Gran Turismo 7 (4th March 2022)

[Ronnie]

9 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

Watch out, this game features some pretty aggressive monitization that Sony haven't been public about...

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/gran-turismo-7s-microtransactions-are-live-and-gt-sports-5-cars-now-cost-40/

 

Spectacular.

Edited March 4, 2022 by Ronnie

[Cookyman]

You earn money throughout the game by playing it.  I really don't see this as an issue (unless you want a car immediately!) If so, get a grip!.

 

[Hero-of-Time]

7 minutes ago, Cookyman said:

You earn money throughout the game by playing it.  I really don't see this as an issue (unless you want a car immediately!) If so, get a grip!.

 

I think it's more about hiding the fact rather than the implementation, They've essentially pulled an Activision and hidden this from reviewers as to not ruffle any feathers. Once reviews were published they've hit the switch and activated the microtransactions. 

I would exactly call them aggressive microtransactions seeing as you can earn money in game, just like every other GT game before this. As Cookyman said, it's just for those who are impatient. However, it remains to be seen whether or not in game winnings are substantial or if players will be forced to grind a stupid amount and thereby force their hand to buy these packs. This is something Forza came under fire for a few games back and the developers had to recalculate what players earned.

As a side note, a game that is already £70 shouldn't have these things in it in the first place but that's the way the industry is these days.  

[Dcubed]

25 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I think it's more about hiding the fact rather than the implementation, They've essentially pulled an Activision and hidden this from reviewers as to not ruffle any feathers. Once reviews were published they've hit the switch and activated the microtransactions. 

I would exactly call them aggressive microtransactions seeing as you can earn money in game, just like every other GT game before this. As Cookyman said, it's just for those who are impatient. However, it remains to be seen whether or not in game winnings are substantial or if players will be forced to grind a stupid amount and thereby force their hand to buy these packs. This is something Forza came under fire for a few games back and the developers had to recalculate what players earned.

As a side note, a game that is already £70 shouldn't have these things in it in the first place but that's the way the industry is these days.  

Supposedly it can take 40+ hours of non-stop grinding to unlock just one of the most expensive cars in the game from what I'm hearing on Resetera (and that place is Playstation central!)...

There is no way that they would have such a soul crushing grind if they weren't trying to upsell players.  You do not put MTX into a game without the intention of it being the primary way for players to progress, the suffering is the point.

Oh, and worth pointing out that this is AFTER the comical £70 entry fee that they charge too!

Edited March 4, 2022 by Dcubed

[Hero-of-Time]

In all fairness, GT games always had stupid grinds. I can't speak for later entries as GT4 was the last one I played but I remember on GT3 having to do a stupid amount of races on the same track in order to afford upgrades and better cars. I always used to pick the oval tracks as I could just essentially go on auto pilot during the grind.  

[Dcubed]

It gets even worse...

https://www.gtplanet.net/gt7-legends-hagerty-collection-20220304/

Quote

Gran Turismo has partnered with specialist classic car insurance and valuation company Hagerty, in a collaboration that will see the brand provide real-world, dynamic values for some of GT7’s most exclusive cars.

The tie-in will be part of the game’s “Legend Cars” dealership — previously known as “Brighton Antiques” in the pre-launch build-up. This part of the map, which players unlock as part of GT Cafe’s Menu Book 17, now bears prominent Hagerty branding, with the dealer’s stock now appearing to be part of the Hagerty Collection...

...More intriguingly, the vehicle values will be dynamic, and guided by Hagerty’s own real-world expertise. Although no interval has been stated yet, the prices in the dealer will rise and fall (as indicated by blue and red arrows) as they would in a real classic car dealer, using the Hagerty Valuation Tool.

Cars in the Hagerty Collection look set to have values of between 150,000cr and 20,000,000cr. As that latter value is a hard credit cap for player wallets in Gran Turismo 7, as it was in GT Sport, it seems like that would be the upper limit on any vehicle prices.

For players in the USA, there’s another angle to the partnership. If you’re a member of the Hagerty Drivers Club, you can receive a voucher to get a free vehicle from the Legend Cars dealership, with an exclusive Hagerty livery. That deal renews every year, so you can get a different car each time.

