What do you remember of the days of GT1?

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HondaKid86

HondaKid86

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Forgive my random resurgence. :P

These days, it isn't uncommon to meet people off the Internet. However, if you remember 1998, you might remember how uncommon it was to forge a lifelong friendship based on pixels and text -- a short video took an evening to download, and you rarely had the chance to see the face or hear the voice of the person you were reading. That didn't stop us from traveling great distances to meet each other -- the trust among GT fans was uncommon, and never wavered.

As a 26-year-old, I work on the cutting edge of social commerce, but I know the lessons I learned when I was 13 were the basis for my adult success. I'm writing a little book about my car life, and there's a section about Gran Turismo. Recently, I revisited a forum we called "The Numbers". The rudimentary format of the forum makes each note feel like a missive from the distant past. Nostalgia gets me every time, so I thought I'd cast a note to try to see if any oldbies are still among us.

When did you join the GT community? How old were you?
Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?
Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?
Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?
What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?

Do you remember what it was like the first time you felt you'd made a genuine friend on the computer? Is there anyone you miss?

I am so proud of Jordan for maintaining a welcoming, safe space for so many years.
 
How it could only get gold in A7(subaru going in a box) test and the rest where bronze.
How it was binary acceleration.
Hitting 400km/h was an effort in the GTO MR.
How long it took me to get the NISMO GT-R Road Version.
 
I remember asking only for GT1 and a memory card just for that game as an early Xmas gift. I didn't sleep the night I got it, I was up all night experimenting with a Mitsubishi GTO trying to stick thousands of HP into it. It was the beginning of a major hobby.

I wasn't on the internet all them years ago, in '98 I was only around 13. I played with my friends and my brother mainly, sometimes asking other GT fans, who were more acquaintances than friends, back to mine after school to go head to head.

I discovered GTP after looking for GT5 news and have since come to have a home on the web like I never imagined I would. Haven't met anyone from here yet despite being on almost everyday for nearly two years but that's due to my location. I'm sure when I'm back in the UK there are a few cats from the boards I'll meet up with for a brew or twelve.

My favourite memory of GT1 is probably taking the Pike Peak Escudo to Test Track and making it fly by hitting the barrier at an unnatural speed!
 
Totally remember everything down to the original demo on a PlayStation magazine demo disc with Racing Modified cars on Clubman Route 5.

Of course, I also remember the original Ridge Racer, so this comes as no surprise.

EDIT: I also remember the name "HondaKid86" from granturismo.com, yet can't recall my own username.
 
Hi Adam *waves*

It's pretty amazing the Numbers is still around. I looked about a year ago, it's almost preferable that it's never really changed.

Anywho, questions!

When did you join the GT community? How old were you?
January 6, 2000, officially. I lurked Kenji's granturismo.com boards from the summer of '99 onwards, trying to glean info on GT2. I read up on JMII's finding a GT2 demo on a disk from Pizza Hut and immediately begged the family to get pizza, I remember that quite vividly. That'd make me... 13 and a half.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?

Absolutely. Especially when I'd see "real adults" (a term used very loosely in Drew's case :lol: ) posting their age, or about their kids. It blew my mind at the time that there were people out there playing this game as intently as I was, with a proper plate of life in front of them.

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?

Yep. My parents had a very dim view on the internet in general, especially communities like forums. Despite being one of the most computer-knowledgeable people in the town, my dad had only just got the internet for us (on 56k) in late '98. Of course, my parents got even more nervous in June 2001...

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?

This would be why. I went to (what we're all pretty sure was the first) ONGTP, and I definitely remember Fogelhund - our gracious host - being surprised when I explained I had to get the okay from my parents first. My dad drove me over, I was the youngest by six years (dubmode was there), and six of us had a small tournament in GT2. The guys even swore off all alcohol after my dad asked (being a good parent). Of course, I probably still owe all of them an apology for that, heh.

Obviously, we had that get-together last year at Cam's, so I still keep in touch with most people who were a part of that. I still talk to Ferrari 308 on a semi-regular basis as well, though being diagonally across the US, we haven't met in person - though if all goes according to plan, one of the GP's next year will fix that.

What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?

Are we talking about car knowledge and/or GT-related stuff still? I remember getting AOL IM just to talk to a few people back-channel. I remember EZGT (and I swear, if I had the time, I'd revive it, as it's still one of the best formats). I've learned so much about cars, both specific and general, that is utterly, utterly ingrained in me thanks to not just the game itself, but the community surrounding it.

