Gran turismo 4

As in previous games, Gran Turismo 4 has two main modes - Arcade ( Eng. Arcade ) and Simulator ( Eng. Simulation ). In arcade mode, the player can freely participate in races, compete for the duration of the track, play on the local network with a maximum of 5 opponents. In simulator mode, there is the opportunity to earn game money, buy, upgrade and sell your cars, compete in various competitions. At the beginning of his career, the player has at his disposal 10,000 credits. This is only enough for the purchase of a used car of the 80s or 90s. Players who retain Gran Turismo 3 can import from it up to 100,000 credits into their player profile in Gran Turismo 4 , as well as a Class A and B license from Gran Turismo 4 Prologue .

Although many races do not have restrictions on the license, to advance up the career ladder the player will have to pass tests for the license (rights). There are five such licenses in total, they include: tests for acceleration and braking, passing a series of complex turns, as well as sections of game tracks, slalom, and so on ^[3] .

Modes

A-Spec and B-Spec

In A-Spec, a player earns special points by winning ordinary races. Each racing event can bring a maximum of 200 A-Spec points. In general, for the victory using a weaker machine than the AI , give more points. Points can be obtained once, so in order to get a few more points from an already completed race, the player needs to use a car with a smaller advantage than that of artificial intelligence. There are also 34 missions, a victory in each will bring the player 250 points. Despite this, “A-Spec” points cannot be spent on anything - they serve only as an indicator of player skill.

The new “B-Spec” mode allows players to go to the place of the team leader who can set the driver’s driving style, indicate when to overtake or stop at the pit stop (there are indicators of tire wear, fuel level and engine oil status on the screen). In this mode, you can accelerate the race time by 3 times, thereby many hours of competition can be completed much faster than in the "A-Spec" mode. The player must re-enable 3x acceleration after each pit stop, as the time on it is reset to normal mode. The game guide says that time can be accelerated by 5 times, but this is a typo. In the "B-Spec" mode, for each successfully won race, "B-Spec" points are given. They increase the skill level and skills of AI drivers.

Missions

Another innovation is driver’s missions , which are similar in principle to driving tests. For completing the mission give 250 A-Spec points and 1000 (or more) credits. In each mission, the player is given a predetermined car, a section of the route and opponents.

There are 4 sets of missions in total: The Pass , in which players need to overtake the enemy at a certain distance; 3 Lap Battle , in which the task is to overtake 5 opponents for an interval of 3 laps of the track; Slipstream Battle , in which the player must overtake the opponent using the draft technique ( slipstream ); 1 Lap Magic , in which the player starts the race with a large temporary penalty, against slowed opponents, and must defeat them in 1 round. At the end of each set of missions, the player receives a prize car. There are 5 such cars.

Photo mode

The game includes Photo Mode , which allows players to freely control a virtual camera and take photos of cars on tracks or in special places, such as the Grand Canyon . You can change the compression quality of screenshots (Normal / Fine / SuperFine) and resolution (up to 1280x960). The resulting image can either be saved or printed using a supported USB printer .

Cars

Gran Turismo 4 continues to follow the path of its predecessors, including a huge selection of cars; The PAL version, for example, has 721 cars from 80 manufacturers on its list. Lists of cars vary in different regional versions of Gran Turismo 4 , some cars have different names - JDM Toyota Vitz , in Europe and in Puerto Rico known as Toyota Yaris. Many car models have many modifications: the game has 20 different Subaru Impreza , 25 Mitsubishi Lancer and 48 Nissan Skyline , including the Nissan GT-R ( Gran Turismo 4 was the first game in which it was presented). The latter can be won if you get silver in all races of the International License “A”. Another Skyline prize (in the form of a safety car) is presented in the racing test for the “Guide Lap” license. Each car contains more than 4000 landfills ^[4] . Car prices start at 2500 Crt ^{[~ 1]} (used Japanese cars) and end at 4,500,000 Crt (top-end racing cars). Some special prize cars are not visible in the showrooms, and some do not have dealers, and as a result cannot be modified, for example Formula Gran Turismo ( Formula 1 ).

