DSP member/alum featured in Forza Horizon video

[vader29]

I always thought in racing games that the less assists you used gave you the best chance to net a better overall time if you were good enough and in order for someone to catch or beat that time they would have to drive with assists off also, so you guys are saying that isn't the case in this game?

[TCrouch]

It's probably true to some extent. For example, using the Fanatec CSR Elite Wheel:


I could probably lay down some good times. But using a controller or the MS Wireless wheel I have for my XBox, the pedals are garbage. So when you turn the ABS off, for example, the brake is so twitchy that you'll end up locking up the brakes on most cars at like half-pedal throw. With a load cell brake pedal (or even a double-or-triple spring loaded pedal like my THrustmaster T500RS on PC has, where the brake gets progressively tougher to press and you can really push the envelope), you can FEEL the brakes getting close to locking up. But not with simple spring-loaded cheap pedals--at 48% pedal, you'll barely be stopping. So you have to hit that perfect sweet spot to avoid leaving skid marks every corner. That's tough to do over and over again when you're shooting for a top time. Same with the throttle. With TCS off, it's very easy to smoke the rear end, especially in the heat of battle.

So, yes...that's the general idea, and it's possible to do with a crap controller/wheel. But when you turn assists off with lesser equipment, it's much tougher to push it to the edge that an all-assists-on driver can do without much effort. You're constantly losing time to locking up brakes or spinning tires on an exit. With time, you can match or exceed that, yes. But it takes A LOT more effort and time to do so. Meanwhile, another guy can put up a time 15 seconds better with half the talent, just to see his name at the top of the leaderboard. It's different when guys are using assists because they can't control the car with them off. It's another thing entirely to turn them on and blow away the field while doing so. I fell into the trap and turned them on long enough to beat the time, but then I felt dirty and went back and disabled them all again--and after much effort, beat those times once more with assists off. So it can be done, it's just a lot more work

The one thing I've noticed in the online races, though, is the Manual Transmission is a huge help. I can't tell you the number of times we're all in the exact same car but I'm accelerating faster through the gears than the other cars (especially at the starts). Manual tranny lets you pull through the power band at the top of the tach more than auto tranny, and that's a massive help in this game, IMO. At least from what I've seen so far, it is.

[webdanzer]

Oh, I wasn't complaining about no assists at all, nor did I feel cowed into changing by either PK or Terry!

The first night I played and barely opened the box, you guys invited me online immediately, so I jumped on with assists on.

I do usually play offline with them off, so when I was on yesterday I had them off for my 1p mode, and they stayed off when I popped online.

I actually did look for a way to change the assists online though, after I was having some trouble in the longer races in faster cars, but I didn't see a way to do this online. I think you may have to exit the mode and/or lobby completely and come back in, which I didn't want to do.

If that's so, that's a shame, because where I am with my driving ability I'd probably have them on for some of the online races, off for others, and it seems like you need to commit beforehand.

[TCrouch]

It would be nice if you could just set them per class. Like "S class and above, give me TCS, but A and below have it off"...something like that.

But yes, no changing online. Once you're in, you're stuck.

[Naples39]

I occasionally feel guilty about using assists, but my general mantra in racing games these days is, don't try to be a hero.

I would turn them off offline if I was just playing this game 1p, but I think it will be more fun online just leaving them on, and may as well just roll this way with the game all the time.

[Spooky]

Well - I don't see any way to play the game without at least using the drive line assist. I don't know the roads and the drive line helps me know where to go so I don't have to continue looking at the mini map.

[TCrouch]

Naples, nobody will fault you for that, either. It was fun chasing you on the Goliath race, and it's not like you're running away from the field race after race. That's exactly what they're there for. To help even the field and make it more fun and competitive for everybody. No need to be a hero in the online modes.

It's the damn scoreboard whore rivals mode that has us all up in arms

Well - I don't see any way to play the game without at least using the drive line assist. I don't know the roads and the drive line helps me know where to go so I don't have to continue looking at the mini map.