Do you remember what it was like the first time you felt you'd made a genuine friend on the computer? Is there anyone you miss?

I do. It pre-dated the Myspace age of poking fun at having "e-friends", making it even harder to explain to people (especially if it started with "so, there's this video game about cars"), but it made me realize the internet is just like any other place on the planet: you can form a legitimate friendship with someone, all it takes is one bit of common ground, however small. For a bunch of us, it was a silly game from a quirky Japanese perfectionist. It's been even more incredible to watch everyone evolve over the 12 years since, and I think it's safe to say, at Cam's, nobody was awkward, it was just like any other reunion of friends.

I miss Bonehica. Malkie. Reference. Those are names I'll always remember.
 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?
I joined whenever GT2 came out. The original GTF. That was an awesome place filled with a lot of knowledgable people. But gtplanet has farrr surpassed it.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?
I dont remember if or when I actually shared my real age. I just wanted to make hybrid cars.

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?
They didnt know.

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?
Never met anyone.

What is your favorite memory from the first days?
For some reason I had this box that I cut up to put my original PS1 on top of so I could reach it from my chair to reset it when I needed to make parts adjustments on my hybrids.


SlipZtrEm
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?
January 6, 2000, officially. I lurked Kenji's granturismo.com boards
Click to expand...

This is what started it all. Wonder what ole Kenji is up to these days?

2 of the most memorable names that I recall are Fiery and Hybridhonda.
 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?

Oh god I don't even remember.
I know that I got GT3 at about the time when it came out, so that would make me 6-7.


I think that I started lurking when I was 13 so about 3-4 years ago.
Within the last year is when I just started to get active in GTP, and on the internet really. Before there was no reason to go online.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?

No, I don't think that I ever was during my time on GTP.

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?

They only started to know about it a few months ago, but it's just an online thing, and my Mom was actually interested in the GT4 TTs that I do.

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?

Not yet. It's hard when your GTP friends are on the other side of the planet, but I might see some people that I know here. I only live about 1-2 hours away from a few of them.

What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?

I have very vivid memories of trying to enter a simulation race and being denied because I had no car, I would then go to arcade mode, get into the Castrol Supra, exit back out, and try to enter the sim race again.
I did this several times before I realized that I actually had to BUY a car. :lol:

And ABSOLUTELY. I started racing karts about 5 years ago, (switched to bikes now) and the skills that I learned in GT3 were crucial to my success.
When you start learning the lines at 6 years old, that's a pretty big advantage, GT3 taught me all of the lines, how different types of cars react, and how to set people up for passes.
I cannot stress enough at how it has helped me.


Do you remember what it was like the first time you felt you'd made a genuine friend on the computer? Is there anyone you miss?

Hmm..That would probably have to be when I started talking to Vandenal and Skython.
Vandenal and I might meet up sometime since he only lives a little bit away from me. (I owe him a Dr.Pepper though. :lol:)
And even though Skython and I live on opposite sides of the earth, I feel that we could be good friends in real life.
And of course the GTP Bronies, after spending several months in the chat I feel like I can call them all my friend.

I am so proud of Jordan for maintaining a welcoming, safe space for so many years. +1000000
 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?

I got GT1 as a present on my 6th birthday from one of my friends (birthday parties with as many friends as possible to get as many presents as possible were the norm back then), who I am very grateful to, as it was my first video game that I owned, and I had only played a handful before then and not really taken much interest (my parents always had a video game console, starting with an NES way before I was born, and by the time I received GT1 we had had a PlayStation for some time. They weren't (and aren't) gamers by any means, but they thought it would be something fun to do.). I popped in GT1 and was hooked. I bought a Mitsubishi GTO, just like everybody else, in blue, and my Gran Turismo, and indeed video game, journey began. I don't think my friend had any idea what he started.

However, after that I still was only semi into video games, but again I was saved and sucked back into the world of Gran Turismo when my dad went to the store one day and came back with a video game for my brother and I for no reason at all - mine was GT3. That's when I really started to get into it, both Gran Turismo in video games in general. The next one, GT4, I would rush to the local game store to pick up on release day after bolting out of school, thinking about my pre-ordered copy for weeks.

