Forza 4 comes out on Tuesday [Archive]

GaryM05

10-06-2011, 12:49 PM

Forza 4 releases next week, and received a 9.5 on IGN:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/119/1198556p1.html

The demo is already out, and after about 30 minutes with it, I'm really impressed with the graphics and the handling & responsiveness of the cars.

This one crept up on me this year, but I think we'll have to start up the Saturday night racing again soon! :D

Dillon

10-06-2011, 01:36 PM

Whoohoo! This will be the only racing I actually do this year :D I'll grab the demo tonight, but I already know I'm going to buy it when it comes out. Might even upgrade to a Fanatec wheel this year.

cobrad

10-06-2011, 03:27 PM

Will it be compatible with Forza 3 that we all have now?

Brad

Dillon

10-06-2011, 04:22 PM

Sort of. Apparently you get a certain amount of credits, and are gifted some cars, depending on how far you got in FM3. However, specific cars, designs, tunes, etc. aren't carried over. That'd be practically impossible...they completely redid the mechanics and visuals of the game.

I just read about the Rivals mode, where you get to drive against a ghost car which is a representation of a friend's best lap time. That's going to make our TT experience pretty awesome...and hopefully make us all even more competitive when we race eachother.

Edit: I also read about this bit in the IGN Review

"upgrades are now free after around 30 minutes play per manufacturer"

Hrm...interesting. That at least ought to make building spec classes really easy!

jgray

10-08-2011, 09:55 AM

I have this pre ordered through Amazon..just got a note that it will be drop shipped on Tuesday. I suppose I'll give Forza 3 one last hurrah this weekend since it's cold and snowing out, and I've got nothing better to do. Looking forward to racing you guys online again. ;)

Dillon

10-11-2011, 12:20 PM

I'm gonna pick this up tonight if I can. I was underwhelmed by the demo...but the actual game will be better I'm sure. Couple thoughts based off the demo...

- Cars look better. MUCH better. Almost photo-realistic.

- Single player is HARD. The AI has not improved, they block like crazy and are generally infuriating.

- Steering response and accuracy is improved. Cars feel much more realistic. To me this is both good and bad. I'd suggest we all race with traction control on.

- Interface seems much more streamlined. Definite improvement.

Overall it feels like Forza 3 with better graphics and more realistic steering response. On that note, I think the 360 wheel isn't going to cut it for me with this game...it just can't respond fast enough.

Edit: To clarify, I'm sure I'll get used to the new mechanics using the 360 wheel, but you can tell they put more time into making cars respond more accurately, for better and for worse. I guess I feel that I won't be able to fully leverage that without a nicer wheel.

Also, I went to Game Stop and bought it over lunch, so I'll be on it a lot tonight probably :rolleyes:

bpanther

10-11-2011, 12:31 PM

Let me know if I need to go shopping or not. That would of course also include an xbox 360 & wheel.... so it would have to be 110% worth it.

jgray

10-11-2011, 02:04 PM

Let me know if I need to go shopping or not. That would of course also include an xbox 360 & wheel.... so it would have to be 110% worth it.

Forza 3 was worth it Dave, 'cause that's exactly what I did (well, Glenda bought me the Xbox and game for Christmas, but I bought the wheel), so I imagine Forza 4 would be worth it to the right enthusiast. My PS3 is essentially an expensive Blue Ray player now and always has been.

edit: Mine was just delivered, so probably not much work getting done this afternoon. :)

cobrad

10-11-2011, 02:28 PM

Forza 4, will have to wait for me. I've got a few things to finish around the house, garage, barn, build a shed....

Thanks for the update Dillon concerning 3. I'll maybe ask for 4, for Christmas.

Brad

jgray

10-11-2011, 05:29 PM

***Spoiler Alert***

THIS is evidence of how Turn 10 Studios gets it and is in touch with real car enthusiasts and auto racing culture, I mean, who else could have done this to such affect as Jeremy Clarkson?

"We are an endangered species, you and me..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbzjABHT1Y4

jgray

10-11-2011, 05:52 PM

**Where to buy? **

Just an FYI, my copy from Amazon came with 2 additional car downloads including the Subaru Impreza WRX STI, and an additional 2 tracks, including the Top Gear Soccer Field. :) They also sent a $10 gift code for my next Amazon purchase.

Also, transferring your Forza 3 credits/level 50 experience points netted me a half dozed extra cars and 60K credits. I'm not certain that's an even swap for my 2million credits on Forza 3, but one of the "free" cars was a Bugatti Veyron, so maybe it was a better-than-even transfer.

edit: downloading extra content is taking ages, my only gripe so far.

