26 replies to this topic

[PayasYouRace]

I guess Forza hasn’t been as popular as Gran Turismo in this community so I’m not surprised there’s not a thread for it. As an Xbox player I’d been looking forward to it and I’ve been playing since release on Thursday.

 

I really love it so far. The on track experience is brilliant. A real step up from FM7. Cars feel weighty and connected to the track. Modifications make a real difference. Driving in this game is genuinely fun. Everything looks beautiful.

 

The game is super accessible. Many of the options aren’t something I need but I’m sure many will find them welcome. Menus and presentation are pretty slick and fun, and the little intro sequences to the races are nice, where you see the whole grid and can then look at all your opponents sitting on the grid before you choose your fuel and tyres for the race. You’re encouraged to to practice laps as it levels up your car and gives you an idea of where you stand for the race, though difficulty seems a bit variable. I’m playing on the hardest difficulty and often the leader blasts away to a 15 second win, but sometimes I can win quite easily. Choosing your grid position with greater rewards for starting further back is novel, and I like it because I’m a qualifying numpty who can’t put a lap together under than pressure if my life depended on it (c.f F1 games).

 

I’ve seen criticism online that the career mode is a bit small, but so far it seems to have enough to keep me interested for a while. I won’t finish this in a week. More events are promised. What I really do like is the car levelling up mechanic. So as you drive a car you earn XP which can then be spent of upgrades, and you can change your build within your XP limit as you want. A bit gamified perhaps, but I find myself getting really attached to each car as I work through a series. Much more than the FM7 system where you buy a car homologated for its division.

 

All the tracks shave been rebuilt from scratch so there’s not that many of them, though more should be added as Turn 10 are going to release more on the platform. Oddly no Nurburgring Nordschleife, just GP layouts, and Le Mans is missing the Bugatti circuit as a playable option. Hopefully we’ll see those added soon. New fictional tracks are pretty cool. Also, first game I’ve ever played with the pre-1987 layout of Laguna Seca available, which is very cool. Mid-Ohio and Kyalami are welcome additions too.

 

Car selection is very good, with plenty of proper racing cars alongside a great and varied selection of road cars. I like that they’ve stripped out some of the silliness of having trucks, buggies, limos and such in the game. Seems to reflect a more serious motorsport culture and leaves the wacky stuff to Horizon. With the first car pack there are some really cool and exotic racers, including the McLaren M1, some modern BTCC machinery like Sutton’ Levorg, and something I never thought I’d see in a generic racing game of this type, a BRM P201 from 1974. Bravo on that last one, Turn 10. Toyota are back properly, having withheld their licence for a while. Sadly lacking in modern NASCAR, Indycar and F1 machines.

Haven’t tried multiplayer yet.

 

Overall it’s the first of this type of game in a long time that’s recaptured the joys of the original Gran Turismos, and I’m loving it. Some of you hardcore simmers might give it a pass, but for sitting on the sofa racing, it’s superb.

[messy]

It’s ok. I’m kind of half way between being impressed that they’ve reworked it so much (it needed it!) and slightly underwhelmed with what’s actually there at the moment. Definitely, the handling and physics are much better. I didn’t really like the way Forza 6/7 handled, too little front grip, too much sliding and understeering, cars felt like lead weights. If you missed your braking point by an inch you’d not be able to get the car slowed down or turned in at all and would have to rewind which I found really frustrating (see also every recent MotoGP game!). I always felt that Forza had Gran Turismo beaten in just about every way bar the core experience of driving the cars, which is kinda important. The AI seems about the same, in that they kind of clatter into you and slow down too much for some corners and not enough for others, so that’s a bit middling. Quite a lot of crashes to desktop too which is irritating. Really miss the Nurburgring and some of the other tracks that have been cut, along with quite a lot of cars. But there’s a decent basis there.

What I like is that ‘free race’ is now actually what it says - any car, any track, any race distance, variable weather, day-night cycles, decent amount of customization so you can actually set up the kind of race you want.

