What prevents mechanical damage for A-Spec events?

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This has probably been discussed already but I can't find a similar identical thread here.

With mechanical damage working in arcade mode etc. I was wondering why they didn't add this option for the A-Spec events in the last update. Could there be any thechnical reason which prevents it or could it be because they don't want to screw over the people who already cleared most of the A-Spec events? I can see why they haven't added it to B-Spec though.

I personally think it would add an extra dimension to the A-Spec events and make it more thrilling to complete the game. As it is now I like to drive clean races but I also can't help bumping into the other cars if a win or loss is at stake in one of the last corners in a race. Since there is no mechanical consequence of doing so I might just as well do it to get that 1st place.
 
icleolion
I concur, the AI in it's current state makes implementing mechanical damage a no go.
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Well I haven't checked out the mechanical damage in Arcade Mode yet but does the AI cause any major problems with mech damage on? I know the AI can be quite blind at times but they usually don't hit with an impact that would affect critical parts of the car.
 
Mechanical damage is a lot more sensitive than you think...
 
IMO, the AI hitting the player isn't as big of an issue here as the AI suddenly and inexplicably braking very hard, very early, and swerving across the track to take the racing line they don't need because they take corners so slow they only use a fraction of the grip their tires can offer.

Learning to avoid their absent-minded and dangerous maneuvers is a challenge and a useful skill, sure, but implementing damage as suggested would just make the AI that much more frustrating to deal with.
 
I suppose if they made mechanical damage in a-spec optional, then that would be fine. But that just doesn't seem like a design philosophy PD will take, so hopefully they don't implement it at all.
 
icleolion
I concur, the AI in it's current state makes implementing mechanical damage a no go.
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I tried arcade mode with Mechanical Damage on heavy. I drove against the AI like I would any human on iRacing and there were no problems. A few small bumps here and there, but nothing really happened to my car.

Don't divebomb the AI in to a corner or you can expect that they can't react and will probably hit you.

Don't try and shove the AI because they will shove you back.
 
Well, I think they should have given users the choice of having or NOT having damage and give different experience points accordingly. Then everyone would be happy... As a result different achievements and trophies should be given and in replays stated if there's damage or not. Keep in mind that this way the AI could destroy themselves also :)
 
Wolfe
IMO, the AI hitting the player isn't as big of an issue here as the AI suddenly and inexplicably braking very hard, very early, and swerving across the track to take the racing line they don't need because they take corners so slow they only use a fraction of the grip their tires can offer.
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Not only that, but they generously give way when being lapped in endurances. When I'm rocketing towards the slowest backmarker with a 50 km/h speed difference and see him on the racing line I'll think "fine, I'll pass on the inside/outside/whatever is free" and when I'm five car lengths away he decides to give me room on the racing line and moves right in front of me. There are two possible consequences on that, either an immediate crash into his rear or frantic swerving which then results in a crash off the track. No good. Another great example of the very same phenomenon is them moving out of the way in time, I see the gap and go for it as I'm obviously being given way. Then the backmarker moves right back on the racing line as mentioned, with the same consequences as above. Still no good. Especially no good at something like Indy 500, I don't particularly like doing 1800° or so bouncing between an Audi, the outer wall and the pit wall after a panic swerve beyond 400 km/h - but been there done that nonetheless.
 
scooterlord
Well, I think they should have given users the choice of having or NOT having damage and give different experience points accordingly. Then everyone would be happy... As a result different achievements and trophies should be given and in replays stated if there's damage or not. Keep in mind that this way the AI could destroy themselves also :)
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There would be much more replayability for those of us who do not race online.
 
Yup... haven't even played online once. I'd get really pissed if I didn't get first, I know that there are wayyyyyy better drivers than me, so, I decide I want to keep my things in my house intact :D
 
I just raced several laps in Arcade Mode against the AI (10 laps on Autumn Ring in a BMW M3). I made sure that mechanical damage was set to "Heavy" and I can already say that the AI didn't cause any trouble when it comes playability. The AI was generally fairly aware of my position and when the AI did ram my car it didn't cause any mechanical damage at all. I also managed to bump the AI out of the way without causing any mechanical damage to my own car. It required some pretty hard collisions with the AI to affect the mechanical damage system. So all the arguments that the AI would crush our cars doesn't really make sense as long as the mechanical damage system tolerates a decent amount of impact. At this point I don't see why they didn't include it for A-Spec as an option at least.

In my opinion mechanical damage still needs adjustments in order to acheive greater sensitivity. It's still a bit too insensitive. However, the current system is still far too good to be excluded from one of the most important game modes.
 
Maybe extra credits for using heav damage in the a-spec races? Although it is kind of late for that.. Maybe extra credits and xp in the future seasonal events?