Dillon

10-11-2011, 10:55 PM

Dave and Brad---definitely worth the money, especially if we get a big crew into it like we did with Forza 3.

I've spent the last couple hours with this game. It's a bit awkward to get into at first (you kind of just get thrown into things), but now that I've started getting into it, I'm liking it a lot better than Forza 3. It's basically everything Forza 3 did right, along with a lot of cool things it didn't do. Like Joel said, this game is clearly targeted at enthusiasts.

Cars don't just look "much better" than Forza 3, they look f***ing fantastic. Very impressive. The Auto Vista feature is really, really cool, too...pretty much an automotive nerd's wet dream as far as racing games go. But I can't figure out what determines which cars you can look at in there...so far it's just the Ferrari 458 Italia. Not that that's a bad thing...I'm seriously lusting after one now.

The upgrade system has also changed. The basic functionality is the same, but PI ratings are different. We will need to re-evaluate all of our spec classes created for Forza 3. I built a Spec Miata using our established rules from FM3, and the PI is D307, as opposed to the E269 we mandated for FM3. Huge difference. I haven't yet compared lap times.

You can now create "clubs", which basically link all your friends together. And apparently you can even do cool things like have a shared garage. It really is like being part of a racing club. I created one for us...it's called NASA Rocky Mountain. Code = NARM (you can only use four letters).

And, I'm having no trouble using the 360 wheel. I'll stick with that until I can afford to drop $400 on a Fanatec CSR setup :eek: This is going to be an awesome way to kill time this winter :)

bpanther

10-12-2011, 09:03 AM

Is there anything between the 360 wireless wheel and the fanatec?

jgray

10-12-2011, 09:16 AM

Is there anything between the 360 wireless wheel and the fanatec?

I wish. I'm collecting steering wheels like a kid gathering candy on Halloween. The up-side to the new Fantec is that it works with Xbox, PC AND PS3. But you have to buy the pedals separately, so it's potentially a $400+ investment. Maybe if I sell all my other wheels I'll have enough for a modest down payment on a Fanatec.

Bottoz

10-12-2011, 09:52 AM

Do you guys have wheel stands? If not, may I recommend THIS (http://www.xwstands.com/Page1.php). I got mine off Amazon more than a year ago, and it made my driving exiperence much better than it was. It's cheap, sturdy, and stands up & away easily. Sit on your couch or chair and be comfortable while racing!

I got the Regular sized one, and extended the lap bars with 1/2 PVC, cut to whatever size you need. Works great, saves money.

http://www.xwstands.com/attachments/Image/xlebay1small.jpg
http://www.xwstands.com/attachments/Image/HPIM1760.jpg

jgray

10-12-2011, 10:45 AM

That's pretty cool CJ! I am getting a little tired of my office chair on the hardwood floor setup... I'm constantly rolling all over the place! :) I would like a purpose built rig though, now that I actually have the space for it. I just gotta find somebody with an extra car seat they don't want.

Bottoz

10-12-2011, 11:46 AM

Car seat + Custom rig is very nice.

I just completed a League Type event with the MINI on PS3 GT5. Our races were at minimum 1 hour in length... having a comfortable seat makes endurance races sweeter! Do it!

95sprtcpedrvr

10-13-2011, 09:49 AM

Is there anything between the 360 wireless wheel and the fanatec?

I for one have been happy with the fanatec wheel. Better quality of parts and the feedback is great! The only fallback I have witnessed is that the unit gets hot, especially if you do alot of racing, which requires you to take breaks so that the wheel doesn't phase out and you lose control and crash out of the race. If that does happen resetting the wheel (off/on) is quick but you lose quite a bit of time and more than likely finish last.

bpanther

10-13-2011, 10:29 AM

Good thing I sold the real race car....

XBOX $200 - $300
Fanatec Wheel & Pedals - $400
Game $60

On that note, what XBOX do I really need? What is the smallest drive you can deal with? "S" version? Kinect? Blah blah blah?

jgray

10-13-2011, 10:47 AM

Dave,

I have the 120 GB Xbox version and I'm not even close to maxing out the save games and add-ons. There's a second disk that comes with both Forza 3 and 4 that you can use to install content for faster load times and as I recall, it was only 2 or 3 GB total. I can't remember if there was an Xbox with a smaller drive, but I bet there is. If you want to participate online then you'll also want a wireless network adaptor to connect to the internet (unless you have a hardline to plug straight into the Xbox).

Joel

bpanther

10-13-2011, 10:52 AM

Thanks. So I will steer clear (pun intended) of the 4G version. Last night I had to go clear out the HD on my PS3 to make space for a new game and it's a 80G version...

