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The Project Gotham Racing Appreciation Thread

HokieJoe

Member
I don't know about most beautiful, but the 'Ring in PGR2 was the most fun because it was wider than most other 'Ring's and that worked out perfect for cat-n-mouse. I have PGR4, but never got very far into because of the motorcycle levels. I never liked them.


Aaaaalright guys. First of all thanks a lot for the thread.

I'm betting many of you skipped the PGR4 DLC because of many reasons. Launched in February I think... I played the Platinum+ chapter for the achievement, and while I have 1250/1250, I didn't do the other 2 DLC chapters. They were just lost there. I've been doing them the past days. Some of them are very challenging and it's a great place to start for all of us that are returning to the game. Give it a try!

My next challenge is... I dare you to find a better 'Ring in any other game. PGR4 'Ring = Most beautiful 'Ring.

9da02abd42514c078392c6c.jpg

281b31dc008e4a95ae330a8.jpg

d2165dfe52b547909b3391e.jpg

db8278c9252e4cc3ba3770f.jpg
 

Xanadu

Banned
Unfortunately, PGR3 and 4 didn't hook me the same way. I'm not a fan of the "Life starts at 170mhp (or whatever was the speed), thinking that the lack of small cars, SUV and all hurts the experience. I also can't shake the feeling that PGR4 was not a worth successor to 3, sharing most of the assets, with not that great of an upgrade.
agreed with the first part, i loved all the superminis in PGR2 and of course the suvs, very fun stuff, but PGR4 was a big step up from 3, although i do think it gets too much love over 2
 
Never played 2 since I jumped into the series with the 360 - what was better/different?

PGR2
- Best selection of cars
- some of the best tracks (Sydney, Edinburgh)
- Best online lobby of the series
- Friendliest online community ever
- Best difficulty tuning of medal system

PGR3
- Best cockpit view of the series
- Best soundtrack (that's where I first heard The Convenant)
- Gotham TV (watching other races live)
- Most sim-like handling of the series

PGR4
- Graphics unequalled by any racing game
- Incredible weather, stunning lighting
- Best version of the Ring, especially in snow conditions
- Best track of the series, Quebec
- Daily tournaments
 
sure, but the overall graphics have been surpassed by many games

but the overall effect I think is the best. As an entire package I dont think of a game that tops it. It's the perfect mix of realism and that touch of the embellishment that makes everything "pop". It's the only racing game where I feel the car perfectly fits in the enviroment.
 

Xanadu

Banned
I was referring to console games, not PC games.

oh, well the original post i replied to wasnt, but as for consoles, i'd say GT5 and forza 4 look better overall, PGR4 looks very good in the rain and overcast, but in sunny weather, not so much
 

Shaneus

Member
This thread keeps getting better by the day. Congrats Shaneus for getting onto the Lucid FB page and for getting Nick Davies to respond due to your stalking.
That's... not something I'm proud of :(

you people are stuck in 2007, have you not seen project cars?, even the recent need for speed games are more impressive than pgr4 lol
Unreleased PC game looks better than 5-year-old console game shocker!

I think it's more a case of PGR4 was the equivalent of Project CARS *at the time*. GT5 was a number of years off, Forza looked like arse and there wasn't really anything with that level of fluidity or detail in a racing game. And to be honest, I'm yet to see a game that's done it as consistently well across the whole game as PGR4 has. GT5 still looks like absolute arse in too many areas (considering the dev time) and the fact that people were comparing environment shots directly with PGR4 says loads.

It's definitely been surpassed in some aspects now (to say it hasn't is just being ridiculous), but that over five years on there are still people who play it and (whether right or wrong) still think it's a damn impressive game speaks volumes. I can't think of another game that age or older I hold in a similar regard, irrespective of genre. Burnout Paradise I'd probably think of as being in the same ballpark, but that's about it. The one thing I've never thought about it is "man, this game is really showing it's age".




Just to bring this whole speculation thing back...

