Forza 3 Discussion...

[Flawless]

Forza 3 Career Mode: Start Your Engines

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Over the next three days, we're taking you in-depth with Forza 3's spankin' new Career Mode. Why three days? There's just that much going on. We're kicking things off with the basics. What follows are the nuts and bolts of Forza 3's Career Mode. Tomorrow, we'll dig deeper and look at tuning, the progression of your career and more. For today, let's just stick to what you can expect in your first season.

[Kruza]

It's nice that there will be up to 220 events in Career mode. But how many of them will actually be worth the while to participate in? For instance, I could care less about events that will have the user mainly racing in SUVs and underpowered everyday cars, and would immediately skip each and every one of these events if I have the opportunity to do so.

And I'm still waiting to hear more details covering the racing aspect of this game.

Kruza

[Flawless]

Some hands-on impressions

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Following a quick run about on the other circuits in the Ford GT40 I decided to go back and really have a pop at honing the longest of the 3 courses, taking out a Porsche 911 GT2 (997) and turning all assists off. Of all aspects I hoped to see fixed, the ABS would probably be top of my list and thankfully Forza 3 didn't disappoint, indeed it again exceeded my expectations. Racing down the hill to the first hairpin I snatched a wheel and it sent me wide, typical when you change from ABS assistance but in making that mistake I felt clearly when the wheels were turning, going round and up the hill I broke early just over the crest, again feeling the wheels locking under braking but not locking my steering, off the brake, wheels turning and the car was gripping well. Up the second part of the hill and I was really building some speed, this game giving an unparalleled sensation of motion that only 60fps can provide. Braking into the final corner and it was a tricky late apex, the wheels again locking slightly making me cautious and with the Porsche's big *** wanting to overtake me its a corner that seemed to go on longer than you ever expect, round onto the final straight and I was again finding a comfortable balance, 10 laps later and it was time for a muscle car. Having a search and I opted for a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT-8, all assists off I leave the grid and the power is obvious, this car has torque and plenty of it. Taking turn 1 and my back end steps out immediately, quickly counter steering and reducing the power I straighten out down the hill, braking into the apex and the the back end again comes out sending me into a full on powerslide, I hit the opposite lock to control the slide but it's too late and the car spins out. It seems at this point that the car really needs a different set-up to slide comfortably, the stock car giving a driver two options, either come off the power or spin out. Either way it was great fun racing this beast around the track and it gave the opportunity for some really aggressive driving, coming up to the final few corners and I almost loose it but the road is in a heavily positive camber, giving me the grip for a save from a possible heart stopping accident, camber really affecting the cars as it should. This was just a taster of the final game, we've seen very little so far with a wealth of modes and game options still to be revealed but what I have discovered on this brief experience is that Forza 3 is going to deliver both in handling and graphics. It was exciting feeling just how different each car handled, weight distribution and traction all very unique in their response. Even at this very early stage the game feels right, it feels new and so it's difficult to compare with anything I've played before, that would simply be an injustice, so for now I look forward to getting my hands on future builds before our interview with Dan Greenawalt later this year, in the meantime check out the latest Forza Motorsport 3 shots in our gallery.

[Flawless]

I really like that they chose to have the camera up higher and closer to do dash in the cockpit view. It makes it much easier to use, plus you're focused on driving, instead of the dials, although all that stuff is there too if you look around with the RS.

[Flawless]

Forza 3 Career Mode: Change Your Tune

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Today we dig deeper into tuning, multiplayer, the new leaderboard system and more.

