GT5 News

[leepangfu]

From now on I will try to keep you updated with news from GT5 from the site GTPlanet.net and stuff I might pick up on the forum there. Might be useful for people who don't use that site. The official newsposts are not made by me. So credits go out to the newsposters of GTPlanet.net. I will update the first four posts with the latest three news reports and I will update Kazunori Yamauchi's latest tweets (with rough google translations if in Japanese) and forumthreads/posts that might be interesting.

Kaz's latest tweets
https://twitter.com/kaz_yamauchi

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18 Jan.15:00 CET RT @ilmyyt: @Kaz_Yamauchi - When will the new DLC be aviable in Europe, today or later on?
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日本のPSストアで「グランツーリスモ５」のDLC始まりました。http://t.co/OTpnLzEK

Google Translation: In the Japanese PS Store "Gran Turismo 5" started the DLC.
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New DLCs for GT5 are now available on the PS Store US.
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Yes! RT @ercansinor: @Kaz_Yamauchi and Europe? http://t.co/Hs0V5Nkw
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Forum News

Community built 2.03 Changelog
http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=240180

2.03 and DLC Discussion Thread
http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=240135

Thread about an online bug causing different laptimes
GT5's Dirty Little Secret : Game Breaking Online Flaw - GTPlanet Forums

Analysis of tyre wear after 2.02
GT5 2.02 Tire Wear [HARD DATA ANALYSIS FOR SUPER GT] - GTPlanet Forums

[leepangfu]

Gran Turismo 5 “Car Pack 3″, “Speed Test” DLC Packs Available in NA, EU to Follow by Jordan 17/1/2012

The two latest DLC packs for Gran Turismo 5 are now available in the North American PlayStation Store. Here’s a quick review of the new content that’s available:

Car Pack 3 ($5.99 USD / €5.99 / £4.79)

Nissan Leaf G 2011
Aston Martin V12 Vantage 2010
Volkswagen [Beetle] 1200 1966
Jaguar XJR-9 LM Racecar 1988
Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 2011
Mini Mini Cooper S Countryman (R60) 2011
Speed Test Course Pack ($3.99 USD / €3.99 / £3.19)

Route X Oval
To find and purchase the new content from the PlayStation Store, perform a search for “car pack 3″, or “speed test”.

As of writing, the DLC is still not yet available in Europe; it should go live in other territories when their respective PlayStation Stores are updated on Wednesday, January 18th. Note that you can still experience the Route X test course if you join an online race being held at the circuit.

Stay tuned to our forums for more detailed availability information in your local area. Thanks to Mitch for the early tip!

GT5 Photomode images by Spark_GTP and Viper224.

Want More?
You should follow GTPlanet on Facebook, and on Twitter @GTPlanetNews. You can also get GTPlanet's news by full-text RSS feed, or delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day.

[leepangfu]

Gran Turismo 5 2.03 Update, New Seasonal Events Now Available by Jordan 16/1/2012

The latest Gran Turismo 5 update, version 2.03, weighs in at 225MB and is currently going live around the world. 2.03′s new features were leaked, but have now been officially confirmed by Polyphony Digital:

• 12 new My Home theme colors and 12 new wallpapers for [GT Mode] have been added to the game. Please find these from the [My Home Settings]-[My Home Design] menu on the left side of the screen.
• Tire wear speed prediction has been added to the pit stop decisions in B-Spec, to prevent tires from wearing out completely during long races.
• Regenerative braking (which recovers energy by converting kinetic energy into electricity) in electric cars have been made stronger to extend driving distance.
• Electric cars will now also creep forward (as in standard automatic cars) when the brake is released without pressing the accelerator.
• Regarding the Chaparral 2J race car’s performance points, the increased performance factor due to the downforce produced by the fan is now calculated.
• A issue has been corrected where the car would pit in unintentionally during the last lap of a B spec race.

GT5‘s “Car Pack 3″ and “Speed Test Course Pack” DLC will become available in the PlayStation Store on January 17th, according to the latest announcement. Here’s a look at the detailed statistics for each new vehicle, thanks to GTPlanet member “EliteDreamer”:

• Nissan Leaf G ’11 / 40,600 Credits / 107 HP / 1520 KG / 333 PP
• Mini Cooper S Countryman ’11 / 34,500 Credits / 181 HP / 1310 KG / 390 PP
• Jaguar XJR-9 LM Race Car ’88 / 4,750,00 Credits / 749 HP / 894 KG / 709 PP
• Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 ’11 / 400,000 Credits / 690 HP / 1575 KG / 583 PP
• Volkswagen 1200 ’66 / 60,000 Credits / 33 HP / 1160 KG / 216 PP
• Aston Martin V12 Vantage ’10 / 217,350 Credits / 509 HP / 1680 KG / 521 PP

