Paul Jeffrey
Premium
Releasing with an impressive change log that has a heavy focus on the growing eSport side of the Xbox and Windows 10 exclusive racing game, the March update of Forza Motorsport 7 is the latest very solid improvement to a game that continues to exceed initial expectations since releasing back in October of 2017. Taking a step further away from arch rival Gran Turismo Sport which continues to struggle for content despite a couple of high profile updates in recent months, this is another very impressive new release from Turn 10 Studios.
March Update Highlights:
Spectate – Ticker
Spectators of Forza Motorsport 7 online races will now have more information than ever with the introduction of the new Spectate Ticker. The ticker is on by default during Spectate races and offers up a multitude of data types that can enhance the viewer’s enjoyment of any Forza Motorsport 7 race broadcast. These data types include:
- Time Behind Leader
- Time Intervals
- Distance Gap (from race leader)
- Distance Gap (from car ahead)
- Lap Times
- Race Order Changes
While the race host can choose any of the above data loops to cycle through during a race, they can also choose to leave the data loop running through all data types. During this loop, the ticker will also feature additional information including leader and last lap time, as well as updated best lap information. Lobby hosts have the ability to choose which car they want to start the race on – this selection is part of the pre-race Seed the Grid screen available to lobby hosts.
Spectate – Telemetry
Learn more about the race and each individual driver competing with the new Telemetry screen. Only available when spectating races, the new Telemetry screen has been redesigned to work better with the in-race broadcast footage. Off by default, this Telemetry screen is manually engaged by the spectator and features a host of data that players can use to enhance their understanding of each driver. Spectators can scroll through numerous screens here including:
- Car Specs (including performance information on current car)
- Dashboard (featuring instruments indicating car speed and revs, steering input, and G-forces)
- Telemetry (RPM, clutch, power, throttle, torque)
- Damage (only used with Simulation Damage enabled)
- Suspension
- Tire Heat
- Friction
Livery Editor Updates
With the March update, we’ve been listening carefully to what Forza 7 players – and in particular Forza 7 painters – have been saying. With those suggestions in mind, we’ve introduced several new features in the livery editor designed to improve the creative lives of our painters. Here’s a closer look at the new functionality:
Layer Select Screen – Mirror Option
Players can now mirror select layers to the other side of a vehicle. The Layer Select Menu can use mirror functionality on the following configurations: Single Layer, Single Group, or a Group of Selected Layers and/or Groups. All options can have a manufacturer decal present in them. Manufacturer decals are transferred to the mirrored position but are not flipped.
Layer Select Screen – Flip Option
Players can now quickly and easily flip/mirror layers horizontally or vertically. The Layer Select Menu now has two options: “Flip Horizontal” and “Flip Vertical”. Selecting them will perform the flip operation on the following configurations: Single Layer, Single Group, or a Group of Selected Layers and/or Groups. NOTE: This will not work for any of the above if they contain a manufacturer decal.
Layer Position Screen – Flip Option
Players can now select a “Flip Option” modifier from the Layer Position Screen. This has been added to the Help bar and the shortcuts are:
Controller – Left Trigger
Keyboard / Mouse – TAB
Holding in the Flip Mode modifier, and then editing the layer using Left Stick/Cursor Keys/Mouse, will flip the layer in the axis the user moves. The system allows the player to move the stick in any direction and is smart about choosing that as the user-intended flip mode. As with the Layer Select Flip operation, this is available for Single Layer, Single Group and selected layers or a Group of Selected Layers and/or Groups. NOTE: This will not work for any configuration that contains a manufacturer decal.
Layer Position Screen – Snap Option
Players can take advantage of a new “Snap Mode” modifier which is available any time a player is editing a layer in the Layer Position Screen. This has been added to the help bar and the shortcuts are:
Controller – Right Trigger
Keyboard / Mouse – CTRL + SHIFT
(In keyboard/mouse CTRL by itself = Slow Mode and SHIFT by itself = axis constrained faster mode.)
Holding in the Snap Mode modifier, and then editing the layer using the Left Stick/Cursor Keys/Mouse, will snap the values as follows:
- Position – Snaps to the nearest multiple of 50 (…, -150, -100, -50, 0, 50, 100, 150, …)
- Size – Snaps to the nearest multiple of 0.25 (…, -0.75, -0.5, -0.25, 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, …)
- Rotation – Snaps to the nearest multiple of 45 degrees (0, 45, 90, 180, 225, 270, 315)
- Skew – Snaps to the nearest multiple of 0.25 (…, -0.75, -0.5, -0.25, 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, …)
- Opacity – Snaps to the nearest multiple of 0.25 (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1)
This Snap Option is available on all layers, groups, and selected layers/groups.
Layer Colour Select - Favourite Colours
Players can now save their favorite colors across Livery Editor sessions. This feature adds a new “Favorite Colors” tab to the Livery Color Select Screen. On any of the other color tabs pressing “Add to Favorite” shortcut will add the selected color to the Favorite Colors list, which is shown in the Favorite Colors tab. Re-adding an existing color in the favorites list will move the color to the front of the list. On the Favorite Colors tab, the same shortcut becomes “Remove from Favorite”, which removes the selected color from the favorites list. The shortcuts are:
Controller – Left Trigger
Keyboard / Mouse – ‘-‘ key
These favorite colors are now saved to the user’s profile and can be accessed across Livery Editor sessions in the game.
