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Gran Turismo race winners to join Nissan racing team

Sony and Polyphony Digital have given Gran Turismo, its flagship racing game series, the title of being “the real driving simulator.” Anyone who took that line to heart now has the chance to prove just how realistic Gran Turismo truly is, at least in Europe.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Nissan unveiled earlier this week a special program called the GT Academy. Gamers will be able to participate in an eight-month, pan-European competition composed of a series of elimination-based competitions on and off the racetrack, which will start at a national level with an online GT5 Prologue tournament hosted on PlayStation Network.

The winner at the end of the competition will be awarded a four-month training program to earn their racing licenses, followed by a real-life race driving a Nissan 350Z as part of the Nissan team at the 24H endurance race in Dubai in January 2009.

“Gran Turismo is one of the most successful global gaming franchises of the last decade and is renowned for its realism, quality of design and in-car physics technology,” said David Reeves, president and CEO of SCEE. “The academy brings the real and virtual worlds of racing together and is the ultimate test to see if virtual drivers have what it takes to race in a competitive environment where there isn't the option to play again.”

“We're delighted to build on the close relationship between Nissan and Sony PlayStation. This represents the competition prize of a lifetime for racing enthusiasts; a prize that brings the worlds of gaming and racing even closer together,” commented Simon Sproule, communications VP at Nissan Motor Ltd. “We look forward to welcoming our new team drivers for the race in Dubai.”

Perhaps the age old question of whether or not a videogame can accurately teach real world skills will get an answer at the end of this event.

This isn’t the first collaboration between Gran Turismo and Nissan. Developer Polyphony Digital was enlisted to help design the multi-function display (MFD) featured prominently on the dash of the upcoming Nissan GT-R.

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Coming soon in the news
By FITCamaro on 5/8/2008 8:36:35 AM , Rating: 5
"All the top contestants in Gran Turismo and Nissan's competition to let the top drivers join their racing team were killed as each driver went full speed in to the guard rail of turns as they though that, as in the game, was the fastest way to take the turn. Apparently they did not realize that race cars are not indestructible in real life as they are in the game. Gran Turismo and Nissan expressed sympathy to the families of the contestants."




RE: Coming soon in the news
By FreeTard on 5/8/2008 8:50:27 AM , Rating: 5
That's kinda what I was thinking.

I'm picturing a 12 year old with phone books strapped to his feet, mowing down a crowd of reporters, as he jams it into reverse with his foot firmly on the accelerator.


RE: Coming soon in the news
By DASQ on 5/8/2008 11:36:28 AM , Rating: 5
All the more reason to promote this contest.

What I wouldn't give to see that video on youtube.


RE: Coming soon in the news
By spluurfg on 5/8/2008 9:20:48 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
The winner at the end of the competition will be awarded a four-month training program to earn their racing licenses , followed by a real-life race driving a Nissan 350Z as part of the Nissan team at the 24H endurance race in Dubai in January 2009.


I guess learning how to drive in a race is a key part of the prize =P I think it's a cool prize anyway.


RE: Coming soon in the news
By Polynikes on 5/8/2008 10:13:36 AM , Rating: 2
I agree. That would be frickin' awesome.


lucky them...
By nugundam93 on 5/8/2008 8:35:16 AM , Rating: 2
them lucky europeans! :)

they better have fun for me when they go racing in dubai. :D




simulations
By Redback on 5/9/2008 6:17:56 AM , Rating: 2
Wow! After reading the majority of the posts on this topic, I can only assume that most posters here are either too young to actually drive, or have never had any real-world experience on a race track.

Driving a real car, on a real race track is nothing like any computer game. Yes, computer-game graphics are wonderful, - woopty-bloody-do! So what?

The input stimuli in a real driving experience isn't graphics, sound, or artificial "force-feedback".

