Forza 6 thoughts

Kinja'd!!! "AthomSfere" (AthomSfere)
09/02/2015 at 00:08 • Filed to: forza, forza 6, racing, games, gaming, weather

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In case anyone else here doesn’t really follow games, but loves Forza:

Kinja'd!!!

I just finished the demo, and wanted to share my thoughts.

Graphics: I feel like we took a small step backwards for day racing. Animations for post and pre-racing looks weird. I feel like they tried to move towards a Horizons theme, and I don’t like it!

But, night racing and rain looks phenomenal. The physics of the weather is amazing.

UX: My only real gripe with the Forza 5 was the UX. Sure there were less cars, less tracks and the game felt short. But what Forza 5 had was the best of the series. Forza 6 fixes the UX. The demo hides much of the game, but what is there feels responsive. Forza 4 still has the best of the 3 for menus, IMO. But compared to 5 it feels like it works as expected at least.

Last thought, Physics of weather.

It sounded a little funny what I heard on Oppo about this. “Volumetric puddles” and light that really falls off. But when I hit Yas Marina... After the crappy new animation and the race started I saw why this mattered. Headlights project and reflect. Driving under a bridge and then a track light you see the entire cockpit’s lighting model change and it feels like driving in the dark.

The rain on the wind shield accumulates. As you race you watch the rain buildup and roll up the windows in beads before the wipers push the rain aside and the cycle repeats. When you are attempting a pass and hit a puddle, the cars pulls just like hitting a puddle should. Where this really shines though, is after you barrel off course you start altering your line to dodge puddles. You have to re-learn your lines too, that sweeper you know you can plow through is no longer a great place to pass, because there is a puddle that will push you right off the track!

Mods: I don’t think I like them.

In summary: Yes it is the best Forza yet. I just hope they stop pulling Horizons concepts in, it feels a little more on the Arcade-ey side than previous titles which is a little unsettling.

Hope someone enjoyed my random Forza 6 thoughts.


DISCUSSION (33)


Kinja'd!!! Blondude > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 00:16

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The first time I did that race at Sebring in the rain I tried to make a pass between turns 1 and 2 and hit that huge puddle on the left. My car yanked hard to the side and I audibly shouted “Fuck! Holy Shit!” Not many games have made me do that.

Oh, and that introductory race in the Ford GT at Rio was absolute hell because you can’t turn off the autobraking and autosteer. I was fighting the car the whole time.


Kinja'd!!! SVTyler > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 00:29

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How does the driving experience compare to previous games (overall feel of the car, weight transfer, response to steering inputs, etc.)?


Kinja'd!!! Noah - Now with more boost. > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 00:32

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I’m definitely checking out the demo tonight or tomorrow. F5 was fun, but ultimately suffered from “classic” launch title issues, IMO


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > Blondude
09/02/2015 at 00:41

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Yes, I thought exactly the same. Second race, disabled all nannies for my FRs.

I can’t wait for Rio the right way. I do wish they would drop the intro races as mandatory completely.


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > Noah - Now with more boost.
09/02/2015 at 00:42

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Agreed. It was expertly done though, just cut short. It used to be you got a couple crappy games that just pushed graphics. Compared to say, PS2 launch titles Forza 5 was a triple A title.


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > SVTyler
09/02/2015 at 00:47

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I’d call it an improvement. 5 seemed a little loose and 6 seems like they dialed it back in.

The Ford GT felt a little softer than I expected, but it felt great (despite being crippled with auto braking)

The Indy car and FRS felt real good though. As soon as the intro race was over, I moved the dead zones back to where they belong, and I could really drift as little or as much as I wanted to in the FRs. The Indy car really felt like the physics were right on. Take a corner and you dig in at 230mph, plow into another racers tires and you launch a little before you get sucked back down into a spinning death. OK, no death.


Kinja'd!!! Baeromez > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 00:50

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What was up with the mods? My favorite part of Fourza is applying mods to get right to the limit of a given class and then tuning for best results. Seriously, if the modding is shit then I won’t buy this game.


Kinja'd!!! Blondude > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 00:53

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Luckily once you “finish” the demo and it gives you the option to restart it you can go into rivals and one of the available events is for the GT around Rio.