To be honest I personally would like to see another 5.
;)
 

Shaneus

Member
I still can't get mine looking like that. Such a badly optimised game :/

Criterion are the only developer who manage to make their PC ports run worse with each successive iteration. Burnout Paradise was fine, HP was a bit of a bitch and MW just runs like shit unless you turn things like shadows right down or off completely.
 

bangai-o

Banned
if any devs of Bizzarre are here I want to mention how much fun Blur was when I was playing it online. There was one a time a gang of drivers all working together to make the rest of us lose, but eventually we came to realize what was going on and starting working together as a team to help eachother and push the gang off the road long enough to send someone to catch up to the leader. It was glorious. Even the least skilled drivers were contributing in making those bad guys lose.

and i did buy the the game new at K Mart on launch day
 

TJP

Member
you people are stuck in 2007, have you not seen project cars?, even the recent need for speed games are more impressive than pgr4 lol
Says the guy stuck in 1998 - http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=46332273&postcount=1925 I kid of course Xanadu 8)

PGR 4 was a revelation back in 2007 and still holds up rather well today.The lack of anti-aliasing is noticable at times as is the dive in framerate in rain but for a 5 year old game PGR 4 remains sensational. Take shots in photomode and PGR 4 is even more impressive, especially the little details like decals on the bikes right down to hand written markings on the tyre sidewalls of cars. Then there is the level of detail in the surrounds...sublime! The graphics engine used in Blur gave a hint of what could have been possible in another PGR or MSR on current console hardware.

As for CARS, it sure looks fantastic in many screenshots however many of the screenshots are taken with a few tricks in the developer menu. That said, CARS remains the best looking racing sim I've played and I'm happy to be a senior member of the pCARS project.

Speaking of PGR 3, anyone else remember these gaffs?

pgr3-sony-whoops.jpg

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/17/deja-vu-pgr3-image-used-to-promote-sony/

sony-site-snafu-20070125113336190.jpg

http://au.ign.com/articles/2007/01/25/sony-site-snafu

pgr3_with_ps3_again.jpg

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/pgr3-scores-a-hat-trick-with-sony-advertisements/
 

Cajun

Neo Member
Sadly, I didn't get into PGR until PGR3 on the 360 (I did, however, somehow end up playing MSR withut knowing a thing about it when I was a younger. Dreamcast will forever be my favorite console), because I never enjoyed racing games. PGR3 changed that with ease.

Being used to games like Gran Turismo, NFS, etc., PGR's stylish gameplay absolutely blew me away, and I became a fan of the game immediately. I still have never played a racing game from another series that I enjoy nearly as much.

Bizarre's take on the racing genre will be missed.
 

Reiko

Banned
PCars takes the rain drop shader to the next level.

8372387688_59209c35a2_c.jpg



PGR4 started the revolution.

935830_20070711_screen007.jpg


935830_20070510_screen012.jpg


The possibilities of a new PGR with weather effects is insane...:)
 

enzo_gt

tagged by Blackace
So here is a question I pose to my fellow PGR nuts here alongside general racing game fans: How would you keep the series fresh?

I've encountered the argument for a balance between old and new in threads across many genres, and I certainly feel it applies to PGR. PGR3 took a bold step and eliminated the eclectic roster of cars in favour of a supercar exclusive cast to much controversy, but was also probably done to exhibit the power of the 360. PGR4 included a myriad of weather options and added bikes to the franchise; two huge additions to the franchise that people who followed it acknowledged. However, reviewers all complained PGR hadn't changed enough over the years, and believe this contributed to the downfall of the franchise.

This is difficult because as big fans all we want is more of the same but making the same entirely game over and over again is not what anyone wants. So how would you shake up the PGR formula like they would in a theoretical PGR5 that would also help market it?

---

In my opinion, they need to create massive replicas of real life cities. They need to go BIG. Say about 3 cities, each of which is multiple times larger than any single city in Midtown Madness 3, dense, and insanely detailed. All of these cities would have to be varied considerably when it comes to making courses out of them, but also large enough to accommodate that variety without feeling like every course is the same. They need to play up on how real it is and how authentic the cities are. PGR's cities have always had personality, and I think focusing on a smaller number of cities that are more varied and crazy big can strengthen that, despite how much I'd like a larger amount of cities.

As far as gameplay goes... I don't know. I've never understood the complaints. PGR always brought varied game types to the table revolving around kudos, and I can't think of what they haven't done. I always considered that possibly players could spend kudos while racing just to show off their style but uses I conjured up always seemed cheesy to me (i.e. change rims on-the-go, make driver give others the finger out the window, etc.). Something wild I thought of was that you could designate several tiers of looks for your car such as swapped body parts and paint jobs, and as you earn kudos you can progress within a game to the next level by reaching thresholds. All cosmetic of course, because its about style. Even that I thought what was a bit deviant and kind of wouldn't hook people.

The problem lies where PGR is quite a basic experience at its core. The CoD generation of games are constantly trying to reward the player and accelerate the feedback loop. Thing is, PGR has already gotten more and more generous when it comes to giving out Kudos as it goes on and I don't know if just throwing more of that in yor face will be enough to help the franchise survive in the industry today, or even how they could possibly throw more kudos at your face. If Blur couldn't do it, I'm not sure how they could make PGR addictive without compromising the driving model.
 