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As we told you yesterday, your season calendar fills in dynamically, but there are a series of weekend races that don't change. There are six "standard seasons" in Forza 3, meaning that there are six full seasons with these specific weekend championships. Each season gets longer and harder as, hopefully, you also get better. By the end of the six season, you'll have completed 55 events (some with more than 10 races!), reached level 50, earned all of your gift cars and spent about 60 hours racing. But it's not over. There are still more than 150 unique events to race. And though the weekend championships won't be any different, there's hundreds of hours left if you want to truly complete Forza 3. Remember that the AI, which looks at the cars you owned, the cars you drive and the tracks you race, determines the majority of events in your first six seasons. If you ignore Drag Racing events, eventually they go away. After all, why offer something you don't want to race? If you stuck with American cars the entire time, there are going to be a number of European and Japanese racing challenges ahead of you once you finish your sixth season. Though you might have mastered all the championships, by the end of season six, you're only a third of the way through Forza 3. At any time, you can ignore the season calendar and bring up a master grid of all 220 events. This grid is very similar to the career mode in Forza 2. It lists every open race and, at any time, you can race those. These also feed into the dynamic calendar, because, after all, they are races you're choosing. Never worry that you're going to miss something in Forza 3. There is always an option to break free of the dynamic calendar and race any event for which you're qualified.

[Flawless]

Forza 3 Career Mode Hands-On

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Knowing that the calendar dynamically populates, I paid special attention to my event options as I played. In your first season, you gain Driver levels (and Achievements) quickly. I had a handful of free cars in an hour's time and it was already obvious how obtaining these vehicles (custom-gifted to match my style of racing) opened new paths someone else might never experience in their career. The AI is always learning from you at pretty much every instant you have Forza 3 in your Xbox 360. The adaptive Drivatar AI system from Forza 2 is back and working just as well on the road. But even after a race is finished, the AI continues to learn about you. My first couple of cars were modest vehicles that were easy to handle. And perhaps if that's all I ever acquired, Forza 3's AI would think I liked to maintain control and drive a very smooth racing line. But the minute I was gifted a Mazda Roadster, the AI learned something new about me -- I love getting squirrelly. For me, there's nothing more enjoyable in a racing game than oversteering and then pulling out of potential disaster. Sure, I lose time, but damn if I don't look cool. I even had one of Turn 10's own leaning left and right as I drove the razor's edge and narrowly kept my car under control. I should note that Forza 3 keeps track of your drifting score in every race, so along with making the best time, you can also race for best style. I didn't have hours to put into Forza's Career Mode, but even in my short time with the Roadster, it seemed the calendar's AI got the hint. I wanted to live on the edge. These were the kind of cars that would keep me playing and races and tracks that tested my drifting skills were going to make me happy. The vast majority of people who play Forza 3 won't even know that the calendar is shifting to meet their preferences. It's handled in a low-key way and it's not in your face with the game constantly explaining how your decisions are altering the calendar. The point is to keep you driving. I think it's going to work.

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Before journeying to Turn 10 to play Forza 3, I spent a little time playing Forza 2. It's actually not that easy to remember precisely how a racing game controlled two years ago, so going back to the previous game was important. I have to say, after spending an hour with Forza 3's Career Mode, the change is noticeable. Forza's always controlled well and has been at the top of its game in terms of physics, but Forza 3 just feels better. Everything about it, from the subtle differences in handling from one car to the next to the sense of speed to the feeling of a connection with the road. Forza 3 is better. No doubt about it.

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Perhaps the most controversial addition is the AI pressure system. One of the big problems with racing sims (Forza included) has been that AI drivers are too perfect. This is most notable in the Gran Turismo series, where every driver seems programmed on a specific line and follows it every time. Forza 2 changed that to some degree with the Drivatar system, but not enough to feel like you were racing against other people. So Turn 10 added the pressure system, which attempts to make the AI drivers more human. Get on the tail of another driver and they may make a mistake. Perhaps they go into a turn hotter than they would normally, or hug the shoulder more than they'd like. The lower your difficulty level, the more likely the pressure will get to the AI. This is definitely not going to sit well with some players, who simply want to be tested against the AI's "set pattern." You can always pump up the difficulty to see far fewer mistakes, but be aware that the drivers are more aggressive at higher difficulties to better simulate a real race.

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The Serious setting is not as impossible as you might think. Turn 10 has likely adjusted this some over the past few weeks, but when I played, it left the guide lines on the road and several of the assists were still on. The AI is definitely much tougher and winning races is by no means easy. That said, there wasn't a race I couldn't finish. This was about the right challenge level for me personally, which is great to have as a preset. I'm just a little surprised there wasn't a higher option for the insane. Keep in mind that these are just presets. You can go into any of these and individually adjust all of the assists and the AI to create your own level of challenge.