New Seasonal Events have also become available, which include the following races:

• 400PP Rome City / 3 Laps
  1st: Cr.185,600 2nd: Cr.113,000 3rd: Cr.99,300
• 500PP Tokyo Route 246 / 3 Laps
  1st: Cr.303,000 2nd: Cr.184,200 3rd: Cr.161,800
• 650PP Madrid City / 5 Laps
  1st: Cr.427,200 2nd: Cr.260,000 3rd: Cr.228,500

Finally, the game’s Online Car Dealership has been updated; a complete list of the new selection of cars can be found here in our forums, courtesy of “Blitz24″

[leepangfu]

Complex GT5 Bug Causes Problems for Online Racers by Famine 15/1/2012

Reports have been surfacing the past few weeks of a glitch that dramatically affects online play in Gran Turismo 5.

The glitch manifests as a marked increase in player lag, profound changes to the simulation physics and a significant change in lap times – even increasing the lap times with reference to an external stopwatch. Though some GT5 players have noticed a similar but less extensive effect before, the issue seems to have become more prevalent, perhaps even ubiquitous, since the most recent update and many online leagues including GTPlanet’s own Weekly Race Series (WRS) have been significantly affected by it.

Our forums have brimmed with members seeking to better understand this bug, and have provided evidence for situations that can prompt the glitch to occur. GTPlanet staff and WRS members have also been testing and gathering further evidence to help players avoid encountering it.

The bug itself affects only online racing, with free practice seemingly unaffected, and seems centred around simultaneous information loads – the more information is being processed by the console or network at once, the more marked the effect of the bug. This includes USB peripherals like headsets and driving wheels, the number of players in a lobby and whether the player is in traffic or running in clean air. GTPlanet’s own tests revealed the following results:

Free practice with 14 drivers using whatever peripherals they chose:
Consistent lap times and physics; Game clock consistent with external stopwatch. (See Video)
Racing with 13 drivers using whatever peripherals they chose:
Significant changes in driving physics and speeds; Significant player lag; Game clock up to 10% slower than external stopwatch; Traffic dependant. (See Video)
Racing with 13 drivers with headsets and mics turned off or disabled:
Marked changes in driving physics and speeds; Marked player lag; Game clock up to 5% slower than external stopwatch; Traffic dependant. (See Video)
Racing with 13 drivers with headsets/mics off and wheels unplugged – gamepad only:
Consistent lap times and physics; Game clock consistent with external stopwatch.
Racing with 12 drivers using whatever peripherals they chose:
Consistent lap times and physics; Game clock consistent with external stopwatch.
The GTPlanet staff test involved a run at Daytona of multiple laps in identical cars to remove driver skill and performance as far as is possible from the equation.

Users in our forums have also collected some valuable data which indicates this issue has actually existed for quite some time. The following chart was compiled by “MGR” after reviewing replays from an online race held back in June of 2011, and clearly illustrates the correlation between the number of participants and the clock’s inaccuracy.



“Filip_Ovik” has also shared a video that demonstrates the issue, which begins at the exact start of a lap around the Nurburgring Nordschleife in an online race. If you compare the YouTube player’s time stamp with the lap timer shown in the game, you’ll quickly notice the discrepancy. By the end of the lap, there’s a difference of 33.489 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lir3cop1Cgg

At this time, without a patch for the issue, GTPlanet recommends players wishing to race online limit lobbies to 12 participants or fewer – though more participants are possible if no players use headsets or force feedback wheels. Please note that this will not fix whatever normal lag issues you may experience (although minimising participants will always help this), only prevent instances of this glitch occurring.

It is unclear if Polyphony Digital are currently aware of this bug. Though many players will be looking for a fix in GT5 version 2.03, to be released this week, this is unlikely considering the length of time it has apparently affected the game. Hopefully, by increasing awareness and encouraging further study and discussion, our community can help resolve this issue that is affecting so many of GT5‘s most dedicated players.

For further discussion and analysis, see this topic in our forums. As always, your own contributions and test results are welcome and may be helpful to anyone tasked with resolving the problem.

Thanks to nealcropper and MGR for the initial tip and all GTP members who have subsequently provided evidence and assistance.

GT5 Photomode image by SMfan.

Want More?
You should follow GTPlanet on Facebook, and on Twitter @GTPlanetNews. You can also get GTPlanet's news by full-text RSS feed, or delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day.

[leepangfu]

Update is now live everywhere. DLC out tonight or tomorrow depending on your timezone.

[leepangfu]

DLC is live in the US.

Europeans like me will probably have to wait until the store refreshed tomorrow

[leepangfu]

DLC is out in Europe aswell now!