There's a driving line assist?

That could have helped in a lot of scenarios last night, but glancing at the minimap and the GPS constantly gives me a nice pucker-factor the entire race. Of course, doing it and plowing head long into an offramp barrier at 200 sucks..

[Naples39]

Naples, nobody will fault you for that, either. It was fun chasing you on the Goliath race, and it's not like you're running away from the field race after race. That's exactly what they're there for. To help even the field and make it more fun and competitive for everybody. No need to be a hero in the online modes.

Yes, so if I ever win a race feel free to write it off as "he's a bloody cheater."

There's a driving line assist?

That could have helped in a lot of scenarios last night, but glancing at the minimap and the GPS constantly gives me a nice pucker-factor the entire race. Of course, doing it and plowing head long into an offramp barrier at 200 sucks..

Wow, you have been doing those long races with it off?! Mine was on by default, but I guess if you simply switched the game difficulty to hard first thing it may have turned it off. I have been playing at default medium difficulty, except with manual tranny on.

[dbdynsty25]

There's a driving line assist?

That could have helped in a lot of scenarios last night, but glancing at the minimap and the GPS constantly gives me a nice pucker-factor the entire race. Of course, doing it and plowing head long into an offramp barrier at 200 sucks..

Wasn't it on by default? No wonder you guys were taking wrong turns on Wednesday. LOL. The line is way too slow in terms of breaking points and all that so I simply use it for turn warnings and that's about it.

[TCrouch]

Yeah at one point I ended up I don't know where...I just kept having my GPS telling me to flip around. It certainly makes it trickier--ESPECIALLY on that infernal short street race we ran last night in those Ferraris or whatever it was. Trying to navigate through the little alleys and bridges made it hilariously tough.

[dbdynsty25]

Yeah at one point I ended up I don't know where...I just kept having my GPS telling me to flip around. It certainly makes it trickier--ESPECIALLY on that infernal short street race we ran last night in those Ferraris or whatever it was. Trying to navigate through the little alleys and bridges made it hilariously tough.

Maybe that should be a requirement for YOU then. Allows the rest of us to stay a bit closer because of your apprehension.

[10spro]

There's a driving line assist?

That could have helped in a lot of scenarios last night, but glancing at the minimap and the GPS constantly gives me a nice pucker-factor the entire race. Of course, doing it and plowing head long into an offramp barrier at 200 sucks..

Wasn't it on by default? No wonder you guys were taking wrong turns on Wednesday. LOL. The line is way too slow in terms of breaking points and all that so I simply use it for turn warnings and that's about it.

I've been driving on default and all along I had the impression that by following the line it gave you the best chance to take seconds off.

[dbdynsty25]

I've been driving on default and all along I had the impression that by following the line it gave you the best chance to take seconds off.

Following the line is good. Breaking when they tell you to break is bad. It's way slower than you can normally take turns, especially the higher speed ones. You can start using the line, but run the race a few times over and break a little later and a little lighter and you'll see you make it through a bit faster.

[TCrouch]

It gives you the best chance to not miss a corner...but the braking lines on those assists are almost always conservative. So it may tell you it's red to brake now, when in reality you can pitch the car and throttle through it, so you LOSE seconds instead.

It's a tough balance. If you don't know the track at all, you'll lose a lot of time with it off because you'll plow corners and fly off the track (that's what I've been doing a lot of the first few days). But once you start to learn a track, you remember corners and what you can do in the car and don't rely on the line. You memorize tracks MUCH quicker with it off, and learn your braking points and corner entry marks. You'll always be faster in the end with the line off than with it on, but it's got a brutal learning curve.

[TCrouch]

I don't know why I did this, as I rarely do, but here it is:

I went back and read the first page or two of this thread. Talk about hilarious.

"Driving model sucks!"

"Well, played it some more and it's growing on me".

"Might be worth a purchase on Black Friday".

