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In keeping to the "let's add some character to championships" concept, it's time to discuss making championships more... well, interesting.
--- How Far We've Come... ---
Gran Turismo 1 saw all races (except Spot Races and the endurances) as their own championships. You had no control over picking one specific race out of others. You didn't have to win every race in the championship. However, you do need to score enough points if you want to clear a championship. You can qualify for each race by making a hot lap around a course.
Gran Turismo 2 was absolutely boring on the championship front, as only three race series feature championships. However, there was nice disparity in competing in a certain event under different license levels. Some races require various licenses for entry. But there are only three race series- the GT300 races, the GT500 races, and the Gran Turismo World League. There was also a fourth one- racing in Professional difficulty for the Event Generator. You had no control over taking part in specific events of a championship.
Amid the many fallacies of Gran Turismo 2, Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec picked up where GT1 and GT2 left off on the championship front. GT3 was the first GT that allowed you the option of racing certain events or the entire championship. It was possible to clear some or all the races individually, then challenge the championship. Gran Turismo 3 brought back qualifying, and GT's format was different as it's like qualifying at most road racing series. Every car is on the track at once trying to post the fastest time. Each championship even had races with their own number of laps. Shorter tracks usually meant more laps. Some championships even have their own kind of endurance race, where only a few races had more laps than any other in the championship. You can select individual races, or go straight for the championship. Gran Turismo 3 even included the most number of races for a championship- ten. There were no dedicated One-Make Races, but there were some championships made specifically for a certain car or series of cars. This was a first for the series.
Gran Turismo 4 featured a good number of championships, many of which with very long races. Unlike GT3, qualifying was only meant for championships. This meant that single race competition would be intense to try to win the race. All cars are on the track at once for GT4 for qualifying (but called Practice). Races are longer in championships. Sometimes, VERY long. The 1,000 Miles! championship is a great indication. Gran Turismo 4 was the first GT to feature seperate racing events devoted entirely to certain international regions. These are mostly America, Europe, and Japan. Some championships (like the aforementioned 1,000 Miles!) have no car nationality restrictions. The Formula GT Championship in GT4 boasts the most championship races of any GT, with over 15 very long races. A big plus to this game is that you are able to leave a championship to wash the car and change oil, without having to completely retire from the championship. Those who have played GT3 become a bit uneasy when you need an oil change after going through a long race or a long championship. GT4 does NOT have a Load Game option. This, perhaps to cut down on cheating. This really just makes the game harder and makes you really feel like you have to be perfect to win.
Now that we have an idea as to how far we've come, let's take a look at what the future could be for championships.
--- Championships in GT5 in General ---
When I talk about adding some personality to championships, I'm talking about championship series that have their own distinct flavor. ToCA Race Driver 3 is a great indication of championships with character. Granted ToCA Race Driver 3 is a proper racing sim while Gran Turismo games are more focused on driving, there's a personality to each championship ranging from the Clio Cup races to the BMW Williams F1 Challenge. What makes this game different in this department? A big reason is that there are different practice and qualifying formats for each championship. You even have control as to what kinds of practice and qualifying sessions you take part in. So let's look to Gran Turismo 5 for a number of different formats to jazz up the racing. I'll go department by department here.
--- Practice ---
Every championship in GT5 should allow you to practice with your car. You can have your own shakedown segments and test the limits of your car. Practice may go on for a given amount of time. You may head into the pits to make further adjustments if you so choose. Drivers may all be on the race track while others are in the pits working on their cars. Depending on how practice is handled for Gran Turismo 5, you may be able to accelerate time to close out the session quickly without having to use up all the available time. Or, you may be allowed to a certain number of laps in practice.
Some races and series may have multiple practice sessions. For example, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has its share of practice sessions, including day and night practice. Formula One has two practice sessions as well.
--- Qualifying ---
Qualifying would greatly help if it's available for ALL races in Gran Turismo 5. Do you know what qualifying can do? It may give you a better chance to win by simply having a better start. And considering Gran Turismo 5 will feature as many as 16 cars to a track, qualifying becomes ever so important if you want to have an edge against the competition. There are two methodologies to qualifying. One is in the qualifying itself while the other pertains to how qualifying is administered. Is it a hot lap session, or does it involve all cars on the track within a certain time limit?
Now what about qualifying formats? For each series, they vary. NASCAR usually has you do two hot laps around a track after getting your car warmed up to qualify. If you think your time will hold up or if you don't want to post a faster time, you have the option to not do the other lap. Most traditional road racing series have all the cars out on the track, with fastest times determining the starting order. Formula One has a Knockout Qualifying format since a few years ago. Motocross and sprint car racing have qualifying heats where certain finishers advance. Those who fail to qualify may have a chance to compete in the Last Chance Qualifer, or LCQ for short. All qualifying sessions may have lap limits, time limits, or lap and time limits.
Those are the qualifying TYPES. Now, this is where qualifying itself gets interesting. Top qualifiers may compete in a shootout session to determine how the top order is arranged. These shootouts take the top percent of drivers and pit them into a hot lap session to determine who wins pole. Some series may have qualifying sessions that grant a cash bonus to the winner of a bonus race. Think of this as a way of making some extra money for a great performance. Some series (like NASCAR) may offer championship provisions, which guarantees you a starting position if you've won a championship before.
As with the Practice session, you have the option of accelerating time if you feel your time will hold up without anyone else even considering the times anyone else puts up.
In addition to these, some races have their own qualifying formats. Think of the Daytona 500, where there are some exhibition races to determine the starting order.
--- Warmup ---
Warmup will be more like Practice, and is only there to help you get a final idea on running the course. Make any extra adjustments before the feature race begins.
Then after that, it's race time! Sometimes, you may get the chance to compete in an All-Star race. This would be a non-points race that just pits the best talent against one another for money and bragging rights.
--- Types of Championships and Races ---
Here are a few championship race types:
* Straight-Up. A straightforward schedule of races. Only one race is run, then comes others all the way to the championship's finale.
* Sprint and Main. These are races that have two events in one weekend (or even on single days). The first event is a sprint race, followed by the main event. Both are worth crucial championship points.
* Weekend Series. Like in Ferrari Challenge or the World Superbike Championship, two races are run on one track for a given weekend. Depending on qualifying rules, the finishing order from the first race may have all or most of the finishers inverted to determine the qualifying order for the next race.
* Multi-Race Championships. Series like the Australian V8 Supercar Series feature some events with multiple races. Races can last anywhere from just one event to as many as four different races. The one-event races of a multiple-event championship are usually endurances races.
Certain series may have their own rules as to how the championship is determined, how points are awarded (and how many), and things of that nature. If Gran Turismo has the same kind of point system in past GTs (take GT4 for this example), it would mean that you have to finish 6th or better in each race to receive points. Championship points may go to leading the most laps, pole position, leading a race at any time, and more. Some series, like the Rolex Sportscar Series, even award bonuses for gaining the most positions in a race. I want Polyphony Digital to be creative with championships and how they are executed and run.
This blog entry only concerned executing championships, not on specific championships themselves. I may do a future blog on dream championships I have in mind. Enjoy this blog and my others. Take care, everyone!
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