In addition to the new build update and feature releases, March also brings a brand new car pack, somewhat less imaginatively named the "March Car Pack". Awesome. Containing seven new road and race machines, the details of which can be seen below:
1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider
It’s hard to even conceive how courageous the drivers who raced these early open cars were. Their bravery inspired the race cars and super cars of today. Enzo Ferrari himself raced an 8C 2300 at the Circuito delle Tre Provence, taking second place in 1931. Built between 1931 and 1934 the model was bodied by top coach builders (carrozzeria) Zagato and Touring. Underneath the hood are two four-cylinder motors facing back-to-back and mated in the middle at the flywheel. The cams and supercharger are driven by gears in the middle of that marriage. These cars were expensive in their day and are priceless now. Driving the 8C, the great Tazio Nuvolari saw victory at the Grand Prix of Italy and Monaco. Lord Howe won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a pair of Italians won the 1932 Mille Miglia in one. You won’t have to get used to the center gas pedal to drive it in Forza, but you will appreciate the unforgettable experience of getting behind the giant wheel of this racing legend.
1983 Jaguar #44 Group 44 XJR-5
In the 1950s Jaguar made an indelible mark in racing history winning the provincial 24 Hours of Le Mans five times between 1951 and 1957. With the intent of bringing Jaguar back to the podium, American racer Bob Tullius got the funding to build this IMSA GTP racer designed by Lee Dykstra. Group 44 racing was founded by Tullius and when the XJR-5 was finished he had drivers Brian Redman, Hurley Haywood, and others with him to campaign it. At its IMSA debut at Road America the team earned third place and collected four wins overall that year. At a period when the Porsche 956 was all-powerful, the #44 and #40 XJRs finally gave Jaguar fans at Le Mans something to fawn about in 1984, although both cars failed to finish. This marked a new era of Jaguar racing after a 25-year absence and put the British manufacturer on a path to future racing glory when they later won at Le Mans in 1990.
1988 Nissan #33 Bob Sharp Racing 300ZX
Most people think of Paul Newman as one of film’s most iconic actors, but did you know his true passion was racing? Newman campaigned numerous cars with significant success; many were Nissans built by Bob Sharp. Sharp built one of the first American factory-backed race teams with Nissan in Bob Sharp Racing. When Newman and Sharp met, their mutual passion for motorsport led to a unique partnership that lasted many years. The 300ZX 2+2 represents the last Nissan Newman raced. If you look closely you can even see the initials PLN (Paul Leonard Newman) on the headrest. Restored for vintage racing and now owned by CarCast’s Adam Carolla, this beast has 680 turbo-driven horsepower. It is bespoke in every way, with only the roof and windshield being stock. While never reaching its expectations while it was campaigned in the SCCA Trans-Am series, it provides an amazing driving experience and is a rare and awesome piece of racing history.
1977 Brabham #8 Motor Racing Developments BT45B
Previous to his forty years running Formula One, Bernie Ecclestone ran the Brabham Formula One team for many years. In a search of power to run against the competitive Cosworth-powered teams, Ecclestone struck a deal with Alfa-Romeo to power his new race car. The 3-liter, four-valve per cylinder, twin overhead cam flat-12 was similar to the Ferrari engine that had just won the two previous years and Alfa Romeo offered to supply them free of charge. It was mated to a Hewland gearbox and the pairing was slung low in a chassis designed by Gordon Murray dubbed the BT45. The later revised 45B featured an improved rear suspension and lost some weight. The car reached a high point when driver John Watson placed second behind Mario Andretti in the French Grand Prix in 1977. As Alfa Romeo makes a return to Formula One in 2018, the BT45B revisits their past endeavors that have given them such an illustrious role in to highest tier of motorsport.
2017 Lincoln Continental
European royalty always lavished themselves in posh luxury, and you will find this continental characteristic throughout the 2017 Lincoln. Tons of supple leather, comfy seats (that adjust 30 different ways) and style that is fit for a king. You won’t find the classic suicide doors of the original model, but you will find all-wheel-drive, around 400 horsepower, and loads of torque from an Ecoboost twin-turbo V6. Is this Lincoln a match for its continental competition? That’s for you to find out.
2017 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2
When you see the letters “Z” and “R” on a Chevy, one may begin musing about the Corvettes with the same designation. Give the new Colorado ZR2 a drive and you may begin to make new associations. Ever since the Ford Raptor hit the truck market, everyone has been trying to match that high bar. Of course, this takes more than just a lift kit and big tires, which the ZR2 does have. It takes real suspension modifications, like taller springs and longer shocks and control arms, the ZR2 has those too. Going further, the ZR2 has spool-valve dampers made by Multimatic, the company that assembles the Ford GT. On the outside the body gives you bulging lines that excite and enhanced clearance enabling a 30-degree approach angle. This is a real off-road truck capable of pre-running, that gives new found meaning to the prolific ZR moniker.
2017 Volvo XC90 R-Design
Here is a recipe for making the SUV something much more than a practical ride to pick up the kids or get groceries. First, start with Volvo, the Swedish carmaker known for safety-focused designs. Then, add not only a super charger and a turbo charger, but also an electric motor. With both types of forced induction mixed properly and the instant torque of the hybrid motor, the result is resounding power all the way through the powerband with no turbo lag. All that from a 2.0-liter, inline four-cylinder that lets you feel good about being green. For decades Volvo has been making vehicles that may appear sedate but have always had performance at the forefront of their design. After all performance translates into safety, and when you can have both, that is having your cake and eating it too.
Forza Motorsport 7 is available for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC now.
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