GT5 Commentary - Course Maker

(last edit: November 20, 2010)

Toscana from the GT5 demo has gotten me to wonder what could be possible with the new track editor. Looking back on old news of GT5 has gotten me to learn more about the track editor, which I was previously opposed to. The reason why I was opposed to this editor was because making distinctive (key word) and unique courses with given environments. I then started to study what this new model could provide, and needless to say, I do have my preoccupations and reservations about any created track with the GT5 course maker.

This blog post concerns the Course Maker for Gran Turismo 5 and my commentary on it. (UPDATE! - November 21, 2010) I have updated my views on this topic in my new Gran Turismo blog! To see the blog post in question, click here: "GT5 Course Maker Commentary").

--- Backtrack ---

Before I begin with commentary, allow me to call to your attention an image from the past...


^ From E3 2009, a first look at a seemingly empty environment with a dirt road.
(original picture credit: unknown (I downloaded this image a long time ago that I don't know where it came from))

Do you remember this image from the E3 2009 trailer for Gran Turismo 5? A seemingly expansive space with a lonely dirt road and some off-track details help accentuate this course. It was the same expansive and empty space where our jaws dropped at the inclusion of the World Rally Championship in Gran Turismo 5. Back then, we knew this course as Toscana, and we mostly thought this was going to be a new experience. We would later see Toscana in a new light... or should I say, under the lights? Fast forward to a year later when we saw Toscana with the sun going down and the stars coming out. Some time in the future, a master plan was finally unveiled- the Toscana course we've seen in videos was actually part of a new Course Maker for Gran Turismo 5!

As I played the GT5 kiosk demo and blogged about my experiences, I began to take second looks at the Toscana course. The only thing I know about the area represented is that you can enroll at the Olive Garden culinary school in Tuscany. Part of me says Toscana is a brand-new experience and a brand-new track to enjoy Gran Turismo racing on, but part of me also says that Toscana is what could be possible with a track editor. In addition, I doubt Tuscany is THIS empty as the Toscana track demonstrates.

It was then unveiled at GamesCom back in August 2010 that a new Course Maker was unveiled for Gran Turismo 5. GTPlanet's amar212, who is a friend of mine on GTPlanet, broke the news on a possible track editor for GT5 back in August 2009. It has since been common knowledge that GT gamers now have the power to create their own courses. Now initially, I thought it was too out of place to include such a feature. In addition, the prospect of a course maker also allows you set up some dream courses to test the limits of a game engine and its driving model. Any courses would be limited to 6.5 miles (or about 10.4 kilometers) in length. I will go into further detail about my criticisms on a course maker for GT5 later in this blog entry.

So are you excited about creating your own tracks yet? ;-)

--- Course-Making Insight from Other Games ---

Let's look at some other games that had their own Track Editor/Maker. These only involve games I have played before, so if you don't see a certain game here, I haven't played it or don't remember studying its nuances to comment.

Stunts/4D Sports Driving.

The 1990 game made by Broderbund (best known for the Myst series) and Distinctive Software Incorporated (later known as Electronic Arts Canada) made this 3D racing game featuring some of the fastest cars of its time. All created courses all utilized a huge grid system. The grid squares can be filled with various road parts and Every course was a one-lap run around a course filled with jumps, loops, and some dangerous stunts. A game like this likely took inspiration from games like Hard Drivin' and Race Drivin'. The user had a chance to create his/her own tracks and change up the horizon to five different horizons. New tracks usually involved one of five pre-made environments. Or for more advanced gamers, the ability to modify a given environment to make your own was also possible for an individual track. The track can have only one Start/Finish line, and the track must have one complete loop.

Moto Racer 2.

Moto Racer 2 was released in the late 1990s. Its most intriguing element was that of making your own tracks. The track editor allowed you to make your own tracks for either sport bikes or dirt bikes. You could create and modify roads to create your own exciting courses. Moto Racer 2 greatly lacked the ability to make your own unique courses. You can actually create your own layout, but you were unable to make really unique environments. When you create a track, you choose between one of five different environment layouts. So you have no real control over making specific and distinctive layouts. This, along with the fact that all courses feel more like barricaded courses really limits your ability to great memorable and challenging unique courses.

TrackMania Series.

Drawing inspiration from past titles (like Stunts/4D Sports Driving), TrackMania games allow you to use certain set environments. The downfall here, however, is that you are unable to use different cars from different environments. Each environment features a car unique to its environment with its own driving dynamics. The environments also allow for a variety of unique tiles to be used for each environment. There are limits for how high up you can build. I experimented making my own hillclimb courses with roads that go all the way up into the sky. Replay value is incredible since there are MANY ways to create a classic course.


So what will Gran Turismo's influence provide? Replay value will be immense since you can create any number of courses. That will all depend on what the game will provide from the course making experience.

--- Theme Play ---

These are the themes we know of:
* Toscana (Asphalt)
* Eifel (Circuit)
* Mount Aso (Asphalt)
* Liege (Gravel)
* Eifel (Kart)
* Alaska (Snow)
* Tokyo Bay (Kart)

These themes help determine what is possible in designing a course for Gran Turismo 5. The two themes feature variations for tarmac and non-tarmac roads. The only concern I really have is if it is possible to create (especially in the case of rally racing a combination of tarmac and non-tarmac roads in one stage.

--- Possible Future Themes? ---

Let's say the options were open to showcase more venues. What would make for possible future environments?

Snow/Ice Theme?

KEY ELEMENTS: snow, ice, cold temperatures, snow banks

This can either pertain to a snowy location or an icy location. Imagine if you could have a race track in a snowy/icy locale, like with the WRC Rally Sweden, with icy roads or maybe some tarmac with some icy off-road sections? If temperatures play a role in Gran Turismo 5, then a cold or cool course would help out turbo cars since it's cooler. There may also be a tough time trying to get a colder track warmed up because of the cold temperatures. A tarmac course would feature some slippery off-road sections. I even envisioned a Grand Prix-style racing course in a snowy location. It may not be likely to happen, but imagine a proper Grand Prix-style course (any road course 2.75 miles or more in length) where there is a lot of snow on the outside of each corner (or at least, grass that has a lot of snow on the grass). A non-tarmac icy course would test your ability to race on snow and ice. Snow and ice handle MUCH differently from gravel or mud. You are going to have snow banks on either side of the road. Getting up on either side of the snow banks can be just as bad as flying off a gravel stage into a tree or a ditch.

I think to add diversity to the kind of environments, a snow environment is needed. Unless you just want those Snow Tires to not get any work...

Desert Theme?

KEY ELEMENTS: sand, sand dunes, desert vegetation (such as cacti and joshua trees), rock formations, and more

If you are thinking of an expansive desert environment (like the Baja 1000 or the Mint 400), you are likely out of luck. The possibility to make your own Dubai Autodrome or Yas Marina Circuit is a good possibility here. A desert environment would mean that temperatures would be unbearably hot. Series like the Middle Eastern Rally Championship and Dakar Rally have their fair share of desert-type off-road racing.

Coastal/Tropical Theme?

KEY ELEMENTS: lush greens, rock formations, tropical scenery (such as palm trees), crashing waves, sandy beaches

The presence of a coastal setting lends itself to the possibility of creating racing venues with racing along or near a coastline. This can be good for exotic-style courses or even off-road courses along coastlines. Options are really endless for this setting. You could create a tropical tarmac paradise like Tahiti Road, or you can have coastal-style rally courses like Tahiti Circuit or Tahiti Maze. You could probably also create your own fantasy Grand Prix race course that takes place along the beach!

Jungle Environment?