So here is a question I pose to my fellow PGR nuts here alongside general racing game fans: How would you keep the series fresh?

I've encountered the argument for a balance between old and new in threads across many genres, and I certainly feel it applies to PGR. PGR3 took a bold step and eliminated the eclectic roster of cars in favour of a supercar exclusive cast to much controversy, but was also probably done to exhibit the power of the 360. PGR4 included a myriad of weather options and added bikes to the franchise; two huge additions to the franchise that people who followed it acknowledged. However, reviewers all complained PGR hadn't changed enough over the years, and believe this contributed to the downfall of the franchise.

This is difficult because as big fans all we want is more of the same but making the same entirely game over and over again is not what anyone wants. So how would you shake up the PGR formula like they would in a theoretical PGR5 that would also help market it?

---

In my opinion, they need to create massive replicas of real life cities. They need to go BIG. Say about 3 cities, each of which is multiple times larger than any single city in Midtown Madness 3, dense, and insanely detailed. All of these cities would have to be varied considerably when it comes to making courses out of them, but also large enough to accommodate that variety without feeling like every course is the same. They need to play up on how real it is and how authentic the cities are. PGR's cities have always had personality, and I think focusing on a smaller number of cities that are more varied and crazy big can strengthen that, despite how much I'd like a larger amount of cities.

As far as gameplay goes... I don't know. I've never understood the complaints. PGR always brought varied game types to the table revolving around kudos, and I can't think of what they haven't done. I always considered that possibly players could spend kudos while racing just to show off their style but uses I conjured up always seemed cheesy to me (i.e. change rims on-the-go, make driver give others the finger out the window, etc.). Something wild I thought of was that you could designate several tiers of looks for your car such as swapped body parts and paint jobs, and as you earn kudos you can progress within a game to the next level by reaching thresholds. All cosmetic of course, because its about style. Even that I thought what was a bit deviant and kind of wouldn't hook people.

The problem lies where PGR is quite a basic experience at its core. The CoD generation of games are constantly trying to reward the player and accelerate the feedback loop. Thing is, PGR has already gotten more and more generous when it comes to giving out Kudos as it goes on and I don't know if just throwing more of that in yor face will be enough to help the franchise survive in the industry today, or even how they could possibly throw more kudos at your face. If Blur couldn't do it, I'm not sure how they could make PGR addictive without compromising the driving model.

level and gametype editor. Let me make my own course and share it with friends to see what they can do on it.
 

Rat Salad

Banned
The best looking console racer this gen about to make its return for Next Box.
Yeah you better fear it bitches. Fuck, bring it on.
 

eso76

Member
I'll keep saying that the road texture in that leaked PIC looks current gen or iOS...

You guys are not thinking of finally giving us pgr5 and putting it on iOS or current gen at this point, right ?
 

Shaneus

Member
In my opinion, they need to create massive replicas of real life cities. They need to go BIG. Say about 3 cities, each of which is multiple times larger than any single city in Midtown Madness 3, dense, and insanely detailed. All of these cities would have to be varied considerably when it comes to making courses out of them, but also large enough to accommodate that variety without feeling like every course is the same. They need to play up on how real it is and how authentic the cities are. PGR's cities have always had personality, and I think focusing on a smaller number of cities that are more varied and crazy big can strengthen that, despite how much I'd like a larger amount of cities.
I don't think that's feasible or would be a good idea. There was enough variation in the tracks to keep things interesting, and that included changes in scenery. Having large scale areas which don't vary considerably would give the game a stale kind of feeling, regardless of just how many different track layouts you can have. I think the existing roster of having, say, 10 locations with 10 or so track variations each (not counting reverse, of course) would be plenty. Also factor in weather (which we know can be done) along with full day/night cycles (which we know *could've* been done with PGR4, but disc space was at a premium... although not a problem with next-gen, because it'd be safe to assume it could do it dynamically) and it would be as diverse as it needs to be. I've never once felt short-changed by the amount of locations in 4, but I think I would if it was narrowed down to only 3, no matter how detailed they were.