[PayasYouRace]

I haven't tried free races yet but I browsed the settings and they look good. No doubt at some point I'll make some little championships for myself with Formula 60s, Formula 70s, GTP/C and all my other faves.

[messy]

I’m enjoying it more now. Taking it out of ‘graphics’ mode helps because the visuals don’t really take a hit yet the whole thing becomes so much smoother - I don’t think I’d ever thought much about frame rates before but you can definitely see the difference between 30 and 60 FPS there. Handling wise I like it, the AI is funny because at 7/10 it seems ridiculously easy to drive through them and clear off up the road, at 8/10 it’s a bit better but still hardly much of a challenge - and at the moment I can’t find a way to select more than that which is odd. Maybe you have to unlock the higher levels in the career mode (groan)? The tracks, you can tell they’ve all been completely redone because the environments are lovely, particularly Le Mans which feels like the best version of that track I’ve seen in a game I think.

I post on GTPlanet too, and on there the reaction is really negative to it, but then I suppose it would be wouldn’t it.

It’s not a complete article yet but the good thing about any Forza is that you can guarantee that they’re now going to support it for the next couple of years at least with new cars and tracks, looking forward to seeing a completely redone, laser scanned version of the Nordschleife because I think that’s due in the next few months.

[PayasYouRace]

Yeah I’m running in 60fps. I don’t think I’m that fussed about ray tracing. Still a gorgeous game.

 

I’ve got the difficulty at 8, which is hard enough for me. I get the occasional win and can win a series, which is perfect.

 

That we can expect the game to expand is pretty much a given. I wouldn’t pay any attention to the GT fans.

[chdphd]

I'm interested in getting this. Here's the track list.

• Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - video reveal
• Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - video reveal
• Eaglerock Speedway - announced August 8th
• Grand Oak Raceway - announced August 11th
• Hakone Circuit - video reveal
• Homestead-Miami Speedway - announced August 31st
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit - video reveal
• Le Mans - Circuit International de la Sarthe
• Lime Rock Park - announced August 31st; video reveal
• Maple Valley - video reveal
• Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - video reveal August 31
• Mugello Circuit - announced August 22nd
• Nürburgring GP* - announced August 22nd
• Road America - announced August 5th
• Silverstone Circuit - video reveal
• Suzuka Circuit - video reveal
• Virginia International Raceway - video reveal
• Watkins Glen International Speedway - announced August 31st
• WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca - video reveal

https://forza.net/ne...port-track-list

[PayasYouRace]

Still a couple of little niggles that bother me.

The AI, while being much better wheel to wheel, is still prone to making the same mistakes at certain tracks, where they just drive off the road lap after lap, and they still have the problem that when one takes the lead they get a massive speed boost and can be untouchable.

In the paint shop, there’s still some manufacturer decals that are somehow whiter than the whitest colour you can make (Texaco and Valvoline), meaning you can’t place one on a white bit of car without it showing up. Also, somehow still on most cars the left and right sides don’t line up, so when you mirror the layers from one to the other, they require adjustment.

[thefinalapex]

I have done all my racing on PC the last few years and i didn't like the forza games after Forza 4, so i was sceptical. Tryed the game yesterday with the wheel at le mans with the cadillac lmp, and it positively surprised me. But my FFB settings are not up to scratch yet so still some more time needed for a definitive conclusion. Agree with messy that AI isn't the most challenging.

[sportyskells]

I had to check Barcelona out to see if there is no chicane and forza got it bang on.
I wonder if Yas Marina get the same treatment next month when it's the 1st dlc track for this game

[PayasYouRace]

Of all the amazing tracks still to include, they pick Yas Marina for the next one?

 

I guess you can tell where the money is coming from.

[messy]

I hate Yas Marina, I suppose it’s good to showcase the tech stuff, lighting etc, but as a track I’d happily do away with it ever appearing in any game outside the F1 series. Just hurry up and give us the Nordschleife please!!