Bottoz

10-13-2011, 10:59 AM

Dave.. Speaking of PS3.. GT5 Spec II (1.1gb update/patch/new content) is available now. New Cars and Spa Francorchamps is coming next week.

jgray

10-13-2011, 11:04 AM

Yeah, this one seems like it has all you need, 250GB including built-in wi-fi for $299.

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-4GB-Console/dp/B003O6JKLC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318525381&sr=8-1

Dillon

10-17-2011, 10:02 AM

95sprtcpedrvr

10-21-2011, 02:42 PM

During the REAL racing season I joined a online club and we have our own club on FM4. It is MSM and there are almost always someone on and our present membership count is over 60.

Robbie

10-21-2011, 03:40 PM

jgray

10-21-2011, 04:30 PM

So we have a few people in our "club" now...when are we gonna do some racing? :D I figure if we don't want to sort out spec classes yet, we can start off by PI, choosing cars with a maximum PI, but no other limitations...either stock or modified, doesn't matter. I'm getting a little tired of racing the AI...they don't seem to know what "wheel to wheel" means :rolleyes:

Whenever. I'm almost at level 30 in career mode and I still suck. :mad:

I played online against a 14 year old (a friends son) and he consistently beat me with a controller; was nowhere even close to a proper line; didn't know what a 'line' was; didn't know what an 'apex' was; and hence he punted me frequently as he taunted me about his mad drifting skilz, which by the way, is the fastest way around the track according to him (and why not as evidenced by my a$$ getting handed to me repeatedly?).

So, some clean online racing would be a welcome change. Pick a night Dillon, and you can punt me while driving a clean line using a steering wheel! :rolleyes:

SilverC6Vette

10-24-2011, 11:32 AM

XBOX $200 - $300
Fanatec Wheel & Pedals - $400
Game $60

Not having to buy new tires, brake pads, and rotors... priceless. :D

Glad I came across this thread, was about to enter the game console world for CoD, not I can justify my purchase since this will give me winter "seat" time.

95sprtcpedrvr

10-25-2011, 10:04 AM

As far as I know and after many hours of game play there is a big difference between the use of the controller and wheel. I prefer the use of the wheel because of its natural/realistic feel so when it comes to racing with other online racers I have found that racing against other wheel operators have been less frustrating and offers the chance to learn more frequently from track time and watching others on the track.
JMO

Weston

10-25-2011, 10:38 AM

No, they know what "wheel to wheel" means. Its just that the game was programmed by Spec Pinata drivers.

They're just taking "wheel to wheel" literally. :cool: I guess I'll have to get Forza 4 since that's what all the cool kids are doing now...

Snymo

10-31-2011, 09:27 AM

jgray

10-31-2011, 09:34 AM

Hey guys, I picked up FM4 and have been playing some. Joined the NARM, thanks Dillon! If anyone starts up the Saturday night racing again, let me know as I'd be interested. I'm currently trying to earn enough to build the same cars I had before, but if people are interested in something else now would be a good time to try it. ;)

Later...

Now you can just build all the cars and share them with the NARM club!

The 2011 banquet is this Saturday, but I'm up for a few laps the following Saturday if there are any takers. I usually get a few hours in during the week if anyone wants to do an impromptu session too.

JG

Snymo

10-31-2011, 03:36 PM

How does the club car sharing thing work?

jgray

10-31-2011, 04:00 PM

From what I've seen, you can share a car but only the car owner can modify the car. You can also share, modify later, and then update the car again for the club. I think the downside is that we'd all potentially be driving the same livery or color. I don't know that for sure, but it's certainly worth checking out.

Dillon

10-31-2011, 04:59 PM

Yeah I've been meaning to check that out as well. I think I'll experiment with it tonight.

I've built a couple of spec cars (Miata and GTS) to the old FM3 standards. The PI ratings are different...but they seem to put in similar lap times. I'm going to try building an AI car tonight too. But, I say we get some new classes going since it's a new game and all :)

Gary_44

11-05-2011, 06:23 PM

Thanks for letting me in NARM, even though I'm a Norcal guy.
Well, so far our little club is in the top 7% in the world for online circuit racing, and in the top 1% - 5% in F to C class. That's out of +350,000 players. I guess real world experience goes a long way in virtual land.
I've been doing my part as KGADD.:D

jgray

11-06-2011, 07:58 AM

Welcome aboard. I was wondering who KGADD was. Now we'll have two Gary's in the group. :)

Stay tuned, I think we'll be doing our Saturday night online racing soon and for those that can't make that we will do a TT challenge where you get about a week to put in your best time on a designated track/car combo. Typically the winner gets to pick the next TT track/car combo for the next week, but we're pretty relaxed about that since a few people here really dominate the field (so we take turns to be fair).