It's the subtle messages from your fingertips and toes, the information from your inner-ear, the tension in your triceps, gluts and quads, the pressure on your hips and shoulders and the blur-rate of your vision, etc, etc, etc...

I doesn't matter if you're in a 350Z, an F1, or a bloody '62 VW! What's important is how close you can get to the particular vehicle's dynamic limits and remain in control.

The current crop of computer simulations (for obvious reasons) can't come close to the real thing and as a consequence, we seem to be breeding a generation of people who believe they're heros, but in reality are clueless dolts.

Concrete walls, road-side furniture and other competitors are vastly less forgiving than a comfortable lounge-room and <ctrl-alt-del>.




Realistic..
By whirabomber on 5/9/2008 10:32:26 AM , Rating: 2
"to prove just how realistic Gran Turismo truly is, at least in Europe" just like Pole Position did, except in GT5 you just bounce around when you crash, and your driver never burst into flames, so Pole Position is more realistic than GT5.




please...
By Randum on 5/8/08, Rating: -1
RE: please...
By DingieM on 5/8/08, Rating: -1
RE: please...
By nugundam93 on 5/8/2008 8:58:55 AM , Rating: 2
if GT5 finally includes damage modelling, i'm ok with waiting for it.

and i wish you can do race mods again like the ones in GT2's shops.


RE: please...
By Bioniccrackmonk on 5/8/2008 9:06:26 AM , Rating: 5
That is why this game is called teh "PROLOGUE" because it is not the full game. Damage is something that will be added to the "FULL" game either already built in or via download. GT5P is basically a huge demo, so it will not have everything possible in it.


RE: please...
By FITCamaro on 5/8/2008 9:31:00 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
or via download


It would be quite difficult to patch in damage modeling. Thats something that needs to be in the game engine. Both for calculating the damage taken to the car to redraw how it looks and to determine how it will affect the handling of the car. Assuming they implemented both of those things.


RE: please...
By Bioniccrackmonk on 5/8/2008 10:35:21 AM , Rating: 3
If they can release a full game for download I wouldn't see why they couldn't release a patch to implement damage. Anyway, here is a link to an interview where they discuss damage for GT5:

http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/2313.html

Highlighted part about damage to cars:

" Now, what about damage? Well, good news, there are a variety of damage models being tested internally at Polyphony Digital. The challenge is choosing one that isn't hyper-realistic to the point where a single, tiny error destroys your car and throws you out of a race when you've completed 90% of it. Additionally, because Gran Turismo 5 is dealing with hundreds of cars, covering virtually every manufacturer, some car brands still don't want to see their cars getting damaged, while others don't mind. And so the issue is out of Polyphony's hands, forcing them to prevent certain cars from being damaged. So while most should be damageable, there will be some that won't be."


RE: please...
By Omega215D on 5/9/2008 1:20:46 AM , Rating: 2
All Rally cars should have the damage modeling and if not I would be surprised. Anyhow many of the Le Mans type of racing games I played all show cars like Mercedes and Porsche getting full on damage so I wonder which manufacturers are not on board. And Forza 2 has some high end cars, doesn't that game also have damage?

I also feel that GT5 should have a selectable Ultra realistic mode for those of us wanting to experience what tiny errors will throw us out of the race. It is labeled a driving simulator.


RE: please...
By Ratinator on 5/8/2008 11:23:33 AM , Rating: 3
That depends. If they include a mode to shut off damage, it is not difficult at all - they would have already allowed for it to be patched in.


RE: please...
By amanojaku on 5/8/2008 9:31:31 AM , Rating: 2
FIT was just pointing out that GT historically has not had damage. Supposedly that will be added to Prologue this fall, but I'm not holding my breath. To go from no damage to realistic damage seems like a Herculean effort. If it becomes reality, though, every fan would be plunking down some cash for this game or it's full-blown sibling GT5 (whenever that's released.) Hell, damage in GT5 might get me to buy a PS3; I'm still playing GT4 and loving it!