Many cars in Gran Turismo 4 are first introduced in the Gran Turismo game series . Pickups have appeared, such as Ford Lightning , Toyota Tacoma , and Dodge Ram . For the first time in the series, Delorean and a car with a diesel engine - BMW 120d - were introduced . While the Gran Turismo 2 was attended by a Renault Espace equipped with an F1 engine, the Gran Turismo 4 was the first in a series to feature a mass-produced minivan - the Honda Odyssey (JDM version). The 1985 rally winner, the first-generation Mitsubishi Pajero Paris-Dakar rally car, is the first SUV with a racing modification (the first SUV in the Gran Turismo series was the Subaru Forester , which appeared in Gran Turismo 2 ). The game does not have such well-known manufacturers as Ferrari , Lamborghini , Maserati and Porsche , but some redesigned Porsche models are present in the game from Ruf Automobile ^[5] .

Gran Turismo 4 also features historic cars dating back to 1886, the dawn of the automotive industry. For these cars, you need to buy sets of turbocharging and nitrous oxide in order to be able to compete with modern cars (for example, Daimler Motor Carriage in the standard version has 1 hp. , While Castrol Tom's Supra has a capacity of 464 hp. )

Comedian Jay Leno , a large car collector, is listed in the game as a producer; one of his cars - Blastolene Special (“Tank Machine”) - is included in the game as a prize car, which can be obtained after completing missions 11-20 ^[6] . Gran Turismo 4 left all the tuning options from the previous games in the series, but it was also possible to add weight to the car, which affects the handling of the car. Another innovation is the installation of a nitrous oxide injection system.

Trails

The game features 50 runs. Many are improved versions of previous tracks from Gran Turismo . Also, the famous tracks that exist in reality were added: the Nurburgring , Suzuka , and Sarthe ( Le Mans ). There are also tracks modeled on such famous attractions as New York Times Square , Hong Kong, Paris, and the Las Vegas Strip. The Hong Kong highway is located on Tsim Sha Tsui Square. The Citta d'Aria track runs on real roads in Assisa (Italy).

Gran Turismo 4 as a Simulator

The Gran Turismo series of games was created based on true driving experience. From 500 to 700 parameters determine the physical model of the car. According to the developers, they invited a professional driver to set the result using the same car on the Nurburgring track. The result in Gran Turismo 4 was 2% different from that in real life.

In one of the program’s programs, Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson tested a real car versus a virtual one from Gran Turismo 4 . In real life, he drove the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit using the Honda NSX in 1m: 57s. In Gran Turismo 4, his result was 1m: 41s ^[7] . Clarkson said that in a real car, braking during a turn can lead to loss of control, and also noted that in the game he took more risks than in real life, and that in the game the car did not suffer from a delay in braking. Despite these discrepancies, Clarkson wrote the following about Gran Turismo 4 in a column for The Sunday Times :

I called Sony and asked them to send me a game chip, which already contains 700 computer machines. And I was going to test all their statements, because, unlike many people, I really drove almost all of these cars in real life.

Errors are present. The BMW M3 CSL , for example, slows down better on the road than on the screen. And the Peugeot 106 cannot possibly overtake the Fiat Punto from the start. But, in addition to this, I am surprised: they were able to accurately convey the difference between the Mercedes SL 600 and Mercedes SL 55, which is very difficult to identify in real life.

And so it is. The game will be even more real only if a large chip flies out of the screen and pierces your head every time you get into an accident. Actually, this is the only negative: that you can hit the parapets without even damaging the car. Maybe they stored it for the GT5 . They'll probably give her the subtitle Death or Glory.

Original text

I called Sony and asked it to send me a game chip already loaded with the 700 computer cars. And I am in a position to test out its claims because, unlike most people, I really have driven almost all of them in real life.

There are mistakes. The BMW M3 CSL, for instance, brakes much better on the road than it does on the screen. And there's no way a Peugeot 106 could outdrag a Fiat Punto off the line. But other than this, I'm struggling: they've even managed to accurately reflect the differences between a Mercedes SL 600 and the Mercedes SL 55, which is hard enough to do in real life.

There's more, too. If you take a banked curve in the Bentley Le Mans car flat out, you'll be fine. If you back off, even a little bit, you lose the aerodynamic grip and end up spinning.