I had no idea we've ranked so high as a club already. I'll have to look into that to see wheat they are actually ranking us on because I don't think we've been doing much racing online lately, only an hour or two for me in the past weeks.

Joel

Gary_44

11-06-2011, 10:15 AM

I think ratings are based on lap times, but only clean laps count. No off tracks, contact or drafting. I think it uses offline and online times because I've been practicing Infineon alot and when I checked my rankings and I'm in the top 1% for that track, and that carried over to the club ranking.
Shoot me an email if your gonna do a club race.
GDuvall.944@comcast.net

Snymo

11-06-2011, 05:26 PM

To all of the NARM Club members....

I've build and shared the following:
Spec Miata (Gen 1, built to SM rules)
Spec Miata (Gen 2, stock)
MB 190E 2.5-16 (GTS)
BMW E30 M3 (GTS)
VW Scirocco GT (GTS)
Golf R32 (GTS)
Audi TT 3.2 (GTS)
Ford Mustang GT (AI, not the GT500 from FM3!)
Chevy Camaro SS (AI)
Dodge Challenger ART8 (AI)

Where possible, these were built to the exact spec from FM3 and all of them have the tuning setup that I use. Still working on the Vintage Trans Am, SU and Aussie V8 cars. Will keep you posted.

Rick

raybob9289

11-06-2011, 06:48 PM

I just picked up more Forza4.
What is NARM Club?

cobrad

11-06-2011, 07:37 PM

Does F 4 have the same tracks as 3 and are there any new ones? I might go pick it up this week, I still need a wheel.

Brad

Robbie

11-07-2011, 08:19 AM

Does F 4 have the same tracks as 3 and are there any new ones? I might go pick it up this week, I still need a wheel.

Brad

There are several new ones. Partial to my heart is an Alps course that's a blast; its high speed, HUGE elevation changes, and some hairy corners. It's a ton of fun. Also, Infineon is available in three configurations. And there's the Top Gear track. Otherwise, I believe the course selection is identical.

jgray

11-07-2011, 08:48 AM

Rick,

I knew you would come through on this. :)

I did some online racing the other day and it appears that all (if not most) of the stock/standard cars are available to play and race online. You may not want to concern yourself with adding the Aussie V8 cars if you're not going to mod them somehow. Also, I've been playing in career mode quite a bit and have a lot of credits... If you need some spec cars to develop just let me know and I'll buy them and gift them to you to mod and share with the club (assuming we can still 'gift' cars).

Joel

jgray

11-07-2011, 08:56 AM

Does F 4 have the same tracks as 3 and are there any new ones? I might go pick it up this week, I still need a wheel.

Brad

Yes... Same tracks as before and a couple new ones. Some of the existing tracks have been updated with new elements, so your visual cues may have changed depending on what you used as a cue in Forza 3.

I think it feels like the cars stick to the road surface better that before too. You also earn cars and credits much faster. Win a race and you get an "Affinity" reward from that car manufacturer; usually 25% off parts for the first win, 50% for the second, 75% for the third; and 100% off for the fourth. From there you get additional credits from the manufacturer for winning (and increasing your affinity). It feels very rewarding even if you're not that good at driving sims (like me).

Joel

jgray

11-07-2011, 08:57 AM

There are several new ones. Partial to my heart is an Alps course that's a blast; its high speed, HUGE elevation changes, and some hairy corners. It's a ton of fun. Also, Infineon is available in three configurations. And there's the Top Gear track. Otherwise, I believe the course selection is identical.

Yeah, what Robbie said. ;) I forgot about the Top Gear Track.

Snymo

11-07-2011, 05:25 PM

I knew you would come through on this. :)

You may not want to concern yourself with adding the Aussie V8 cars if you're not going to mod them somehow.

If you need some spec cars to develop just let me know...
Yup! In FM3, we allowed the brake upgrade and any wheels for the Aussie V8s and we mandated a paint scheme, so I already bought one and just need to paint it. ;)

I also have all of the other cars too, just need to build them up. As I build them I'm updating the build rules/spec from FM3 so shortly I'll post up the FM4 rules so everyone can build up whatever they want too. That should get us a long way into the online playing season.

And, if anyone has any ideas for something new, just speak up. There are a lot of cool new cars in FM4 so if you find something interesting, we might just have to try it. Like an SUV challenge or Spec Hummer! :eek: Hahahaha

Rick