[Kruza]

Awww... don't tell me that Turn 10 has dumbed down the Serious setting too!

But all kidding aside, it appears the staff at Turn 10 put a lot of thought into Career Mode to accommodate for people of all skill levels, and I commend them for that. As long as I know I can skip over racing in the SUVs and underpowered everyday-type cars I consider a waste of time, I'm happy. It's also encouraging for me to read that info on dynamic/pressure AI.

Kruza

[Flawless]

Forza 3: Drag Racing Q&A

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GS: How will drag racing events work in to your Forza 3 career? Are drag events optional or a required aspect of your career? DG: Just like other racing events in our Career mode, there's a series of drag racing events players may encounter during their exploration of our 220-career event matrix. All drag race events in Forza 3 are limited by horsepower and power train, and they take place on our eighth-mile and quarter-mile drag strips (although we also have the one-mile and half-mile drag strip tracks in the game as well). All career events are optional in Forza 3. GS: Talk us through a typical single-player drag racing event. Is it a simple one-shot race, or do you race in multiple heats, tournament style? DG: Each drag event is a series of three race days, and each race day consists [of] three heats. In classic tournament style, the winners of each race face each other in the next round while the losers are matched up. And basically, you go through a total of nine runs to determine the winner of the overall event between eight competitors. GS: What kind of options will players have for upgrading their cars for drag racing? DG: We've added 50 percent more car upgrades to Forza 3 from the previous game, which already had plenty to begin with. That said, we don't have specific drag racing part upgrades, like line lock, drag-specific fuel pumps, or drag-specific superchargers. What we've got are a ton of upgrades to mix and match, such as different tire compounds and separate front and rear tire sizes. Managing these upgrades can make your car very good at launching--drive train swaps, engine swaps--basically all the components that make your car really fast for drag racing. Just like in real life. Again, Forza 3 is an automotive sandbox that allows the player to optimize cars for all types of scenarios--circuit, oval, drag, drift, etc.

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GS: Will players be able to burn out before the race to build up tire temperature? DG: No. Tire temperature is already set to [an] optimum condition to maximize grip. We initially designed a burnout and staging-style minigame within the mode, but it just didn't feel like Forza. We really wanted to emphasize the skills of tuning and racing, not burnout and staging. Instead, we decided to emphasize tuning and racing. We will have plenty of folks who will dominate the drag racing scoreboards because they're going to understand it's not just about holding down the right trigger button when the tree lights up. For instance, launching a car efficiently off the line is a carefully learned skill. Traction control doesn't kick in at launch. Plus, automatic does not shift as quickly as manual transmission, and using manual with clutch gets you even faster shift times still. So those who master manual transmission and manual with clutch will be cutting off small amounts of time with their shifts, and in drag racing, every tenth of a second counts. Also, depending on your car and whether you have a limited-slip differential or if the raw torque of your engine is causing chassis flex, your car will veer off the line and require you to make subtle steering adjustments. It really comes down to your car and how it is set up.

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GS: What length tracks are available, and where are they located? Are they purpose-built drag strips or sections from currently existing circuits? DG: We have four drag strip lengths in the game: eighth-mile, quarter-mile, half-mile, and one-mile. They are all purpose built, and these different lengths require vastly different setups and tuning. GS: How will online drag racing work? DG: In terms of multiplayer, drag racing is one of our big umbrella options, [for] which then you can go and customize rules to create nearly limitless variations on drag racing game types. It's even possible to get multiple cars on the grid drag racing simultaneously, which makes for some interesting team-based battles. By default, it's set up to be a heats-based tournament. The net is that it's really up to our community to come up with clever drag racing modes online, which we may then adopt into the official Turn 10 party hopper. GS: Occasional lag in online circuit racing is no big deal, but lag in drag racing--where thousandths of seconds can be the difference between winning and losing--can be a real problem. How is the team tackling online infrastructure this time out to provide the best performance? DG: We've learned a few tricks over the years. Latency is an issue we've dealt with by implementing a custom arbitration system for timing and scoring, as well as a behind-the-scenes AI shadow to help estimate the player's next move in high-latency situations.

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