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Dcubed

[Hero-of-Time]

I was waiting to see how long it would take you to pop in here and post this. Took longer than expected.  

[Glen-i]

2 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I was waiting to see how long it would take you to pop in here and post this. Took longer than expected.  

He only just woke up.

[Hero-of-Time]

2 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

He only just woke up.

Were you watching him sleep? 

 

[Glen-i]

8 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Were you watching him sleep? 

I visit his house once a week to sponge off his not-crap internet connection.

I've got better things to do, like play Pokémon online.

[Hero-of-Time]

1 minute ago, Glen-i said:

 

I've got better things to do, like play Pokémon online.

I feel like watching Dcubed sleep is the better option of the two. 

[Hero-of-Time]

How are you finding the game @Julius and @Cookyman? From what I've been reading, it seems that it's a return to form for the franchise and very much feels like the GT games of old.

 

[Cookyman]

It's great I had GT Sport but didn't play it much but I just seem to get it this time.  It's not the normal type of racer I play and this realism takes some adjustment, you can no longer crash into other cars to take a corner lol 😂

I'm getting a feel for it now and the licence tests definitely help.  I think this game will be a long haul investment to get the most out of it but is fortunately rewarding as you learn.

Just out of interest how are you playing it?  I personally prefer the in car view, it just adds the extra realism factor 

[Julius]

4 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

How are you finding the game @Julius and @Cookyman? From what I've been reading, it seems that it's a return to form for the franchise and very much feels like the GT games of old.

It's addictively good, and I mean, the fact that I've apparently already put 15 hours into it while mainly playing a game as brilliant as Elden Ring - and I'm someone that typically hates playing more than one game at a time - speaks volumes about the game's quality. Not once but twice I've already noticed my friends playing the game at 23:00, I figure if we're all playing we might as well jump in a chat - even if we're at different stages and doing our own things - and all of a sudden it's 04:00 or 05:00! It's just that much fun. Friday night one of us was in Yorkshire but he jumped into the chat to talk, and so I shared my screen over the chat in the PS App, which was a surprisingly seamless experience. 

I mentioned a lot of my points of praise before, but what I think you'd enjoy about it is that it definitely feels like a game where it highlights all of the things you need to do to progress as you play - if you just want the main course, by all means, it wants you to just start digging into the meat of the meal, and you don't really need to dive into the side dishes of the game if that's not your thing. Coupled with the fast loading times and snappy menus, if you only focus on races and the minimum required upgrades, I reckon you're getting through some 10 - 15 races per hour quite handily, and if you're in a rush and ready to go from one to the next, probably even a bit closer to 20. From what I've seen of the trophies it also seems to be one that wants you to put time into the game and mastering it in some aspects (such as the License Tests, which are very addictive, especially with friends' times to beat), but isn't asking nearly as much as I would have expected from a game like this. 

There are things I have gripes with, though, for sure. After one long session I've already kicked the in-game soundtrack to the curb and have started a custom playlist for the game, mainly with music from older games and some Japanese pop/rock/jazz/hype tracks to keep that GT vibe going, and if not that I'll just stick on a podcast instead. Again, online multiplayer not being available from the get-go in a game which requires online seems pretty deplorable to me, and even if you crit path it to unlock it (it's 9 or 10 café missions in), you're probably looking at an hour to an hour and a half to unlock it if you win every race on your first attempt and don't get distracted by some of the side stuff. 

And yeah, there's a big question at the back of my mind about the microtransactions. It seemed inevitable after how I saw them implemented from a distance in Sport, but keeping mum until the release of the game about it (it was one of the first things I asked about to my friend who got the game a day early when we jumped in a chat together) in the style of Battlefront II was a stupid move, and having the option to top up your wallet with some microtransactions show up every time you get some more credits added to your funds after a race, or when confirming a purchase, is despicable. I picked up the Digital Deluxe Edition and have only been using the extra cash I got on upgrading my vehicle and yesterday I finally dipped lower than 1 million CR in the bank, mainly because you'll do a bunch of races with one car and then you'll need to use an American 4WD car that you haven't upgraded, and need to start upgrading that to get it in shape for a race to be competitive. This all being said, it's still far from the most disgusting and predatory microtransactions I've come across in a game, because GTA Online takes the cake there. 

