GT5 video interview reveals little DLC, no car damage

by Nick Doerr { Feb 28th 2008 at 10:00PM }

Takau Imasaki, producer for Gran Turismo 5 at SCEA, recently talked a bit about the upcoming US release of the game. Slight tweaks are being made to make it a more user-friendly title for the Western audience. By releasing this trial game, Prologue will serve as a testing ground for Polyphony's first real foray into online gaming. They're trying to "catch up to Microsoft in that regard," they said.

Car damage? It will eventually happen in the series, but not until the designers are able to "perfect" it. Don't expect it any time in this series of GT games. Also, because users are already being charged for this early preview of the full GT5 experience, there won't be much DLC in Prologue. That would be a little mean, no?

[Thanks, Patrick!]

[Update: Clarified wording.]

Tags: gran-turismo-5, gt5, polyphony-digital

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ryan @ Feb 28th 2008 10:09PM

"They're trying to catch up to Microsoft in that regard, they said"

in what regard, the online part or the releasing of one "game" before the title? please explain.

"It's coming, they said, but probably not in this first batch of games, we would imagine"

meaning...this generation or as in the first batch of GT5 games? The Batch being Prologue, Full Title and then Epilogue.

Addy @ Feb 29th 2008 4:54AM

They were probably referring to the Halo 3 beta.

Frankly I like this idea (new on consoles, old on PC). GT5 will be an awesome game, and no doubt the Prologue (beta?) will polish the netcode and overall gameplay, making the final product even better than if there were no Prologue.

Too many games rely on patches nowadays. COD4 for example. Even Halo 3's melee needed work. But at least betas like these will make games near perfect.

Devin @ Feb 28th 2008 10:24PM

Honestly, car damage needs to be there, so people are penalized when over-taking too often (without thinking it through) because that would (in real life) affect the course of the car for that driver whose car has damage due to wind turbulence and resistance.....

If they want a simulation, then there needs to be damage and that's something that's holding them back from the competition I think.

I also wish they brought back the ability to race more "normal" cars that people may/might have owned in their lifetime such as the Firebird/Trans Am or the Camaro/SS, Pontiac GTP, etc. Cars like these....I have yet found a racing game (NFS series, Midnight Club, etc.) that includes them.....

ryan @ Feb 28th 2008 11:02PM

i can ride my Sentra SE-R in Forza 2! ^_^

miglaugh @ Feb 28th 2008 10:29PM

No damage would cripple GT5.

And lose at least one sale.

OAKside @ Feb 29th 2008 3:19AM

There has never been damage in GT, and with the insane amount of work Polyphony puts into every detail, it's silly (and hard to believe) that someone would not buy it because that. I've always crashed less in GT due to it's extremely realistic everything, anyway; it seems to inspire carefulness. And lastly, less DLC means more/all content included at retail: No complaints here! (Esp. at $60-80.) I must be a GT/Polyphony fandude...

Steve Childs @ Feb 29th 2008 12:28PM

As the guy said, the team would want to do it right - think about how Burnout Paradise does its damage, there is a hell of a lot of physics work involved and BO isn't even bang on accurate with its physics.

But its also getting the cars to graphically deform as well.

It is a hell of a lot of work to do it accurately, and to be honest, I'd rather they did GT5 and then added it in GT6 or 5.5, or whatever!

watcher @ Feb 29th 2008 10:51AM

No car damage means they would gain several sales from friends looking to buy it on day one. Car damage isn't for everyone. Frankly, my friends and I never cared for it.

Popfrogs @ Feb 29th 2008 5:57PM

I'm with you watcher. I want the option of car damage if they're going to include it...but for a quick pick-up game, damage like F1 has is a deal breaker.

Santino @ Feb 28th 2008 11:07PM

I am a long time GT fan, and i agree that i think its about time they include damage, that and better AI, i dont want any of this, AI follows the same line each and every lap, business

sibbor @ Feb 29th 2008 3:35AM

Agreed. I've been playing GT since the first game came out. Side note: GT2 was my favorite.
I'm really looking forward to love to have car damage implemented; I've been longing for it! Also I'm missing skid marks, more realistic sound effects when sliding and nice mud and dirt on the car when driving in the grass etc..

Another thing I reacted on in the interview; there will be "no downloadable content or add-ons"... I know they'll bugfix the game and patch it up. Although I would love to see cars on the market... like the new 2009 car models that would appear first in their next game in the series, the GT6. THAT WAY the game wouldn't grow old as fast as the previous versions of the game (that I still play). Another nifty feature would be that by competing online you either win cars or gain "online money" so you can buy cars, just accesible for those who play online.