I joined GTPlanet, my first ever Internet membership of any site of any sort, on June 2nd, 2007. I was 13, and over five years have passed since then.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?

Yes.

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?

Extremely. I had lurked on the forums as a guest for months until I finally got the courage to tell my mom that I wanted to ask dad (path of least chance of getting yelled at) if I could join an Internet site.

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?

Not yet.

What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?

I'll tell you what isn't my favorite memory: how bad of a new GTP member I was. :indiff: Anyway...

GT got me into cars, a passion still going strong today. And I still want to race one day, a desire that would never be present if it weren't for GT.
 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?

A couple of weeks before my birthday, circa 2000. I was wondering around my neighbor's house, and it just so happened he was playing GT1, and I got a hold of the controller and started racing around Clubman Course with a white Chevrolet Corvette, and from there, worked my way up to GT4.


Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?

Not really :D


Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?

Nope :) , but my mom is curious about what goes around here besides Gran Turismo :scared:


Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?

Still waiting for an opportunity...


What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?

I was already a bit of a car fanatic, but seeing a racing game for the first time with such graphics and sounds of the early days of GT really hit a nerve inside of me. Seeing and driving cars I've never heard of, driving them at fast speeds... GT has started my video game/automobile passion that has continued to this day, and for that, I say: Thank You, Kaz! :D :bowdown:

Phew, what a speech. :lol:
 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?

Played the games since the first, I would have been 8. I didn't play the first that much because it had only been a year and a bit after being in remission from leukaemia; had to get regular check-ups. GT3 was the first one that I played to death. I didn't join the GTP community until GT4 Prologue I think and even then, I didn't post on the forums; I was more like a passive observer.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?

By the time I did join a forum I was beyond caring about it really.

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?

They didn't really care about it either.

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?

Nope.

What is your favorite memory from the first days?

My Racing Modification R33 GT-R V-Spec. I remember that being one of my first genuine dream cars until I got into the world of the Dodge Viper GTS in GT2.

Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?

I haven't really had use for any of the driving skills I've learned from Gran Turismo, but the big thing that I learned is just all the little details of pretty much every car on the road.
 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?

Never really bothered with GT forums as I was into Grand Prix Legends - so that was THE driving game. GT was nice but console. As the internet got sketchy I Succumbed to the adverts for GT4 - and then join GTby Numbers - which was a fine place - and compared to GTPlanet very well indeed. Unfortunatly the lack of Numbers at the Numbers made me move over here to GTP...

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?

I've raced with 78 year olds and 8 year olds. You get well behaved Mature Children and you get cantankerous old men. At times sim racing can bring out the best - just pure racing. Other times it brings out the lowest form of pond scum...
Front Wheel drive cars.. ABS... Corner cutters.


Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?

Not at all.

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?

Nope.

What is your favorite memory from the first days?

First car - Mitsubishi GTO 1st Generation in Fuji Blue. Natural Aspiration, bit of a truck. I remember playing the Gold licence test in the RX7 on the main straight at GVS - That seemed very testing back in 98.

Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?

Graan Turismo was best on the Snes

 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?
I was 8 when I bought GT3, back in 2003. I found GTP in 2009, when I was looking for pictures of the Nismo Skyline GT-R R34 R-tune. :lol: It wasn't the first ever forum I joined, that honour goes to Wiffy.ie, an Irish forum for sharing wi-fi codes for the DS.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?
I guess so, I heard all of the scare stories about using the Internet and revealing your age, name, location etc. However, I feel that the AUP has been a great safeguard for young members, as long as they don't break it first. :lol:

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?
Like I said above, they were probably aware of all of the scare stories of the Internet, but I think their worst fears have no chance of materialising.

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?
No and no.

What is your favourite memory from the first days?
Probably the first time I managed to brake in time for a corner. :lol: It took me 4 months to learn how to brake.

Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?
The art of throttle control.
 
Hey Adam!

When did you join the GT community? How old were you?
November 16th (?) 2000, at the GTF. Think i was 17 at the time?
Later on i joined the GTP MSN group, then then GTP IkonBoard forums when Jordan upgraded from MSN, i'm the 18th registered member here. ;)

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?
No? Don't think so anyway.

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?
Not at all from memory. Was already on a few other forums at that stage i think? Maybe?

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?
Don't think so?