In short: highly recommend, don't think I've ever been so addicted to a racing game before, and if not for Elden Ring, I have no doubt my time in the game would be double what it currently is. I wanted to nip playing FIFA in the bud this year and it seems doable now that GT7 is here. 

Also @Cookyman I'm playing with the front of car perspective. I did start in the cockpit, and the game looks fantastic there, but once I got to the point of the License Tests and needing to shave off a second or two here or there to beat my friend's times, I found that I needed a full view so that I could cut over corners exactly how I needed to, etc. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by Julius

[Hero-of-Time]

Thanks for the impressions guys. Had the game not been £70 I probably would have picked it up. 

[Julius]

5 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Had the game not been £70 I probably would have picked it up. 

Yeah, honestly I don't blame you, especially with all of the other great games out at the moment, as well as waiting to see how this whole microtransaction situation plays out long term for the game, because right now I think it's tough to gauge exactly how impactful that is on the mid- and late-game. 

For me, I knew the quantity would be there to help me replace FIFA (though I had questions over whether or not it would click), and so £70 was fine for me because I was signing up for the long haul anyways, but if you get the opportunity to grab this game on sale towards the end of the year when I imagine we'll see it going for £30 to £40, I think it'll be a bargain for how much you'll get out of it 

[Julius]

Getting Gold in IA-5 kept me from playing Elden Ring yesterday. Some of these License Tests are no joke! 

To give you an idea, the course is probably no longer than 2 miles, and when I completed it I had some 483 miles added to my daily counter, so...yeah, it's rough. Definitely the one I've spent the most time on so far, but Gold on some of the other License Tests is nothing to snort at either. Got to the point where I know that part of the track to an insane degree and was adjusting on the fly to wheel spin and dodgy cornering on each run, constantly getting Silvers, and ended up with an insanely clean looking run. About 25% of the way into my attempts I think I had it down but my thumb locked onto the left stick and I accidentally flicked the car off the track as I took it off for a straight. Grrrrrrrr. 

My mate bested my time after probably half of my attempts but watched my run for reference and I gave him tips on it as he went. A little grating to my pride that he beat my time considering how much time I put in to mastering the test, but I'm glad he went for it and can now appreciate my pain, and I'm never going back.

My Gold run according to him looked much, much smoother than his, though, so I'll take that  hopefully the PS App hurries up and updates with screenshots and videos soon so I can start sticking some footage I've captured on here (had an insane rally run where I became Lightning McQueen), as uploading to and copying thing from Twitter is a bit of a pain!

[Hero-of-Time]

Yeah, getting gold in license tests on past games was always a tough challenge. Glad to see that remains the case here. I always sucked at them.  

[drahkon]

So, @Julius, where are the screenshots?  

[Hero-of-Time]

54 minutes ago, drahkon said:

So, @Julius, where are the screenshots?  

[bob]

[Happenstance]

1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Why hasn't that actually been included as a car in one of these games??? I'd love to drive that again!

[Julius]

2 hours ago, drahkon said:

So, @Julius, where are the screenshots?  

I haven't played around with Scapes too much yet to be honest, but I'll throw some replays up later 

[drahkon]

1 hour ago, Julius said:

I haven't played around with Scapes too much yet to be honest

[Julius]

Me yesterday: man, I can't wait to spend the entire day with Elden Ring!

Also me yesterday, 5 minutes before disaster: I'll just do another Menu in GT7...

And just like that, I spent yesterday completing the remaining 10 or so Menus I had left, and so I've seen credits roll  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love Elden Ring, but damn it is GT7 relentlessly difficult to put down once you pick it up. Every time I say "I'll just do one more race" or "just one more attempt at this License Test", hours zip by.

