December 8, 1999 Build

This is a sub-page of Gran Turismo 2/Revisional Differences.

This page documents revisional differences found in the original North American release of Gran Turismo 2.

Following the initial Japanese retail build, Polyphony Digital rushed to finish the translation process and also made some changes to better suit Western audiences.

General Changes#

This section documents changes made to data shared by all three regional versions of GT2.

Billboard Updates#

.crstims.tsd, the file that houses probability data and graphics used by the dynamic billboards feature, received a minor update in the form of new textures for Autobacs and Falken banners.

Trade Menu#

November 28	December 8

arcade/title_item.tim was updated in this version to replace the background graphic of the list items on the Trade submenu, which used a brushed aluminum design previously seen in Home and Guest Garage car lists of demo builds, so it matches the new design used in Arcade Mode.

Arcade Manufacturer Logos#

Manufacturer logos used in Arcade Mode's Car Selection menu, stored in arcade/arc_maker.tim, received a couple changes in this revision. While the text in the Plymouth logo was made larger, both Mercedes-Benz and Renault lost their badges next to the brand names.

Car Additions#

The following models didn't exist in the November 28-29 build, being added to the game's data since then:

300ZX 2-seater (nax3n)	300ZX Turbo (naxsn)	300ZX 2+2 (naxvn)

US spec, 1995 year model variants of the Fairlady Z Version S 2seater (nzx3n), 2seater Twin Turbo (nzxsn) and 2by2 (nzxvn) are first found in this version and made available for purchase from the Nissan used car line-up in the North American region. These models feature minor cosmetical changes on their road bodies, while the racing modifications are identical to those of the original JDM vehicles.

Two unused opponents originally set to use the 2seater Twin Turbo are also adapted to use the 300ZX Turbo instead. The original Japanese car data file, carparam/gtmode_data.dat, was not updated to account for these cars, meaning they use default performance parts when loaded in the later December 22 build.

Primera '98 (nep2n)	200SX '95 (ne14n)	200SX '98 (ne15n)

In a similar fashion to the aforementioned 300ZX, models for Euro-spec versions of the Nissan Primera 2.0Te-V (n2p2n), S14 Silvia K's '95 (ns14n) and Silvia K's Aero '96 (ns15n) were introduced in this build, though they are intended for use in the European version of the game only and as such have no performance data set in carparam/usa_gtmode_data.dat or even logo graphic files. The former is normally found in Nissan's new car line-up, while the latter two are listed as used cars.

GT350 '66 (us36n)	[R]GT350 '66 (us36r)	GT500 '68 (us51n)

Updated models for the Shelby GT350 (us35n), its racing modification (us35r) and GT500KR (us50n) first appear in this build of GT2 as separate cars, replacing the old versions as part of Shelby's new car line-up in both North American and European regions. These meshes present marginally different modelling and dimensions, and also are paired with new logo graphic files.

Also first found in this build is the unused aebrr duplicate body of the arcade-only Mazda Familia Rally Car (a2brr). Considering the file rename convention of the US and Euro spec cars above, this might have been yet another regional variant considered for inclusion, being axed shortly afterwards.

Car Updates#

A couple car models saw cosmetical changes between the initial Japanese and North American releases:

The unused Acura NSX '93 racing modification (hnarr) was changed from one resembling that of the Honda NSX Type-R to one based on the GT2-class Team Kunimitsu NSX driven at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, first featured in Gran Turismo as a standalone vehicle.

November 28-29	December 8

The underside panel of the Honda Accord Type-R racing modification (h2arr) changed from the car's name to a KENWOOD logo.

November 28-29	December 8

A Mitsubishi Oil logo was added to the sides of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR racing modification (mlnnr), the car's shade of white was made colder and parts of its front bumper were redone. These changes are reflected on its 'Rally Car' variant (mlrnr), used in Arcade Mode's Rally Car class.

November 28-29	December 8

The Exxon variant of the Toyota GT-ONE '99 (t2h9r) present in the original Japanese release was unfinished, using an early body of the Esso-sponsored Toyota GT-ONE '98 (t2g8r) as a placeholder. The Exxon textures were finished and the proper model implemented in the North American release.

November 28-29	December 8

The Shelby Cobra '67 (uscon) saw a minor update to its wheel texture palette, which was made darker.

