My favorite TV show - Top Gear on BBC television - is a mix of fast cars, testosterone, and the best of British absurdest
Jeremy has often been described as 'the most influential man in motoring journalism', mainly by himself. Estimates suggest that he is slightly over nine feet tall, owns 14,000 pairs of jeans and has destroyed almost 4.2 million tyres in his lifetime. He is best known for possessing a right foot apparently consisting of some sort of lead-based substance, for creating some of the most tortured similes ever committed to television, and for leaving the world's longest pauses between two parts... of the same sentence. He has never taken public transport.In a recent (recent to me) segment of the show Jeremy takes on "The Corkscrew" at Laguna Seca, perhaps the most difficult corner of any race track in the world. First Jeremy first practices with Gran Turismo 4 to get a good track time, and then tries the same track in real life. (What is there about his job not to be jealous of?) See how well he does:
[The video is broken, but try one of these links:
http://videosift.com/video/Top-Gear-Real-life-racing-vs-Gran-Turismo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Raceway_Laguna_Seca#Automotive
http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-nsx-laguna-seca_208766.htm
http://www.kewego.com/video/iLyROoaft0ZG.html]
The Gran Turismo games are great simulations, but they miss some of the little things that make race driving harder. While there is no random dice rolling to this game or to driving a car (1), the limitations of human reactions add an element of uncertainty and randomness. Most of the time that random aspect is too small to notice, but when it comes to doing something really hard those little things start to matter. The Game is no longer a good representation of the Reality. One of the things Jeremy points out is that a game can't make you afraid of spinning off the track, and so fear adds another layer of difficulty in the real car.
That's OK, it's supposed to be a game. If every player had to learn all the skills of a real race driver it wouldn't be much fun. As pointed out in the comments to Part 1 of this series, games don't need to have a perfect representation to give players a challenging task and tough decisions to make.
Footnotes:
- If you want to get picky, then for practical purposes it's not possible to measure or simulate every last detail, and this error could well be described as "random".
1 comment:
One problem is that in Gaming, simulation has no strict definition. I have seen amazingly long debates on the definition. For me a true simulation is professionaly constructed equipment designed to train individuals in the use of complex and expensive machines, high risk endeavors(like Auto Racing), and military training (like a Flight Simulator for a F-18.)
I am 100 percent confident that a cars reaction to driver input and its performance can be simulated accurately through computer software. Does Gran Turismo do it? I guess the short answer is no. The reasons why are economic reasons. A computer program can do it, but it's cost would not be marketable to a general audience.
Things that could make Gran Turismo more real is car damage and crashes. Make the player’s bank account responsible for repairs also. Players would be more realistically fearful of the high speed driving. It would also provide more reality in the training and practice needed to be successful. A home console game cannot provide a true simulation. IT of course can be done though.
For me realism starts with the technical. My imagination can simulate the fear, and adrenaline that comes with racing. The more realistic the physics engine, the cost of parts, car setup, etc. The more likely I am to buy and play the game.
"If every player had to learn all the skills of a real race driver it wouldn't be much fun"
I disagree. I would find that very fun and challenging.
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