> More run off at last hairpin.
> Last two corners ('left/right' up the hill) need to be improved. Cliff needs to be cut out a little and the road straightened (but not too much as it will encourage people to go too fast through there).

MR Reverse
> First two corners need to be straightened as mentioned above.
> More run off at third corner (hairpin after tunnel)
> Run off area needed at turn eight (just past overbridge heading onto straight). Doesn't have to be too big.
> Turn 10 NEEDS run off area as the AI always smack into this wall. Doesn't need to be too big but big enough to prevent cars hitting the wall.
> And the last corner needs a little run off area too. (to stop cheaters)



Grand Valley Speedway
> Little bit more run off area at sharp hairpin corner (because of the speed carried through there)
> Last corner needs a bit of run off in case of understeering cars.

GVS Reverse
> More run off at first turn.



Apricot Hill
> Heaps more run off at turn one.
> More run off at tight hairpin.
> Tire wall 'lines' going through sand traps at the second last corner to prevent people going right through.

AH Reverse
> See above.



Deep Forest
> Run off area needed at first turn after long back straight. Decent size.
> Cut out jump at second last turn. Level it out a bit more in otherwords.

DF Reverse
> Level out jump.
> Slightly more runn off at last corner.



Autumn Ring
> More run off at hairpin (end of AR Mini pit exit).
Apart from that its made a really good transition onto PS2!



Tokyo R246
> RUN OFF AREA!!!! Craploads of it needed at either end of the main straight!
Ditto for reverse track



Rome Circuit Reverse
> Run off area at end of main straight.



Test Course
> Steeper degree of corner angle to aide car turning.
> Longer straights. (about 3-5km long compared to the 2km or so now)
> Different lenght 'alternative routes'. i.e. have one 5km course, one 10km course (current) and one 15-20 km' course for high speed testing. All can be done without too much track modifying.



Super Speedway
> Steeper degree of corner angle to aide car turning.



Special Stage Route 5
Don't change anything!



Seattle Circuit
> Change the route! Don't use the hill section anymore as the jumps are very dangerous (going up and down) and would not be allowed in most places around the world. I'd say to level them out but it's a real street...



Monaco
> Run off at T1.
> Remove small concrete wall (sharp corner) at end of hotel straight. You've got a penalty system now...
Basically copy the F1 circuit as closely as you're able to.



Trial Mountain
> Remove jump at turn one and replace with either a tyre wall, sand trap or flat grass like the other side of the road.
> Back straight is too bland/repeditive scenery wise.
> Chop rock walls back a bit and replace new ground with grass and ripple strips.

I could go on and on in heaps more detail but i don't have time.

 

[usernamed]

interesting...

 

[SkylineObsession]

Indeed.

 

[Eagle]

Yeah... ok... I can understand changing the AI so they don't smack walls but you want run off area everywhere. The whole point of most of those turns you mentioned being the way they are is to make things challenging. For almost all of them you should just brake earlier or use a better line. Seattle's a ***** but just another part of the challenge.

 

[JohnBM01]

Much respect to Mustang Man for making his suggestions. He didn't have to talk about all of the tracks or almost all, but I respect him for speaking his mind. It's one thing I like to do, and it is nice to see someone with the same conceptual views as I do.

Anyhow, I tend to disagree with Special Stage Route 11. This track is actually slower than SSR11 to me. It's shorter, but slower. I would like a bigger radius for the tunnel section. There are two radii I've had in mind. One of which is the northwest section of Tokyo R246, and the sweeping left of Apricot Hill. But personally, I think the 180 degree turn at R246 is a better choice. Even if that section around Tokyo's National Stadium (that baseball stadium to your left after Turn 2) was an oval, the 180 degree turns are just right. As far as the hairpin past Intermediate 1 goes, I think some extra curbing to the right would help make for better turn-in at the corner. But I do agree that a little more road is needed for Turn 1 of R246. Good call.

 

[SkylineObsession]

By run off i don't mean huge great big sandtraps (except where i've detailed the run off) i just mean move the wall back a little so cars stop hitting it.

I've attached a pic of possible improvements to Tokyo R246. I hope you know what corner this is.

 

[RedOak]

Looking at the previous GT's gameplay, i believe it was somewhat decided that the player would never need to use 'reverse'. Although included as a feature of course. By that gameplay choice, all races were designed or modified in that aspect, to let the player be able to 'recover' from a out of track trajectory by simply keeping forward and turning.

That's just a guess, but from experience and judgment, that might be the resonning behing it.

Now to your suggestion (a good one), the problem is that if the player continues down the road, he has to hit reverse... or did you mean only as decoration, so that the car could not physically continue down the road if he didn't take the turn?

 

[11646]

They need to change the Seattle Circuit track, I don't know what, but it is the worst track by far in the game. They need to put the Kingdome out of there, and an easier final turn.

 

[SkylineObsession]

Well as you know the main straight in Tokyo is pretty wide so a quick tap of the handbrake in that section or blip of the accelerator (in FR cars) would be all that is needed to turn around and return to the track.

Or as seen in some real-life races you may need to reverse a little then return to the track instead of reversing right onto the track. If you know what i mean.

It won't be there for decoration though.

 

[JohnBM01]

Now, the reason why I don't say too much about the street courses is that it would "conflict" with how the real streets look. Now, I've seen pictures of Tokyo R246 in real life, and I think that there may not be enough runoff to make such an idea work. So city street design would be a flaw to such tracks.

And as far as Seattle goes, I would like to see the penultimate turn be a 90 degree turn that leads to the front straight. So that means, if you want to pit, you have to travel the road of the current course to the pits. Either that or find some new streets in Seattle. Even if it means you have to use parts of the football stadium the Seattle Seahawks play (I don't know why you would, maybe i'm just putting out cheap plugs for the NFL).

 

[Eagle]

Originally posted by JohnBM01
Anyhow, I tend to disagree with Special Stage Route 11. This track is actually slower than SSR11 to me.

I suppose a little run off area in some instances would be good, as long as there's something, curbs or ripple strips, to keep people on the real track. I don't want the tracks to show leniancy, but I suppose so many circuits these days are moving back walls for safety reasons that if GT followed suit I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[SkylineObsession]

Well apart from that median wall (see attached screenshot i just took) the 'escape route' can be done albiet a bit narrower than i first thought. Still enough room to reverse in though.