"Will it have any sort of online following here at DSP?"

"I've played more of the demo, and damn this is fun".

"Hmm, can't stop playing the demo. This just NAILS the FUN FACTOR!"

"HOLY CRAP THERE'S TAG!!!!"

"#%#%)#W*($)#($*)@(#$*@)#$* FIRST NIGHT OF ONLINE RACING!!! BEST EVARRRRRRRRRRRR"



Talk about a slow burn. This game came out of nowhere and look at how it's exploded. Absolutely hysterical. We had a completely full room last night, and if more people get it, we might end up with *gasp* 2 parties and games?!?!?!

I guess people have been missing the online DSP racing action. I know I hadn't had the sort of experiences this has given me since the days of the PGR2 Mini-Cooper fests, and sailing around the Ring.

Phenomenal experience, this is. If you're one of the clowns still on the fence, quit being a f*cking idiot.

[Danimal]

I couldn't take it anymore and bought this at lunch time.

f***ers

[Teal]

I couldn't take it anymore and bought this at lunch time.

f***ers

Congratulations-you just dropped off of Terry's "f*cking idiot" list...

[dbdynsty25]

Congratulations-you just dropped off of Terry's "f*cking idiot" list...

This game certainly came out of nowhere for some of you guys. As soon as someone mentioned TDU (Teal I believe), I was in without a doubt. I've got a serious hard on for that series. There are some things that Forza does better, and some that TDU does better, but overall, both are fantastic games. The multiplayer is obviously far superior in Forza, which is why it's getting the hype it's getting around here.

First time for everything I guess. Never seen a game take of in popularity here like this.

[Danimal]

Congratulations-you just dropped off of Terry's "f*cking idiot" list...

Somehow I doubt that

[10spro]

I was one of those idiots on the fence as I was inclined to get 'Most Wanted' instead because simply in the past I enjoyed more the NFS series than Forza. But I am finding more things in this game that I never thought it existed and MP needless to say is a blast.

On a different note, I decided to buy a couple of Ferraris last night just to fulfill my unfulfilled dream but there are not in my garage even after I re-download them. The purchase was made on the marketpalce hub. Any ideas?

[Teal]

I was one of those idiots on the fence as I was inclined to get 'Most Wanted' instead because simply in the past I enjoyed more the NFS series than Forza. But I am finding more things in this game that I never thought it existed and MP needless to say is a blast.

On a different note, I decided to buy a couple of Ferraris last night just to fulfill my unfulfilled dream but there are not in my garage even after I re-download them. The purchase was made on the marketpalce hub. Any ideas?

I'm still absolutely getting Most Wanted next week. They are completely different games, and no way in hell I'd pass up a mashup of Burnout Paradise and NFS: MW. No way!

Don't know about the disappearing Ferrari's, though. Haven't had that happen.

[webdanzer]

On a different note, I decided to buy a couple of Ferraris last night just to fulfill my unfulfilled dream but there are not in my garage even after I re-download them. The purchase was made on the marketpalce hub. Any ideas?

You bought them outside of the game from the Live Marketplace?

I believe you still need to buy them in game, with in-game currency or tokens.

[10spro]

On a different note, I decided to buy a couple of Ferraris last night just to fulfill my unfulfilled dream but there are not in my garage even after I re-download them. The purchase was made on the marketpalce hub. Any ideas?

You bought them outside of the game from the Live Marketplace?

I believe you still need to buy them in game, with in-game currency or tokens.

No, within the game marketplace hub, you know next to the garage, paint shop area. There was an October package I think, as well as separate Ferraris cars. I bought them there and this morning when I checked my garage they weren't there.

[TCrouch]

As far as I know, that 'Unlocks' them. You still need to spend credits in-game to buy them.

[10spro]

As far as I know, that 'Unlocks' them. You still need to spend credits in-game to buy them.

Are you serious? I'll never have 1 million, 2 million credits in my account.