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > Baeromez
09/02/2015 at 00:54

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Different kind of mods. Those are still there, but they introduced these cards called mods that are modifiers for the race or can be permanent and give you a boost of some sort. For example +6% grip and gain 1 position on the starting grid. So you can go Class A maxed, and then apply mods to stack a little extra oomph.

There are also dares, which forces you to push yourself a little. That seems like a blast, but I’d rather just keep it simple. Tune the car, maybe race for pole...


Kinja'd!!! DogonCrook > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 01:14

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Did they finally allow race weekends with quali to determine your position or is it the same. I was thinking about buying it, but I hated the way it always stuck you in the back, and only had short races. So every race was won or lost doing an insanely irresponsible first corner dash.


Kinja'd!!! Baeromez > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 01:28

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Yeah, that sounds like a lame gimmick. I don’t know why game designers always think they have to introduce gimmicks to keep a series fresh. Just keep updating the graphics and physics engines and add more cars and tracks. It’s really that simple. There are so many awesome cars that have come out since Forza 4. I mean, it debuted in 2011. There are always new cars , and plenty of old cars that could be added too.


Kinja'd!!! anon-sxmcyecofnu1eocpqsk9iq > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 02:19

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Damn, I wish they had Forza for PC. I don’t want to buy an Xbox because of one game. The only thing I dislike about Forza is that there’s no 900 degree steering. Ruins the immersion.


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > anon-sxmcyecofnu1eocpqsk9iq
09/02/2015 at 07:22

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Well, I bought an Xbox just for Forza.


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > Baeromez
09/02/2015 at 07:26

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Good point on keeping things fresh.

Most games, I think you do need to evolve. But a game based on physics and graphics, not so much.


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > DogonCrook
09/02/2015 at 07:29

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Nope, that is still the same. It makes me a little sad too. But I find that I can usually pass most the cars on lap one, sometimes all of them. Lap 2 I can always be in 1st-3rd position (Which is gold in 5 and 6).


Kinja'd!!! ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 08:15

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Thanks for this. I looked around my gaming sites and only one had posted anything, and it was just a 90-minute vid of them playing the demo. I don’t have time to watch, and I want to read their impressions, not wait for forever for the video to get to the areas I’m interested in knowing more about.

Thanks for explaining the mods. Sounds stupid. Have the disabled the skill-level toggles?

How is the economy? 4 was way too generous. 5 far too stingy. Is it possible to actually get any money without turning everything off and racing against invincible AI?

Is the livery/paint editor still as robust as before?

Forza 6 is the only reason I am considering upgrading from my 360. If it isn’t fun, or has the same asinine gimmicks as 5 then I have no reason to continue gaming.


Kinja'd!!! DogonCrook > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 12:10

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That’s pretty disappointing. I actually liked the ai in 5 when i set up longer races. Hopefully the full version has a way to set that up, I always skip the career stuff anyways. On 5 I honestly spent 90% of my time running the ring in rivals.


Kinja'd!!! DogonCrook > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
09/02/2015 at 12:14

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Project cars is pretty damn good, and it’s pretty much everything forza isn’t.


Kinja'd!!! ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > DogonCrook
09/02/2015 at 12:52

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I’m still dubious. Forza has the livery editor so you can paint and design your car to make it more yours. The tuning system is the most robust I have ever seen, and I have yet to see any other game touch the breadth of cars included in the game as well as Forza has.

Project Cars sounds like it is a very serious racing-sim, and it may be very good, but my experience with Forza is that it can be serious when you want it to be but it is still fun.

My complaints about Forza stem from their attempts to make it too accessible. They keep trying to make it easier for total idiots to pick up and play well, when there should be a learning curve. That is part of the fun of playing a racing-sim; getting better at driving. Forza 4 felt right about where it should be, and they’ve gone the wrong direction in my opinion.

Things like the “mods” are dumb. I would much prefer the option to qualify before the actual event, with rewards equal to position. If you want to start on pole, then run some hot-laps before the event to get it. Get paid in-game for doing so, and then race the event as well. It would serve to make the races longer for those who want them, and makes it easier to make progress, learn the tracks, and feel like you’re improving.