KEY ELEMENTS: lush greenery, high trees, dirt and mud

This environment entails exotic scenery. Despite the exotic scenery, it may likely be a setting primarily better for off-road racing. Surfaces may consist of gravel and mud. I basically think of the Safari Rally when I think of such a setting. If there is such a setting, I sincerely doubt animals will run across the track for you to avoid (or hit if you love drive like an idiot). I am pretty sure there won't be any kind of Grand Prix courses through a jungle. So at best, you're looking at a good rally environment for a jungle-type course.

Mountain Theme?

KEY ELEMENTS: ???

I primarily thought of mountain passes here. Imagine taking part in your own touge battles on mountain passes you create! Enthusia fans can relate to this with Dragon Range. Forza fans can relate to this with Fujimi Kaido. What makes mountainous stages great is for the immense challenge such courses provide. It may not seem very fun to not be able to make a challenging mountain pass with about 6.5 miles to work with, but you can still create some great mountain passes if you just use your creativity.

To get an idea of making your own mountain passes, play the tracks from the games I mentioned earlier, or try out "Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2." TXRD2 even features one mountain pass that is over seven miles long!


Now one that can be very tough to define...

Urban Themes?

KEY ELEMENTS: city buildings, city scenery, city roads, city streets, highways, concrete walls, and the like

What I am going for here is an environment more accustomed for traditional urban cities. This is an environment that would be better suited for making your own street courses. Anything from a romp around a city park to a Grand Prix race through downtown of a metropolis is possible. While these can be glamourous, they can be very tough to come along with since city courses take a certain amount of magic to make believable. You know, you have to envision a city before you build a course around the city. What I had in mind for this section is mostly along the lines of more modern cities, like San Francisco, New York City, London, Tokyo, Sydney, and the like.

A non-conventional urban locale, if you will, was Grindelwald from Gran Turismo 2. It was a street course mostly set around a traditional European village rather than an urban jungle. The possibility exists to have certain tarmac rally courses that utilize an environment where you're weaving through various villages and cottages. Think about places like the WRC Rally Corsica or some other rally that has a stage go through streets of villages or cities.


These are just a few ideas in regards to environments. We will see what will really be possible in the future.

--- Previous Criticisms of Mine for the Course Maker ---

I have had some primary criticisms regarding the featuring of a course maker for Gran Turismo 5, and you will read both of them here.

Lack of Distinction.

I am someone who believes that true distinction in track making does not involve using a pre-determined environment. While you can create great courses utilizing a certain environment, making DISTINCTIVE courses doesn't truly materialize. I define distinctive courses as courses that have their own unique environment that makes a certain track come to life. A street course that has a little of New York and Paris in design and environment is more distinctive than a proper race track designed in a grassy plain environment.

Seemingly Out of Place.

You would think for a racing game more about cars and racing, the idea of a Course Maker appears to be totally out of place. You can, however, test the limits of ANY game and its game engine by making your own courses. This is a case where making your own courses can help you discover the limits of a certain game.

Always Thought Autocross Was the ONLY Purpose for a Course Maker.

Because a Course Maker is out of place for a Gran Turismo game, I thought its only usefulness was in making Autocross or Gymkhana tracks. That would be the ONLY usage for making your own tracks since making a track from start to finish would be too massive a task. A simple Autocross track would be better for me than going with a full-on Course Maker of some kind.


These have been my own criticisms with the new Course Maker for GT5. Despite these, I welcome and will embrace this new Course Maker.

--- Tarmac Possibilities for GT5 ---

What is possible for GT5 in making tarmac courses? I once made race tracks for Duke Nukem 3D of all games. I wonder if I'd be able to re-create the courses in the GT5 realm. The courses, however, are all realistic. So I didn't create anything that has like, for example... loops, exploding bits, any sort of Apocalyptic details (like ravaged cities and rough roads). Could I be able to create them as best as I can? That all remains to be seen.

Every created course will have weather and time implemented. Anything from tarmac rallies to tarmac racing circuits are possible. Can I make my own oval with banking in the corners? Can I re-create a stretch of road? Can I make my own Grand Prix course to race really fast and powerful cars on? These all remain to be seen.

--- Randomly-Generated Rally Courses for GT5 ---

The best news about this Course Maker is that it is possible to make point-to-point stages. I hear that courses will be limited to about 6.5 miles. That is still a LOT of track to make courses with! In my view, making your own point-to-point stages may not seem like making enough sense. But when you consider how tough it can be to make some of the most believable and realistic point-to-point venues, the idea of randomly-generated courses is not a bad idea. I mentioned earlier about not having that distinction element by using given environments. However, it is still possible to make quality rally courses 6.5 miles (or 10.4 km) in length. Don't believe me? Here's some perspective from Colin McRae Rally 2.0... Many of the individual stages from CMR2 are longer than 1.9 kilometers (or longer than 1.18 miles) and no longer than 5.5 kilometers (or about 3.42 miles). In fact, a lot of the courses are mostly in the range of 4.2 km to 5.3 km (or about 2.61 mi to 3.29 mi) in length. So you have more than enough space to make your own rally stages.

You are able to adjust the width of the road to accommodate the amount of rally racing challenge you want. So if you are disappointed with the very wide roads of most rally courses in Gran Turismo games past, you can narrow things significantly to make for a more realistic experience. Think of courses like any of GT4's tarmac rally courses or tracks like Grand Canyon in GT4 for inspiration of real rally-style courses.

Finally, what can be possible with these courses? Can I make water splashes through streams (like with the WRC Rally Argentina or the WRC Rally Australia)? Will there be a variety of surfaces to race on (like with the WRC Rally Great Britain)? What can be possible on the rally front? Also, can realistic courses be created? I want to imagine making my own unique challenges, like having to deal with the rough roads of the Acropolis Rally or some of the rural village of some rallies. I do think Course Maker will be great for rally racing.





You are welcome to offer your own thoughts on the Course Maker for GT5. You can seemingly make any course using up to 6.5 miles (10.4 km) of track. How do you feel about the Course Maker for GT5? Comment away! While you're at it...

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GT5 Speculation: Time Attack

(UPDATED: February 18, 2012)

NOTE: This Gran Turismo-themed post, along with several others, may possibly get deleted and moved over to "John's Gran Turismo Space" with updated versions. If you are a Gran Turismo fan and you love my blog, I invite you to visit and subscribe to "John's Gran Turismo Space" for updated material regarding the GT series.

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The expression, "run what you brung," has never been more appropriate for a style of racing like Time Attack. Especially if what you brung is a car much more extreme than its stock form. So is the essence of Time Attack. Time Attack is all about bringing your own four-wheeled track weapon to battle for the fastest lap time around a course. You see lots of machines ranging from road-going cars tuned for racing all the way up machines tuned to the extreme.

Do I think it's possible we'll see this in Gran Turismo 5? The biggest factor lies in customization. I think customization, let alone tuning options, will play a big role in how far along this element can be brought along. Maybe I'm thinking too much along the lines of stuff like what you'd see in Super Street Magazine or something. I'm thinking more along the lines of making your car as YOUR car. It would get rather boring when you bring your own time attack car that can be tuned to any extreme... except that the car's exterior doesn't resemble anything purely extreme. If you fancy sleepers, that's one thing. However, I believe in customization in addition to a well-tuned car. Kind of examples like these:


^ from: shimmysideways.com


^ from: cobaltss.net (don't become offended that I post an American car here for this topic! And besides... John Heinricy is super awesome!)

These possibilities may be exemplified if we do get a competitive model. There are already a nice deal of tuner-type cars from Gran Turismo 5 demos. We just may have ourselves some Time Attack action. ANYTHING to diversify the kinds of racing we can do will be serious additions for this classic series.

