Tag: gran turismo 7

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All Gold – Licence Tests – Gran Turismo

Today was the day I managed to complete all Gold in the Gran Turismo 7 Licence section of the game. I had been struggling with the final test which was a drying lap around Spa in some crazy-assed Porsche. I struggled so much that I even watched some YouTube videos about completing the lap. I spent around 300km yesterday going around Spa and in that time I think I managed to complete about THREE laps. I constantly went off track or crashed. Today I spent another few hours working on this. The idea being that the track settles in my brain over the night time and I get better each day. I’m not sure I got better because it took another 395km to get a lap completed within the Gold time. I did find that I was getting better at Eau Rouge and was generally coming off in the later part of the lap more and more so I knew I was getting better and it was only a matter of time before I smashed it!

It doesn’t look much, the video. But trust me. It took a fuckton of effort to get to that point. If you touch the wet line you are fucked. If you touch a kerb you are fucked. If you accelerate too much in some corners you are fucked. Basically you are pretty much fucked at every stage of this track. You need to pull off a perfect lap and also make sure you don’t crash on the last few corners which you only see a few times because you spend the rest of the time in the chuffing barrier.

Here’s a map of Spa and here’s my list of troublesome corners in this test:

  • La Source
  • Eau Rouge
  • Radillon
  • Les Combes
  • Malmedy
  • Bruxelles
  • Double Gauche
  • Las Fagnes
  • Paul Frere
  • Blanchimont
  • Chicane

That’s right people, pretty much every shitting corner caused me problems and I crashed regularly at every single one [except Kemmel]. Obviously I crashed most at La Source because once you’ve crashed there you can’t crash anywhere else around the circuit.

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It’s Beautiful And Hard Work

I’m clearly still playing Gran Turismo 7. I have the PS5 version and I have to say it looks absolutely amazing. The lighting is fantastic. I’m enjoying the game but it is quite challenging and I’ve struggled at a couple of the licence tests and also some of the circuit experiences.

I took quite a while to complete the Brands Hatch circuit experience mostly because it was in a Radical and they are a touch twitchy as you head around the track. I got there but it took about an hour. I’m currently on about two hours of work on the final licence test. I’ve passed at the silver level but I really want a gold. That would mean I have every licence at gold level and I would consider that an excellent achievement. The test is around a drying Spa circuit in a 1970 Porsche beast that doesn’t like a single wet patch. You have to really stick to the dry line around the circuit and so you don’t have any room for error. I’ve found it so frustrating I’ve even watched a few people on YouTube to get some tips.

This is not a helpful comment - GT7
This is not a helpful comment – GT7

Sometimes when you come off the track again at any of the bloody corners – I’ve crashed at every corner multiple times – you get this chap popping up onto your screen telling you to watch the demonstration. At first this seems like good advice but after two hours of trying and seeing this comment multiple times you end up telling that person to “fuck off” whenever they show up. I almost want to scream “leave me alone”. It’s emotionally challenging and I’m not sure how I will feel when I finally shave the last three seconds off my time and get gold.

Air Display while at Spa - GT7
Air Display while at Spa – GT7

At least the whole game looks amazing. The above clip is from a race at Spa and these aircraft I could only hear while the race started. I couldn’t see them from the car. I had to go to the replay to see them. Such attention to detail is pretty good. I also think the lighting in the “winner” screen is gorgeous and it makes me feel good:

Winning screen - GT7
Winning screen – GT7

Right. I have to get on the PS5 to have another day of swearing at the Spa circuit and hating my car.

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How Long To Platinum?

I was a little upset the other night as I had finished a particular championship on Gran Turismo 7 and I got the ending movie! I wasn’t expecting it so soon. I’m hoping they add more championships over time but there’s still plenty of game content for me to work through. Apparently I have 294 trophies to get through to unlock the platinum trophy. Now, I have never unlocked a platinum so maybe I won’t make it but it is something to aim for. I had the following in a nice email from the Sony people:

GT Finale Email
GT Finale Email
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Everything’s Connected

I have been quite impressed with the capabilities of the PlayStation 5. The graphics look amazing, the load times are impressively short and the sound is great. They recently added the ability to link screen captures into the app on a mobile phone making it much easier to save images and videos from games. I can now save a short video, get it on my phone and then send it anywhere I want. This is brilliant. PlayStations have had the ability to directly share with YouTube and Twitter for a while, they might even do Faceshit but I don’t really do that one. Having said that it’s impressive that I can now get this stuff on my phone I’m going to show you some captures I made recently and then uploaded to YouTube.