What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?
Can't really remember much. :(

Do you remember what it was like the first time you felt you'd made a genuine friend on the computer? Is there anyone you miss?
It was pretty cool i guess, although it was in my own forums and he (crb) seems to not go on the internet/forums much anymore - have pretty much lost contact.

crb, spanky, RVDNut, DODGEtheVIPER, HondaKid86 (;)), and a few others that were on my first few forums.
 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?
Mid 2000 I joined GTF and then, when that collapsed, I emigrated here in Jan 2002 with others (and I guess the guy above me ;) ). I was 31 but missed out GT1 as I started with GT2. I later completed GT1 and GT3 pretty much at the same time.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?
Not at all.

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?
I was 31. I'd given up worrying about what my parents thought before the Playstation even existed. :lol:

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?
Only one so far - Sureboss, but that will probably change over the coming months.

What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?
Making like-minded friends who enjoyed winding-up the overly serious members and talking nonsense. Anything 'real'? Seriously? ;)

Do you remember what it was like the first time you felt you'd made a genuine friend on the computer? Is there anyone you miss?
It was fun and slightly weird at the same time. To connect with people you've not even met or spoken to is quite exciting. I've been around forums for a long time now and have got used to it, but I plan to meet up with more members in the future.

There are a few I miss from the old days, but particularly DangerPowers who shared my sense of idiocy and mild anarchy. But I've matured a bit since then and so has the forum but it's still fun flicking through the old threads now and again, just to see how things have changed... or not. ;)
 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?

First joined the GT Community at a great site called GT3Times (later in GT4 days it was known as GTTimes). Registered there in 2002-2003, so was around 15 years old.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?

Nope.

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?

Nope. They didn't care that much to be honest, :lol:

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?

Yes, I have met a few people from GTTimes and GT Planet at LAN meetings in Seattle. Bobkart, KLR142, Jump_Ace, Tuff240, hOt6o4bOi, to name a few.

Don't keep in touch very well TBH, though I do chat with Jump_Ace once in a blue moon.

What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?

Saving up for a Dodge Viper with my older brother while grinding the Sunday Cup. :lol: We only managed to get the B License, and couldn't pass the higher license tests until GT2 came out. That RX-7 at Grand Valley's hairpin test was a pain then. After GT3 I went back and tried golding all the tests in GT1.

What I learned mostly from GT1, was I had a passion for all things automotive. It sparked my interest not just in modern racing, but in racing history as well. I found it all very fascinating as a young boy.

Do you remember what it was like the first time you felt you'd made a genuine friend on the computer? Is there anyone you miss?

Yes, I have made quite a few friends in the GT Community. Many have come and gone. Sometimes I wonder if missing friends have died, or perhaps just moved on in life. One guy I miss the most is ac.cobra427, who had almost the exact same interests as me, and was quite a character as well. I think he has given up on GT though. :guilty:
 
Alright, I'll bite. I do enjoy threads like this. Where you get to learn something about your fellow GTPlaneteers.

I first played Gran Turismo when my dad borrowed a copy from a friend. Then we bought GT2 a few weeks later, from there on I was hooked.

When did you join the GT community? How old were you?
I joined GTPlanet in July of 2006. During GT4's hayday. So that would make me 15 when I joined.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?
No, not really.

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?
No. I was more than old enough to do my own thing on the internet.

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?
Actually I have had the opportunity to meet fellow GTPlanet members in real life. So far I've met Oskierox, and we still keep in touch. And casey_2005 I've also met, during his brief stint in Houston.

What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?
Favorite memory? Probably grinding on GT4 doing the Capri Rally over and over again. I loved that track. I wish you could bring it back for GT5. Second one, Interesting question. Hmm... Well, I guess I learned a bit about car tuning. And it fueled my love for cars and all cars.

Well that's me.
 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?

Way back in 1998, my dad had brought home a Playstation magazine and it had a demo disc and Gran Turismo was included on the disk. It took me a while to fully grasp the concept of motorsport, but when I did, I was immediately hooked for life.

I was 7 years old.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?

I've never had that problem

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?

I turned 18 2 days after I registered for GTP. They don't really care.

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?

I haven't.

What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?

The Honda NSX being very difficult to drive, and the special model Mitsubishi 3000GT from the dealership was ****ing fast.

What did I learn? The path my life was going to take. I didn't know it at the time, but I realize the influence GT has had on my life.