Your comments (but not your hate or spam) are welcome. Thank you for reading!

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GT5 Speculation: World Rally Championship (Enhanced Edition)

Why do you check this out? To read more into whatever I post. This blog entry is a further look at the video I posted earlier. The video concerned thoughts about WRC speculation in GT5. Time to take things further.



World Rally Championship - How Much Further?
What facilitates a better implentation process of the World Rally Championship? There are a number of elements to look at. The least of which include:

* mixed surfaces (tarmac, gravel, mud, dirt, snow, etc.)
* water splashes
* narrowing/opening roads
* objects inside and outside.
* service areas
* special stages

The taske of rally racing is to take on a stage filled with all kinds of different elements to try to post the fastest times in each section. Rallies are essentially time trials as there is no racing for position on the course. Drivers are sent off in certain time intervals. If you want an idea of how this works, imagine racing the Grand Canyon course in Gran Turismo 4, only you start 30 seconds later, and you're racing for time. As for trying to keep the car in one piece, things like punctures, sharp rocks, barriers, and other objects can hinder how you do, especially if you run into them or hit them. The driver needs to be alert at all times. Co-drivers will need to provide timely pace notes to avoid the car from getting owned. I haven't very good rally racing knowledge, but here is a basic note:

"medium left, don't cut... rocks inside"

It means that a moderate-speed corner is coming up. Just be sure not to go too far inside (in this case), because there are rocks. Jumps can be fun, but do remember that jumps can take a toll on your suspension. There are service areas you must attend to after completing certain stages. This will allow you to make repairs to your car within the allowed time limit. At least from my "Colin McRae Rally 2" experience, you have sixty minutes to repair parts of your car that need repair. Elements of your car can take any amount of time to complete depending upon the area and the severity of damage.



--- Competing in Rally Events ---

The Stages Themselves.
Rally racing usually encompasses a varied bunch of special stages consisting of roads closed off to the public to any variety of gravel and dirt closed off to the public. Rally fans are purely devoted. So much so that there can actually be too many spectators, causing cancellation of certain stages. There are lots of stages that consist of a great variety of roads and surfaces. You could be kicking up dirt before having to jump onto tarmac. The best way to consider what's ahead is to look at pace notes. Reports of what the rally consists of can tell you what most of the course consists of. A course consisting of 80% gravel and 20% tarmac means that you'll need gravel tires. In case of weather, you'll need to go with wet tires for gravel or dirt or tarmac. Snow tires are pretty much for any ice or snow racing. And even then, you'll have snow AND ice to deal with. Rallies can take any amount of time, ranging from about two minutes to almost double-digit minutes.

Rallies usually comprise of a three-day schedule with three legs for each day. Some stages could even be re-run for other legs of the rally. Some rallies may even contain Special Stage rallies at certain venues or race tracks. These events are mostly one-on-one races in tournament-style action. Think of the Michelin Race of Champions, for example. There are victories for each stage and for overall wins. You want to run as best as you can for each stage, but it's all about the final accumulated times that determine who wins and who loses.



--- Rallies Themselves: Rally Examples ---
A number of rallies fill out the World Rally calendar across almost every continent. Among many other WRC events, here is a look at some of the rallies that I can recall from watching videos and such.

* The Rally Monte Carlo is usually the first rally of the year each season. This mostly takes place on tarmac roads in the city and in the hills. It's the most prestigious rally of the year.

* Other than the Dakar Rally, both the Cyprus Rally the Acropolis Rally are the most grueling tests of driver and machine. The course is rough, so don't be surprised to have your car suffer some serious damage upon hitting a rock or something like that. I respect this rally to a great degree because it's so damn tough and punishing.

* It's not run as a WRC event anymore, but the Safari Rally has LOTS of history (dating back to 1953, I believe). It is a rally where almost ANYTHING can happen (and usually does). You have things like wildlife coming on the track, sunny days to become torrential rain storms, open roads (meaning you might collide with a passenger car unaware of the action), and more. All of which mostly takes place on muddy or dirty roads. Just a fierce rally. Always has been.

* The Rally Sweden is the only natural snow rally run all year. While it can be fun rallying on snow, it's tough to get sufficient grip on the snow. You may even be trying to race on icy roads in addition to show. The experience is different since you're not on dry gravel or dirt.

* Despite the rally's namesake, Rally Great Britain is run in Wales and England. What makes this rally unique is the fact that there are a variety of surfaces for each stage. They all come in great variety. One moment you're dealing with dirt or gravel, then you have to go onto tarmac. You even go around Blenheim Palace. Really unique event.

* I know the Rally Australia most for the epic jump Colin McRae had in 1997 in the Bunnings forest. This is a very good rally and a must-see. If you want to see that epic jump, check this out:



* The Rally Catalunya is a competitive rally with lots of beautiful scenery.

* The Rally Argentina goes across a punishing series of rocky roads and water splashes in the mountains.

* I CANNOT close out talk about WRC events without mentioning the Rally Finland. Finland is best known as an all-out rally with high speeds, the famous jumps ("yumps"), and not to mention the hair-raising chances of hitting a tree or something. It's like you can only go so fast before facing trouble.



There are also a great deal of other rally events past and present including rallies in Japan, Poland, Germany, Turkey, Corsica (France), Sardinia (Italy), New Zealand, Mexico, and more. There is not really any true as idea as to whether we could get full rally stages, full rally legs, actual WRC events themselves, or whatever. As of right now, it looks like rally racing is going to get a serious injection shot in the arm.



--- The Nature of Rallying ---
Danger literally comes around each corner. When you're racing on roads either one or two lanes wide, it's no shock that you'll be taking care on each drift and slide. None of the previous rally events in the GT series has any of the character that traditional rallies have. Gran Turismo 4, however, has some narrow roads to navigate in rally action. Look no further than to courses like the Grand Canyon event and all the tarmac rally-style courses in GT4. Citta d'Aria and (more importantly) Costa di Amalfi have a great deal of twists and turns.

Real rallying consists of jumps, crests, objects inside and outside, and things like that. Courses can consist of narrow country roads, roads where farms and cattle are on either side of the road, narrow city streets to rural villages, and the like. Objects like rocks or tree logs can be on the outside of certain corners. The main strategy is to avoid going too far outside or too far inside of most corners. Try to fall off the road at the Grand Canyon in GT4, and you'll be saved by invisible walls. However, try that in a more realistic rally setting, and your call will fall down the ravine. And if you're [un]lucky, you'll be rolling all the way down to perhaps injury or death. Rally is an extreme motorsport. How extreme PD wants to get will depend on how they wish to make the experience as realistic as possible. Open areas may also make you liable to whack trees. An open area with trees freely standing will really make you try not to fly off the road too far. Avoiding trees even involves trying not to side swipe a free-standing tree. Take extra care when dealing with such obstacles. There may also be ditches and drains inside or outside. Getting into a ditch will undoubtedly slow you down, leaving you to really have to rely on your car's drivetrain to drive out of the ditch at all costs. For snowy stages, be wary of snow banks on either side of the road. Running into the snow banks can hinder your speed. In a sense, racing with these are almost like being on a street course since you have to avoid the snow banks on both sides of the road. Tarmac rallying can actually be tough. You don't have the luxury of being able to slide around with great precision. Or at least from my plays of "Colin McRae Rally 2," tarmac rallies are an easy way of falling further and further back in the order. Tarmac rallying just doesn't really allow you to push the envelope much as you could with gravel or dirt.

As for the surfaces themselves, I've found gravel and dirt to be the best surfaces since they allow you to really be as aggressive as you can powersliding and in driving precisely. Snow

Any number of things can happen in a rally race. So be sure to drive smart. Victory in rally is a marathon, with small sprints. It helps to have good runs in all stages to better your chances at winning the rally.