I really like in forza3 when I'm playing with clutch and H-pattern shifter and I get a repair bill after the race if I have been too rough with the shifts :). So maybe add similar thing for the seasonal events? Something you can turn off but something which gives you some extra money if turned on. It should be something like 30 or 40% so that it would be tempting to use and also it would encourage respectful racing.
 
With mechanical damage, the game will be much difficult, even for light one. The difficulty will not suit for everyone's level. But, it could be optional with higher rewards for turning on damage effects.
 
Nothing. Even with bad AI you can make mechanical damage an option. They just didn't have time to test it. I suspect they had a lot of problems mechanical/physical damage and had to pull it out of A-Spec, work on it and release it as a separate patch.

I suspect they will introduce mechanical damage to the seasonal events at some point but that's just a guess.
 
Introducing mechanical damage to A-spec would require some changes. First of all, AI would need to be toned down to a slower pace as extra attention required to avoid contact with AI adds seconds to your lap times so AI in it's current form would be near impossible to beat. Also, price money for events would have to be increased to support inevitable repair costs.

In the end, I'd say that mechanical damage should be there (honestly, I was little disappointed it wasn't) but it would require the whole game mechanics to be set up slightly differently for balanced experience. As for why PD decided not to go with mechanical damage in A-spec... I guess it's just a business decision. GT5 is a game after all, and wider audience (non-hardcore drivers) may find it easier and more fun if your play isn't instantly cut short from accidental contact with other cars or road barriers. And let's face it, even we hardcore drivers do our share of bumper car driving to get ourselves pass the most challenging events :)
 
I just found out that mechanical damage can be optionally turned on/off in practise mode.

I don`t know, maybe we are expecting to much from a development team, which refuses to give as save options during long enduros or fast forwarding b-spec mode (Because it makes the game tooo easy right? Someone needs to tell Kaz that bob is the worst driver ever, even worse then Yuji Ide!).
 
The one player game was released without it already so they can't really go moving the goal posts like that. If they did add it then they would have to do so in an update that takes you beyond level 40.
 
Geze
Introducing mechanical damage to A-spec would require some changes. First of all, AI would need to be toned down to a slower pace as extra attention required to avoid contact with AI adds seconds to your lap times so AI in it's current form would be near impossible to beat.
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Sorry but that makes no sense. Why would AI pace need to be toned down and why would it affect your lap times? As it now, you still have to get past the cars somehow, mechanical damage or not.
 
You can still do a lot of banging (just like every other console game with damage) without doing any serious damage to your car that would cause you to lose the race. Mechanical damage so far doesn't impact the results of any race I done so far. For the most part with descent driving you can totally ignore damage when it comes to console games.
 
The mechanical damage worked fine for me in arcade mode aswell.
Did a 15 lap La Sarthe with 908. While it was raining, the race pack was pritty messed up, with drivers pitting every second or third lap. At the end, it was an enjoyable and improved race feeling compared to GT4 or GT5 Prolouge.
 
Nielsen
Sorry but that makes no sense. Why would AI pace need to be toned down and why would it affect your lap times? As it now, you still have to get past the cars somehow, mechanical damage or not.
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This of course would depend on degree of mechanical damage implemented. But let's take that Ford Focus ST seasonal event for example. Beating that challenge requires bumping some other cars out of your way, and even then it's extremely difficult. Should there be a 100% realistic mechanical damage introduced, nobody would ever win that challenge driving like that, as their cars would break down after lap or two.

Currently you can achieve lap times around 1.42-1.43 driving like the game allows you to drive. With realistic mechanical damage, your lap times would be worse as you could no longer simply bulldoze your way through. You'd have to wait for that opportunity to make a clean pass (slight leaning at the most) and that waiting and extra care probably takes your lap times to 1.45-1.50 region. And with times like that, winning isn't possible.

If this doesn't make sense to you, then you're actually claiming that clean driving is as fast as bulldozing your way through. And it just isn't (except on wide and simple tracks like Daytona or Indy).
 
Geze
This of course would depend on degree of mechanical damage implemented. But let's take that Ford Focus ST seasonal event for example. Beating that challenge requires bumping some other cars out of your way, and even then it's extremely difficult. Should there be a 100% realistic mechanical damage introduced, nobody would ever win that challenge driving like that, as their cars would break down after lap or two.

Currently you can achieve lap times around 1.42-1.43 driving like the game allows you to drive. With realistic mechanical damage, your lap times would be worse as you could no longer simply bulldoze your way through. You'd have to wait for that opportunity to make a clean pass (slight leaning at the most) and that waiting and extra care probably takes your lap times to 1.45-1.50 region. And with times like that, winning isn't possible.

If this doesn't make sense to you, then you're actually claiming that clean driving is as fast as bulldozing your way through. And it just isn't (except on wide and simple tracks like Daytona or Indy).
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I find it hard to believe that you can go faster bumping into other cars compared to just cleany drive past other cars. That was what I was claiming but I could be wrong.
 

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