RE: please...
By FITCamaro on 5/8/2008 9:40:30 AM , Rating: 2
Honestly I've got Forza 2 if I want a good driving game with damage. But they quickly bore me. I mean I can only drive around tracks for so long. GT4 was great until it suffered the same fate.

As much as I love cars and driving in real life, I won't be picking up GT5 even if I do own a PS3. Not because I think it'll be a bad game. Just because it won't be worth the $60 to me since I'll get bored of it rather quickly.

I'll still be playing GTAIV by then. Shooting my friends in the face with rockets doesn't get old. ;)


RE: please...
By mmntech on 5/8/2008 9:44:17 AM , Rating: 2
I wouldn't hold by breath either given Polyphony is well known for delays. Grid is supposed to have full damage modeling like Dirt did. Hopefully Codemasters will solve the issue with the twitchy controls that Dirt had. Supposedly there's a demo coming out soon.
I have Prologue and I noticed a definite improvement over GT4, not just in graphics. The physics seem a lot more realistic. GT5P is a decent racing game and it is worth getting since it looks like we'll be waiting a while for its big brother.


RE: please...
By sliderule on 5/8/2008 10:33:58 AM , Rating: 2
I feel the same way. I love racing sims, and the only reason I bought a ps1 and ps2 were for the GT series, but this whole no damage, hit the wall at 200mph and go on like nothing happens is getting old.

I also bought the first gen xbox back in the day for Forza, and I was impressed with that game too.

As of right now I don't own a 360 or a PS3, I've been waiting to see what GT5 would be like. Even though the game trailers for GT5 look AMAZING, I'll be picking up a 360 and Forza2 if there's no damage this time. :/


RE: please...
By A5un on 5/8/2008 1:23:02 PM , Rating: 3
I think the reason of not including "collision damage" to the cars is that no one can model the damage well enough yet. I mean, look at Forza 2's damage model. It's completely unrealistic in terms of the physics and the extent of the damage.

What the GT series has to offer, though, is superb "driving" physics with a "good" player at the wheel. For experienced players / drivers who knows when to brake and how to brake in a corner (for example), GT series offer the most life-like physics. But for those who're just starting out, they invariably "drive" the car "incorrectly" and this gets into the zone where mathmatical models can't really accurately model the real physics. Hence, you get an unrealistic game play. So, how accurate GT is has a lot to do with the player.

And as for sense of speed, you can't get a sense of speed in real life either. You get a sense of acceleration. If you're constantly cruising at 200 mph on a silky smooth road, you can't really tell if it's 200 mph or 100 mph...


RE: please...
By FITCamaro on 5/8/2008 1:44:43 PM , Rating: 3
Microsoft limited the damage on the cars in Forza because the auto manufacturers don't want to see their cars completely trashed. They could easily model the damage better. But car companies don't want their car folding up at high speed when they impact a wall because it casts a bad light on the car.

And Gran Turismo's physics were hardly highly realistic in the past. The inability to do a burn out with 600+ horsepower? The car not rolling when coming off a corner sideways? Hardly slowing down when traveling over gravel or grass? They were realistic when they wanted to be and unrealistic when they wanted to be.

quote:
And as for sense of speed, you can't get a sense of speed in real life either. You get a sense of acceleration. If you're constantly cruising at 200 mph on a silky smooth road, you can't really tell if it's 200 mph or 100 mph...


How fast have you gone? I have been at 100 mph. The fastest I've been is 140 mph. I can tell you there is a BIG difference between the two. Perhaps if you could cancel out all road noise and completely dampen the suspension and steering wheel then yes you couldn't tell the difference. In a sports car with stiff suspension and minimal sound proofing, you can tell the difference.


RE: please...
By UsernameX on 5/8/2008 2:30:29 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
some car brands still don't want to see their cars getting damaged, while others don't mind. And so the issue is out of Polyphony's hands, forcing them to prevent certain cars from being damaged. So while most should be damageable, there will be some that won't be."