--- The One-on-One Special Stages ---
There are one-on-one special stages which consist of trying to finish ahead of your opponent. These events take place either on actual sporting arenas or on some facilities closed off to the public. These events consist of two different routes for both opponents to navigate and beat the other to the line. You just have to see how these courses run in order to understand them. Here's an example of the WRC Rally Japan's special stage from the 2008 Rally Japan:



Note how you go from your start/finish section, to the opponent's start/finish section, then finish at your start/finish section! These Special Stages can be very fun.



--- Enhancing the Experience ---
The action can be even more fun depending upon and more add-on content. Are we going to see Group B and other historic rally cars? Would I be able to run Rally Toscana 2009 in a 1970s Lancia Stratos Rally Car? It all depends on what PD is willing to do and what the WRC will allow for this game. Maybe we could see various othe past rally cars. it all depends.





Thanks for reading. If you have your own ideas, feel free to comment. Comments have to be approved now. I'm not going to let my blog get out of control like YouTube can be sometimes. So thanks for reading!

GT5 Commentary: Gran Turismo Needs a Greater Overall Racing Presence... to an Extent

Please check out my video:



Why I love the Gran Turismo series is because I'm able to race as hard as I can, but then come back down to go down to go tune cars and simply relax. Gran Turismo doesn't have any real deal in which you feel like you're in a proper racing-type environment. You know, it doesn't sometimes feel like you're part of a racing team or that you're actually involved in racing, though you are racing cars in the game. It's basically collect-and-race. What I'm envisioning for GT5 is that I FEEL more like I'm in a proper racing series in a game without being severely commited or obligated to race. Or that I have contract offers or something. Basically, something in the general realm of feeling like part of a race team going up against other teams in the game would suffice.

This blog entry mostly involves establishing a better motorsports presence. A future entry will include how to actually implement a racing-type atmosphere.



Liveries.
Something I'm reminded of as far as racing against other team cars is playing "ToCA Race Driver" games. Among the fictional championships, you actually see cars painted up for racing, even if it's a street car just painted up in a racing way. That is what I'd like to see. I want to see fictional (just to avoid having to pursue copyrights) teams. I want to see Polyphony Digital's creativity in utilizing some kind of livery editor or in trying to specially paint-up cars just to get the feeling that you're racing against team cars and other teams. When I look on the track, I don't see a bunch of other cars- I see other drivers and other teams after the same thing I'm after. The series has yet to capture this feeling to a great extent.

Character to Championships.
The Gran Turismo World Championship is a championship that's of great importance to me in Gran Turismo games. So I want it to have some extra character outside of just showing up with a super-fast car racing a bunch of events. I want to feel like I'm engaged. Immerse me in a pure racing environment to where I feel like other Gran Turismo racers look up to me and others as part of a championship. In other words, make us feel like we're on TV with the lights on bright. Make me feel like it's primetime, and I'm in the race of my life. So how do you acheive this? One such way is to basically come along with various championships featuring various cars and tracks. I think more championships should feature race-prepared vehicles so that it feels like proper racing championships. Qualifying isn't necessary, but at least bring it back to help.

In addition to adding some character to championships, perhaps make certain championships and races to where you need to be invited or something to compete in them. For example, some championship series can have "Knockout Qualifying" like in F1 where you narrow the field down to where the best cars try to maintain their status and avoid qualifying guaranteed last place. It may mean you're in championships for longer than you want, but at least you feel more engaged in a championship than more like "get me in, get me out."


The Other Drivers.
You make an effort to make your car the best on the track in addition to showing off the best of your skill. Why don't some of the other AI racers have this sort of soul in racing? I'm not saying make them look more like this is a reality TV series than a video game, but at least show some properly-painted and tuned up cars either at your level or at a level higher or lower than you. GT4's Difficulty deal for Arcade Mode races and Family Cup events gives you a sort of barometer to work with. Imagine going up against 15 other drivers with cars tuned at your level or somewhere above/below your level. Obviously, better driving skills by the others also help.


This "...to an Extent" Thing.
I mention that I'd like to see a better motorsports presence in GT5. However, I still want to still know I'm playing a GT game rather than a full-on, hardcore racing sim. I don't want this to be a game that controls my life when I play it. The key point I've mentioned is cool-down. I want to still be able to compete in whatever I like without having to feel seriously under contract or something to race in a certain series, thus banning me from competing in others.



The Gran Turismo Way of Life.
Here's what I'm thinking. Sixteen cars usually show up for race day. I put a lot of faith in the car I've bought and tuned up to compete in racing competition. This same feeling is the kind of feeling and heart I'd love to see in Gran Turismo 5. To an extent, I want to feel like I'm more involved for when I'm in racing competition. I'm not just racing against AI or human drivers, I'm up against teams. Again, make it LIKE I'm part of a race team in proper championships, without feeling like a GTR or ToCA Race Driver where I can't really enjoy my cooldown periods after races. Will GT5 have this? Will there be this level of immersion? We shall see.



Feel free to comment at will!

GT5 Commentary: More National and International Championship Series?

This blog entry contains some thoughts of mine in regards to the possibility of expanding GT5's motorsports hierarchy a bit more. You may have seen my videos about if other international locales will help expand Gran Turismo's worldwide view a touch more. I'm going to use insight to help offer views of what if a national and/or international championship would enhance the Gran Turismo a touch more.





--- Championship Racing: Perspective ---
The game for perspective as far as geographical region championships go is "ToCA World Touring Cars." I chose not to use the American name ("Jarrett and LaBonte Stock Car Racing"), simply because you're marketing touring cars to be like stock cars. That's not right. But because a NASCAR name is given, it increases its value in the US. Shame. Anyhow, on to the real point of this.

ToCA World Touring Cars allowed you the opportunity to race around the world with various cars around the world. In Career Mode, you have seven National-level championships, three International championships, and one World championship. Each of those championships had their own cars available for you to race within each championship. The National-level championships are as follows:

* North American Championship (United States and Canada)
* South and Central American Championship (Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina (mostly Latin America))
* British Championship (United Kingdom)
* German (Germany and Austria)
* Mediterranean Championship (Spain, France, and Italy)
* Japanese Championship (Japan)
* Australian (Australia)

You need to gain enough points to enter the International races. Those races include:

* Pan-American Championship (United States, Canada, and Latin America)
* European Championship (United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Spain, France, and Italy)
* Asia-Pacific Championship (Japan and Australia)

And finally, you take on a worldwide schedule. This will likely include cars and tracks from the world over.



The Gran Turismo series has matured in a way that there is more an international presence in selectable cars and different tracks to race. Most people who are usually critical of the GT series has talked so much about how there's too much Japan and not enough of other countries represented in GT. It's mostly understandable to have a touch of bias in what kinds of courses are usually shown. Polyphony Digital is Japanese, so there's a bias towards Japanese more than American or European cars and tracks. Yet, I see very few complain of British bias in Codemasters. Some people, I swear, have some kind of "always hate Japan" mentality. I don't get it.





--- Can Proper Regional and National Championships be Possible in GT5? ---
To have proper regional championships, you need a variety of courses based in various locations. A rule I go by is that you need at least three tracks from one nation or international region to have a proper championship in a video game.



