It’s been a somewhat tumultuous start to Turn 10’s latest circuit racing game, Forza Motorsport. The development team has now highlighted its three main areas for improvement.
Images: Taken by RaceDepartment in-game
While not without its merits, Forza Motorsport is also, at times, more than a little bit frustrating. Its Featured Multiplayer online mode may be refreshing and the driving experience more rewarding than its predecessors, but then there are these little ‘icks’ that threaten to impact your enjoyment.
Creator Turn 10 Studios has issued a statement outlining the following three main elements it will be addressing as priorities. Smaller items, such as players requesting a radar system, are omitted and hopefully touched upon later.
“We understand how important it is to have fair and competitive AI in Motorsport and are our top priorities in early 2024 are addressing overly aggressive AI [sic], while also getting a cleaner race start into turn 1 where many of the issues above most severely manifest and impact players,” reads Forza’s statement.
A tenet of the project, it seems the development team is continuing to receive feedback on the upgrade process, admitting that it’s a “divisive topic” among players.
“It is clear from looking at feedback that while many of our players are enjoying the system as is, for many others it isn’t delivering the upgrade experience that they expect from Forza Motorsport,” continues the communication.
“To address this, we are exploring changes to the system. Our goal with these changes is to retain what is working for those that enjoy it, while resolving the issues many of our most dedicated players have with the system.”
Ditching the whole system would be, to us, an extraordinary U-turn and is seemingly off the cards. However, refining the system further would be welcome. The XP levels required to unlock certain parts were already lowered once post-launch.
Mind you, due to a lack of specifics and a vague “it will take some time to properly evaluate options” warning, this statement could be filibustering, pushing the topic further down the road. Let’s hope not.
“…Over the next few months, we will be working with some long-time competitive Motorsport players to gather direct telemetry from them while they’re playing,” explains the statement, attributed jointly to Andy Beaudoin (Forza Motorsport Game Director), Chris Esaki (Forza Motorsport Creative Director) and Trevor Laupmanis (Forza Motorsport Executive Producer).
“They will be capturing these instances and feeding data to our team so that we can issue tweaks to make FRR more accurate and reliable.”
The proof, as ever, will be in the puddling. We’ll continue to track Forza Motorsport’s progress and your opinions on the title throughout 2024. In December, the Hockenheimring was added. Meanwhile, the paid-for Car Pass DLC continues and the Nürburgring Nordschleife is expected in ‘spring’ 2024.
Let us know what you’d like to see changed within Forza Motorsport by commenting below.
Images: Taken by RaceDepartment in-game
While not without its merits, Forza Motorsport is also, at times, more than a little bit frustrating. Its Featured Multiplayer online mode may be refreshing and the driving experience more rewarding than its predecessors, but then there are these little ‘icks’ that threaten to impact your enjoyment.
Creator Turn 10 Studios has issued a statement outlining the following three main elements it will be addressing as priorities. Smaller items, such as players requesting a radar system, are omitted and hopefully touched upon later.
- AI performance
- Car upgrade system
- Forza Race Regulations penalty system
‘Early 2024’ AI Updates
When not playing in the competitive multiplayer mode, the AI-controller rivals since launch can provide close racing and plentiful grid sizes. But they can also be as erratic as a teenager on Monster Energy. A particular bugbear is their penchant for standing on the brakes mid-corner or parking on an apex, much to our chagrin.“We understand how important it is to have fair and competitive AI in Motorsport and are our top priorities in early 2024 are addressing overly aggressive AI [sic], while also getting a cleaner race start into turn 1 where many of the issues above most severely manifest and impact players,” reads Forza’s statement.
Car Progression System Could See Further Changes
One of Forza Motorsport’s pillars is the car progression system, whereby points are used to purchase parts and XP unlocks parts. This is like some form of fantasy role-playing game. Cash is only used to purchase new vehicles, not buy fresh upgrades.A tenet of the project, it seems the development team is continuing to receive feedback on the upgrade process, admitting that it’s a “divisive topic” among players.
“It is clear from looking at feedback that while many of our players are enjoying the system as is, for many others it isn’t delivering the upgrade experience that they expect from Forza Motorsport,” continues the communication.
“To address this, we are exploring changes to the system. Our goal with these changes is to retain what is working for those that enjoy it, while resolving the issues many of our most dedicated players have with the system.”
Ditching the whole system would be, to us, an extraordinary U-turn and is seemingly off the cards. However, refining the system further would be welcome. The XP levels required to unlock certain parts were already lowered once post-launch.
Mind you, due to a lack of specifics and a vague “it will take some time to properly evaluate options” warning, this statement could be filibustering, pushing the topic further down the road. Let’s hope not.
Penalty System Learning Curve
Finally, the team is said to be continually working on the penalty system – entitled Forza Race Regulations. If you smash into someone, you should receive a penalty, but the automated system can be inconsistent.
“…Over the next few months, we will be working with some long-time competitive Motorsport players to gather direct telemetry from them while they’re playing,” explains the statement, attributed jointly to Andy Beaudoin (Forza Motorsport Game Director), Chris Esaki (Forza Motorsport Creative Director) and Trevor Laupmanis (Forza Motorsport Executive Producer).
“They will be capturing these instances and feeding data to our team so that we can issue tweaks to make FRR more accurate and reliable.”
The proof, as ever, will be in the puddling. We’ll continue to track Forza Motorsport’s progress and your opinions on the title throughout 2024. In December, the Hockenheimring was added. Meanwhile, the paid-for Car Pass DLC continues and the Nürburgring Nordschleife is expected in ‘spring’ 2024.
Let us know what you’d like to see changed within Forza Motorsport by commenting below.