This first video I captured from Gran Turismo 7 was me driving a Ferrari thing and absolutely smashing it. I really enjoyed this short test. This most definitely wasn’t the first go at this licence. You see, the first go is generally learning about the car; how good are the brakes, how well does the thing turn in, what’s the oversteer like, what’s the engine sound on gear shift? Once you’ve got a grasp of all of that you can then start with a solid run to get the licence and then build up to the limit to get the Gold. Well, that’s how I do it.

This video is another Ferrari but this time a complete circuit around Monza. I really enjoyed this but it definitely wasn’t the first attempt. See the previous paragraph.

The final video I put on YouTube, for now, is me completing one of the Super Licence tests which is a complete lap around Interlagos in a Pagani. This took quite a few attempts and was good fun, although I don’t really like the accidental change into first at the last slow corner.

Getting Gold on every licence test is a bit of an obsession. I mean, why wouldn’t you? One of the Super Licence tests is an F1 clone type car around Laguna Seca. I think it took about an hour of my time to get gold. Sometimes I went off at the third corner, sometimes the last corner. It’s quite frustrating to get close to the end of the circuit knowing you are a couple of tenths ahead of the ghost car [your previous best lap] and then bin the car in the gravel.

Having said all the stuff above I am enjoying the game. I like the challenge and I’m happy plodding along doing a little each day. I know there’s been quite a backlash to the rewards and “lucky dip” that the game designers have made but I also wonder if people just aren’t patient enough to want to play a game long term. I very rarely finish a game but one thing I know for sure is that I’d rather enjoy it that complete it, if that makes sense. I don’t see games as movies which I suspect is how many other players see them. If the game can allow me to do something I can do in real life and make it fun then I’m happy.

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So Close But Absolutely No Gold

So, in this new Gran Turismo version we get to try and complete all the licences again to be able to race in all the different series. I think I’m on the third licence and it’s not really one of those parts of the game I really enjoy. Mind you, I find it incredibly frustrating so when I do pass the actual licence I am cheered by it. Some of the licences I have got gold first time, others have taken me about half an hour on continuing to try.

Just So Frustrating
Just So Frustrating

The above licence I missed out on gold by four one thousandths of a second. That was really annoying.

I like that GT Auto is back and you can wash your car. I also like the fact we can change the oil and other parts. There are options for a whole new body and also a new engine so wouldn’t that mean it was a brand new or different car? Looking at my profile I can see that my average fuel consumption is 2.47 km/l this is 6.9 miles per gallon for the UK and USA audience. I’m going to have to see if I can get that more uneconomical.

I’ve been writing a few things that happened in the year of the communication number and this is number 2020 so here are some things that happened then:

  • Covid 19 causes a heap of shit around the world and it is amplified by poor leadership in many countries.
  • Brent Crude falls to $27 a barrel. It is currently $109. But there’s a war going on and shortness of supplies.
  • King Salman issues a royal decree, declaring that people will no longer be executed in Saudi Arabia for crimes they were convicted of when they were minors. Well, this means they were doing it before this date. It’s bloody 2020!
  • The Royal Astronomical Society announces the detection of phosphine in Venus’ atmosphere, which is known to be a strong predictor for the presence of microbial life.
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Probably The First Of Many

Just a short communication today to point out my first screen share video uploaded to my YouTube channel. I’ve uploaded a few short clips to my Twitter feed but this is the first I’ve really thought about. I saved the replay of this in GT7 and then video captured it. I guess I should have a go at streaming from the PS5 but that can happen later. The video shows me attempting, and passing, one of the challenges. I had to overtake all three jeeps in front of me [well, the couldn’t be behind me]. I passed, but only just. I was really impressed with the dirt graphics and the headlights. Man, the headlights.