To use Gran Turismo 4, here are some international championships that are possible on tarmac circuits. And I will use hypothetical names:

--- GT4 Regionals ---
* American Championship
(Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, Laguna Seca, New York, Seattle, and El Capitan)

* European Championship
(Nürburgring Nordschleife, Opera Paris, George V. Paris, both versions of Circuit de la Sarthe, Cote d'Azur, Citta di Aria, and Costa di Amalfi)

* French Championship
(both versions of Circuit de la Sarthe, Opera Paris, Cote d'Azur, and George V. Paris)

* Continental European Championship
(Opera Paris, George V. Paris, Citta di Aria, Costa di Amalfi)



* Japanese Championship
(Tokyo R246, all Motegi configurations, all Suzuka configurations, all Fuji configurations, Tsukuba)

* Asia-Pacific
(Tokyo R246, all Motegi configurations, all Suzuka configurations, all Fuji configurations, Tsukuba, Hong Kong, and Seoul)



--- GT4 Internationals ---
I will use "Pan-America" to mean both North and South America, even though all the North American races in GT4 take place in America.

* Pan-America vs. Mediterranean
(Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, Laguna Seca, New York, Seattle, El Capitan, both versions of Circuit de la Sarthe, Nürburgring Nordschleife, Opera Paris, George V. Paris, Cote d'Azur, Citta di Aria, and Costa di Amalfi)

* Mediterranean vs. Asia-Pacific
(both versions of Circuit de la Sarthe, Nürburgring Nordschleife, Opera Paris, George V. Paris, Cote d'Azur, Citta di Aria, Costa di Amalfi, Tokyo R246, all Motegi configurations, all Suzuka configurations, all Fuji configurations, and Tsukuba)

* Asia-Pacific vs. Pan-America
(Tokyo R246, all Motegi configurations, all Suzuka configurations, all Fuji configurations, Tsukuba, Hong Kong, Seoul, Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, Laguna Seca, New York, Seattle, El Capitan, both versions of Circuit de la Sarthe, Nürburgring Nordschleife, Opera Paris, George V. Paris, Opera Paris, Citta di Aria, and Costa di Amalfi)





What if you could combine all real-world courses and locales from past GT games including some from Tourist Trophy and GT5: Prologue? This would be your end result:

--- GT Regionals ---
* American Championship
(Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, Laguna Seca, New York, both Seattle versions, El Capitan, and both Daytona configurations)

* European Championship
(Nürburgring Nordschleife, Opera Paris, George V. Paris, both versions of Circuit de la Sarthe, Cote d'Azur, Citta di Aria, Costa di Amalfi, Grindelwald, both Rome Circuit configurations, Rome-Night, both London configurations, and Eiger Nordwand)

* French Championship
(both versions of Circuit de la Sarthe, Opera Paris, Cote d'Azur, and George V. Paris)

* Italian Championship
(both Rome Circuit configurations, Rome-Night, Citta di Aria, and Costa di Amalfi)

* Mediterranean Championship (including Tourist Trophy)
(Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo (Valencia), Opera Paris, George V. Paris, Citta di Aria, Costa di Amalfi, Grindelwald, Eiger Nordwand, both Rome Circuit configurations, Rome-Night, Citta di Aria, and Costa di Amalfi)

* Japanese Championship
(Tokyo R246, all Motegi configurations, all Suzuka configurations, all Fuji configurations, Tsukuba)

* Asia-Pacific
(Tokyo R246, all Motegi configurations, all Suzuka configurations, all Fuji configurations, Tsukuba, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Tahiti Road)



--- GT Internationals ---
I will use "Pan-America" to mean both North and South America, even though all the North American races in GT4 take place in America. Mediterrenean mostly pertains to mostly all European courses, though I have had ideas of European and African courses in GT5. Asia-Pacific mostly pertains to Asia (including Japan), though I seriously wish to see events in Australasia (mostly Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand). Asia-Pacific may also mean if any other venues on Pacific islands are possible.

* Pan-America vs. Mediterranean
(Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, Laguna Seca, New York, both Seattle versions, El Capitan, both Daytona configurations, Nürburgring Nordschleife, Opera Paris, George V. Paris, both versions of Circuit de la Sarthe, Cote d'Azur, Citta di Aria, Costa di Amalfi, Grindelwald, both Rome Circuit configurations, Rome-Night, both London configurations, and Eiger Nordwand)

* Mediterranean vs. Asia-Pacific
(Nürburgring Nordschleife, Opera Paris, George V. Paris, both versions of Circuit de la Sarthe, Cote d'Azur, Citta di Aria, Costa di Amalfi, Grindelwald, both Rome Circuit configurations, Rome-Night, both London configurations, Eiger Nordwand, Tokyo R246, all Motegi configurations, all Suzuka configurations, all Fuji configurations, and Tsukuba)

* Asia-Pacific vs. Pan-America
(Tokyo R246, all Motegi configurations, all Suzuka configurations, all Fuji configurations, Tsukuba, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tahiti Road, Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, Laguna Seca, New York, both Seattle versions, El Capitan, and both Daytona configurations)



As a little note, various cars can be entered into such championships. So for the Asia-Pacific vs. Pan-American championship, you may not be able to bring your BMW Z4 to compete unless there are specifications prohibiting certain nationalities of car from entering. But for the most part, I have this all in the basis of any nationality of car being acceptable to race. Then again, one could make the case that it wouldn't be very fair to enter a Japanese car into a Pan-American vs. Mediterranean championship. Your call.





--- Solidifying an International Championship Base for GT5 ---
Polyphony Digital will need to come up with more new courses for GT5. The key areas are in some places that have never been featured in a GT game (and may make good locations for events): Canada, Latin America, Scandinavia, Africa, Middle East, South and Southeast Asia (excluding Hong Kong), China, Australasia, and (maybe) Polynesia. A cheap way to get more racing out of such locales would be to find a track that can have multiple configurations. The Motegi tracks and Suzuka configurations are prime examples.



--- Do Nationalities of Car Represented in GT Need Suitable Venues in Their Native Lands? ---
I think to enhance the international appeal, you need to have venues for that specific nation. Every nationality of car needs at least one track from that nation for a proper "home field advantage." Look at GT4. America's completely represented, Japan has LOTS of tracks, France has a good deal of GT courses, Germany has a venue (by the way, if they are going to have the Nürburgring Nordschleife, at least include the Nürburgring F1 circuit just so that you aren't forced to race the super-long Nordschleife all the time), Italy is represented fairly, and even South Korea has representation. GT4's car nationalities without a track in each nation includes the United Kingdom, Denmark (Spyker), Spain (SEAT), Belgium (Gillet), Sweden (Volvo), and Australia.

For the unrepresentated nations, an effort to find various courses would be a great idea. The United Kingdom, Spain, and Australia have lots of courses. As for places like Belgium and Sweden, you have two options: put them into seperate championships, or incorporate both countries and try to find some suitable racing locales. So you might use Belgium for some German racing action like at Spa-Francorchamps or Zolder. You may include Sweden for some Swedish venues (like Mantorp Park or Anderstorp), or you may include some Finnish or Norwegian tracks for a Scandinavian Championship. Australia is a special case. You may have racing in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. The best thing to do here is to look for Australian venues while also looking for a New Zealand venue or two.

So indeed PD will need some more venues to sweeten an already tasty pot.





I may edit this post to include more information. But for right now, that concludes my commentary on proper regional racing both in national and international region settings.

GT5 Speculation: Other International Locales?

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There are a variety of places that don't have any representation in the Gran Turismo series. But first, this video of mine compliments this blog entry:



There are a variety of locations where the PD team can go out and examine to make more international locales to better cover the world of Gran Turismo than ever before. This is a massive blog entry as it highlights as many international regions as I can as well as countless possibilities to have some Gran Turismo racing worldride. Got time on your side? You'll need it!





