Tuesday 23 June 2015

Motorcycle Future for PD?

(UPDATED: June 22, 2014)

You may have seen my video about if Tourist Trophy should have a sequel. Well now, I ask a different question- where does the future of motorcycles lie among Polyphony Digital? Those who didn't like Tourist Trophy would immediately conclude that this was just another game to take time away from making Gran Turismo 5. Some others would probably think of Tourist Trophy to be more like a Gran Turismo 4 mod than a proper independent game. What COULD the motorcycle future hold for Polyphony Digital? I will express thoughts in this blog post.

Welcome to John's Gran Turismo Space!


LATEST UPDATE(S)/REVISION(S):

JUN 22 2014 - edited a few details, added "Before I Begin..." section


BEFORE I BEGIN...

I want you to realize this blog post regards the future of motorcycles in Gran Turismo or Tourist Trophy. This is NOT a post about futuristic motorcycles. You can look elsewhere online for any information on that topic.





--- Speculative Future of Motorcycles in Polyphony Digital Games ---

Car with Motorcycle
^ This picture either brought a unique image of the future, or a disconcerting image of the future depending on your own views. But... could it be the future for motorcycles in PD's games? (ORIGINAL PICTURE CREDIT: Sony Computer Entertainment and Polyphony Digital)

Gran Turismo HD with Motorcycles
^ from: www.amazon.com - Shop for and tune cars AND motorcycles? Could this be the two-wheel future of motorcycles in Polyphony Digital's games?

To me, there are three possibilities in regards to the two-wheeled future of motorcycles. Follow my logic with these three possibilities:


Possibility 1: A Proper Tourist Trophy Sequel.

Polyphony Digital would have to develop Gran Turismo 6 as well as develop a GT on the side. I saw Tourist Trophy as insight into the making of Gran Turismo 5. I also thought Tourist Trophy was a great racing game even with its flaws. With PS3 power, Tourist Trophy could be something magical if PD actually considered taking Tourist Trophy further and farther into the future. Polyphony Digital didn't get to make their own F1 racing title (that honor went to Codemasters), but they can still make the best motorcycle racing game series other than the MotoGP games.

As Gran Turismo dabbled in rally racing and formula racing in subsequent versions of GT, a Tourist Trophy sequel could get people into supercross racing, motocross racing, and supermoto. How far would PD go in providing the ultimate motorcycle racing experience? We'll never know if Tourist Trophy will cease to continue...


Possibility 2: Motorcycles With Cars.

If you are a motorcycle racing fan, this is either good or bad news for you. This basically means you can race with motorcycles AND cars. You may even have your own car vs. motorcycle battles. This is what many would say is the best possibility for motorcycles in future PD games. You would have to design two different physics engines for both cars and motorcycles. Also, there is one unfortunate element of this if it were to come true- some tracks and configurations would not suit motorcycles as easily as cars. One such example is how Tsukuba and Suzuka have different configurations made for motorcycles. Also, I wouldn't be sure or confident about racing a Suzuki Hayabusa around Circuit de la Sarthe considering how bumpy the roads can be. You would also have to set up championships and single races to make provisions between if cars or motorcycles can race. It may also be possible to race with the dirt bikes around rally-type courses. The simplest way would be to set up two event series- one for cars, and one for motorcycles.

On the other hand, you can actually shop for motorcycles rather than earn them in challenges. Most motorcycles cost anywhere in the range between $7K US Dollars to maybe $20K US Dollars. If you can afford the go-kart in GT5, you can likely purchase a fairly decent motorcycle.

This is so far the most likely scenario if PD wants to continue with motorcycles.


Possibility 3: No More Tourist Trophy?

This would be PD saying that Tourist Trophy was a failed experiment and that there is no way or incentive to making another motorcycle game. Maybe we just have to enjoy playing Tourist Trophy for the PS2 and not even envision the possibility of racing motorcycles ever again in Polyphony Digital games. I personally grown to love motorcycle racing.

I say for market's sake, PD needs to continue Tourist Trophy, because what the heck else is there for motorcycle racing gamers besides the MotoGP games and the (from what I've heard) poor World Superbike games?





What scenario do you think is most possible for the two-wheeled future of Polyphony Digital? Do you think a true sequel to Tourist Trophy will materialize? Do you think Tourist Trophy will be a forgotten memory? Or... do you think that because Tourist Trophy didn't seem too successful, that a future Gran Turismo could involve being able to race/purchase/tune cars AND motorcycles in the same game? Feel free to comment away! I will be working to make more blog posts to add more diversity and keep this blog fresh. In the meanwhile, thank you for reading!

"Like" me on Facebook, Follow JRS, Follow me on Bloglovin', and/or Contact Me via E-Mail!
Subscribe to John's Blog Space (JBS) Subscribe to John's Creative Space (JCS) Subscribe to John's Race Space (JRS)Subscribe to StyleSpace (SS)

No comments:

Post a Comment