Must say I’m quite liking Forza 2023….I think at least it’s a very good basis for what’s to come.

As long as there’s more to come than bloody Yas Marina.

[PayasYouRace]

I’ve got a nice little collection of cars in my garage now and I feel much more attachment to them than anything from Forza 7.

[messy]

A patch to fix the crashes, which is nice.

Liking this more and more as I play it, I think it’s shading GT7 for me now. They’ve improved the handling a lot. It feels grippier and less understeery and although the AI is still maybe the weak link, it isn’t too bad. Most importantly, in ‘free race’ it offers the kind of sandbox ‘drive any car on any track’ experience that I want above all else. It’s almost on a par with Project CARS 2 on that score, although maybe doesn’t have quite the number of sim options that does. It’s closer than I ever expected a Forza game would be.

[PayasYouRace]

Some of my favourite career mode cars so far. Liveries are all my own work.

 

2021 BMW M4 Coupe - Super Sedans

 

2020 Toyota GR Supra - Built for Sport

 

1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 - Track Specials

 

2021 VW Golf R - Practical Performance

 

1981 Ford Fiesta XR2 - Vintage Hatch

 

1995 Toyota MR2 GT - Track Day

 

You can probably guess where some of my inspiration comes from.

[PayasYouRace]

Experienced my first real gameplay disappointment with the career mode. The end of league showcases are a bit rubbish, going by the first one.

Completed all the series in the first league and unexpectedly won the showcase car at that point, rather than for completing the showcase. Nice car, a 2017 Ford GT in a Black 2 tribute livery to the 1966 Le Mans winner. I was then expected to use that in the showcase which was a 1 lap race at Le Mans (no chicanes), and no real prize for that. I’d have hoped for a slightly longer event to make it feel a bit more special, and something worth winning at the end.

Just a bit disappointing because otherwise I’m finding the career mode quite rewarding and engaging. Since the update the other day more upgrades unlock earlier, but for the same amount of upgrade points, giving the player more agency in choosing their upgrades for each race. Knowing the next race also means you can choose upgrades to suit the track. I feel much more attached to the cars than in FM7 which just seemed like meaningless car collecting, especially with the automatic homologation option.

[PayasYouRace]

Happy to report that multiplayer is very good. Did my three qualifiers this morning, and the whole penalty system seems fair. I got nerfed off a couple of times but received no penalties and came out of the qualifiers with an S safety rating.

 

Did my first proper race this afternoon. Touring Car race at Spa. Tried to do it non-stop on hard tyres. Lost out a bit at the end, but stated 4th and finished 5th, no-penalties and had a good time. Actually looking forward to doing more multiplayer, which is a first for a Forza game. I like the 30 minutes practice with 3 laps qualifying system. Good way to zone into the track you’re about to race on.

[PayasYouRace]

Turns out I’m decent in the Formula 60s cars.

Just had a great race at Mid-Ohio. Qualified 2nd in my Lotus 49. Not the best start and lost out to a McLaren M2B and a Ferrari 158. Got back at the Ferrari at T6, and the pole sitter in his Eagle lost it at T9 so I was back up to 2nd. It was a medium length race to pit stops were required. Approaching half distance the McLaren was struggling more and I caught him out of T9 and got past just before the pitting that lap. Unfortunately some alien in a Honda RA300, who started 21st, barged his way through just after at T11, earned himself a 4s penalty for crashing into me. Luckily I kept it going and still got to the pits in front of the McLaren.

In the second stint I couldn’t do anything about the alien and even his penalty didn’t help me. Was 12 seconds down at the end. But the McLaren fell back slowly, and got into a battle with another McLaren, eventually giving my a healthy 7 second margin. The pole man in the Eagle recovered to 5th. Overall a good clean race for me, Honda alien not withstanding.

[PayasYouRace]

I guess I’m the only one here really enjoying this game.

