In the many posts in this thread a lot of design flaws were named, with the experience grinding being the one that is hated most. I'm level 20 in A-Spec and level 13 in B-Spec, so I didn't have to grind so far. But I think the heaviest design flaw is not the grinding above level 20, but what happens before.
Let's take a look at the B-Spec mode:
In the in-game manual I read something about pit-strategies and how they are influenced by weather changes, tire wear, fatigue of the drivers and so on. "That sounds interesting" I thought and started the B-Spec mode. In the first race I only had one driver, sunny weather, no fuel consumption, no tire wear. Just a button to change the driver's willingness to take a risk. For the first races, that's ok. Then I went on to the next event. And the next. And the next. Now I'm half way through the events and reached level 13. But I still only have this one button to mess with and I'm still doing the same I did in the first races. If the car is overpowered enough, I just do nothing. If it's not, I'm hitting the x-button in a 20 seconds interval to tell the AI-driver to keep his speed. And there is no sign that there will be a change any time soon. There is absolutely no ramping up of difficulty and rewards.
I expected some ramp up like this:
1.) In the first races, you only have to control one driver's speed.
2.) In the later Tier-1-Events (the "Beginner" events or however they are called in the English version) fixed weather changes occur. I mean something like: In a certain race you always start with dry weather and after 2 minutes light rain starts. So that you have to do a pit stop and change tires.
3.) In the Tier-2-Events the races get longer and you have to keep an eye on the fuel consumption and tire wear. To prevent the races from being TOO long, you start with an only partly filled fuel tank. You have sunny weather in the first races.
4.) In the later Tier-2-Events fixed weather changes occur again.
5.) In the Tier-3-Events the races get longer again and you have to change drivers. So now you have to deal with 4 influences on your pit strategy: Weather, driver fatigue, fuel, tire wear. Restrictions should prevent you from using massively overpowered cars from now on.
6.) In the Tier-4-Events the weather changes are randomized. You get messages like "light rain expected in 3 minutes" so that you have a chance to change your strategy.
7.) In the Tier-5-Events you can have 2 drivers (or 2 teams of drivers in longer races) in the same race. So you have to jump between 2 cars to give orders to both. Controlling 2 drivers and dealing with the randomized weather changes makes you really busy in those races. But you will receive the credits and XP for both of the teams. When you reach Tier 5, the possibility to have 2 drivers/teams in a race is unlocked for all other events (Tier 1 to 4) as well. So replaying them is more interesting and rewarding from this moment on.
This is just meant as an example how the ramp up could look like. To really build a perfect flow through the career is difficult, and the small differences in how you "build your ramp" is what seperates average game design from superb game design. But there should at least EXIST a ramp. I'm level 13 now and so far I don't drive up a ramp, but walk slowly on an endless plain. Only what I have read in the manual gives me reason to hope that beyond the horizon there really is a ramp. And that I can reach it after hours and hours of boring races.
And the A-Spec mode? Well, I'm level 20 now and reached Tier 5. So far I haven't seen a single raindrop. I never entered the pit to change tires or get some new fuel. I only drive races with disabled tire wear and fuel consumption. And the sun always shines. It's like GT5P with new cars and tracks.
The special events are ok, but the A- and B-Spec modes are completely messed up. What those self-proclaimed "game designers" did, shows that they have not even learned the basics of game design. It is good that there are so many car enthusiasts at PD. But they really should search for some "real" game designers, who can build a game around the brilliant core of Gran Turismo.
