Gran Turismo

Okay, so here's the deal. Gran Turismo was the first "fun" driving simulator ever released. You could customize cars, buy new and used, and race with the best physics at the time in 3D for the cost of an average videogame. That was May 1998.

Flash forward to November 1999: SCEA released the second installment in the franchise. Only this time, the game included 20 tracks (40 track combonations) and over 500 vehicles. This was completely unheard of, seeing as every vehicle had its own sound and feel just like real life. The physics were updated (even included tires gripping better in high-g turns) and the racing variety and tuning blew people away.

The year 2000: The PS2 is released, which is the best selling game console ever (136 million and counting). A year and a half later (in June) Gran Turismo 3 was released. I remember playing this game for the first time, most notably my grandma asking if it was actually a race on TV. The graphics were epic, the attention to detail was astounding, and the physics were damn near perfect. If you watch closely in a GT3 replay (or if you're sliding sideways) you can watch the brake rotors change colors as the metal heated up. I also recall the the Nissan 350Z and Mazda RX-8 were concept cars, and couldn't be purchased in the game. You had to unlock them in races.
Once again all cars had their engines recorded and loaded into the game and felt as individual as they were. Remember this number: 4000 polygons per vehicle. You got that? 4000. The rally mode had new physics developed, but instead of real A to B rally racing Polyphony and SCEA decided on circuit type rally. A huge plus was having 20 bands instead of less then 10 songs, so I didn't have to hear the same song over and over.

Now for the huge downfall: No more racecar modification (turning your street car into a lightweight and custom painted racing machine) and they only included 137 cars. For the less math oriented that's 363 less vehicles you could choose from. All the vehicles were from modern era and were all cars. Also all races could be won by simply bolting on horsepower, there was really no tuning needed and no limits for most races. Also the number of tracks wasn't increased, it was actually decreased in simulation mode. This means that you raced the same track with your fastest car for most of the career. Everyone asked for damage in Gran Turismo 4, saying it would perfect the series.

Gran Turismo 4 was the Apallo 13 of the series. While it revived the number of vehicles and variety of, it managed to suck every last ounce of fun from driving. The camera had zero give to it, and the tuning hardley changed at all. Opponent vehicles could still be used as walls for cornering, and try as you might it was impossible to make them spin out. If they hit you however, you would be going ass-first at 150mph into a steel girder. But that's okay, because there isn't any consequences or damage for wreckless driving, which is NOT okay.
Then came the ultimate in tack on technology: photo mode. If they put half the time into damage physics as they did into the camera program this game could have been the best in the series. Instead they decided to make a $3,000 camera simulator that allows you to take pictures of your generic ride. Lame. This game came out in February 2005, and SCEA and Polyphony have been ridiculed ever since. Playstation Magazine even said this series needs to evolve and reach its damn potential.

And here we stand 4 years, 4 months, and one week later. Sony STILL hasn't released Gran Turismo 5. This game may have as many as 10,000 vehicles in the roster (most to be downloaded later for a fee I assume). Remember that magic number of polygons from GT3, where my grandma thought it was an actual race? You are not ready for this.... vehicles in Gran Turismo 5 will include an average of 200,000 polygons (OMG OMG OMG) with extremely detailed paint to resemble the EXACT color and shine of each individual manufacturer. That's a minimal of a 50X better graphics then GT3! And in the Gran Turismo 5 preview you can see a dirty rally car with a damaged hood. That's right, car damage. Oh, and that rally car is part of the World Rally Championship lisence that Sony has aquired. And did I mention they have the lisence to NASCAR as well? There's no other way to say it, if all these promises are delivered on this game will be the tits.

But I know Sony too well, so if you are an executive who can speak english and view private facebook accountes and you see this note, take this into account:

We want cars. And lots of them. You know how you have the General Lee listed, along with a ton of Fast and the Furious car plus the DeLorean from Back to the Future? You better have them.

We want variety. And lots of it. Have the driving simulator gods that run the place ever heard of drag racing? Drifting? Gymkhana? Rock crawling? Mudding? There should be something for everyone, including the hicks.

