Forza 4 (and 3)

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 2:27 am

Anyone into this series? For some odd reason I have developed an interest in simulated racing and have been playing the hell out of both demos. I'm thinking about picking up the Forza 3 Ultimate Collection as it has most of the DLC and is cheaper than 4...at least until I know if I'll enjoy it long-term.

Other than a good wheel, is there anything else I should be looking for?

Moniker · Post by **Moniker** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 5:03 am

You can get Forza 2 for like $2.00 if you want. Just sayin.

Estebang · Post by **Estebang** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 6:28 am

I actually got a copy of Forza 2 free with my 360. Driving simulators aren't my cuppa, though. I prefer the likes of OutRun 2 and Ridge Racer.

Moniker · Post by **Moniker** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 6:43 am

I get into moods where I like to get drunk and play simulators. I've only played GT3 and Forza 2, but they each had just about everything I could ask for. I have no particular desire to upgrade. Arcade racers tend to make the room spin when under the influence, but I generally prefer the likes of F-Zero and Wipeout when sober.

Estebang · Post by **Estebang** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 6:47 am

Hah, I wonder if being a non-drinker has affected my taste in games.

trunk · Post by **trunk** » Wed Dec 21, 2011 3:53 pm

TL;DR version: Those are good games
----------------------------------------------------
I'm a big fan of these games. Picked up Forza 3 when it came out, then the ultimate hits. I also picked up the LCE of Forza 4 when it came out. It's the only game I play regularly.

Forza 4 price will come down. Too bad you didn't get into it earlier, Black Friday deals was Forza 4 for $28. Totally worth it.

I use the regular ms wheel but it can get hard to come by. Other than that there are mostly expensive alternatives that are somewhat buggy. I would stick with controller for now until you know this is something you'll be addicted to(or not). You can turn off assists and stuff and it can be a handful even with a controller(this is fun!). I only drift with controller, don't want to break the wheel.

What Forza does is give you lots of freedom of what you want to do: Time trials, straight racing, drag racing, drifting,... and the customization is truly something to behold. You can checkout the forums at http://www.forzamotorsport.net to see how elaborate the designs are.

Forza 4 also has a team feature so you can be part of a team, you have a team garage where people share cars so the team can play with them. There are teams that just drift, or drag even. It is a rich community. I setup a team and spent lots of time making a team logo and designs for drift cars that I made(I'm on a drift kick mostly). I even replicated some Initial D cars that I shared out.

Some stuff I've worked on(btw these are from Forza 4 but you can do this also in 3):

Sorry for the rant

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:22 am

Yeah, I ponied up $79.99 + tax for a copy of Forza 4 LE set...worth it IMO. I picked up Forza 3 Ultimate Collection that spans a two disc set (that came with all the DLC content of the Forza 3 LE set) for a mere $30. The Forza 4 LE set is a two disc set as well. I tried playing Forza 4 with a Wireless Speed Wheel and it works just fine with no lag whatsoever. Of course, I'll be looking for a new dedicated 360 force-feedback wheel/shifter/gas & brake pedal combo so I can get better lap times on Forza 3 UC & Forza 4 LE.

Those Forza 4 drifting cars look ace, trunk. What parameters/specs/upgrades do you set them up with?

Ridge Racer 6 is quite fun (whereas the PS3 release of Ridge Racer 7 is only a minor upgrade/build of RR6) -- still a blast to race a multiplayer on-line race with unlimited nitro boost option all the way to the finish line.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:06 am

I play racing simulators on the PS3 side. I always admired and wanted to get into them. I have F1 2010 (not a 'true' simulator but good enough), GT5 and a racing wheel.

I have to admit though, I enjoy arcade racers much more. While I like the aspect of adjusting the car to your style and going around the track many times to improve your laptimes, in the end I just have way more fun picking something like NFS or Split/Second and go around corners at full speed.

I also quickly realized how much time you need to invest to be good at simulators. The few times I tried to play online, I was completely smoked by the competition. I want to get good at them at some point though.

trunk wrote:(I'm on a drift kick mostly)

Major props to you, drifting is one thing I just can't get the hang of. Absolutely hate it.

