Forza Motorsport 7 -Late to the party

[MC Bodge]

My kids have and XBox One. I've downloaded FM7 and had a few late night sessions on it. I last played GT Legends years ago and things haved moved on a lot.

I'm using "professional"? settings, with many of the driver aids off (albeit auto gearbox) with a wireless controller and I'm impressed by the way that some of the cars "feel" like real cars, with balance and trail braking making a difference. I was able to jump on and get to grips with it quite quickly.

I've done a few rival (time trial) sessions and like doing the Autosolo around the cones.

Brands Hatch GP circuit has quite a good mix. Bathurst interesting. I've found the Top Gear Track, which has fast and slow corners and is good when you get to know it -as it is so flat you can't see where the track goes. I've driven various cars on it.

The Nordschleife is excellent -like driving through mid Wales with no traffic or Police- although I'm far braver than I would be in real life.

I have found that I enjoy the nuances of older cars more than the monstrously powerful racing cars which seem a bit 2 dimensional in comparison.

the Fiat 131 Abarth and the Carrera 2.7RS in homologated states are really good. The Porsche 914 and the 60s Mini Cooper quite fun too.
I did buy an RS500 and modify it heavily, but the setup wasn't great and it was a bit of a handful.

Any suggestions for things to try?

[MC Bodge]

MC Bodge said:

Any suggestions for things to try?

I guess not, then?

[untakenname]

Project Cars 2 is the best semi sim available imo (Project Cars 3 is a complete disaster so avoid).

I used to love the Forza series on the original Xbox and Xbox 360 but Forza 6 onwards just feels a bit meh, Forza Horizon is quite good as it's a different type of game and is set in the UK on normal roads.

[MC Bodge]

untakenname said:

Project Cars 2 is the best semi sim available imo (Project Cars 3 is a complete disaster so avoid).

I used to love the Forza series on the original Xbox and Xbox 360 but Forza 6 onwards just feels a bit meh, Forza Horizon is quite good as it's a different type of game and is set in the UK on normal roads.

Thanks. I did wonder about Forza Horizon, but it looked more like an arcade game, with crazy manoeuvres possible, than a driving sim.

[Jazoli]

I think FM7 is better than PC2 to pick up and play, the controls are more predictable and you don't have to spend hours setting the cars up just so they will turn in, I'm still playing it now after buying on release, there are always new challenges to do too, I can't stand the online part of it as its just a crash fest and your races can (and do) get ruined by idiots, I prefer the circuit racing to the open world stuff on FH4 (although its still an awesome game).

[MC Bodge]

I have modified the 2.7 Carrera RS with adjustable race parts, but left the engine standard.

I stiffened the springs a little and shortened the final drive. Stiffer springs helped. Going too stiff didn't.

As rear traction is so good (surprisingly non-tail happy), I wound down the accel diff setting. Not sure if this helps. It still understeers out of bends.

I now foresee hours of testing....

Does anybody have any rules of thumb for this car?

[Levin]

MC Bodge said:

Any suggestions for things to try?

Are you looking for suggestions for online play, or for time trials, etc.? I must admit I really enjoy late night sessions on FM7, just hammering out laps. It's amazingly therapeutic!

For hammering laps around the Nürburgring, one of my favourite cars in the game is the BMW 323ti. It's the E36 Compact rather than the full-fat M3. With no E36 saloon in the game I went for the car closest to the one I'd aspire to own for real-world track days. It's brilliant!

I'd have to check the engine modifications but it's very, very low B-Class in its current guise (uprated brakes, weight reduction, and sport tyres). I could probably drag it down to C-Class without ruining it. It isn't set up to be competitive for online or for competing with times other people have set, merely for competing with myself.

I much prefer the slower classes. I don't find the really rapid cars fun to drive on a controller, but perhaps they're better on a wheel. However, there is one exception: the touring cars! They're great to drive and are in a high class because of all the aero boosting their handling stats, rather than because they're 200mph animals.

Oh, and download the Forza Hub on the Xbox as well. If you open it once a week you can get in-game credits for free. There's zero downside.

[MC Bodge]

Levin said:

Are you looking for suggestions for online play, or for time trials, etc.? I must admit I really enjoy late night sessions on FM7, just hammering out laps. It's amazingly therapeutic!

I'm not looking for online racing. More for suggestions about cars, tracks and setups. Some of the challenges in all kinds of cars are good. I agree about the late night sessions. At the moment, I have enough credits to be able to buy some cars and modify them. Dialling-in the Carrera RS is going to be my project.

Levin said:

I much prefer the slower classes. I don't find the really rapid cars fun to drive on a controller

Same here. The very powerful cars don't fel as "realistic" -but then again, I've never driven a Porsche 917. There probably needs to be more feel/feedback than you get with an XBox controller.

Levin said:

Oh, and download the Forza Hub on the Xbox as well. If you open it once a week you can get in-game credits for free. There's zero downside.

Cheers.

Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 1st February 09:05

[Levin]

MC Bodge said:

More for suggestions about cars, tracks and setups.

