Gran Turismo 5

[Wools]

If you're playing it long term, and we're getting new seasonal races to do every week and so on, then level 40 is not going to be a grind at all. Even if it takes a year. If you are enjoying playing the game anyway then it's just a bonus. If you're not enjoying it... well.. too bad! Obviously level 40 is not for you. Same as you said about MW2 basically, but I assume the timescales were a lot lower in that case. I still reckon this attitude is only prevalent amongst "videogame fans". My friend back in the UK got this game, he is not a gamer, but he is obsessed with cars, and I have no doubt in my mind that he will hit level 40 one day. Probably before I do. He plays it cos he loves it, not cos it's a game he has to complete.

My guess is that was not the last update to the game anyhow. There will surely be some kind of seasonal championship at some point.

I'm not sure if I have ever looked at a game just as something to complete, especially with GT as I love Motorsport and just want to wallow in it! However, I do feel that there are issues with the game that forces users to play it (Rather ironically in your friends case) in a old fashioned, videogame way, if they want to unlock some of the good stuff.

I spent a rather enjoyable 2 and a half days playing online MW2 and never once felt I was grinding to achieve something. I was playing because I was enjoying it. The majority of the 30 or so hours I've spent with GT5 have been fantastic but for half of that time, I was forced to re-play a race in till I became bored with it, just to earn enough money to buy a car for an event.

I dropped out of the single player grind before I became bored and have spent all playtime just before Christmas playing online and Practise, having a fantastic time with it. However, I've not ventured back to single player because I fear what the game will be asking me to do. Maybe I'll go back to soak up the Seasonals Events to see if they've improved the journey.

[Darwock]

See, thing is you are talking about a game that no longer exists. They have changed it. I bought this on the weekend of launch but the pace I have been playing it means I have never come up against this problem that everyone is talking about, and now I never will because it no longer exists.

I might not have unlocked the 24hr but I've unlocked damn near everything else I could want to keep me occupied. In fact for the last few weeks I haven't done anything other than muck around in photo mode, drift trials and do seasonal races anyway.

[Wools]

Well I can only speak from personal experience, and I was thoroughly enjoying A-Spec in till it was giving me no option but to grind.

If the focus is now on Seasonal Events for A-Spec progression then great, but you can't dispute one players feeling of the game if they were hit by this direction before the game patched it out. I've not gone back to A-Spec because of how bored I was, but may return in the future when I know there's a get out clause of this play style.

[Darwock]

I'm not disputing it, I'm just wondering what relevance it has now.

To me this is a bit like someone posting on the FFXI thread today saying it's crap because it lacks content, because it lacked content when they played it a month after launch.

[J0e Musashi]

The only reason I can see for people having to grind is that they started playing before the Seasonal Races were added. I had done this and was struggling, but I deleted my save file and started again exactly one month after I had first started. In less than two weeks I have made way, way more progress than I had previously in over twice the time.

Upon re-starting I did a few License Tests to hit Level 1, completed a few A-spec races to earn some cash and then (as said three times now) hit Seasonal Events Bonus Races 2-4. I bought a Mini, which was required to enter the first race. Upon winning I then bought (and fully upgraded) the next car required for the next race and so on until I had finished all of them. By fully upgrading you can easily win with no messing about, so I see it as a good thing. Once done I had 17 fully upgraded cars, and a stupid amount of money in the bank.

Next I moved onto the Special events, which also give out lots of Exp and money. Once they were done I moved onto the License Tests. Only once I had done all of this did I move onto A-spec proper. By this time I had earned more vehicles and more cash, plus being at level 25 means I can enter any race barring the Endurance Series.

I only enter races that I already have cars for, so I may not be going in order, but I am not having to grind at all.

I'm not rushing through the game, as I have no need to be the first person to reach Level 40. If anything I am only interested in reaching 100% completion. If it takes me nine months then it takes nine months. The game is enjoyable enough for me to spend that long playing it. It'd certainly be worth the purchase price that way.
One thing I don't understand is the need for multiple accounts, it seems this is an anti-grinding method, which is unnecessary IMO.

Alongside Demon's Souls (which WAS repetitive), I have not enjoyed a game as much as this in a very long time. I really cannot see why people seem to be having trouble enjoying it.

[Bassman]

Are they going to run out of Seasonal Events at some point I wonder as there are only so many combinations of Premiums and Tracks, that are worth doing.

Just did a mental calculation (now where did I put those aspirins...). You get 200-300K for the weekly set of 5 Seasonal Races. These (from GTP) are the Exp required for the higher levels...