Give me a break! Some car brands don't want to see their cars being damaged?? Get over yourselves! This is supposed to be a driving simulator, not a care bears simulator.


RE: please...
By FITCamaro on 5/8/2008 3:10:37 PM , Rating: 2
Do gun manufacturers show photos of victims of violent crimes to advertise their product? Why would a car company want advertising showing what happens when their car hits a wall at 120mph?

NOTE: I am firmly for the 2nd amendment. Heavy handed gun control only keeps guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens.


RE: please...
By Reclaimer77 on 5/8/2008 3:19:54 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I think the reason of not including "collision damage" to the cars is that no one can model the damage well enough yet. I mean, look at Forza 2's damage model. It's completely unrealistic in terms of the physics and the extent of the damage.


Of course its unrealistic. Its a game. But at least there is SOME consequence for driving like a moron.

GT5 on the other hand is a joke. You can wall ride around an oval at 160 MPH, no problem. Slam into other cars when you brake too late, no problem.

Forza is a breath of fresh air in the same old boring console driving game market. Yes, its hard. Yes, its frustrating. Yes you can drive perfectly for 5 laps only to lose it all with a freak crash. Guess what ? Thats racing!

GT5 is just the same old s$%^ with better graphics.


350z
By Runiteshark on 5/8/08, Rating: -1
RE: 350z
By sliderule on 5/8/2008 10:35:49 AM , Rating: 2
I'd rather drive the classic 240z lol.


RE: 350z
By Arribajuan on 5/8/2008 10:43:51 AM , Rating: 2
Let the whining for the guys that win and are screwed driving this terrible piece of car.

I think the coolest part of this prize is the training and getting you license not the fact that you get to drive a 350z. That you can get by renting one for a day.

As for the game, damage adds a whole new level to racing. I have seen it in forza and in the collin mcrae rally games. GT needs to add that even if it is only for the driving simulation (no visible damage so no manufacturer gets upset).


RE: 350z
By Runiteshark on 5/8/2008 11:08:32 AM , Rating: 2
I don't see what you are going to learn how to do in a 350z.

Are you going to learn how to break the rear loose which is hard on stock suspension because of the terrible suspension?

If I was going to go to a racing track (I have) and race around and learn with an instructor, the 350 would be perhaps the first car, if I had no idea what I was doing at all (ie: Help! can't drive manual), afterwards something better.


RE: 350z
By Arribajuan on 5/8/2008 11:21:01 AM , Rating: 3
The thing is, what are the probabilities that the winner actually has some sort of racing experience or knowledge other than GT games and "drifting" mom's minivan on the way to walmart.

As the 350 is not the most exiting car in Nissan's stable, I think it is the safest for novices.

And I still think that for a novice it is still very exiting to go to training and drive a 350 on a track. I do not think they will complaint.


RE: 350z
By NaughtyGeek on 5/8/2008 11:45:32 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
Are you going to learn how to break the rear loose which is hard on stock suspension because of the terrible suspension?


If you feel a rear end that doesn't break loose is a bad thing then you're not racing, you're ricing! Those of us who enjoy sports cars aren't looking for a rear end to break loose. It kinda defeats the purpose of high speed cornering.


RE: 350z
By Runiteshark on 5/8/2008 12:17:45 PM , Rating: 2
What?

Have you even driven a 350z? It has more body roll then a 1990 Crown Victoria. Thats what I'm trying to say. I'd much rather have my car slide (due to a stiff suspension and low center of gravity) then roll and possibly roll over if I go to fast. If you don't know this simple fact, then you probably don't know a whole lot about fast cars, or cars in general. If you are driving 40mph around a sharp 90* corner or really anything to that effect, you probably want your rear to slide, not your car rollover.

Sounds like you don't know a whole lot about racing, or even road racing for that matter.