Got my first win in a spec multiplayer race last night. I’m safety rating S and skill rating about 4,700. Won the Formula 60s race at Eaglerock in an Eagle-Weslake. Got lucky with no aliens and controlled the race on a one-stopper. Battles with another Eagle at the beginning of each stint but he seemed to be using his tyres too hard. Very satisfying win.

The real joy comes from doing things that you’d never see in real life. A race for 1967 F1 cars on a one-mile oval in the rain? Awesome!

[Roadhouse]

Is the online experience a bit stable? I had a lot of issues with Forza Horizon 4, all the disconnects just ruined it, especially when doing multiple race seasonal challenges.

 

I kind of want to try FM, but will probably need to upgrade my rig a bit first.

[PayasYouRace]

It’s been pretty rock solid for me.

Slightly bizarre last night when I only got two others in a race at Silverstone and I wonder if there was some matchmaking glitch. A couple of weeks ago I had a race at Suzuka where everyone got forcibly DNFed on lap 2. Other than that I’ve not had any issues. Full fields and reliable connections.

[grandmastashi]

I like the act of driving in Forza a lot, but I can't get away from the fact it feels a bit 'soulless' for me - Forza always had that bit of personality that Gran Turismo lacked - that seems long gone now.

 

Given you spend so much of the game in menus, there's some design choices I cannot get my head around, plus the fact they didn't bring back AI cars in private lobbies following the outcry in 7. My best mate and I used to play private matches this way constanly and put in hundreds of hours racing each other that way - we've barely touched Forza together since 6. 

[PayasYouRace]

Not been playing as much lately as I tend to bounce between games in a longer cycle. But I still enjoy the occasional Featured Multiplayer race. Sadly there are still some driving standards issues. Ramming, unsafe rejoins and sideswipes aren’t properly penalised. Still, get a good lobby and you can have a good race. I enjoyed a couple of decent races at the recently added Daytona. When the Formula 70s were the featured series over Christmas I did every race, got two wins (my rating is ~4,890) and maxed out all four cars. It was a lot of fun.

[PayasYouRace]

Must say I’m also enjoying the Formula Mazda series which is now a regular part of the Featured Multiplayer. They’re a lot of fun.

[sportyskells]

I was taking out by a blue car yesterday in the Mazda race we still got our dum dums 

[PayasYouRace]

I’ve been trying very hard to stay at Safety Rating S which makes avoiding the idiots a lot easier. Shame the penalty system still struggles with fault in some collisions and it only takes one unlucky race with a +2.75 to drop back to A. Take ages to get back to S.

Just had a tremendous race in Early Factory Racecars. I was in the McLaren F1 and I had a race long battle with a Porsche GT1 at Laguna Seca. Started 7th, but after a bunch of incidents ahead of me I was in the lead by lap 3. Porsche was ahead before a crash and he copped a minor penalty for it. We then battled through the rest of the race. Pitted on different laps and still battled to the end. He got the better of me for good with a couple of laps to go, but I stayed close enough to win after his penalty. He messaged me after saying what a fun race it was and to apologise for a minor tap into T2. A pleasure to race again a fair player like that.

[PayasYouRace]

Hit a my peak rating a few races ago.



Lost a couple of points recently but still in the 4900s.

Anyone here feel free to add me as a friend.

[PayasYouRace]

Quite a nice update just dropped.

New track is Sebring, which is a nice addition as always.

Featured Multiplayer now has four race lengths. In addition to the already present Short (~8 min) and Medium (~16 min) races, there’s Long (~30 min) and Endurance (~60 min). Long has debuted in Forza GT and Endruance in Porto-H with the new, free DLC Porsche 963.

I’ve also seen that the Nordschleife is now an option for multiplayer in Long races.

Two new prize cars available in single player and I want them both. A Nissan R88C in the new endurance series and a Chevron B16, adding to the amazing list of obscure historic cars this game has. I want both!