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:38 am

Sweet cars there, trunk. Yeah, this whole thing has come around rather suddenly. Probably due to buying a car that I actually enjoy driving. The ol' 96 Buick Regal GS was quite practical, however.

I now have a copy of Forza 3 Ultimate headed my way, so I'll jump into that one first. I'll wait on the wheel, but I'm thinking the Microsoft wheel (old one) is the best bet. I'm not too keen on holding the thing up in the air...and I want pedals. Too bad about not having a clutch.

One question, however. Supercars hold no real interest to me. How much of the game is focused on the really high-end stuff?

ZacharyB · Post by **ZacharyB** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 2:25 am

The game divides cars into performance indices. There are F-class cars, E-class cars, D, C, B, A, S, R3, R2, and R1-class cars. You can have some good fun in the lower end of the spectrum. Stuff like classic cars are there. All of the S-R1 cars are supercars or dedicated racecars, like the Aston Martin Vantage or some LeMans-prepped Nissan. E-class cars are like, the Mustang King Cobra or the Volvo 240.

I don't know about Forza 3, but Forza 4 offers you events based on what you're currently driving. Probably a third of the game is getting into the really high-end stuff.

But you can set the AI skill and a handful of other difficulty variables, like having antilock brakes (can turn while braking hard) or electronic stability control. You can even choose whether or not you want to use a clutch if choosing manual transmission control.

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 4:20 am

Good to hear that it (might) adapt to what I'm currently driving.

Yeah, the assists are something I immediately noticed in the demos. Switching from automatic to manual made things a helluva lot more fun, and improved my times, as did ticking off all the other assists.

trunk · Post by **trunk** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 4:00 pm

Thanks for all the kind words. I've spent almost as much time tuning and designing as I have racing(the game keeps track of time spent doing various things).

Damocles wrote:One question, however. Supercars hold no real interest to me. How much of the game is focused on the really high-end stuff?

I'm just like you, I'd rather drive cars that I can potentially own in real life.

ZacharyB got it right. There's plenty of fun to be had outside of supercar territory. Personally I haven't raced much above B class(hopped up 300ZX's and such) except for drifting where class is not as important(drift tends to be A or S).

I have a great time replicating my real life setup(parts,tuning) in game even down to a sticker I have on the car. The cool part is that the in-game car reacts relatively true to what the actual car does(I autocross and am starting track days IRL).

Damocles wrote:The ol' 96 Buick Regal GS was quite practical, however.

You'd be surprised at what people bring to autocross, I had a friend in college who brought his stock mid-90's oldsmobile cutlass supreme to run. It was hilarious watching this boat squeak the tires within an inch of their life. He got big props for handling such a car.

Damocles wrote:I now have a copy of Forza 3 Ultimate headed my way, so I'll jump into that one first...

Cool. The world tour mode for single player in this is a little boring to be honest(Forza 4 got a little better) don't judge the game on that. You can also bypass it by going to the event list and pick stuff you want to run. These games are more about driving your heart out for the sake of driving(racing, drag, drift, time trials).

Below: Drift setup settings and theory approaches fast!
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PC Engine Fan X! wrote:Those Forza 4 drifting cars look ace, trunk. What parameters/specs/upgrades do you set them up with?

Thank you.

The 300ZX is a race car B500 for time trial stuff and not setup for drift.

All the others are setup on basic foundation of drift tuning(try to achieve 0 degree camber of leading wheels at full drift angle for maximum traction without getting positive camber).

The inital D cars are all ~ A600 class tuned for Fujimi Kaido Old Downhill. The other two are ~ S640 class for everything.

The principals across all are about the same ~400-450hp. All the mods are race except for engine. Whatever is left for the engine to add up to A600 or a mid range S class is added.

Suspension across all is about the same:

Front camber ~-4 to -4.5 degrees
rear camber ~-.5 to -1 degrees

Caster ~4.5 degrees

Front toe ~2.5 degrees
Rear toe ~ -.3 degrees

Spring rates, stiffness and such are balanced based on % weight distribution.