OVERVIEW:
* North America
* Central America
* Latin America

* British Isles
* Europe...
...Western and Southwestern Europe
...Central Europe
...Southern Europe
...Russia

* Northern and Central Africa
* Southern Africa and Madagascar

* Middle East...
* ...Turkey
* ...Arabian Peninsula

* Asia (excluding Middle East)...
* ...South Asia
* ...Southeast Asia and the Philippines
* ...China and the Korea Republic
* ...Japan

* Australasia...
* ...Australia and Tasmania
* ...New Zealand

* Pacific Islands and Other Places

--- North and South America ---

A number of people who I sometimes read comments from really talk down on Polyphony Digital like they are terrible fails at finding American venues. Some probably wish there were more muscle cars and more American venues than mostly Japanese tracks and venues. Well here, this is a chance to make your case known. I explain a variety of courses and cities that would enhance Gran Turismo 5 to a great degree.

Other American Venues and Cities.

I'd be interested in seeing a variety of racing venues in America. Unlike most other people I'm not going to lash out on or be picky about American locales in the game. Maybe there's a little Enthusia in me, but I'd love to see a San Francisco street course. I love San Francisco. Maybe include Long Beach. Sebring and Road Atlanta would be great to include and would really enhance the American racing scene in Gran Turismo. Other venues I'd be interested in seeing:

* Barber Motorsports Park (Leeds, Alabama, USA)
* Miller Motorsports Park (Tooele, Utah, USA)
* Road America (Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, USA)
* Motor Sport Ranch Houston (Angleton, Texas, USA)
* Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Indiana, USA)
* Portland International Raceway (Portland, Oregon, USA)
* Lime Rock Park (Lakeville, Connecticut, USA)

Fantasy street courses in the following American cities would add some extra appeal (feel free to add your own!):
* Houston, Texas, USA
* San Antonio, Texas, USA
* St. Louis, Missouri, USA
* Detroit, Michigan, USA
* San Francisco, California, USA (like Pacific Gateway in Enthusia Professional Racing)
* Los Angeles, California, USA
* Denver, Colorado, USA
* Miami, Florida, USA
* Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (other than the drag strip)
* Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
* Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Canada.

Polyphony Digital can have a variety of newer locales. The favorites for me would be the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal and the beautiful Mont-Tremblant course. If offered, races around Mosport, Vancouver, Toronto, and Trois-Rivieres would be nice bonuses.

I've even found out about a location in Canada called Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada. That's a very beautiful place from what I've seen in pictures. It, too, would make a great Photo Mode location.

Mexico and Central America.

I'd like to see some Latin American venues. The big one for me would be the Mexico City (Autodromo de los Hermanos Rodriguez). MAYBE Funidora Park (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico) as well. Street courses would be interesting for cities like the following:
* San Luis Potosi, Mexico
* Tijuana, Mexico
* Cancun, Mexico
* Tela, Honduras
* San Salvador, El Salvador
* Panama City, Panama

South America.

You HAVE to include Brazil. There's just no other way. Interlagos and Brasilia would be nice venues. I also wanted to mention the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, but I think that track is now-defunct. The Buenos Aires race course (Autódromo Juan y Óscar Gálvez) would be great to include as far as non-Brazilian venues go. You could plan fantasy street courses for the following cities:
* Rio de Janerio, Brazil (like Forza Motorsport attempted)
* Sao Paulo, Brazil
* Machu Picchu, Peru
* Caracas, Venezuela
* Buenos Aires, Argentina
* Rosario, Argentina
* Santiago, Chile

--- Europe ---

The modern automobile was born in Europe, so why not give some European love? GT4 did the European scene a great favor by including the Circuit de la Sarthe and the Nürburgring Nordschleife. There are many more courses and locales to look into for GT5.

British Isles and Ireland.

Doesn't it feel good to finally have British representation in Gran Turismo with the London street course and the Top Gear Test Track? To say that England loves their motorsport is a severe understatement. They mostly live and breathe motorsport. There are a garden variety of racing series for various styles of cars and motorcycles. Silverstone has been one of my favorite British courses. Donnington Park has always been a challenging course to me. There's always Brands Hatch as far as great motor racing circuits in the British Isles go. Not going to say it's can't-miss, but it's one of the most popular courses there for sure. Snetterton seems simple, but can be very tricky if you get it wrong. Cadwell Park is a beautiful facility with a competitive race track. Oulton Park is challenging. It's rather narrow as well as tricky. Finally, you can REALLY do justice by including the Goodwood Festival of Speed and/or the Goodwood Revival. There are countless options to choose from.

I am not as educated about Irish tracks except for the tricky Mondello Park. The absolute extreme would be an automotive version of the Manx Grand Prix on the Isle of Man.

Fantasy street courses could help. There's already London. How about a few more?
* Manchester, England
* Sheffield, England
* Cardiff, Wales
* Swansea, Wales
* Edinboro, Scotland
* Dublin, Ireland
* Belfast, Northern Ireland

Continental Europe: Western and Southwestern Europe.

I'll be going on what the CIA World Factbook (and Wikipedia) label as Western Europe. I've already mentioned the British Isles, so I'll move into continental Europe. Those countries to be mentioned in this section include the following: Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Monaco. I'll also mention Southwestern Europe; but mostly Portugal and Spain. Now it's being said that a fantasy street course around Madrid, Spain is in the works. So I won't mention Madrid in this section. Belgium is a small-size country, but it features one of the world's best race tracks- Spa-Francorchamps. So that's something to definitely be excited about if you're hoping for more European representation in GT. You can't do any more wrong with Circuit de la Sarthe. You COULD look to add the Bugatti circuit apart from the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe course. Magny-Cours is a great course. One of the most unique courses is Circuit Paul Ricard with its unusual and colorful runoff areas. And about the only other French course I know is Dijon-Prenois. Only track I know in the Netherlands is Assen. That course is tough. There's also Zandvoort, which is pretty tough as well. Spain has a great deal of racing history. Catalunya is perhaps the best circuit in Spain. PD MAY be inclined to port Valencia from Tourist Trophy to GT5. Other good Spanish courses include Jerez and Jarama. What would be interesting is if they got in the Ascari Race Resort. Either way, Spain is one of those can't-miss countries for motorsport. All I know about Portugal racing is the Estoril circuit and the all-new Portimao circuit. Get your engine revved up for racing in Western Europe in GT!

Fantasy street courses from the aforementioned countries (if they can't get real courses) would be great for the following locations:
* Marseilles, France
* Nice, France (a Sister City of my hometown of Houston, TX, USA)
* Amsterdam, Netherlands
* Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands
* Barcelona, Spain
* Seville (Sevilla), Spain
* Toledo, Spain
* Salamanca, Spain
* Lisbon (Lisboa), Portugal

Continental Europe: Central Europe.

The nations to be included in this section include Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Germany is a true heaven of racing circuits as well as some outstanding cars. I'm not usually a fanatic of racing the Nürburgring Nordschleife, but I think if this course is going to be included, try getting the Nürburgring F1 course for when you don't want to do all 12+ miles of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It may even open up the opportunity to run the full 24 Hour Nürburgring course. Hockenheim was a great course, until this dumbed-down version came along. I know the safety aspect, but I've missed the old Hockenheim. Still do. Other German courses can include the Norisring raced by DTM, Eurospeedway Lausitz (that I've always known as the Lausitzring), Oschersleben, and the Sachsenring. If I think Austria, I usually think of the A1 Ring (which I didn't know is also called the Österreichring. Austria is a beautiful country. Brno is the only track I really know in the Czech Republic. That track can be super-slow as every corner is either a 2nd or 3rd Gear corner. Only other course I've heard of was Most. I only know the Hungaroring and Euro-Ring as far as Hungarian circuits go. You be the judge on returning the Swiss Alps. Many people would want to see Grindelwald return. Then again, we do get Eiger Nordwand. This covers all or most of the known circuits.

