I went to Polyphony digital in-house tour tour & Gran Turismo SPORT experience by Kazunori Yamauchi

Ultra authentic driving game born in Japan / latest driving simulator "Gran Turismo" series latest work "Gran Turismo SPORT"Will be released on October 19, 2017 after a period of about 4 years. Prior to its launch, the studio tour of the site "Tokyo studio" where the developer "Polyphony · Digital" actually develops is held for the media, so the title named in the world is made in any place in any place I saw what it is.

Gran Turismo · dot com
http://www.gran-turismo.com/jp/products/gtsport/

I came to "Polyphony · Digital Tokyo Studio" in Tokyo. When entering the studio, at the start time, Mr. Kazunori Yamauchi, representative director of Polyphony and Digital, was born out of GT's birthplace and the presentation began, and what kind of change was new in "Gran Turismo SPORT" There was explanation such as whether a new user experience was added. Details about this area are described below.


A lot of trophies and souvenirs awarded so far are placed in the lobby immediately after entering the Tokyo studio. Mr. Yamanouchi is holding a machine that was created with a project with tags with the Red Bull Racing Team "X2010 prototype'S model. It is a "dream racing car" made by Mr. Adrian Newy who is a racing car designer "a wealth of aerodynamics" in full swing as a technical advisor.


When I entered the development area, I first jumped into the rack of equipment for photographing arranged on one wall. This is a set of items that you can carry whenever you need to take pictures at any time. Equipment such as a tripod and a lens is prepared as a slurry as well as the camera body. According to Yamanouchi's discretion, work in polyphony / digital is "job of handling light", and it is said that the equipment is equipped to record more accurate and wonderful "light". This seems to be prepared in the same way not only in the Japanese studio but also in several development bases overseas.


On another wall, designs and UI used in Gran Turismo are lined up. Although it is a Gran Turismo series which is an international title which gained popularity all over the world since its debut, almost all of the actual development is done in Japan. This is the same in not only the product itself but also the posters and other designs, everything is made in-house at this studio. By doing so, we are establishing a brand image of similar taste no matter where we go to anywhere, although it is a globally developed title.


Design of screen that appears in game ......


Layout design around the meter displayed during cockpit view. In addition to this, menu screens and screen layouts for various modes are posted. By the way, the illustrations of the drivers listed in the GT SPORT product package etc are called "guts" among the staff.


On this wall, the motif drawn at the time of development of "X2010" mentioned above etc. is posted.


There were many interesting things like receiving a number of rework from the initial design, changing Mr. Newy's idea and changing it.


It was interesting that this rack. A box of plastic model is aligned with Bissiri. According to what I heard, the past GT series sometimes made car data while referring to these models. Currently it is said that we have not used such a method now that automobile manufacturers are able to provide CAD data of the car body, but it is a space that leaves one page of the past history as it is.


On this shelf, diecast minicars etc were also placed.


Although I was able to observe the area where development actually is done, it is a place where know-how is clogged up so that details can not be shown. How to make the car body in the game from the shape data acquired from the actual car body, how to make the course of the course and the surrounding landform, and how the data is correct There was explanation such as whether it is verified, but the contents are only what seems to be "there will be there".


For example, when making car body data, we will use the laser scanner, which is currently mainstream, to convert the actual shape of the car body into data in detail. However, it can not be said that data acquisition is completed. The data acquired by the laser scanner is "point group", that is, "aggregate of fine points", and since these points are "just in line with the car" by chance, they do not exist as a structure. So the first thing to do is to create a surface as a structure by specialized artists.

Actually, I had the time lapse movie show the work of converting Lamborghini · Councuk to data, but there are few things that can be called "automation" in the process, and in fact, I use CAD gorigori alone It was working to form the surface precisely and connect it. Once the appearance is completed, the next step is interior, the work progressed, and it told me that it will have as much as six months before the data for one car is completed. In the first 3 months I will bring it almost completed, and in the next 3 months I will repeat a fine brushup and close it to completion, but at this time I will leave a real vehicle body to be close at hand I can not afford it. Therefore, she seems to prepare a large amount of 5,000 pictures and movies capturing details in advance by interviewing the car body.