(30) 641774
(31) 821471
(32) 1051483
(33) 1345898
(34) 1722749
(35) 2205119
(36) 2822552
(37) 3612867
(38) 4624470
(39) 5919322
(40) 7576732

I am Lv 32 (from those numbers I think) going on 33, so assume 300K for a weeks Seasonals (I wish!). If I just run Seasonals it will take approximately 97 weeks to get to Lv 40 (you have got to be kidding!!!!!!!). I have just one thing to say about that... ARGH!!! About 2 Years for Lv 40. For 200K per week (tends to vary) that would be pretty much 3 Years. I can see why they will support the game until GT6. People need to be playing it that long to reach Lv 40 without grinding.

Then there is useless Exp from the Lv 40 Endurance.

[J0e Musashi]

Also, where is that log screen, which tells me the dates I acquired cars and completed events etc? I'm quite sure I have seen it, but I'm at a loss as to where it was.

[Darwock]

Re: Bassman

Again you are assuming that the seasonals will remain static forever, and I don't think they will as so far they have only been single races. There's a whole lot of other stuff they can put in there.

Aside from that, 18 months or whatever seems about right to me anyway. MGS4 continued to get DLC updates for a period of a year, and that is not even a game with the replayability of GT.

Re: Joe,

Go into community and click log on your own profile.

[Bassman]

At least I don't have to worry about the 24 hour races (or the 9 hour and maybe even the 4 hour) as I have no intention of doing them (from the boredom point of view). I have no desire to try them in B spec as the PS3 will probably object!

Yes, there is scope for different types of Race Event in the Seasonals which would add a little variety to the proceedings.

With the current "green theme" of the first races of late, what chance a Honda Insight race next I wonder. Or maybe the Tesla...

[J0e Musashi]

Cheers dude, got it.

[Wools]

I'm not disputing it, I'm just wondering what relevance it has now.

To me this is a bit like someone posting on the FFXI thread today saying it's crap because it lacks content, because it lacked content when they played it a month after launch.

Yes, for someone playing now, it's less relevant as they can use them to progress. But to someone who had to grind before Polyphony introduced the Seasonal Events, it's a lot to ask to go back after getting bored with A-Spec, and continue to race events to get the required 10 - 20 million for cars that appear so far out of reach.

I'll drop it now because we're going around in circles. However after seeing how well Turn 10 rewarded the player with new Cars, it's a shock to see how elongated Polyphony have made the process of rewarding the player for their Herculean efforts.

[J0e Musashi]

Yes, for someone playing now, it's less relevant as they can use them to progress. But to someone who had to grind before Polyphony introduced the Seasonal Events, it's a lot to ask to go back after getting bored with A-Spec, and continue to race events to get the required 10 - 20 million for cars that appear so far out of reach.

I'll drop it now because we're going around in circles. However after seeing how well Turn 10 rewarded the player with new Cars, it's a shock to see how elongated Polyphony have made the process of rewarding the player for their Herculean efforts.

You do realise that you ONLY have to buy 4, possibly 5 cars to complete GT5 yes? You can use prize cars for everything else.

You should start again. Seriously. Even if you loosely follow how I have played it, I guarantee you'll come back here in a few weeks with nothing but praise for the excellence that is GT5.

It seems to me that people are trying to rush through the game, instead of taking time to enjoy it. This will be anybody's downfall IMO.

[Darwock]

it was a shock to see how elongated Polyphony have made the process of rewarding the player for their Herculean efforts before they made it much more efficient and faster.

Fixed for the benefit of any potential new players who might be reading the thread.

I honestly think the naysayers (not only Wools) who haven't touched the game in a while need to just let these old arguments lie, because they don't reflect what the game is like anymore.

[Fuddle]

It seems to me that people are trying to rush through the game, instead of taking time to enjoy it. This will be anybody's downfall IMO.

this is how i see it too.
if seasonals continue as they are and it takes me two years to get to level 40*, thats perfectly fine with me. adding a few new races every week or two so i can try new cars for a couple of hours a week, that sounds brilliant!

i can totally understand people (all over the net) being annoyed that thay cant platinum it within a few weeks and move on, but thats not what this game is for.


*i couldnt actually give a toss about level 40. i cant see me doing any more endurance than i have.

[Malc]

Fixed for the benefit of any potential new players who might be reading the thread.

I honestly think the naysayers (not only Wools) who haven't touched the game in a while need to just let these old arguments lie, because they don't reflect what the game is like anymore.

I got GT5 for Christmas, so I have played my whole GT5 career mode post update with the money increase, and it's still ridiculous how much grinding you have to do to play with some of the best cars. Considering that is the only 'physical' reward GT5 can offer the player, they are certainly restricting the handouts of genuinely good/interesting to drive cars, and my enthusiasm to just sit there playing the same dull AI'less race events has now completely dissipated.

In the end the game feels more like a job for me now and that isn't what I play games for.