Polyphony: “Car damage possible in Gran Turismo 4”
Car manufacturers still undecided.
Speaking to assembled press in Tokyo recently, Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi made some explosive comments about what might be found within the top secret online racer Gran Turismo 4.
“Some improvements were made in Gran Turismo 3 but many ideas still weren’t implemented,” he said. “In Gran Turismo 4 we want to fully explore the simulation aspects of the series.” Exactly what this means was not explained, though it’s thought that deeper attention to direct car-track interaction and its shifting dynamic throughout a race is occupying a lot of time at physics-fetishists Polyphony HQ.
“A wholly redesigned gameplay system has been proposed, including new modes of play,” Yamauchi continued. “Network compatibility for example, is a major step in development and something we’re exploring.” This comment can be pretty much overlooked as Sony insiders for the past six months or so have openly confirmed that GT4 will be online-heavy.
Then, daring to mention a subject widely ignored in the series’ history, Yamauchi said, “We’re still interested in vehicle damage modelling, but that issue has caused some arguments with auto manufacturers.” At first, this brings joy to our hearts, as we imagine superb Burnout 2-style hyper pile-ups. But given the reticence of the manufacturers to allow this in previous versions of the GT series, it is more likely that we’ll see small damage acting cumulatively as a handicap to careless drivers. It’s time that the car manufacturers realised that being able to snap their cars’ chassis in massive million-mile-an-hour smashes wouldn’t prevent us from buying their cars in future… in fact, it would encourage us.
If Gran Turismo 4 is at E3 this year, we’ll find out then.
“Some improvements were made in Gran Turismo 3 but many ideas still weren’t implemented,” he said. “In Gran Turismo 4 we want to fully explore the simulation aspects of the series.” Exactly what this means was not explained, though it’s thought that deeper attention to direct car-track interaction and its shifting dynamic throughout a race is occupying a lot of time at physics-fetishists Polyphony HQ.
“A wholly redesigned gameplay system has been proposed, including new modes of play,” Yamauchi continued. “Network compatibility for example, is a major step in development and something we’re exploring.” This comment can be pretty much overlooked as Sony insiders for the past six months or so have openly confirmed that GT4 will be online-heavy.
Then, daring to mention a subject widely ignored in the series’ history, Yamauchi said, “We’re still interested in vehicle damage modelling, but that issue has caused some arguments with auto manufacturers.” At first, this brings joy to our hearts, as we imagine superb Burnout 2-style hyper pile-ups. But given the reticence of the manufacturers to allow this in previous versions of the GT series, it is more likely that we’ll see small damage acting cumulatively as a handicap to careless drivers. It’s time that the car manufacturers realised that being able to snap their cars’ chassis in massive million-mile-an-hour smashes wouldn’t prevent us from buying their cars in future… in fact, it would encourage us.
If Gran Turismo 4 is at E3 this year, we’ll find out then.
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Comments
sinfuldeath 25 Jan 2004 02:51
1/7
this game is gonna rock
DoctorDee 25 Jan 2004 09:27
2/7
sinfuldeath wrote:
>this game is gonna rock
That goes without saying. But apart from more cars and more tracks, what is it really gonna add to GT3?
The one thing that the series has been missing is car damage, and the story suggesting that we might see it in GT4 is nearly a year old now... and since then no more news has emerged.
The car manufacturers have been very reticent to allow car damage in previous versions, there's no reason why they should change their minds now. But we can hope!
>this game is gonna rock
That goes without saying. But apart from more cars and more tracks, what is it really gonna add to GT3?
The one thing that the series has been missing is car damage, and the story suggesting that we might see it in GT4 is nearly a year old now... and since then no more news has emerged.
The car manufacturers have been very reticent to allow car damage in previous versions, there's no reason why they should change their minds now. But we can hope!
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Darkhound 25 Jan 2004 20:07
3/7
Wake up and go and buy a copy of PGR2, GT got boring half way through GT2.
scanman 26 Jan 2004 09:31
4/7
Darkhound wrote:
>Wake up and go and buy a copy of PGR2,
If PGR2 was such a great game, how come it very barely caused a bliip on the radar when it was released?
In spite of TV commercials in almost every ad break (esp on Sci-Fi, which must be the console gamer demog) and even a desperate last-minute XBox/PGR2 bundle from MS, the game's highest all formats chart position was number 17 - the week after it dropped out of the top 30. Gamers must really be lapping it up.
> GT got boring half way through GT2.
And Met Street Rager got boring half way through, er, Met Street Racer. Heh.
You are right though, but that's because the PS1 was really old by that time. GT3 looked and played great - even does when you play it now, years after release. PGR looks shiny, but has no soul, and the handling it just a bit iffy. Oh, and it's the same game as MSR, with a few extra cars and (desolate) cities. The least they could have done is added some newspapers and tumbleweeds to finish the look. ;)
At least the GT3 had *loads* of new cars, plus stuff like the rally tracks.