And when data of the car body is created, this time we will go into the process to verify "is the shape correctly reproduced correctly?" The appearance of the car changes various expressions depending on the situation placed, intensity, direction, number, and color of the light source. In order to correctly reproduce the change, it is necessary to correctly set the conditions such as the connection condition of the curved surface of the body panel, the material, the reflectance, and the type of painting. I check whether the reproduction level reaches the required level, but at this time I will compare the gachinko to display on the same screen the image taken of the live-action photograph and the 3D data reproduced on the computer. Although I actually showed that screen, from the appearance it is almost impossible to distinguish between real cars and CG cars. It was such a surprise that I could not hide surprises in such a way that I did not feel anything that makes me feel "CG chun" at all.

After this, I had the process reproducing the road surface and the topography of the circuit showed, but the state that I was surprised to see the reproduction of trees on the course side. When the land changes, it is natural that the growing trees are also different, so when you cover the local area, you should also conduct coverage of not only the course, but also the surrounding plants. In other words, by reproducing the "tree growing in Nürburgring in Germany" properly on the screen, it makes a landscape that the viewer can properly understand even if it sees it. In addition, in order to measure the reflectance and permeability of the surface of the leaf at the time of interview, it is said to make a darkroom at the news gathering base, bring in leaves and measure the data, so the level that the mouth that is already opened is not blocked. The laughter sounded like it was taken to the interview as "Hahaha ...... (Majika)" from the interviewers.

The only thing that "generated" by the computer is the lawn growing on the course side. In Polyphony · Digital, we develop a unique algorithm for growing grass naturally, so we have adopted a method to naturally reproduce seamlessly even on grass that fills the course. Indeed, while in the actual game, it is in a state that the texture rendered in advance is pasted, but a tremendous number of nodes are arranged on the screen of the algorithm which actually generates the lawn and they are patched in a complicated manner State. It was a series of surprises as to whether this work was hidden behind the grass that looks very natural.

Next, Mr. Yamauchi's office was shown. A large table is placed in the wide office room, which is likely to be about 50 square meters, and a huge 4K display and a handle controller are installed on top of it. Before that is a camera lens called Mr. Yamauchi's collection. However, this is not just a tool of hobby, but it is for Mr. Yamauchi to purchase and validate lenses for actually using inside the company at their own expense. If it becomes "OK" here, it seems that it will be purchased in large quantities for the company and used.


This table is the main working desk. There are 88 key full-size keyboards, monitor speakers, etc. on the table, and it is said that Mr. Yamauchi himself sometimes composes himself using this.


And moved to the next room. This is a rest space of staff, magazines and sofas - and of course game machines etc. are placed. It seems that game machines are not only PlayStation but also other companies' console such as XboX.




At the far end of the break space, it is a music production space that was supposed to be a "smoking space" once. Originally it was an ordinary smoking place, but unfortunately the music creator has settled down and now it has become as good as a studio. It is said that members will gather and the session will start from around 0 o'clock in the evening.



◆ Actually played "Gran Turismo SPORT"
When the tour ended, I was able to actually play Gran Turismo SPORT "Situation on Sale Status." One day in the company has become the exercise space on this day, you can check the feel of the game to your heart's content.



A new work is 4K + HDR compliant, so there are also huge Sony Bravia which can actually realize that spec.


On some of the test stands, Thrustmaster's high-end steering controller "T-GT"Had been set up. Four rotary selectors are placed in the handle, you can change the brake balance and traction control during the actual race, you can also change the "air-fuel ratio" to send fuel to the engine. It is likely to be used for endurance racing etc.


The pedal is ABC pedal type. However, it is possible to run without using the left clutch pedal, so there are not many cases actually used.


It has a powerful brushless motor inside the main body, making it possible to make more realistic feedback.


Actually playing it, you can see the realistic feel of the tire is transmitted. Actually it is feedback by the motor, but actually feeling like "guts" when riding on the curb stick and the feeling that the front wheels lose grip during cornering and the response is getting out of hands " People who have something that has gained a sense of reality that makes me feel "Oh!"


When I tried to run and tried to clear the first corner, I actually went out of courses without being able to bend. At the beginning I was puzzled at the beginning, "It was this?", But when running for a while it is convinced that "This is evolving to a more realistic simulation". When breaking, grips are lost as soon as you do not keep the basic principle of "straightening the tires", but this is a natural behavior if it is a real vehicle. Conversely, in the GT series so far, there was a part that allowed breaking while steering a handle to a certain extent, but it seems that the reality was further improved in this work. It is inevitable to play the role of "not bending / spinning" at first when you play with the past, but when you become this realistic feeling, you will be able to enjoy driving while checking the feeling more than ever . it's amazing.

And from this work also corresponds to Playstation VR. Although the following movie is actually played, you can understand how the screen follows the movement of the head. If you are actually wearing goggles, you can taste the feeling that real cars and circuits are there, and you can feel that "Next Generation Driving Simulator" is such a thing without multiplication I will.

