Upping the standards

[Speedster911]

Just like any longtime hardcore motorhead and sim fan, this bothers me from time to time:

Gran Turismo started out as a very ambitious project, one that was definitely going places, but it got stagnant, and who knows why.

Forza came along, doing almost everything better than GT, however, both had hits and misses with the latest iterations. I would say, quite humbly and honestly, Forza has less misses and more hits as opposed to its counterpart.

Now, what will it take Dan's team to bring a better simulation experience? The fact that there's virtually no competition from PD might be giving T10 a false sense of security for the time being. Maybe T10 really will innovate in future, PROVIDED there's enough competition. Perhaps then, Dan might up his game a bit. Please give him more breathing room Microsoft, thank you!

And Kaz, PLEASE get off your delusional ass and fix the sounds and physics in GT! I was just reminiscing my GT days... what a beautiful graphical journey it was, only to be brought down by PS1-era engine sounds and less than thrilling physics.

Can somebody please tell me when these 2 devs will stop just releasing version after version of more/different tracks/cars with graphical, audio and physics facelifts, and actually give us a product that shines all the way through, without the microtransactional strings attached?

 

[UKMikey]

Been a while since I've heard anyone griping about the microtransactions in Forza. I wonder whether anyone here feels forced into using them? Or into buying extra credits for GT6 for that matter?

The devs will only make better sims when people stop supporting them as they are. This isn't charity work for them, their publishers want to make a profit for their shareholders and they'll do as little as they can get away with like any monopoly holder. Maybe PCars will change this.

"Upping the standards" seems like a strange choice for a thread title on this side of the forum by the way.

 

[Speedster911]

Been a while since I've heard anyone griping about the microtransactions in Forza. I wonder whether anyone here feels forced into using them? Or into buying extra credits for GT6 for that matter?

The devs will only make better sims when people stop supporting them as they are. This isn't charity work for them, their publishers want to make a profit for their shareholders and they'll do as little as they can get away with like any monopoly holder. Maybe PCars will change this.

"Upping the standards" seems like a strange choice for a thread title on this side of the forum by the way.

Ditto! that's it.

Well, I didn't know what else to go with, as far as the title goes. Wasn't sure either where to post it.

 

[BoneSawTX]

Maybe It's just me but I feel a large improved difference between FM4's and FM5's physics. Micro-transactions, haven't felt the need or pressure to buy them. What exactly are you wanting? If not updating graphics and physics you're not leaving much else for a game to improve on. I't s a race game, theres a car and a track. Those are the two most important parts, everything else is fluff.

 

[VXR]

Some sort of change in format for races? P2P in the first Forza was great and its return would be appreciated. Rally, too, would be excellent and a change for the Motorsports franchise. Even if it was just Tarmac rally, I'd be very pleased. Not much point in adding cars with rally bodywork upgrades if they're always going to be confined to tracks.

 

[IceMan PJN]

Been a while since I've heard anyone griping about the microtransactions in Forza. I wonder whether anyone here feels forced into using them? Or into buying extra credits for GT6 for that matter?

The microtransactions are a non-issue. We never need to buy DLC or credits. I've got more money than I know what to do with, and never need a car from a car pack.

 

[Speedster911]

Maybe It's just me but I feel a large improved difference between FM4's and FM5's physics. Micro-transactions, haven't felt the need or pressure to buy them. What exactly are you wanting? If not updating graphics and physics you're not leaving much else for a game to improve on. I't s a race game, theres a car and a track. Those are the two most important parts, everything else is fluff.

It's not just you - the physics are noticeably more true-to-life in FM5... thought would you say the transition is as noticeable a leap as it was between FM3 and 4? I haven't spent too much time with Motorsport 5 to comment on that.

Now now... things like night driving, weather, tarmac/dirt rally, proper pit stops, endurance racing, drag racing, I wouldn't call this fluff. The ability to select between DIFFERENT aftermarket upgrades and actually have them influence your car in different ways (the way it handles, sounds or looks) is not something that's impossible to implement in a sim these days. Just takes a little bit of innovation.

How do you explain this - exhaust upgrades still don't show up; the floating tire syndrome hasn't gone completely as shadows still look funny at certain angles; replays haven't been improved all that much; reflections on cars are slightly lower res running at 30 fps; tire/dirt smoke is almost laughable given it's a next gen title... I could think of a few more but no point is there?

The only way perhaps, Dan and his team will up their game AND their standards is by having to put up with stiff competition, which unfortunately, isn't the case at the moment. However, you can only rest on your laurels for so long until a worthy competitor comes by.

In a related story: Kaz, please get off your DELUSIONAL ass!!

 

[Speedster911]

The microtransactions are a non-issue. We never need to buy DLC or credits. I've got more money than I know what to do with, and never need a car from a car pack.

I've never bought any DLC for any game, ever. I do wish I had all the FM4 DLC car packs, but then again, even the "stock" game delivers a handful. Regular track DLC on the other hand, if they ever plan on such a thing (excluding the RA free release), might be something that would make one think twice about getting an Xbox Live subscription.

 

[ClydeYellow]

The devs will only make better sims when people stop supporting them as they are.

No, they won't. You know what they'll do when the cashflow will stop? They'll go bankrupt. And instead of sims that don't fully satisfy you, you'll be left with no sims.

The devs will only make better sims when they will have a financial reason to do so. Why do Slighty Mad care so much for the players of PCARS? Because they're not only customers, but they are also actively financing the project. It's as simple as that.

Don't get me wrong: I'm all for buying the product that has more to offer, and if Forza or Gran Turismo doesn't satisfy you, they I can't surely stop you from leaving those two series (nor I want to). But don't expect to make a statement by ceasing to support T10/PD's policies. As customers we can only buy or leave en masse and let those developers fall for good (and that's assuming customers can act coordinately, but they can't).

 

[UKMikey]

Don't get me wrong: I'm all for buying the product that has more to offer, and if Forza or Gran Turismo doesn't satisfy you, they I can't surely stop you from leaving those two series (nor I want to). But don't expect to make a statement by ceasing to support T10/PD's policies. As customers we can only buy or leave en masse and let those developers fall for good (and that's assuming customers can act coordinately, but they can't).

I think you have me confused with that HellaFlush guy. I'm satisfied with what I got in Forza 5. I'm just making the point that the devs don't make these sims for nothing and won't "up the standards" because it's the right thing to do. They still hold the monopoly on sims on Xbox so far.

 

[Speedster911]

They can give us a heckuva lot more than meets the eye. But they won't. Cos' they're in it primarily for the money. And that means "giving it to the customer" in small doses.