Project Cars just sounds far too serious. Like there is no fun, just racing. Can you drift for points? Forza 4 was great fun learning to drift. I hated the new tire physics in 5. I am hopeful they haven’t ruined drifting completely in 6.

I will try to find a demo for PC if I do upgrade to the Xbone, but I am already familiar with Forza, so that has my interest at the moment.


Kinja'd!!! DogonCrook > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
09/02/2015 at 13:28

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I hear what you are saying, project cars is pretty unpolished, and yeah it more serious although I think their take on career is way better.

I’m pretty on the fence about buying 6 for the same reasons I guess. Forza is fun, and I usually get my monies worth just feeling out each car hotlapping in rivals so I still get paid. It was always a pain to set up a race too which I loathed because to get an interesting one you pretty much have to set it up in multiplayer as a solo. Forza gets a lot of things right, but man they hate options.


Kinja'd!!! SVTyler > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 17:05

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Thank you for the reply. I haven’t personally played 5 but I have heard complaints about its driving so it’s good to hear T10 has tweaked it a bit. Also interesting to know how the open-wheel cars handle; I watched the Twitch stream when they did the IMS race and was disappointed the streamer didn’t comment on what it was like to drive an Indycar at those speeds.


Kinja'd!!! Noah - Now with more boost. > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 17:54

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So I download the demo; DAMN it looks good, I love fancy graphics. Race 1 was silly but race 2 was awesome (goodbye assists/music). I’m thrilled with the difficulty level too, F5 was too easy.


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > DogonCrook
09/02/2015 at 18:20

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The AI feels the same as 5, so if you liked it before I assume you will now too.


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > SVTyler
09/02/2015 at 18:26

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Indy cars are INTENSE because you really can’t react to sudden changes at those speeds!


Kinja'd!!! DogonCrook > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 20:10

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That’s good to hear, I’ll give it a good look when it releases, it’ll probably come down to how easy it is to make a custom race. If I have to go to multiplayer to tweak everything I’ll probably pass on it. I also liked rivals, but then a lot of the cooler events they never rotated like track days. I dunno, I’m really on the fence lol. They sent me a pretty in depth survey at one point, and a lot of the questions made me think they were leaning towards more options and more realistic modes. But 6 would have been set in stone by then, and I’m probably outnumbered by people that don’t care about those features. I’m hoping 7 is a shift in their philosophy. I dig horizon for mindless cruising and lighter gameplay, I hope they make forza a bit more serious or at least the option. This mod system tells me that’s never going to happen lol.


Kinja'd!!! SVTyler > AthomSfere
09/02/2015 at 20:31

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Really gives you a perspective to what real-life drivers face, doesn’t it? I’d love an open-wheel racing series to get started up but I doubt it will end in anything other than complete mayhem lol.


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > DogonCrook
09/02/2015 at 20:45

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I agree, with all of those physics going on I’d love for it to get more real. At least optionally. Qualify for pole as an option, bring back an endurance option etc..


Kinja'd!!! Admiral-cb > AthomSfere
09/03/2015 at 00:39

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I bought an Xbox because they added Long Beach.


Kinja'd!!! anon-sxmcyecofnu1eocpqsk9iq > AthomSfere
09/03/2015 at 01:12

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I bought an Xbox 360 about 2 years ago, mostly for Forza 4. I have since sold it and built a PC. Only thing I miss is Forza :P


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > Admiral-cb
09/03/2015 at 18:34

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It is a great track!


Kinja'd!!! Admiral-cb > AthomSfere
09/03/2015 at 21:34

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It holds a special place with me because it’s what got me into cars and racing. When I was a kid, our neighbor owned a business that sponsored the race so we got access into the motorhome area and to see the cars every year. The seats were right before the hairpin in the sweeping left hander after the back straight and they were awesome, especially to 5 year old me that didn't quite understand that people can get hurt when they slam into a wall of tires.


Kinja'd!!! AthomSfere > Admiral-cb
09/03/2015 at 22:55

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So, your one of the lucky bastards that lives in Long Beach? Man what a great city!


Kinja'd!!! Admiral-cb > AthomSfere
09/03/2015 at 23:06

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I live in north Orange County... although my city has a ton of bars, it's about 20-30 miles from Long Beach. Still a lucky bastard though because I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather leave.