This is communication number 2019 and in keeping with a recent tradition and genuinely not having a clue about what to do in three communication’s time here are some things that happened in that year:

  • A mine dam breaks in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil. At least 248 people are killed, with 22 missing.
  • Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project announce the first ever image of a black hole, located in the centre of the M87 galaxy.
  • The redefinition of the SI system of measurement adopted by the majority of countries in the world takes effect.
  • First known human case of Coronavirus disease 2019, in Wuhan, Hubei, China.
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But I’ve Only Just Started

So, Gran Turismo 7 was released last Friday. I’ve played some every day since and I’m starting to build up my licences and get a semi-decent collection of cars together. Clearly I’ll end up with about six or so cars that I tend to use mostly. These will be a mixture of FR, FF, 4WD, MR and a couple of race cars too. It’s been fun and frustration. When doing a licence test and you end up a few thousands too slow for gold and then you have to keep trying! I guess that’s part of the game.

Current GT7 Profile

At the moment there’s too much to do in GT7 and I’m trying to pace out my activities. I keep trying bits of pieces of the game each day and I’ve even tried the photo mode. I’m kinda skeptical about the photo mode. I’m not enough into cars I think to want to create the perfect photograph. That and there’s always racing to be getting on with. Maybe I’ll spend some time in a few months getting used to the livery editor and photo mode. I know they’ve made that a big part of the game but for me it’s the racing I enjoy.

Honda Integra in Cambridge
Honda Integra in Cambridge

The above photograph is quite stunning in terms of the detail you can edit. If you look carefully you can see small amounts of dirt on the front of the bonnet of the car, this is optional. I could decide the dirt on the tyres and how much dust to have in the air to create that glowing effect. It is quite lovely. And I wasn’t even really trying that hard!

Druids at Brands Hatch
Druids at Brands Hatch

The above photograph was me having a go at the replay race mode photography. I had raced the Mustang around Brands Hatch and thought this overtake at Druids would make a good shot so during the replay I entered into photomode. Although I’ve got blurring on and created a panning shot the level of detail is quite stunning. Just look at the light reflecting off the cars! I drove a race recently at Deep Forest and it turned from daytime to night and the headlights of my car searching through the forest to find the track almost had me weeping with delight.

This is communication number 2018 and so here are some things that happened that year:

  • Russia murders double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK.
  • The world’s last male northern white rhinoceros dies in Kenya.
  • Saudi Arabia allows women to drive.
  • A tsunami hits the Sunda Strait, Indonesia, killing at least 430 people and injuring nearly 1,500.
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Gran Turismo Day

Today is an exciting day. I hit my peak week time tiredness yesterday at around 11am and so anything from now on is pure bonus, I’m hoping I’ll cope for the rest of the day. However I feel I can not dismiss that it is Gran Turismo 7 release day and I got up a little early to play this morning before having to do the things that I need to do to earn money.

So, I watched the opening movie and loved it. There are minigames that I enjoyed but I also wanted to get going and play straight away. It took a little while to get through those explanation screens but I didn’t mind. The game looks amazing and it’ll be great fun to progress as far as I can. I’ve already got a few trophies and two gold medal driving licence tests.

I’m not sure why my indicator is going in the clip above. It happened in the next thing I did but I don’t think it was a thing I did. Anyway, doesn’t matter. Expect plenty of shares via twitter and some within the PlayStation system as well I suppose. There are a few bonus cars that haven’t appeared yet but I’m sure that’s something I can sort out over the next day or two.

So, here’s hoping the day goes fast and I can get home after my chores and get playing. I’m super looking forward to exploring a bit more and trying to buy some better tyres for my cars. Yes, my first car is an Integra. It always is. I love that car.

This is communication number 2016 and I’m happy that this one fits nicely with number 2000. Here are some things that happened in that year:

  • Zika virus outbreak.
  • Jo Cox MP is murdered.
  • The UK votes to leave the EU. Thus ensues years of political shit-storming and chaos. Well played Mr Putin.
  • Russia interferes with the USA election process and Trump is outed as a sexual predator.
  • Trump wins the 2016 USA general election.

I did not enjoy this year. I have struggled since the start of the Brexit campaign and seeing the lies and misinformation used in the country. Once the vote result was in I was devastated. I didn’t really know what being in the EU meant, I’ve learnt a lot since then, but I knew that the best place to be was in the club. I feel as though the world has constantly disappointed me since early 2016.

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