Do you remember what it was like the first time you felt you'd made a genuine friend on the computer? Is there anyone you miss?

It was on GTP that I felt like I have, but it was through candy-colored ponies that brought us all together. But that's a story for another thread...


LONG LIVE THE REAL DRIVING SIMULATOR!
 
When did you join the GT community? How old were you?

I got playstation when it first came out, I can't remember why I got it (Xmas bday etc) but I remember the first three games I had were NHL 99, Tiger Woods 99 and Gran Turismo. I was 9 years old and I've been playing ever since.

Were you ever nervous about sharing your real age?

No?

Were you nervous about what your parents thought of your forum membership?

I just joined like a week ago and I haven't lived at home for 2 years.

Did you ever meet someone in real life off a GT board? Do you stay in touch?

Nope

What is your favorite memory from the first days? Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?

The GTO Twin Turbo was my favorite car. The last test of the last license with the viper gts on grand valley was wicked hard. Didn't really learn anything.

Do you remember what it was like the first time you felt you'd made a genuine friend on the computer? Is there anyone you miss?
 
I remember many names. ttam003, msalefski, videosean, dubmode, vettemaan - friends who were around when I certainly needed a good influence. The younger guys tended to be my closer friends, but the older crew were my mentors, and I did learn many 'real' lessons.

One of the most interesting questions posed in The Pit Stop back then was about the frustration someone experienced when their male friend couldn't bid a proper goodbye. g/\/\ posted, "Why does it have to be about your pain?" And from then on, I looked at peoples' distant emotions with a little more empathy.

I remember laughing myself to tears thanks to clever posts building upon each other page after page. Such was the literary and linguistic talent of the GranTurismo.com Forum. I was tremendously high-strung, but I was young and I was learning - and though I've lost touch with so many important people, I'm happy to say I've kept in touch with enough that I don't have to be embarrassed about my youth.

I don't really even play GT these days. I just boot up the console and meditate, and feel so grateful for what I was given so many years ago.
 
Ten years later -- twenty-five years of Gran Turismo! -- and it's so great to see how GTPlanet has evolved.

Looking forward to more old-timers resurfacing thanks to GT7.
 
I can’t remember GT1, but I remember GT2. The first car I drove in GT2 is the Mitsubishi FTO. I still have a soft spot for that car today!
 
The 2 best memories is driving the Mitsubishi FTO LM edition at the special stage route 5 in an endurance event and driving split screen with my older sister. I remember she was always driving a white Honda NSX while I was driving a lemon-colored 1963 corvette. She was driving it super clean while I was drifting through the corners, man that was always a close race! :dopey:
 
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Playing 2 player split screen and overtaking my mate on the last corner of the last lap in a racing TVR Cerbera, then it all went sideways and I very much lost the race. Once he stopped laughing he said it was a close one.
 
DK
I guess so, I heard all of the scare stories about using the Internet and revealing your age, name, location etc. However, I feel that the AUP has been a great safeguard for young members, as long as they don't break it first.
Click to expand...
It's really weird (and scary) how nowadays everything actively encourages you to reveal every little detail about yourself out there.

Also wow, reading this - from the perspective of someone who wasn't part of that era of gaming/internet when it was relevant - it's really nice to read the memories you all cherish. Mine feel 'diluted' in comparison.

DK
Did you learn anything 'real' that you kept with you all your life?
The art of throttle control.
Click to expand...
Omg, yes, GT actually helped me there when I was still doing driving lessons.
pvtlapdance
The GTO Twin Turbo was my favorite car. The last test of the last license with the viper gts on grand valley was wicked hard. Didn't really learn anything.
Click to expand...
Same and same.
 
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GT7 has been very nostalgic for me, after taking a break from the series after GT4. I have been playing online with my brother, which brings up memories of us playing GT1 as kids.

GT1 was among my very first videogames as I got it for Christmas along with a new PlayStation when I was about 10 years old. The best memories are sitting on the living room floor playing with my brothers, I'd do anything to go back in time to do that again.
 
My first memories of the original gt were how impressive and realistic the replays looked and also, through playing the game i remember a friend showing me to check if the car was na or turbo, and to always pick the turbo cars as they would be massively upgradeable. At the time we had no idea so we would always go into the car details but that was a game changer in terms of progression.

Great memories. 😁
 

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