Fictional street courses in Central European locales would include the following:
* Frankfurt, Germany
* Cologne (Köln), Germany
* Munich, Germany
* Vienna (Wien), Austria
* Budapest, Hungary
* Bern, Switzerland
* Lucerne (Luzern) Switzerland (now a Photo Mode location for GT5!)
* Geneva, Switzerland
* Zurich, Switzerland
* Bratislava, Slovakia

Continental Europe: Northern Europe and Scandinavia.

In this section, I will mention mostly the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland). There are no proper race tracks I know in Denmark. In Sweden, I know of Anderstorp after playing the very first GTR game. There's also Mantorp Park, where you can enjoy some drag racing down the backstretch since it's so long. Sweden is also your hookup for rally racing as you can enjoy rally racing on natural snow. That would be a great consideration for GT5. Finland would be a great rally zone. You can also hark back to the Helsinki street course in the mid-late 1990s. Really, there's not many major places I can think of. If you're crazy enough to think of a Greenlandic course, it would most likely have to be a rally course, or just a romp through a village or town. I've known someone online from Sisimiut, Greenland; which is a coastal city in west southwestern Greenland. I mention Greenland because it's a Denmark dependency.

Fantasy street courses for this international region would include the following:
* Copenhagen, Denmark
* Stockholm, Sweden
* Gothenburg, Sweden
* Helsinki, Finland (even including the real street course raced by a few series)
* Reykjavik, Iceland
* Tallinn, Estonia

Continental Europe: Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

I'm going to define Southern Europe as the following locations that I will mention in this section: Italy, Croatia, Greece, San Marino, and Vatican City. The acquistion of Ferrari means that Polyphony Digital can come up with any number of venues to enjoy racing. Most notably, they COULD use Fiorano, which is Ferrari's test track. They can really do justice by getting the three "M" courses in Italy- Mugello, Misano, and especially Monza. I love racing Monza in games. Mugello can be quite fast, especially on the front straight. Misano is a little more technical, yet still fast. Vallelunga's road course (because Vallelunga does have an oval, but not a traditional American-type oval) is pretty tricky. Mugello is a high-speed playground, but its sudden corners will befuddle speed freaks. Misano is about the same, but you can only go so fast around that course. A return to Rome Circuit days would be a welcome return for the GT series. I'd surely love to see the Rome Night course return so it can be raced MUCH more often than the almost total neglect it had in GT2 (not that I don't mind the Rome Circuit). Enna Pergusa was a course from GTR, and it's a fun course. Adria is a very competitive circuit. The draw for this track to me is that the course is actually much shorter than its configuration suggests. Its full configuration is nowhere near two miles in length (it's about 1.679 miles in length). DO NOT pass up Italy! San Marino is known for only one course- Imola. I've never been a real fan of Imola, but it would be nice to see this track featured. The sad fact about this course is that this is where the great Ayrton Senna was killed at in 1993. There are two Greek courses, Megara and Serres. I know nothing of them. Best that can be done would be a fantasy street course event in Athens or make your own Acropolis Rally.

Rome has been featured in a GT game, so a return there would be great for GT5. Other fictional street course locations in the following cities would be real interesting:
* Vatican City
* Milan, Italy
* Modena, Italy
* Maranello, Italy
* Florence, Italy
* Tuscany, Italy
* Zagreb, Croatia
* Athens, Greece
* Meteora, Greece
* Mykonos, Greece
* Santorini, Greece
* Valletta, Malta
* Msida, Malta

Continental Europe: Eastern Europe and Russia.

Nothing to really note as far as interesting tracks. I know I've heard of a potential Russian Formula 1 course, but nothing to really interesting of note to include here. Possible fantasy street courses would include the following:

* Moscow, Russia
* St. Petersburg, Russia
* Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

(more speculative Eastern Europe venues to be included in the future)

--- Africa ---

Africa is known for two major kinds of racing- rally racing and road racing.

Northern and Central Africa.

I mostly think of the Dakar Rally here. You can have desert-style racing across the Sahara Desert. However, you may still hold a stage using Dakar, Senegal; where the traditional Dakar Rally ends. There was a proposed race track called Ghazala Bay, but last I've heard, those plans have since been cancelled. Nairobi wouldn't be bad for a street course race. Then again, don't forget having your own Safari Rally experience!

Fictional street courses would include venues in the following places:
* Cairo, Egypt
* Aswan, Egypt
* Casablanca, Morocco
* Dakar, Senegal
* Nairobi, Kenya
* (a rally-type course in Nigeria, perhaps the Nigerian capital, Lagos)

Southern Africa and Madagascar.

Only real thing to take away from here is the experience of racing at two of Africa's finest race courses, both in the same country- South Africa. Kyalami is a technical race course, not to mention a fun one. It used to host the South African Grand Prix. The Phakisa Freeway hosts a variety of racing events. The facility in Welkom, South Africa has a 2.5 kilometer oval (about maybe 1.25 or 1.5 miles - top of my head) and a road course. I know it better for the road course configuration there. Like so few oval courses, the Phakisa Freeway's road course does not technically use the oval. As for Madagascar, there are no racing venues to speak of. You COULD do a tarmac rally around Antananarivo (Madagascar's capital).

Fictional street courses would include the following:
* Pretoria, South Africa
* Johannesburg, South Africa
* Cape Town, South Africa

--- Middle East (Excluding Egypt) ---

There actually is racing within the Middle East. The first kind of Middle Eastern racing I've heard of is Middle Eastern rally racing. Motorsports in the Middle East has really emerged. Really, this would come down to four primary countries, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey.

Turkey has the fantastic Istanbul Park circuit. It is a track with a great rhythm just about all the way around. A truly exciting course. A fantasy street course around Istanbul would be interesting, especially if you could maybe have the beautiful Hagia Sophia in the distance.

Arabian Peninsula.

This will include Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Bahrain has that very exciting F1 course It's a jewel in the desert that offers a competitive track that's also lovely. Qatar features the Losail circuit. MotoGP fans were treated to see this track lit up under lots of flood lights for MotoGP's first-ever night race last year. A similar experience would be fun for Gran Turismo 5. The United Arab Emirates has one really great track and potential second and third candidates. The Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, is a very futuristic and ultra-modern racing facility. It has the combination of a competitive racing facility with a little Monte Carlo flair with the marina.

Fictional street courses would be a bit of a gamble for the Middle East, and there isn't too much you can do here except:
* Istanbul, Turkey
* Dubai, United Arab Emirates
* Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

--- Asia ---

The world's largest size continent is Asia. Lots of racing for you to enjoy if you're into racing. Let's speculate on venue ideas for GT5 in Asia!

South Asia.

South Asia will mostly be defined as Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and especially India. Only Hindu racer I've heard of is Narain Karthikeyan. There are two known Indian circuits- Kari Memorial Speedway (Coimbatore) and Irungattukottai. There's the potential for Formula One to have a first-ever Indian Grand Prix at a new track called the Jaypee Group Circuit, set to be situated about 40 miles away from Delhi. The real likelihood would probably be some fantasy street courses if you're talking Indian courses. They include:
* Mumbai, India
* Jodhpur, India
* Agra, India (where the Taj Mahal is located)
* New Dehli, India
* Calcutta (Kolkata), India
* Lucknow, India
* Kandy, Sri Lanka

Asia: Southeast Asia and the Philippines.