To get back on topic though, GT *REALLY* needs to have damage deformation. Sony and Polyphony need to give the finger to the car manufacturures who won't play along.
GT will only be taken seriously as "the driving simulator" when glancing collision or t-boning punishing the player accordingly.
>Wake up and go and buy a copy of PGR2,
If PGR2 was such a great game, how come it very barely caused a bliip on the radar when it was released?
In spite of TV commercials in almost every ad break (esp on Sci-Fi, which must be the console gamer demog) and even a desperate last-minute XBox/PGR2 bundle from MS, the game's highest all formats chart position was number 17 - the week after it dropped out of the top 30. Gamers must really be lapping it up.
> GT got boring half way through GT2.
And Met Street Rager got boring half way through, er, Met Street Racer. Heh.
You are right though, but that's because the PS1 was really old by that time. GT3 looked and played great - even does when you play it now, years after release. PGR looks shiny, but has no soul, and the handling it just a bit iffy. Oh, and it's the same game as MSR, with a few extra cars and (desolate) cities. The least they could have done is added some newspapers and tumbleweeds to finish the look. ;)
At least the GT3 had *loads* of new cars, plus stuff like the rally tracks.
To get back on topic though, GT *REALLY* needs to have damage deformation. Sony and Polyphony need to give the finger to the car manufacturures who won't play along.
GT will only be taken seriously as "the driving simulator" when glancing collision or t-boning punishing the player accordingly.
lee 27 Jan 2004 08:09
5/7
"To get back on topic though, GT *REALLY* needs to have damage deformation. Sony and Polyphony need to give the finger to the car manufacturures who won't play along."
yeah it's crazy that Polyphony gave us some blag about we can't damage car models because the manufacturers won't allow it. Then i'm banging my ferrari Enzo up in PG2. And for the record damaging CGI of supercars has not tainted my desire for them one bit. hmm 360 spyder.
Maybe the reason car deformation wasn't included in the Gran Turismo series was because it was too much effort. I'm more interested in the gameplay affects of a collision than asthetics. Bouncing off cars and corners can't be a viable tactic in a game that has the word simulator in the title. yeah i want the realism of crushed polygons, but i also want random things to go wrong after crashes. Like someone is trying to steer your car for you and you have to correct or some gears not working.
If Gran Turismo 4 is a much fun online as PG2 is, then we'll have two must have games. I'm unsure what the current UK playstation 2 broadband status, anyone know? I know GT4 would make me buy a PAL ps2 and hook that into my hub. I'm wondering if i can sneak onto the jap servers, but damn figuring out the menus. maybe i'll link a faq if i find one.
I played GT3 to death, can't wait for the sequel.
sub
yeah it's crazy that Polyphony gave us some blag about we can't damage car models because the manufacturers won't allow it. Then i'm banging my ferrari Enzo up in PG2. And for the record damaging CGI of supercars has not tainted my desire for them one bit. hmm 360 spyder.
Maybe the reason car deformation wasn't included in the Gran Turismo series was because it was too much effort. I'm more interested in the gameplay affects of a collision than asthetics. Bouncing off cars and corners can't be a viable tactic in a game that has the word simulator in the title. yeah i want the realism of crushed polygons, but i also want random things to go wrong after crashes. Like someone is trying to steer your car for you and you have to correct or some gears not working.
If Gran Turismo 4 is a much fun online as PG2 is, then we'll have two must have games. I'm unsure what the current UK playstation 2 broadband status, anyone know? I know GT4 would make me buy a PAL ps2 and hook that into my hub. I'm wondering if i can sneak onto the jap servers, but damn figuring out the menus. maybe i'll link a faq if i find one.
I played GT3 to death, can't wait for the sequel.
sub
dyne 27 Jan 2004 11:26
6/7
Car deformation is the next logical step for Polyphony if it wants to avoid GT4 being labelled a re-hash/pseudo sequel.
And more than six cars on circuit please.
And more than six cars on circuit please.
DoctorDee 28 Jan 2004 11:48
7/7
>yeah it's crazy that Polyphony gave us some blag
>about we can't damage car models because the
>manufacturers won't allow it. Then i'm banging my
>ferrari Enzo up in PG2.
Yeah, but I think SOME manufacturers (clearly not Ferrari, who are more bothered about winnning races than impressing yuppies) wouldn't allow it, and because Polyphony wanted Gran Turismo to have a gazillion manufacturers/cars, they had to make it a level playing field, and make none of the cars deformable.
But Polyphony should just flip the manufacturers who won't allow deformation. GT sells cars - fact! I only bought my FTO after seeing it in GT2. I test drive my MR2 in GT before test driving it in real life. There's very little chance I'd buy a car that wasn't included in GT ;-)