I'm going to suggest Virginia International Raceway because I hate it. It's narrow, it's technical, and I cannot get it mastered. Even in something low-powered I still get the braking points way off. If you can find a car and make it dance around VIR, then you'll have done something I continue to struggle with. Last night I attempted it with an Opel Kadett and the car sounds brilliant, like a proper little rally car.

[tigger1]

I still enjoy playing the Rivals "featured" challenges on FM7 - hot laps around a given circuit in a particular car. I usually manage top 10%, which isn't bad using a controller. Loving the current Spa challenge in the Radical (my best lap is about 2:19:50)

[MC Bodge]

tigger1 said:

I still enjoy playing the Rivals "featured" challenges on FM7 - hot laps around a given circuit in a particular car. I usually manage top 10%, which isn't bad using a controller. Loving the current Spa challenge in the Radical (my best lap is about 2:19:50)

Well done. I've not tried Spa yet. I did like it in Microprose GP in the early 90s, though...

I quite like those challenges too, although I've not done that many of them yet.

I did grab 20 minutes for a bit of quick & dirty Carrera RS setup the other evening.

[Pistonheader2]

My Xbox tag is PistonHeader2 feel free to add me, it’s quite fun when you get a few on and it’s not all serious racing! also open track day on multiplayer is good fun.

[MC Bodge]

Levin said:

I'm going to suggest Virginia International Raceway because I hate it. It's narrow, it's technical, and I cannot get it mastered. Even in something low-powered I still get the braking points way off. If you can find a car and make it dance around VIR, then you'll have done something I continue to struggle with. Last night I attempted it with an Opel Kadett and the car sounds brilliant, like a proper little rally car.

I've recently been back on Forza and driven some of the circuits at VIR. I like the twisty and undulating nature. Good recommendation.

I discovered some of the old F1 cars (1950s and 60s), which are great fun.

The classic Alpine A110 1600 in homologation spec is a brilliant car - I need to try it on the Nordschleife.

Edited by MC Bodge on Sunday 11th April 17:01

[MC Bodge]

Ps. It is fantastic on the Nordschleife.

[NoBrakesWC]

I play a lot of racing games on Xbox Forza Motorsport 7, Project Cars 3 and now Asseto Corsa Comp. FM7 is a great game for someone who is casual some races are very messy with dive bombs etc. I like doing open track days and best track for that the Nurburgring. There is a tab called leagues which is very competitive and some what cleaner than normal multiplayer.

[Levin]

NoBrakesWC said:

I play a lot of racing games on Xbox Forza Motorsport 7, Project Cars 3 and now Asseto Corsa Comp. FM7 is a great game for someone who is casual some races are very messy with dive bombs etc. I like doing open track days and best track for that the Nurburgring. There is a tab called leagues which is very competitive and some what cleaner than normal multiplayer.

Are Project Cars 3 or Assetto Corsa playable on a controller? The original Project Cars was an awful experience with a controller.

MC Bodge said:

I've recently been back on Forza and driven some of the circuits at VIR. I like the twisty and undulating nature. Good recommendation.

Glad you're enjoying it! I don't think I've ever given the Alpine a run out, so when I return to Forza (I always do, given time) I must remember to buy one.

[NoBrakesWC]

Levin said:

NoBrakesWC said:

I play a lot of racing games on Xbox Forza Motorsport 7, Project Cars 3 and now Asseto Corsa Comp. FM7 is a great game for someone who is casual some races are very messy with dive bombs etc. I like doing open track days and best track for that the Nurburgring. There is a tab called leagues which is very competitive and some what cleaner than normal multiplayer.

Are Project Cars 3 or Assetto Corsa playable on a controller? The original Project Cars was an awful experience with a controller.

I play Project Cars 3 on controller and feels fine. Assetto Corsa I play on wheel as it feels like more of a realistic game. It's personal preference.

[W201_190e]

Project Cars 2 is unplayable with a controller. I hated it, I'm glad it was free.

Forza Motorsport 7 is the best one yet, anyone who prefers the outdated graphics and physics of the ten year old Forza 4 on the Xbox 360 are probably looking back through rose tinted glasses. I went back to it recently and things have moved on, although I will say the original Forza Horizon is a good blast still.

[Levin]

W201_190e said:

Forza Motorsport 7 is the best one yet, anyone who prefers the outdated graphics and physics of the ten year old Forza 4 on the Xbox 360 are probably looking back through rose tinted glasses. I went back to it recently and things have moved on, although I will say the original Forza Horizon is a good blast still.

I think Forza 4's main source of nostalgia is the fact it still has the most expansive list of cars within the Motorsport series. I'm not sure if any of the Horizon games featured anywhere near as many cars. All the same, Gran Turismo has had even more cars at a time so it is unlikely most people will ever get around to trying them all. There are a few things 4 did better than anything since, but you're right - the world has moved on from a decade-old game.

Thanks for the warning about Project Cars 2, and the advice regarding 3. If I find it going cheap I might buy 3.

[NoBrakesWC]

Forza 7 is great on controller and is designed for that. For people who use wheel it doesn't feel right. There are still a fair few bugs in the game that need to fixed for example black screen before race starts.