'Gran Turismo Sport' gets October 17 launch date, pre-orders now open

[Shawn Knight]

Gran Turismo Sport, the long-awaited racing simulator from Polyphony Digital and Sony, is now scheduled to arrive on October 17 in North America (and a day later in Europe) exclusively on the PlayStation 4.

The game was first announced at the annual Paris Games Week trade show in October 2015. It was originally scheduled to arrive on November 15, 2016, but in August, Polyphony Digital said the game wouldn’t make it out until sometime in 2017.

Company CEO Kazunori Yamauchi noted at the time that they didn’t want to “compromise the experience in any way” by rushing it out the door. Indeed, I’d much rather wait for a proper game than play something early that’s only half finished but perhaps that’s just me (Steam’s Early Access is quite popular, after all).

A closed beta for the seventh entry in the Gran Turismo franchise was held earlier this year.

For what it’s worth, Microsoft’s Forza Motorsport 7 is set to race onto Xbox One and Windows 10 two weeks earlier on October 3.

Gran Turismo Sport is available for pre-order as of writing from both the PlayStation Store and select retailers across the US. Pricing is set at $69.99 for the limited edition version which includes an eight-car starter pack, $1 million in in-game credits, a livery sticker pack, 30 avatars, a chrome racing helmet for your driver profile and a steel book with packaging.

For an additional $10, you can get the digital edition featuring 12 starter cars, $2 million in credits and 60 themed avatars in addition to the chrome racing helmet and livery sticker pack.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/70125-gran-turismo-sport-gets-october-17-launch-date.html

 

[davislane1]

Damage modeling and intelligent AI or pass.

 

[Adhmuz]

Damage modeling and intelligent AI or pass.

Expect neither of those things, other than the most basic of damage models and perhaps a slightly less prone to run you off the track AI who also happen to be driving tanks...

The thing about damage models is they have no place in a Gran Turismo game for several reasons, the first being you shouldn't be hitting other cars in the game, racing isn't about the crashes (other than maybe NASCAR for whatever reason). Crashes do happen in real racing, they can be spectacular, but that's not the real reason you should be watching racing, and likely when they do happen it means the race is over for those involved. Imagine every time the AI in Gran Turismo put you in to a wall, or pitted you resulting in being T-Boned by another AI it meant having to start the race over, not so fun, granted at times the race needs to be restarted anyways. Forget about it in online play, most of the time the best way to race online is everyone being a ghost as to not be F'ed over by some 13 year old who can't win and decides to ruin the race for everyone else.

So then the next option is just make the damage models visual and not have them cause any detrimental affects on your ability to drive, meh at that point I rather just not have them and turn them off because they're pointless.

But really the problem stems from licensing, at least it use to be that way for a long time with the GT series, in recent years they're been allowed to "stretch" the models and distort them a little but it just looks dumb and again, just might as well turn it off.

Honestly without better AI actual damage can't work without making the game frustratingly difficult, this difficulty doesn't add to the overall experience in my opinion, kind of like playing Mario Kart and 3 seconds before winning a race you get shelled or some load of crap gets you and you lose the race just because. Gran Turismo is a "driving" simulator, not a crash em' up simulator after all.

 

[davislane1]

The thing about damage models is they have no place in a Gran Turismo game for several reasons, the first being you shouldn't be hitting other cars in the game, racing isn't about the crashes (other than maybe NASCAR for whatever reason). Crashes do happen in real racing, they can be spectacular, but that's not the real reason you should be watching racing, and likely when they do happen it means the race is over for those involved. Imagine every time the AI in Gran Turismo put you in to a wall, or pitted you resulting in being T-Boned by another AI it meant having to start the race over, not so fun, granted at times the race needs to be restarted anyways. Forget about it in online play, most of the time the best way to race online is everyone being a ghost as to not be F'ed over by some 13 year old who can't win and decides to ruin the race for everyone else.

I have S licenses and complete careers in every Gran Turismo to date. Cosmetic and mechanical damage is important to the simulator side of the game. Without it, it's a half-baked experience because there is no risk associated with aggressive driving. People who can't hack it can turn it off (like most people do in Gran Turismo 6), but the feature not only has a place in Gran Turismo, it is badly needed to keep the game relevant against simulators like Project Cars (which do).

 

[Adhmuz]

but the feature not only has a place in Gran Turismo, it is badly needed to keep the game relevant against simulators like Project Cars (which do).

Then I'd expect the list of cars in the game to shrink dramatically, there's just too many cars to have detailed damage models of all of them.

Imagine when your on lap 99 of 100 in an endurance event, in first place, all is going well, your one lap away from winning, when suddenly as you pass the pits an AI driver 7 laps behind decides your in the optimal driving line as you overtake them and they need to be where your car is putting you in to the divider totaling your car forcing you to retire. Physical damage still worth it? I know I would stop playing the game for a long time.

Maybe it's me, but when I see other games incorporate damage models (with exception to rally racing), I don't look at it as "why does GT not have them" but more, "why do I need them in the first place". Because at the end of the day, you can always just hit restart and if that's the only difference between having them and not having them, I rather just not have them. I find the game perfectly enjoyable as it is, maybe it's due to the fact that this is just how GT has always been to me, having played it since the very first iteration, or because I like racing for the racing, and not for the wrecks.

To each their own, if it's a deal breaker for you then so be it, fortunately now there are more options available when it comes to racing games so you have plenty to choose from. Also saves you from buying a PS4, PC racers are going to look better and allow for more customization anyways.

 

[davislane1]

Then I'd expect the list of cars in the game to shrink dramatically, there's just too many cars to have detailed damage models of all of them.

I'll take quality over quantity all day.

Imagine when your on lap 99 of 100 in an endurance event, in first place, all is going well, your one lap away from winning, when suddenly as you pass the pits an AI driver 7 laps behind decides your in the optimal driving line as you overtake them and they need to be where your car is putting you in to the divider totaling your car forcing you to retire. Physical damage still worth it?

Absolutely. It makes it a more authentic simulator.

Maybe it's me, but when I see other games incorporate damage models (with exception to rally racing), I don't look at it as "why does GT not have them" but more, "why do I need them in the first place". Because at the end of the day, you can always just hit restart and if that's the only difference between having them and not having them, I rather just not have them. I find the game perfectly enjoyable as it is, maybe it's due to the fact that this is just how GT has always been to me, having played it since the very first iteration, or because I like racing for the racing, and not for the wrecks.

I like racing for the racing, too. But without risk there is an element missing from the experience. Yeah, people can just restart a race or a series. Having to take and manage risks over the course of a long race is what makes racing dramatic: A mechanical failure ends your run at the Le Mans podium in the last hour, a careless mistake puts you in the pits for 9 laps, etc.

I don't want damange modeling and mechanical damage for the sake of carnage. I want it for the sake of racing simulation.

 

[Edito]

Damage modeling and intelligent AI or pass.

You can play the other games that support that because you know you wont find that here...