There are some major cities as well as some other various points that would serve as great venues for a rally race or two. Have a look:

I'd first like to start with Thailand. There are two circuits I know little about- Bira International Raceway and Thailand Circuit. Thailand Circuit has an interesting-looking configuration. Really, there's a great deal of racing in Thailand. Very involved. Actual Thai courses aren't likely in GT5, but if anything, Bangkok and Pattaya could have some fantasy road (as in country or rural roads) or street courses. Vietnam doesn't have any motor racing venues I'm aware of. Venues will have to come down to rally-type courses or street races. This would be grounds for some good rally action or maybe some street course ideas. The big-name cities to think of would be Hanoi (Ha Noi) and especially Ho Chi Minh (Saigon/Sai Gon). Some nice small cities and towns that would be good for some racing would include Vinh Long, Da Nang, and Haiphong. Surely Malaysia has some racing involvement. The Sepang is one of the finest courses in Asia. Maybe the best mainland Asia track. Very exciting course. There are some other Malaysian courses, but Sepang is the finest. A fantasy course or Photo Mode visit to Kuala Lumpur would be great. The Petronas Towers must be visible. Singapore's F1 may or may not be possible, but it's still quite fun and unique. It's an amazing experience. Even more so if included in GT5. Indonesia has the Sentul Circuit and some sort of street course around Jakarta (capital of Indonesia). How about some love for the world's largest archipelago, PD? Finally, and speaking of island nations, we conclude with the Philippines. There are two known circuits- Batangas and Subic Bay. Batangas is a tangled mess of roads, kind of like a Filipino version of Brasilia. The extended version is even more a tangled mess. Still, it's quite competitive. So is Subic Bay, which is a much more simpler course. A fantasy street course deal would include Manila or Cebu City.

Fantasy street courses in this international region would include:
* Chittagong, Bangladesh
* Bangkok, Thailand
* Pattaya, Thailand
* Hanoi (Ha Noi), Vietnam (Viet Nam)
* Saigon (Sai Gon)/Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (Viet Nam)
* Vinh Long, Vietnam
* Da Nang, Vietnam
* Haiphong, Vietnam
* Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
* Jakarta, Indonesia
* Manila, Philippines
* Cebu City, Philippines
* Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea Republic.

Hong Kong would be a nice return to GT5. But really, I'd prefer the race be held deeper into the night rather than the twilight setting. And just to make it fun, why not have a laser light show from the tops of the buildings across the water? It would make things a bit more fun. Either this, or have a more interesting race through Hong Kong. Macau is a street course nightmare. However, it's widely respected. Only RACE WTCC has featured Macau (for all I know), so why not another game to feature this place? Within China, Goldenport is popular... or at least the rFactor version. It's a very interesting course, though I've never been able to play it in rFactor. There was an A1GP event around the streets of Beijing, but it really looked like a course thrown together at the last moment and not too successful. This Jingkai course would be a no-no. Maybe look to make some more interesting city street courses using other parts of Beijing. There's also Zhuhai, which has seen some international action before. The ultimate would be the Shanghai Circuit. Taiwanese influence would include a fantasy street course in Taipei. I know nothing of North Korean racing. South Korea is pleased to be able to host a Formula One grand prix motor race in a few years. The streets of Seoul were supplied in GT4, though many felt Seoul could have been a much longer track. Changwon had a popular F3 racing venue on its city streets. Everland Speedway looks pretty fun.

The speculative fantasy street courses would include the following:
* Beijing, China
* Chongqing, China
* Wuhan, China
* Shanghai, China
* Suzhou, China
* Taipei, Taiwan
* Changwon, South Korea
* Deagu, South Korea

Japan.

Most people just think that all Polyphony Digital cares about more than any other place is their native Japan. Even so, there are a variety of challenging courses in Japan. If PD were to include more tracks from its native country, they have a variety of choices. Some are good courses that haven't made it into the GT series. With a focus on drifting, Ebisu is pretty can't-miss. One of Japan's best race courses is one that missed out on hosting an F1 race- Autopolis. The course is very challenging and really tests you on a variety of levels. Super GT (formerly the JGTC) started racing at Autopolis starting back in the 2003 or 2004 season. It's an incredible challenge. Not sure what tracks are still standing, but here are a garden variety of good Japanese courses: Nakayama, Okayama, Sugo, and Tokachi. Funny enough, I don't think there's been a proper temporary street course (the D1GP drifting action in Tokyo's Odaiba doesn't count). So let's look to fantasy street courses for some added Japanese flair:
* Yokohama, Japan
* Osaka, Japan
* Toyota, Japan
* Fukuoka, Japan
* Hiroshima, Japan
* Nagasaki, Japan
* Hakodate, Japan
* Sapporo, Japan
* Chiba, Japan

--- Australasia ---

Some think that Australia is just too far away from most other countries to really have a presence in motorsport. Australia surely has its own identity in motorsports. This is a golden opportunity for PD to look for Australian venues. They NEED Australian venues if they ever want to have a true Australian presence in GT5.

Australia and Tasmania.

Bathurst. Bathurst will make countless Australian racing fans happy. It has the history and the character to be one of the finest racing tracks to race on in ANY game. A quality look at Bathurst would be great for GT5. If not that, then there's Surfer's Paradise- one of my personal favorite street courses. You can basically follow the Australian V8 Supercar Series or maybe the Australian GT championship for great venues. Good real circuits would include Eastern Creek and Sandown. Hidden Valley and Winton would make for great racing too. Finally, how about a proper farewell to Oran Park, one of the most unique courses anywhere in the world? Maybe PD could get to Oran Park and be able to model it as this track is soon to be demolished. Phillip Island isn't bad to consider. The view of the ocean is quite unique there as you race.

There are a variety of real temporary courses like Adelaide and Melbourne's Albert Park. Fantasy street courses would be interesting in this city, especially looking to these cities:
* Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
* Canberra, Australia (just not that terrible street course from the early 2000s)
* Perth, Western Australia, Australia
* Uluru, Australia
* Brisbane, Australia
* Hobart, Tasmania
* Launceston, Tasmania

New Zealand.

Other than Pukekohe, I don't know much else about motorsport in New Zealand. I only know New Zealand for one of the most kick-ass families in racing- the Millens (Rod, Steve, Rhys, etc.). New Zealand is home to the world's southernmost race track, Teretonga Park. Taupo Motorsport Park played host to the A1 Grand Prix in the past. Teretonga Park and Taupo Motorsport Park are two lovely facilities. Only three major cities come to mind for any fictional street courses. And here are three good ideas:

* Auckland, New Zealand
* Wellington, New Zealand
* Christchurch, New Zealand





--- Various Island Nations and Other Venues ---
This just concerns any other points of the world that haven't been mentioned. I can't think of many other places. I would want to see a return to Tahiti for the GT series. Maybe look for some action in other points of the world like these:

* Noumea, New Caledonia
* Christmas Island
* Reunion Island
* Maldives
* Tuvalu
* American Samoa
* Guam
* Kingston, Jamaica
* Canary Islands
* Ibiza Town, Ibiza

--- Overall... ---

Please note that all of the many locales I mentioned will NOT be in GT5. Instead, there are ideas of mine as far as where Polyphony Digital can look to for any international locales whether in road racing, rally racing, photo mode, or any combination of the three. Gran Turismo 5 needs more Canadian, Latin American (especially Brazil), and Australian influence. A longshot would be to get some African influence as well as digging deeper into Europe. I also believe that Gran Turismo 5 should include at least one track from each of the nationalities of cars in the game. GT4 is an example of some places that have a nationality of car, only not with a "home" track. Think of Seat (Spanish), Spyker (Denmark), Gillet (Belgium), Volvo (Sweden), and all the Australian makes (Holden, Ford Australia, and FPV). They need some sort of representation for home tracks! This was a long read, but it's just the various ideas and locations that PD can look to for inspiration to travel the world looking for the next best venues to feature in the Gran Turismo series.





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