found me a hidden element in the 2.02 update. 2x photos render is a third of the time it took before the update.
ooh.. nice find! though, as I always say, there is really no reason to use the 2x photos. There is almost no way to tell the difference without zooming in, and unless you are planning some serious photoshopping and making large posters of your photos, it's not really necessary, IMO. But now that they are faster to produce, then I suppose it's all about the filesize and whether you are okay with them getting larger.
[Copied from a post I made on the PSN forum:]
RACING SOUND EFFECTS i've paid close attention to the detail of the sounds.
Here is a list of things I've discovered thus far:
Best test car to use, new GT-R Black Edition! (one of the most amazing cars to drive EVER)
Wind. Duh. It was hardly there at all prior to 2.02, but now is very loud and increases with speed. Some are saying it's unrealistic, but try a car with a racing exhaust. You will not be able to hear it as much. Most of the time, we're modding cars, remember? This feature adds significantly to the overall realism of the experience of driving.
Window-based noise is simulated. In the few cars I've tried, the sound of exhaust and some of the engine noise is now directed toward the window you are sitting closest to. For instance, if you are driving a Left Hand Drive such as the Camaro RM 69 we were driving last night, the majority of the sounds that are actually outside of the car in real life, are experienced through the left speaker. This threw me off for a bit, then I understood why, and I love it. However, there does seem to be an issue with the Karts. I believe, have not confirmed, but I believe that the sound is coming out of the wrong end. (uhhh huh huh). Someoen should look into whether that needs to be switched.
Turbos, and probably superchargers sound better. Prior to 2.02, you could hear turbos spool up and let off, including waste gate/BOV noises. Now they are much more pronounced, and on a stock car where the turbo is not drowned out by a racing exhaust, you can hear many more nuances to the sound of the turbos. Instead of an insessant whistle sound that does not change pitch, the new sounds provide for the whistle sound to change pitch with the pitch of the engine revs. That illustrates that the turbo is at or near full boost. Small let-offs, such as taking throttle from 100% to 98% can have a more audible result, making you more aware of how firmly you're pressing your foot down.
Cars actually BREATHE now! You can hear air rushing through your car, and not just the turbo spool. This is noticed most in the repalys.
While the high-speed wind is going, there is no audible crowd, for the most part. Only at slow speeds around tight corners, will you hear spectators yelling at the top of their lungs. Nice realism!
Tire screeches - Not 100% sure, but they sounded different, and possibly more realistic than before.
Collisions, unfortunately, do not sound much, if any better. Same "thud" as before.
Car sounds are more in a stereo type configuration, as noted above, the sounds are directed more at the window you sit closest to. But it doesn't stop there! When travelling close to a wall, if the opposing window is near the wall, you'll hear two sounds, one directed from the engine/exhaust through the closest window, and one that is slightly modified by sending it to the wall and then through the opposing window! Very awesome!
Replay sounds are greatly improved. Watching cars go by on the screen has never felt more real. The sounds as the car approaches the camera are impressive, with the rush of air pushing towards you being heard. The engine, tire, and air sounds are all mixed beautifully to give the sense that a real machine is passing, and not just a pretty image of a car. Most impressive in the replay sounds is how as the car's sounds pass you, the doplar effect is more accurate. There's this phasing of the sound waves that is done in order to add additional realistic flavor to the passing car's sounds. It's not the tone, but the way that the tone is bouncing around on the architecture of the tracks.