November 28-29	December 8

Some of the Shelby Series 1 (uss1n) textures, specifically those mapped to the hood and trunk areas, were replaced with higher quality ones, allowing for better-looking stripes.

November 28-29	December 8

Multiple TVR models received a minor update to their braking light texture palette, which was toned down a fair bit. Models affected include the Cerbera LM Edition (v-rbr, pictured), Chimaera 5.0 (vc50n), Cerbera 4.5 (vce5n), Chimaera 4.0 (vch2n), Chimaera 4.5 (vch5n), Cerbera 4.2 (vcrbn) and Cerbera Speed 6 (vcs6n).

Car Logo Updates#

570 garage logo files were added in this build, with 54 more being updated. The changes mostly amount to spacing changes or typo removals (or in the case of the Vector W8, to go from one typo to another).

Note: Since none of the road-going Ford Focus models have racing modifications, effgrl-- and effgrm-- are considered unused in all versions of the game.

GT Mode Menu Background Updates#

gtmenu/commonpic.dat was updated to modify multiple GT Mode background images.

November 29	December 8

The Japanese 'Days' text was originally baked into the background of most GT Mode menu pages; this version removes it so localised icons may be used in its place.

November 29	December 8

The Endurance line-up originally contained Japanese text for Apricot Hill 200km and Seattle Circuit 100 Miles baked into its background; this version gets rid of it.

November 29	December 8

Acura's home page had its flavor text mostly rewritten to remove the mention of Integras and NSXs being sold as Hondas outside the US. This is a notable change, as the Acura dealer is inaccessible in the original Japanese version of GT2 and the original text would never be seen through regular gameplay.

November 29	December 8

The 'CS' logo on Shelby's home page had a registered trademark symbol added to it, pushing the nearby text three pixels to the right. Other menus that use the same logo were left untouched, however.

Gameplay#

The .carinfo file found within GT2.VOL contains, among many things, flags that determine whether a car is allowed to spawn as an opponent or appear on used car lists when a certain language is selected (or enforced) at boot. These typically are used for restricting the presence and availability of regional variants of vehicles in specific versions of the game (as described in Regional Differences), but can also be used to prevent certain dummied out content from accidentally showing up in races.

This build of GT2 updates the georestriction flags to cover a small number of Honda and Acura models that, despite coexisting in the initial Japanese retail release from November 28-29, were not marked as restricted, and also to block the original versions of newly implemented Nissan and Shelby models from showing up in unintended Western releases. The scrapped Nissan R33 Skyline GT-R 4Door '97 racing modification is also flagged as restricted from appearing in all regions now.

Japan-Specific Changes#

A couple changes first reflected on the December 22 build released in Japan are first seen in the data of this North American version.

Arcade Mode Goodies#

Although Japan never got an updated Arcade Mode disc, arcade/arc_goodies_jp.tim received the same graphical improvements as its North American counterpart, resulting in brighter icons and list items on the Goodies menu, as well as a header that says 'ENDING CREDITS' instead of 'END CREDITS' on the credits submenu.

GT Mode Menu Background#

November 29	December 8

The third page of Nissan's new car line-up originally contained English car names and used the same font as the Western versions of GT2. This revision changes those aspects of the background image to match the other two pages.

Replay Name Strings#

A couple cars had their Japan-specific replay names updated in this version. Most of the changes amount to fixing capital letters in BMW and Volkswagen Golf models as well as changing "Sports" into "Sport," but a few others had actual information added or removed, and the cut R33 Skyline GT-R 4Door racing modification (n2r4r) had its blank string changed into the infamous "Delete" typically assigned to unused bodies.

Car Color Strings#

A relatively small amount of Western car colors had their respective Japan-specific text strings, as stored in .ccjapanese, changed to fix issues such as bad grammar, typos or change from British English to North American English where applicable. Two Japanese cars, the Toyota Mark II Tourer S (tm2sn) and Mark II Tourer V (tm2vn), also had a period added to one of their color name strings.

North America-Specific Changes#

.cclatain, which stores color name strings used by North American and European versions of the game, received all updates made to the aforementioned Latin strings, as well as several others made to English names of Japanese cars, with the purpose of fixing grammar, spacing and, in multiple cases, filling slots originally occupied by placeholders.