RE: 350z
By Noya on 5/8/2008 1:18:02 PM , Rating: 1
** Warning - Warning - Redneck Alert! **

quote:
Terrible suspension, even if it is built - That much weight on damn 2 door


quote:
Have you even driven a 350z? It has more body roll then a 1990 Crown Victoria .


quote:
into it and mabie , just mabie .


RE: 350z
By Runiteshark on 5/8/2008 1:32:48 PM , Rating: 2
What? How does that make me a redneck?

The 350z weighs close to 3600lbs

The C6 Corvette weighs 3200lbs or less

The SRT10 Viper weighs 3400lbs

If you've driven a 350z, you would feel how much body roll it has (especially in the rear, sway bars will help a little bit). The only cars I could think of in comparison to the body roll is the Dodge Charger, a Crown Vic, and a Dodge Stratus.


RE: 350z
By FITCamaro on 5/8/2008 1:54:11 PM , Rating: 2
I didn't realize the 350Z was so heavy. Almost the same as my dads 02 Trans Am(3800lbs). We can thank safety equipment. Trans Am's of the 80s and early 90s only weighed around 3300 pounds. And that was with steel bodies.


RE: 350z
By theapparition on 5/8/2008 3:47:37 PM , Rating: 2
Curb weight on 4th gen (1993-2002) F-bodies (Camaro/TransAm) was much lower, only around 3500lbs (3600 for the convertibles) for the heaviest SS/WS6 models.


RE: 350z
By jnn4v on 5/8/2008 2:58:48 PM , Rating: 2
Yep. That's one of the reasons I bought an S2000 over the 350Z convertible. 2,801 lb curb weight, FTW. Save 1000 pounds and a few thousand dollars while you're at it. :)


RE: 350z
By Reclaimer77 on 5/8/2008 3:36:52 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Yep. That's one of the reasons I bought an S2000 over the 350Z convertible. 2,801 lb curb weight, FTW. Save 1000 pounds and a few thousand dollars while you're at it. :)


Cool. I like the S2000 but, and this is just me saying this don't get offended, it needs to have WAY more torque for it to be my daily driver.

Apples to Oranges, I know. Two totally different engine designs etc etc.


RE: 350z
By FITCamaro on 5/8/2008 2:01:57 PM , Rating: 2
Your car shouldn't be sliding at all because it should never be sideways. If its sliding it should be because the brakes are locked up.

If you're sliding around a corner, you're taking it too fast to begin with. And they're going to teach you that at the training.


RE: 350z
By Reclaimer77 on 5/8/2008 3:29:53 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
Have you even driven a 350z? It has more body roll then a 1990 Crown Victoria. Thats what I'm trying to say. I'd much rather have my car slide (due to a stiff suspension and low center of gravity) then roll and possibly roll over if I go to fast. If you don't know this simple fact, then you probably don't know a whole lot about fast cars, or cars in general. If you are driving 40mph around a sharp 90* corner or really anything to that effect, you probably want your rear to slide, not your car rollover.


This ladies and gentlemen, is plainly an idiot.

I co-drive my friends '07 Subaru STI in local SCCA autocross events on the weekends. Let me tell you, in a sport virtually DOMINATED by all wheel drive Evolutions and Subaru WRX/STI, the 350z does VERY well.

First off, idiot, the 350z is REAR wheel drive. There is no way in HELL its going to " roll over " before you can get it to slide. The tail comes out very easily and nicely on the 350z. Want to slide ? Add gas and turn, its really that easy.

The 350z is one of the nicest handling cars in its price range you will ever drive.

I dare you to find me one instance of the 350z rolling over in a normal driving or racing situation due to its " body roll " . Which I find your comparison to a Crown Victoria to be idiotic at best.

Go back to racing games punk. You know jack shit about suspension geometry or car racing. Period.