Give me GT5... and I'll buy the new steering wheel from Logitech! Oh... It would rock with a GT5+steering wheel bundle :-)! The bad news is I/we have to wait... I frigging know! :(

Too bad my GM script* won't change the title of news... because this title is confusing (like someone said); you think there won't be any car damage in GT5, when he's talking about GT5 Prologue in the video.
* http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/23058

playcrackthesky @ Feb 28th 2008 10:59PM

If you want damage? then the game wont be out until 2010. If they're going to do it then they will have to do it right. As he said, they're pedantic. So you wont see a half-assed attempt at it.

Personally I couldnt care less about damage, Id rather it without it. Not just because we would get it earlier, but because I think it would add to much hassle to online racing. Players could just take out one another, knowing you could end someones race.

All I ask for is - penalties for drivers who hit other drivers etc...

OAKside @ Feb 29th 2008 3:23AM

I couldn't agree more. I can't imagine how long it'd take for the perfectionists at Polyphony to create a damage model (probably unique for every car). Penalties for damage, perhaps accurate loss of funds, for car damage would be spiffy.

Fiddlesworth @ Feb 28th 2008 11:30PM

"GT5 video interview reveals little DLC, no car damage"

This is a GT5 Prologue Interview, not GT5. The news title's misleading people into thinking GT5 won't have damage which isn't true.

harrisk954 @ Feb 29th 2008 7:11AM

Exactly... This title is totally misleading... These sites are always using headers that attract attention but are far from what the article itself says... In this case, the title is blatently false. If you listen to the interview, he says that they are working on damage for GT5 that will be "realistic" because they are perfectionists... Unlike some other racing games out there... So, for GT5 Prologue, no... For GT5, YES!

Bobby Boobs @ Feb 28th 2008 11:34PM

I would love to have damage ! What about moutable miniguns ? Ony kidding ;)

leiwei @ Feb 28th 2008 11:34PM

If it's Prologue interview, i'm glad. If it's indirectly related to GT5 though, I'll be very disappointed. They're clearly not listening to user feedback if they haven't even gone on to figuring out a way to implement some kinda damage. Giving us the f#cking black flag penalty for bumping into other cars or riding on grass whether intentional or accidental, and not giving it to the other AI (crappy) racers is bullsh~t IMO. I hope they changed this for the American version.

The Real DVO @ Apr 21st 2008 9:38PM

I completely agree. I get black flagged for cars that ram into me! What the hell! He hit me! I got flagged 8 seconds one time for knicking a car at 180 in the mines skyline. It does get really annoying. And I mean a knick cuz there was no sound of a collision nor was i slowed by an impact. SONY please fix it.

leiwei @ Feb 28th 2008 11:37PM

so when is ps3fanboy going to have a forum for these comments?

Anyway, I hope the interview is really for GT5P. If it's indirectly related to how GT5 is gonna be, I'll be severely disappointed. At least implement some kinda damage. They're clearly not listening to user feedback if they're not even trying to get something in. That stupid black flag penalty when bumping into cars or driving off the track whether intentionally or accidentally is bullsh~t if they don't apply it to the other crappy AI drivers.

Nick Doerr @ Feb 29th 2008 12:02AM

Don't take my word as official, but apparently a forum of some kind may or may not be in the works.

That may sound ambiguous, so let me just say "I think you guys will be pleased".

leiwei @ Feb 29th 2008 1:17AM

Man I really hope for a message forum or something. These comment input box doesn't save my Email/Pw info for some reason. Would love something like how highdefdigest.com does it.

leiwei @ Feb 28th 2008 11:38PM

stupid comment box never posts correctly

PSN: KillaKornbread (the shirt is a lie!) @ Feb 29th 2008 12:11AM

damage isnt that big a deal to me though i do agree it would add to the simulation aspect. i want this game so bad that i think i am going to go ahead and break down and buy Prologue. i dont think i can hold out until the full game. ive caught myself playing the one GTHD course alot recently.....

Niels R. @ Feb 29th 2008 3:09AM

Sorry for the stupid question, but what does he mean with "...this first batch of games..."?
Does he mean that there will be different releases of GT5? Or does he mean that car damage will not be in GT5, prolly not in GT6 and maybe in GT7?