That's how it is. This game would only be more real if a big spike shot out of the screen and skewered your head every time you crashed. In fact that's the only real drawback: that you can hit the barriers hard without ever damaging you or your car. Maybe they're saving that for GT5. Perhaps it'll be called Death or Glory.

- ^[8]

Carl Brower from Edmunds.com made a similar test, also for the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. He invited two other people - professional rider AJ Jallingman , and IGN game editor Justin Kahler. The three of them drove real cars and their respective tracks in Gran Turismo 4 . Brouwer's best time on the Ford GT , in the game, was 1:38, and in real life 1:52 ^{[9] [10]} . On all four machines that the trio tested, no one was able to duplicate their game results on a real track. Brower suggested:

The biggest difference between reality and virtuality is the consequences. A mistake in Gran Turismo 4 costs me nothing but a bad result. A mistake on a real exotic car, on a real highway ... costs a lot more.

Another major difference between a virtual race and a real one is the feeling of a car - or the lack thereof. Yes, the return feedback from the steering wheel makes it clear that you have left the track, but none of this comes close to the information that you get from driving a real car. And in cars like the Ford GT, this is pretty important information.

Original text

Which brings up the single biggest difference between reality and virtual reality - consequences. A mistake on Gran Turismo 4 costs me nothing more than a bad lap time. A mistake with a real exotic car on a real racetrack is ... a bit more costly. The other major difference between virtual racing and the real thing is feedback from the car - or an almost total lack thereof. Yes, the force feedback steering wheel does its best to let you know when you're veering off the track, or sliding the rear end, but none of this comes close to the kind of information you get while driving a real vehicle. And in a car like the Ford GT, that's vital information.

- ^[11]

Marketing and Release

The official announcement of the game took place on May 13, 2003 at the E3 exhibition, where it received the Game Critics Award: The Best Racing Game ^[12] . The game was introduced by the creator of the series, Kazunori Yamauchi . According to him, in Gran Turismo 4, the physical engine has changed dramatically for the better, just like the behavior of opponents ( game artificial intelligence ). He also confirmed many months of rumors that the game will have an online mode ^{[13] [14]} , however, on September 24, 2004 during the Tokyo Game Show, it was announced that there would be no online mode in the game ^{[2] [15]} . At the same time, Polyphony Digital announced that the online component will appear in the next game in the Gran Turismo series , presumably in 2005 ^[16] . At TGS2004, developers also introduced a new game mode called “B-spec”.

During development, the technical part of the game was approached by developers to even greater realism: Gran Turismo 4 supports resolutions 480i , 480p , 576i and 1080i (the latter is only available in NTSC- version), as well as a widescreen screen. Despite the fact that the online component was removed from the game, Gran Turismo 4 uses the PlayStation 2 network adapter, with which you can combine up to 6 consoles for playing multiplayer. Gran Turismo 4 , like its predecessor, supports the Logitech Driving Force Pro and GT Force controls. Support for PC-compatible steering wheels that unofficially worked in Gran Turismo 3 has been removed from Gran Turismo 4 . There is also support for USB-drives and printers that can be used in the "Photo Mode".

When creating Gran Turismo 4 , the development team again went to re-scan real racing tracks. Compared to the previous game, Gran Turismo 3 , in Gran Turismo 4 the environment of the tracks became as close as possible to those in real life. Also, many twists and turns were made ^[17] . For the most correct transfer of the technical properties of car behavior on the road, under different conditions, Kazunori Yamauchi and his team tested a large number of cars. At the same time, each developer was assigned a specific machine on which they passed various tests with different conditions. Such personal experience allowed us to make the physical engine as reliable as possible ^[18] .

Gran Turismo 4 was released December 28, 2004 in Japan. The game was released in the USA on February 22, 2005, and in Europe on March 9 of the same year ^[1] . Chinese, Japanese, and Korean versions of the game came with a 212-page guide and basic driving lessons ^{[19] [20]} . In 2006, a special version of the game called Gran Turismo 4 Online test version was released , the goal of which was to test the online component. The beta test passed before September 1, 2006. Full online was expected in the next game - Gran Turismo 5 .

In the Asian release of Gran Turismo 4 , as in previous releases, the main theme, “Moon Over the Castle,” composed by Masahiro Ando, sounds during the opening video. The North American version includes a piece of Ando's composition along with an edited version of Panama by Van Halen . In the European version, the track “Reason is Treason” by Kasabian sounds.