RE: 350z
By chick0n on 5/8/08, Rating: 0
RE: 350z
By FITCamaro on 5/8/2008 1:50:30 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Are you going to learn how to break the rear loose which is hard on stock suspension because of the terrible suspension?


Wrong. On stock suspension its going to be easier to break the rear end loose because its going to be soft and tuned for the street. On good suspension its HARDER to break the rear end loose because you DON'T want that to happen. Get out of the drift idea of racing where you power slide every turn.

I did some video editing work with a shop that took Corvettes and made them into race cars(track, not drag). They had a customers car that had mild engine mods, a 200 shot of nitrous, and race car suspension. They needed the 200 shot to break the back tires loose because the car had so much grip.


RE: 350z
By Runiteshark on 5/8/2008 2:29:25 PM , Rating: 2
That must of been an excellent setup. How wide were the tires that were on there?

I do a lot of drifting street/track racing that involves drifting, so its a pretty bad habit for me.


RE: 350z
By FITCamaro on 5/8/2008 3:17:43 PM , Rating: 2
Stock width. Granted for a C5 Corvette thats 11" I believe.

Gran Turismo is not a drifting game. Real track racing does not involve drifting. The goal is to get around the track as quickly as possible as safely as possible, not how "cool" you look while doing it. Drifting is one of the dumbest things in automotive sports to come along in a while.


RE: 350z
By theapparition on 5/8/2008 3:51:49 PM , Rating: 2
Standard C5's come with 18" x 9.5" wide rims on the back. C5-Z06's had 10.5" wide, same diameter.


RE: 350z
By FITCamaro on 5/8/2008 11:56:29 AM , Rating: 2
I'm sure the 350Z the race team at Nissan uses is hardly a stock car.

Not a big fan of the car, just saying.


RE: 350z
By Runiteshark on 5/8/2008 12:37:42 PM , Rating: 2
I know but it was really me just griping about wanting to drive the GT-R with its pretty VR38DETT and the 2 IHIs...

I want one :(


RE: 350z
By A5un on 5/8/2008 1:33:18 PM , Rating: 1
I laughed when I read your post, too.

There's sophistication to the 350z, in terms of its chassis. And that's something you can hardly change in a car. Of course the GTR is a much "better" car, the 350z is by no means a bad car. It's a very very very good car, just not as good as the GTR.

In terms of driving skills required, both 350z and GTR will require professional skills. The fact that suspension is soft, which I disagree, just means it requires more finess in your driving.


RE: 350z
By Runiteshark on 5/8/2008 2:05:58 PM , Rating: 1
True to a degree, but all of the ones I've driven which are the following

APS Twin Turbo 350z 450~hp (VQ35HR)
Full coilovers, 25mm Front rear sways, I forget what front strut bar (huge)
- The weight of the car was easily felt in any serious corning, even with very stiff coil overs and thick front and rear sway bars. When I took it into a corner you felt like you were about to totally loose it because of the roll from the rear (even with the suspension set very stiff in the rear). I can't really explain why.

Vortech 350z 400hp (VQ35DE)
Tanabe coilovers, 23mm front/rear sways
This was a bit better, but what he did to even it out was put 30lbs of weight over each wheel well in order to help a bit with the roll. This actually made a bit of a difference and wasn't as bad, but not nearly as good as say a R34, or any of the older Z series.

Stock 350z (VQ35HR)
Merging into a lane at a moderate 35mph felt like I was going to die due to the roll. The rear floated way too much and the front dived too much. In the Turn of the merge, the roll felt like I was about to roll over (at 35mph). My friend didn't want me to drive his 350 anymore.


RE: 350z
By Reclaimer77 on 5/8/2008 7:43:58 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Of course the GTR is a much "better" car, the 350z is by no means a bad car. It's a very very very good car, just not as good as the GTR.


Yeah. I love how he brings up how heavy the 350z is, then sings the praises of the GTR. The GTR, while being a totally bad ass car, is heavy as HELL.


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