Sorry, no native English speaker, so it's a bit confusing to me.

Can't wait to get my hands on GT5, though :) A Logitech G25 is on my wishing list for some time now...

maverick_saturn_626 @ Feb 29th 2008 6:54AM

Maybe someone should set up a PSPfanboy forum and ask them for affiliation ^^ lol

As for GT, GT4 sucked not because it lacked damaged, but because it felt like a repeat of GT3, there was no online play and it was too easy to master and buy expensive cars within a day or two such as Austins.

I don't much care for realistic damage, as long as they have a gauge or something such as Sega GT did, make me spend more money. Money is too easy to get in GT and you never repair anything, so you only spend cash on mods and new cars, bit boring really. At least in Sega GT I money was more manageable, you could sell your cars for whatever price you felt like, do up your garage, buy second hand or new parts to use so your car didn't break down in the middle of a race and the best part which I found stupid about GT4 was that you could not cheat, driving across the grass and cutting turns would severely damage your car and loose you some points, in GT4, it doesn't matter, nothing will happen, and you still win :O

Brucie B @ Feb 29th 2008 8:01AM

lol @ No Car Damage, But yet it's a Racing game... Go Figure

russell @ Feb 29th 2008 2:32PM

lol and they also call it a "simulator." what are they simulating? indestructible cars? if thats the case then they aren't the realistic weight because an indestructible car would weigh quite a bit more.

Cool Paul @ Feb 29th 2008 9:28AM

Too many complainers surrounding this game..."It's a year late! Waaa! No damage! Waaa!

People seem to forget that GT4 came out 3 years ago to this week. 3 years is not a lot of time for a well done sequel. Damage takes a long time to make and render in 3D...especially for hundreds of cars...inside and out. If they released this game last year people would complain about everything it didn't have and then say it was rushed.

Forza has damage because they don't have hundreds upon hundreds of cars.

GT has a billion cars and tracks because they didn't spend their time on damage.

be gald that there are two companies focusing on two different things. That gives us options and diversity.

if you want super-realistic details in every aspect of every video game you have to wait. Becasue the talent to create those details just doesn't exsist. That's the cold hard truth. These things have to conceptualized, designed, produced., tested and tweaked. You don't just say, "Well forza had damage so...we will magically have damage too!"

I would think by the time GT6 comes out they'll have damage.

sibbor @ Feb 29th 2008 11:41AM

"if you want super-realistic details in every aspect of every video game you have to wait"
Sure, we have to wait, until Q4 2008 when a game with all these aspects is finally released, namely Gran Turismo 5 ;-)

russell @ Feb 29th 2008 2:32PM

yeah, we have to wait for forza 3, also have to save up for a 360.

Dadidito @ Feb 29th 2008 9:41AM

Im was a huge gt fan on PS2 but have stopped caring about it as much. It hasn't evolved. People expect certain things from sim racing games and the lack of any penalty or damage have made it glaringly obvious that GT5 is just a prettier version of the prior game. GT has to evolve. Its become stale and pretty graphics and solid driving physics (though GT has always been the standard and continues to be) can be found on alot of games now.

Dadidito @ Feb 29th 2008 9:44AM

In my opinion a simple monetary penalty against your winnings for bad driving would be something. Don't have to do model damaging. Something would be nice.

Popfrogs @ Feb 29th 2008 5:58PM

That's not a bad idea. Don't penalize me for being clumsy during the race, but after it's over, make me pay for repairs...

Cool Paul @ Feb 29th 2008 9:58AM

You guys act like they don't want damage as much as we do. There are only so many talented people that they can afford to hire. They are working on damage and when it finally comes it will be awesome but it takes a lot of time. A LOT of time. It's not like they have this unlimited budget. and a reserve of talented people sitting around just waiting for something to work on.

Jason @ Feb 29th 2008 10:15AM

Screw damage, I want GT5 sometime within the PS3's 10 year life-span!!

Cool Paul @ Feb 29th 2008 10:54AM

You do realize that GT4 is, as off this week...only 3 years old? How often do you really want a sequel?

Jason @ Feb 29th 2008 4:10PM

Paul, I do realize this, I read you previous comment about it. It's not a matter of how often I want a sequel, I want a current-gen version and it would be nice to have it within the PS3s first 2 years so we can have GT6 before the PS3's lifespan is up. Plus I really have no desire to play GT5 online so damage doesn't matter much to me.