As far as gameplay goes... I don't know. I've never understood the complaints. PGR always brought varied game types to the table revolving around kudos, and I can't think of what they haven't done. I always considered that possibly players could spend kudos while racing just to show off their style but uses I conjured up always seemed cheesy to me (i.e. change rims on-the-go, make driver give others the finger out the window, etc.). Something wild I thought of was that you could designate several tiers of looks for your car such as swapped body parts and paint jobs, and as you earn kudos you can progress within a game to the next level by reaching thresholds. All cosmetic of course, because its about style. Even that I thought what was a bit deviant and kind of wouldn't hook people.
My first idea for a new PGR would be to have at least two different *types* of Kudos. I mentioned earlier that it's not all that fair that taking a corner perfectly (apex etc.) isn't rewarded anywhere near as much as fishtailing around it and losing massive amounts of speed. So maybe have "racer" Kudos and "street" Kudos, so you're more encouraged to manage one particular style over another. Hell, even have it so if you earn too many of one (I'm thinking "street" in this example) then you don't pass.
As far as "spending" them (ie. using them as some kind of currency) goes, the old system was good (and in many ways, a precursor to a lot of freemium games where you need to earn points to unlock features... read: Jetpack Joyride) but I think it could be tweaked to allow for cosmetic things such as bodykits or types of paint as well, as long as they weren't something that has a performance benefit... you don't want to alienate people.
I don't think additional vehicles would be a good idea. In fact, I'd probably prefer it if they dropped the bikes altogether (or had them as a completely separate entity from the cars). Fake edit: After reading your whole paragraph again... that's almost exactly what you said. At least, as far as the cosmetic stuff goes.

The problem lies where PGR is quite a basic experience at its core. The CoD generation of games are constantly trying to reward the player and accelerate the feedback loop. Thing is, PGR has already gotten more and more generous when it comes to giving out Kudos as it goes on and I don't know if just throwing more of that in yor face will be enough to help the franchise survive in the industry today, or even how they could possibly throw more kudos at your face. If Blur couldn't do it, I'm not sure how they could make PGR addictive without compromising the driving model.
I don't think increasing Kudos or adding game-modifying incentives should be the main change that is focused on with the next iteration. Even if they came back in their PGR4 form, like I said they'd probably be viewed as something similar to in-game currency with freemium games. Maybe strip it back a little, have them as just some kind of score to compare e-peen sizes with, use them as a points leaderboard-type thing to enter online competitions, something like that. They're something I obviously want to still be there over however many more PGR games we see, but as much as I did genuinely like how they were used in 4, that would be frowned upon this time. I just can't come up with another use to make them worth striving for :(

Maybe... allow them to be used to "purchase" some kind of powerup that gives you access to some kind of improvement. Like, earn 100,000K in your career, there's a slight reduction in the weight of the car. At 150,000 you can improve the grip of your tyres. BUT, you can't use more than one at a time during any race. So you might be racing against me in a Diablo that is a bit lighter, but I could be in a Testarossa that has improved grip or something. It's almost like a game of quasi-rock-paper-scissors because you wouldn't know what your opponents might use so their cars will be that little bit more unpredictable online.


I dunno, I'm just throwing out ideas. But I think some of them could be used to make the game that little bit different without taking away from what it's always been about: driving really fucking cool cars around cities and feeling like a badarse while doing it.


PS. Lucid, please don't dudebro this up at all or try and include some kind of crappy story with it. As well as the Horizon one mostly works, I don't want any in-game characters talking to my virtual self or my own character having any kind of personality outside of the colours and style of their racing suits and helmets. Just think of the player's character as The Stig, I guess.

I'll keep saying that the road texture in that leaked PIC looks current gen or iOS...

You guys are not thinking of finally giving us pgr5 and putting it on iOS or current gen at this point, right ?
Which leaked pic?
 

madmackem

Member
Msr then pgr were the most fun i think ive had with a racer this gen and last. I think it helped they were leaders really in the console space. Anyone remember the realtime day night cycle in msr, i dont think i ever drove the japan tracks in sunlight due to it haha. And pgr was the first fun racer on console that the crowds seemed to circle around. It also looked amazing.
 

Shaneus

Member
London - road opens 2013
Possible, but if we're really drawing conclusions it'd be that they'd have all their textures sorted... they're probably just using placeholder ones or something. But that pic may not even use in-game assets at all, regardless of whatever game it's promoting.

PS. Why in the hell is PGRnations.com down? It doesn't seem like that long ago since I last used it. And I just uploaded a picture there fine! I just don't know how to get to it :/
 

S1kkZ

Member
i want to replay pgr 4 again, is there any way to fix the missing shadows that the last patch caused? or do i need to delete the patch (is that even possible?)?
and what about the install, wasnt it causing some sound bugs?
 