Basically, my current outlook is this (except change "But I like this" to "I'm hopelessly addicted to this whenever I pick it up"):

I've said a fair bit about the game by this point, so what I'll say this time is that the Menus you get from the Café can get painfully long towards the end. You end up with races that are frequently 5 - 7 laps long, and if not each race feels like 10+ minutes at a minimum and, unlike Forza, there's no rewind function of course, so if you mess up, that's that, it's time to restart. So it's one heck of a time sink! 

The final Menu, Menu 39, ends with a 5 race championship, all of which are roughly 10 minutes long, if not longer. I souped up my Audi R8 LMS I got from one of the License Tests, and for the first time added nitro -- this was a long list of races, and I didn't want it to come down to the wire only for me to come a moment short.

And well, it did come down to the wire. I won the first four races handily, utilising nitro early on along straights to pull away from the pack overall, and made a nice chunk of change while doing so. But the last race? Well, it was a 2 lap epic around the Nürburgring starting in the pitch black of night (did I mention just how dark this game is at night? No? Well I have now ).

However, this came with the added bonus of, I think for the first time in one of these Menus (?), getting to see the sunrise rather than sunset, and boy was it magical as I started to notice a soft amber glow creep across the hilltops...

...before taking a look back and watching as the sun rose from its slumber. 

Spellbindingly spectacular. 

But back to me talking about the race! As I slinked my way through the Ring from one corner to another, I decided to save just under a quarter of my nitro tank for the long straight on the second lap - which comes just before a final hurdle of a few corners and the finish line - to give me a final boost should I need it to get me over the line in 1st place. I had already won the championship by this point with my preceding four wins, but this was about pride.

As the race came towards its end, things got tighter, and tighter, and tighter.

5 seconds behind the leader. The car started jerking around.

4 seconds behind the leader. The nerves started kicking in.

3 seconds behind the leader. I rolled off the track. My hands were getting shaky. 

4 seconds behind the leader. I rushed back into my groove and curl around a corner, only to come off the track slightly collide with the wall at a generous angle. 

I needed to get onto the straight, and I needed more than anything to click R3 in to rapidly accelerate with my nitro. 

Come on, just one final push...

You really can't write this stuff. What a climactic finish to a 15 minute epic of a race. Simply magical, heart-pounding and fist-pumping stuff! 

And so yeah, credits have rolled on GT7, but I am far from done with the game some 30 hours or so in.

I have Gold on the License Tests only up until IA-8, but went ahead to finish both the International A and Super Licenses with Bronzes and Silvers (just tried them until I finished them all, not going for Gold), so I've got to go back and beat my head against a wall some more. Some of those Super License Tests feel very doable at a Gold standard, but some, and especially the Exam, well, they have me nervous. I then have all of the Missions to get Gold in. And to go back and get Gold in every race and championship available (I came 2nd in one championship/cup and 3rd in two others). And only then will I even think of turning my head to launching myself at the Platinum. 

But, for now, I can get by on just doing the daily 26.2 miles for my roulette ticket and chipping away at all of these tasks - I'm in no real rush, besides wanting to get the Plat by the end of the year. It's a long journey ahead (I've barely touched the online racing and I know you really need to rack the miles up there for the Plat), but I've said before that I'm in the long haul for this game, so I'm committed to it. For now, I can finally - hopefully - step back and pump more time into Elden Ring. 

Also, @drahkon, I'm late, but you asked for some pics and I'm here to deliver. Here's a wacky and wild mix of screenshots from gameplay, Scapes videos, Menu photos, and Scapes photos: 

Spoiler

Oh, and this one is pretty special to me, so belongs outside of the spoiler tag. When I was very little I had a remote controlled early 2000's Ford Focus rally car, which I think I still have to this day and played with a whole lot growing up. It looked a lot like this: 

And well, it's not perfect, but...

There was a much closer livery someone designed even including the Martini and Valvoline logos, but the light blues were egregiously wrong and there was too much red, so I'll be keeping an eye out for an alternative, and the general colour scheme and look is similar enough for me (for now). 

I'm also praying that someone takes the aesthetic of a yakuza back tattoo design and applies it to a livery that they share in this game, something like this: 

So yeah, my eyes are peeled