Monday, 7 December 2020

Welcome to Jolly GTL!

HELLO THERE!

This is – or will be, once it actually has more content than just this page – a blog about GT Legends. At this point, those of you who haven’t already left will probably be asking why I’m starting such a thing now, a decade and a half after the game appeared. You may also wonder what I’m planning to write about, who this blog is aimed at, why it has that cheesy name, and so on. So, here’s a quick start guide:

  • I love this game – GT Legends is my favourite driving game of all time: even all these years on I still play it all the time. I hope some of that enthusiasm will come through here.

  • It is a game – yes, GTL is a sim, not an arcade racer, but it’s still a game. I want to emphasise enjoyment, not micromanaging obsession. These days, those who want realism and rock-hard competition above all else are probably playing iRacing anyway.

  • It’s a low-risk choice – you can pick up GTL for £4.99 on Steam (and similar prices in other countries) even when it’s not on sale. It’s also very useable on older PCs without feeling like a total museum piece.

  • GTL is mod-friendly – this is a huge reason for the game’s longevity. You can find literally hundreds of add-on tracks and cars, many of them of extremely high quality. Few more recent sims (the original Assetto Corsa is an exception) are so open to third-party additions.

“Yes, Logan,” I hear you say, “but you still haven’t explained that blog name!” Well, several reasons for that, too:

  • It sounds nicely old-fashioned English – as an old-fashioned Englishman myself, I feel very comfortable with such things!

  • It emphasises the fun aspect – “jolly” isn’t a word to use when you’re being deadly serious. It’s a word to use when you’re being light-hearted and happy.

  • There’s an echo of real-life motorsportJolly Club is a legendary name in rallying. Completely unconnected to this site, but it’s a nice coincidence!

  • Alliteration is fun – no, really it is.

Finally, what will actually be on this blog? In general, it’ll be much the same as every other blog I’ve ever produced: me rambling on semi-coherently about stuff that interests or amuses me. But among other things, you can expect to find:

  • Help and tips – a lot of the useful information about how to enjoy GTL to the full has either disappeared or is lost in a mire of ancient forum threads. I’ll try to pick out some of the most useful tips.

  • Track guides – expect plenty of these, aimed mostly at people who are more interested in being able to compete with the AI, not so much at those desperate to shave 0.02s off their existing world record.

  • Car guides – every so often, I’ll take a look at one of the cars available for GTL and suggest a few things to help you drive it more effectively. Well, a bit more effectively...

I think I’ve probably waffled on for long enough to outstay my welcome now! But to end with, the most important tip of all:

Do not use the DVD version of GT Legends! Always buy it through Steam!
This is because the DVD version contains DRM called StarForce, which was by a mile the most unpopular feature of the game back in the 2000s. It can cause all kinds of problems, doesn’t uninstall properly and isn’t even compatible with newer versions of Windows. The only reason to get the DVD is for something to put on your shelf. We’re in a looking-glass world with this game where it’s actually the Steam version that is DRM-free! And yes, it retains all the licences, so Ferrari and Porsche cars are present and correct. Get the Steam one. You will regret it if you don’t.

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