Shaneus

Member
i want to replay pgr 4 again, is there any way to fix the missing shadows that the last patch caused? or do i need to delete the patch (is that even possible?)?
and what about the install, wasnt it causing some sound bugs?
I think you can delete the update but I can't recall whether it brings back the shadows or not. I know you will miss out on the DLC cars though. I'm not sure what they are (I know there's at least that beast Golf GTi and that Peugeot concept car) but it'd probably be worth it.

I don't know if there's anything else associated with it, either... I have a feeling there might be a game mode or two that was in there.

And yeah... there were some sound issues with music and I *think* some in-game engine noises as well.
 

HokieJoe

Member
Screw fresh. Just clone everything from PGR2 with improved graphics, etc (hello Halo) and I'll be $60 lighter in the wallet. :)




So here is a question I pose to my fellow PGR nuts here alongside general racing game fans: How would you keep the series fresh?

I've encountered the argument for a balance between old and new in threads across many genres, and I certainly feel it applies to PGR. PGR3 took a bold step and eliminated the eclectic roster of cars in favour of a supercar exclusive cast to much controversy, but was also probably done to exhibit the power of the 360. PGR4 included a myriad of weather options and added bikes to the franchise; two huge additions to the franchise that people who followed it acknowledged. However, reviewers all complained PGR hadn't changed enough over the years, and believe this contributed to the downfall of the franchise.

This is difficult because as big fans all we want is more of the same but making the same entirely game over and over again is not what anyone wants. So how would you shake up the PGR formula like they would in a theoretical PGR5 that would also help market it?

---

In my opinion, they need to create massive replicas of real life cities. They need to go BIG. Say about 3 cities, each of which is multiple times larger than any single city in Midtown Madness 3, dense, and insanely detailed. All of these cities would have to be varied considerably when it comes to making courses out of them, but also large enough to accommodate that variety without feeling like every course is the same. They need to play up on how real it is and how authentic the cities are. PGR's cities have always had personality, and I think focusing on a smaller number of cities that are more varied and crazy big can strengthen that, despite how much I'd like a larger amount of cities.

As far as gameplay goes... I don't know. I've never understood the complaints. PGR always brought varied game types to the table revolving around kudos, and I can't think of what they haven't done. I always considered that possibly players could spend kudos while racing just to show off their style but uses I conjured up always seemed cheesy to me (i.e. change rims on-the-go, make driver give others the finger out the window, etc.). Something wild I thought of was that you could designate several tiers of looks for your car such as swapped body parts and paint jobs, and as you earn kudos you can progress within a game to the next level by reaching thresholds. All cosmetic of course, because its about style. Even that I thought what was a bit deviant and kind of wouldn't hook people.

The problem lies where PGR is quite a basic experience at its core. The CoD generation of games are constantly trying to reward the player and accelerate the feedback loop. Thing is, PGR has already gotten more and more generous when it comes to giving out Kudos as it goes on and I don't know if just throwing more of that in yor face will be enough to help the franchise survive in the industry today, or even how they could possibly throw more kudos at your face. If Blur couldn't do it, I'm not sure how they could make PGR addictive without compromising the driving model.
 

saladine1

Junior Member
PGR5 needs to stay true to the formula. Changing too much can take away what made the originals special. Case in point...NFS Most Wanted.
 

ironcreed

Banned
Have been bitten by the racing game bug here as of late. It's just such a great change of pace from playing nothing but role playing games, action/adventure and shooters. I'll be giving PGR4 a try at some point. Always thought it looked great, I was just too busy playing my usual genres.
 

Borman

Member
PGR2 still looks nice, just took these.
1-3_zpsb54e1a5e.png

2-3_zpsb089f49d.png

3-2_zpsc905a11d.png


(Actual Xbox resolution would be a bit higher, but the screenshot software takes the shots at 640x480, despite them being widescreen)
 

saladine1

Junior Member
I don't know why you'd feel the need to nag. Have you ever felt the need to before? Were either PGR4 or Blur (or even Blood Stone) not up to your standard? Sounds like you need to have a good, hard think about where you're going with this, saladine. It's like you've lost faith or something.

Oh, I haven't lost faith. Just trying to keep it real. I have no doubt 'next gen' Turn 10/Wiswell audio will be glorious!

I have to say in regards to sound, PGR4 did some things a little better than FM4 or Horizon.

Two examples:

-Straight cut gear whine implementation in PGR is incredible compared to FM.
-Doppler,reverb and drive by in replay is also much better in PGR than FM.

The Legend must live on!
 

ironcreed

Banned
I ordered PGR4 for a whopping $2.00 last night. My backlog is not getting any smaller, but I figured I had to get it at that price. Long over due giving this one a try.
 
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