Drive ratios are based around sweet spot drift revving.

The way to tune is to drive around in circles sliding and then watch the replay with telemetry on suspension to see the degrees of camber while sliding, re-adjust, watch again, etc.

As you can see tuning a car for drifting is completely different from tuning for racing, the cars setup as above won't be fast at all around a track but the sure will control well while sliding.

Ruldra wrote:
trunk wrote:(I'm on a drift kick mostly)
Major props to you, drifting is one thing I just can't get the hang of. Absolutely hate it.

Ruldra, try to setup a car for drifting(if you haven't already) and you will see how much easier it is to drift and control. I'm guessing you've just added parts to a car or taken a stock car and tried to slide around with it. While this is possible it's nowhere near the actual drift experience you get with an actual tune, I know because I did straight non tuned drifting for a long time and I couldn't figure out how people had such control. It was a night and day difference. Here is a drift tune guide: http://forums.forzamotorsport.net/forum ... 69639.aspx. It applies to Forza series but physics is physics so it is based on real life tuning principles and should help with other simulators.
-----------------------------------

Now if I could only be as dedicated to shmups, I'd probably get better

Damocles · Post by **Damocles** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 5:39 am

Forza 3 Ultimate arrived the other day, and I'm loving it. After trudging through E-Class with a *ahem* Ford Fiesta/Focus I'm up to Season 3 C-Class stuff.

Random thoughts:
The first being the AI. I knew about this going in, so no surprises. Supposedly 4 has better AI? Even on hard they do incredibly dumb things. Starting in the back every damn time. Maybe this changes, but it's annoying. Mostly because by the time I weave through the slow pack the leader is way the hell up there. That's racing, I suppose. Unlike everyone else (apparently) I don't have a problem with how the off-track turf slows you down. It's pretty easy as-is to hop sections of track. No need to make it easier. AWD swaps. Seriously? It makes sense on some models. Others...not so much.

Sadly no 2009 Mustang, so the closest I could get to my own was the 2005 model. Ah well, same body style. After tweaking tire and brake pressure it seems reasonable for C-Class. It actually made it up the Fujimi Kaido point-to-point. ...mostly in second gear.

mesh control · Post by **mesh control** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 9:44 am

Damocles wrote:AWD swaps.

.....are great for breaking the class system iirc. AWD cars dominate the lower tiers.

The major problem I found with Forza 3 is that you cannot turn off the steering assist. If you're playing with a pad it's fine, but with a wheel it defeats the simulation aspect.

If you are after a total simulations you should try your hand at Richard Burns Rally or iRacing, both sport excellent physic models and track selection.
http://youtu.be/fAmF7Mz_P7w

Battlesmurf · Post by **Battlesmurf** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:19 am

Damocles wrote:Sweet cars there, trunk. Yeah, this whole thing has come around rather suddenly. Probably due to buying a car that I actually enjoy driving. The ol' 96 Buick Regal GS was quite practical, however.

I now have a copy of Forza 3 Ultimate headed my way, so I'll jump into that one first. I'll wait on the wheel, but I'm thinking the Microsoft wheel (old one) is the best bet. I'm not too keen on holding the thing up in the air...and I want pedals. Too bad about not having a clutch.

Careful- I was just having this conversation with someone else a bit ago. Make sure you have a sturdy "thing" to mount that wheel to- and even with the friction turned down, you'll never turn it as fast as a controller- so expect a learning curve. For me- I had trouble stopping myself from spending money- I figure if I ever get enough money it'll only stop at a CSR Elite cockpit haha.

Wise choice on the Forza 3. I couldn't stand that one- only put a very minor amount of time into it. Forza 4 feels so much better that I couldn't go to 3 if I wanted to now. With 3- alot of your stuff will carry over (those rare cars are one of the biggest things). A ton of content there for sure.

Hey friend earlier in the thread- what would I have to do to get one of those Tofu cars from you

shmups.system11.org

Forza 4 (and 3)

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