I played "Gran Turismo SPORT" on Playstation VR - YouTube


The point that VR is more amazing than anything is that you can intuitively see the direction you want to see during driving. Therefore, you can check the corner's tip through the glass of the door. As a VR compatible drive game, even in Playstation "DRIVECLUBThere are such things, and there is also a feeling like the feeling unique to the GT series can be felt though the VR experience can be fully tasted.


Even when batting with two units, it was possible to run while watching the movements of the opponent.


From the new pleasure that appeared in Gran Turismo SPORT "Scapes"
From this work, by using the new photo format, you can reproduce the real world as it is "ScapesThere is a mode called called.


It takes advantage of the True HDR workflow and the physical base rendering technology, and has the information of the light energy as it is in the data of the actual landscape photographed. Even the sun's light with overwhelming brightness not only holds accurate physical quantities and lighting information, but also has spatial information in the image, "We placed the car in the picture It is possible to be able to "do."



◆ "Reverie editor" that you can apply your favorite design to your car
The function to design cars owned in the game to your liking is the "reverie editor". It is possible to change the body color to a color that is not actually, wrapping a logo, change wheels, change colors for each part. For example, to the base Porsche · GT 3 ......


First change the body color to yellow.


And you can paste various manufacturers and brand logos. In addition to the manufacturer's logo that actually exists, things of fictitious brands are prepared and planned to be able to read the original image data. From the design that seems to be a stoic racing car, pushed the anime character to the front "Pain carYou can make it by yourself, drive it, and send out to the world via network fighting.


After changing the wheel, let's wear a thin tire of peta peta and lay out the logo like this. The tension will rise if you run with the car tailored to your liking.


This is also possible because there is accurate vehicle data by precise modeling as described earlier. On the vehicle selection screen, thorough enough that the vehicle body size is displayed.


Even a single reproduction of the wheel ...


It feels like a metal texture.


Sheet material and ... ...


The reproducibility of texture around the handle.


Brake discs using Honda · NSX's carbon ceramic material are also expressed in realism.


In this work, a game system looking into the "next decade" has been introduced, and the technology has affected the reproducibility of the body painting as well. By changing the size of the flake contained in the pearl paint, so-called "lame", it is even possible to change the expression of the twinkle feeling.


It is also a point that social function is being enhanced. It is possible to deliver the results of myself, the mileage, the type and number of trophies acquired, the evaluation of "fairness" in battle, etc. by social function on the network in the game. And you can also enjoy battle online with people who match your ability.


The writer who visited this time interviewed almost all from the first "Gran Turismo" and was surprised by the evolution every time a new title comes out, but as expected it is said that " I felt like the wind. Until we actually touched it again, I had a feeling of "How will we evolve further?", But actually touched it, I was surprised that "it is still evolving" The result is that it will be. It seems that the main factor is the high reproducibility by improving machine specs and the improvement of graphic performance by 4K + HDR correspondence, but it may be the part that "Improved texture" remains stronger than that .


Until now, "CG っ ぽ さ" or "game っ ぽ い" that has smelled somewhere can not be said to be said at all, as if the tire made of rubber really touched the asphalt and took the weight of the car and wanted to bend It seems that the appearance that it turns in the direction almost does not differ from the actual car even when looking at the replay screen. Not only the GT series, but the movement of the car drawn with CG somewhat lie feeling like a lie feeling did not wipe, but the impression that Gran Turismo SPORT finally ceased to feel that feeling.


"Gran Turismo SPORT" is released on October 19, 2017, the suggested retail price of the regular version is 6900 yen without tax. The first limited edition "Gran Turismo SPORT Limited Edition" bundled with bonus car packs (3 units) and special booklets will be released on the same day with a tax of 9900 yen, as well as 100 million credits, bonus car packs, games "Digital Limited Edition" which can get special designed helmet which can be used inside is line-up with 7900 yen excluding tax.

Sales information / reservation privilege - Gran Turismo · dot com
http://www.gran-turismo.com/jp/products/gtsport/preorder/

In addition, on the day of the interview, various interviews have been conducted on what Mr. Yamauchi wanted to achieve with Gran Turismo SPORT, his commitment to "sound", and the future course of the Gran Turismo series. We are planning to release soon so please look forward to it.


◆ Continued
About what I wanted to achieve with "Gran Turismo SPORT", and about the future I will interview Kazunori Yamauchi president - GIGAZINE