The game features more than 60 tracks that cover a wide range of artists and genres. In addition to famous music, 7 exclusive tracks were recorded for the game, the authors of which are: Skillz, Apollo 440, Bootsy Collins, Dieselboy, and Mr. Natural Especially for Gran Turismo 4 Papa Roach , The Crystal Method , The Commodores , James Brown , Earth, Wind and Fire created new remixes of their hits ^[21] .

An album with the soundtrack of the game called Gran Turismo 4 Original Game Soundtrack was released 6 days before the Japanese and Asian releases of Gran Turismo 4 itself , on December 22, 2004 ^[22] .

Gran Turismo 4 получила высокие оценки от критиков. На сайтах Metacritic и GameRankings игра имеет средний балл в 89 %. Практически все журналисты отмечали высокое качество игровой графики , звуковых эффектов и физического движка . По состоянию на декабрь 2009 года , было отгружено 1,27 миллионов экземпляров игры в Японии, 3,04 миллиона в Северной Америке, 6,50 миллионов в Европе и 170 000 в Северо-восточной Азии, что в сумме составляет 10,98 миллионов экземпляров ^[39] . Gran Turismo 4 заняла 5 место в топе «25 PS2-игр всех времён», составленном сайтом IGN ^[40] . Игра также заняла 50 место в топе «100 игр всех времён» по версии читателей того же ресурса ^[41] . От PlayStation Awards 2005 проект получил Платиновую награду ^[42] .

На сайте AllGame игра получила высокую оценку в четыре с половиной звезды из пяти возможных ^[28] . Обозреватель медийного ресурса IGN подвёл итог своего обзора словами: « GT4 — лучшее усовершенствование идей GT3 , которое возможно на PS2. Приготовьтесь провести целые ночи и выходные за игрой, так как 50 долларов, заплаченные за игру, с лихвой отрабатываются ею же» ^[17] . Критик из GameSpot заметил: «Когда Gran Turismo 4 работает в полную силу, она доставляет высочайшее удовольствие, сравнимое только с несколькими играми этого поколения консолей» ^[3] . Обозреватель из 1UP.com написал, что, посвятив игре огромное количество свободного времени, он всё ещё не видел всего того, что предлагает Gran Turismo 4 : «У меня в гараже находятся ярчайшие примеры из истории автомобилестроения, но у меня всё ещё нет многих желаемых машин, таких как Aston Martin DB9 и Cadillac Cien» ^[27] . Рецензент из Eurogamer назвал Gran Turismo 4 «Энциклопедией „ Британника “ в автомобильном мире», с «более чем 700 особыми колёсами в качестве доказательства» ^[30] .

Журналисты отмечали отсутствие в игре реальных повреждений. Вместо видимых и физических повреждений, машина просто отскакивает от бордюров или от других автомобилей ^{[5] [8] [17]} . Также была замечена возможность совершать нереалистичные сокращения ^[5] , на таких трассах как Фудзи Спидвей 90 , Driving Park Beginner Course и Сарте I и II, где водитель может полностью срезать шиканку напрямую, тем самым выигрывая гонку читерством. Ещё одной проблемой был назван недостаточный контроль машины и нереалистичная манёвренность ^[3] . Игра подверглась критике и из-за отсутствия онлайн-игры, которая была обещана ещё на раннем этапе разработки, но была убрана ближе к концу релиза ^{[3] [17] [43]} . Многие журналисты испытывали разочарование по поводу системы игрового ИИ противников ^{[3] [4]} , замечая, что «виртуальные гонщики будут двигаться по заданной линии пути, без малейшей заинтересованности в местоположении игрока» ^[17] . Это очень заметно в раллийных соревнованиях или миссиях, где даётся штрафное пенальти в 5 секунд за ударение других машин или барьеров, независимо от того, кто это сделал. Многие критики посчитали, что режим «B-Spec» мало добавляет интереса ко всей игре ^{[3] [5]} . Игра также вызвала нарекания за многочисленные ошибки чтения диска.

Comments

1. ↑ Кредит ( англ. Credit ) — внутриигровая валюта.

Sources

• Официальный сайт игры (рус.) .
• Официальный сайт серии .