We want tuning. And lots of parts. I don't know what goes on in Japan, but I'm pretty sure a T3 turbo does not just bolt on to a Diahatsu Midget II. And even if it did, why the hell can't we adjust boost? And what about fuel mapping? Engine timing? Change the compression ratio? Engine swaps? HELLO?! Nobody tunes a D16. Not even ricers. And loading time for the part to be installed? Gone.

We want community. And a giant one at that. I want to be able to take any one of my vehicles and drive them in a massive city in Playstation Home. I want to be able to walk through my garage with my avatar and open every hood and stare at what has been done to the engine. I want to be able to drive to the racetrack online and seamlessly engage in a 20 person race.

We want it all. And we want it now. You have pushed back the release date constantly. No more. Pick a day and stick to it.

Here you have it, probably my lengthiest blog ever. But us Gran Turismo fans have been saying this for years. This is the first time it's all been in one place. Go! Spread the word, Mike Pyka says step it up Sony. Because I sure as hell am not going to buy Microsoft (who knew about the red ring of death BEFORE release and did nothing to fix it) or that toy Nintendo has dubbed the "Wii"

Where are we going?

So now we have electric cars, hybrids, all that crap. I got a problem with electric cars: they produce a ton of torque with little horsepower and they produce it right away. I can't remember the make or the exact statistics, but there was a 70-80hp car that made 180 lbs torque because it was electric powered. If you want more power all you'll have to do in the future is swap out a motor, beef up the tranny, and increase alternator output. $5K for nearly unlimited power and no real talent to do it... Idk it just kinda pisses me off that in the future cash will be even MORE decisive in how good your vehicle is.

Plus look at all the driving assists now. I can understand ABS, but some forms of traction control and throttle control *cough*370Z*cough* are used in place of talent.

The day the car does the driving is the day that driving dies. Will removing human error save lives? Hell yeah, but so would a drivers education program that starts when you're 13. Furthermore, I hope I never have to prove to my kids that it takes a very experienced driver in a turbocharged Mustang (if it will even be legal to drive) to beat the basic electric sports car.

There's no spirit in electricity, there's no smell to remember, no bolts to turn, no distinct sound. I can only hope that electric cars remain small commuters, and real cars will always have three pedals and an exhaust system.

Winterization

Now comes the sad part of the season, the time where most northerners put their toys into storage or can't work on them because of the cold. But for me, the option to put a vehicle into storage is non-existant. I have to convert my vehicle into a winter car for a few months out of the year. Here are some of the steps I take:

1.) Replacing the air intake with the factory hose and a K&N air filter-

Snow comes into my engine bay right where the cone filter is, and I've been told water doesn't compress too well in an engine

2.) Oil change-

Change it while it is warm enough, even if it isn't an absolute necessity

3.) Anti freeze-

Obviously do a quick check on it and/or replace it. My family does this on every vehicle we own before winter as a safety precaution

4.) Snow tires-

I was lucky enough to buy a car with all season tires, but if you're running highway or normal tires you should probably swap them out to something a little more functional in the snow

So everyone have fun and stay safe this winter, and remember: most cop cars are rear wheel drive, so you DO have the advantage in winter!!! If you are going to initiate a pursuit, pick one icey-ass housing developement to go through

A beam of light in the struggle for budget building

We've all been there: waiting for this week's paycheck to arrive so we can continue our automotive obsession. Wondering how big our tax returns will be to see if we can afford to keep our insurance, even shaking down hobos on the west side for wiper blades. Budget building is a stage almost everyone goes through and some people never leave it. I personally earn anywhere from $80-250 every pay check; and with $100 per month insurance, a $20 cell phone bill and $35 in gas every month I am left with little money for anything else. I have stared at car magazines forever saying "Someday I'll be sponsored" or "I'll have that kind of cash someday." And maybe I will. But for now, I usually end up struggling to break even and depend on my eco-modding to keep a positive bank balance.

I have just found a different magazine that actually shows REAL builds from people who aren't sponsored and have budget issues. It is called 'Project Car' and is a magazine dedicated to the people who do their own work with little cash. This issue (#3) has Project Car building a Civic for under 5K against the Super Street Civic built at over 10K, with the budget Civic destroying Super Streets pride and joy. Now THAT'S real. They made a Frankenstein engine with a 2nd gen Eclipse turbo from a junkyard and part of a BMW exhaust, plus some other miscellanious goodies. If you're looking for a good read on the throne, check it out.