Forza Horizon 4: General Discussion

[Northstar]

What does the "Barker" designation refer to on the old Mercedes?

It's the company that did the coachwork on it.

http://www.coachbuild.com/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=50&g2_itemId=43622

 

[Populuxe]

T10/PG/Microsoft uses analytics to go through the player data to get statistics on which cars are more popular (how many players own it, and how much use they get out of it, for instance) and which ones have flopped (the Continental, the Odyssey, etc) and then decide what goes in and what comes out. Someone from T10 a few years ago hinted that the most popular car in Forza's franchise history all titles combined is the Datsun 510, it was somewhere on the official forums but that place is an absolute mess for researching old posts, so I can't find it on short duty.

This actually worries me a bit since I don't feel the amount I use specific cars equates to how much I like them. Probably 80% of the cars I drive I use specifically to achieve a goal like winning a regular or seasonal championship, completing the requirements of a daily or weekly Forzathon event, etc. Probably 50% of my time in this game has been spent driving a rally-prepped Acura RSX and the Koenigsegg Regera. They're tools I use to complete a job. If they were deleted from the game tomorrow, I would scarcely know, much less care. I would just find some other tools for the job at hand. Meanwhile the cars I really like get very little use, such as the MG sports cars, Austin-Healeys, Triump TRs, Ford Anglia, the Morris Minor twins, the 1931 Bentleys, etc. I take them out when I've got a few minutes to spare and just want a fun drive, or I'm in the mood for some photography. So the cars I like best are not the cars I drive most.

 

[Skython]

Same here, though it's a couple of the more obscure wheelspin-only cars I've been looking for -- I know the Crown Vic is a big deal but I've also been trying to get the '79 Camaro to no avail. I doubt it's in demand enough to make for a popular Forzathon shop selection but we'll see.

Didn't know the Camaro was a wheelspin exclusive. I'll give you mine, if you like.

 

[Nielsen]

This actually worries me a bit since I don't feel the amount I use specific cars equates to how much I like them.

Absolutely. In addition to your point, driving against certain cars also has game-enhancing qualities, and the return of Mitsubishi is a good example of this. While Mitsubishi fans are obviously happy, Subaru fans can also appreciate how the Impreza vs. Lancer rivalry has returned Horizon. This is only one example of many where the competition adds to the experience.

 

[Milouse]

This actually worries me a bit since I don't feel the amount I use specific cars equates to how much I like them. Probably 80% of the cars I drive I use specifically to achieve a goal like winning a regular or seasonal championship, completing the requirements of a daily or weekly Forzathon event, etc. Probably 50% of my time in this game has been spent driving a rally-prepped Acura RSX and the Koenigsegg Regera. They're tools I use to complete a job. If they were deleted from the game tomorrow, I would scarcely know, much less care. I would just find some other tools for the job at hand. Meanwhile the cars I really like get very little use, such as the MG sports cars, Austin-Healeys, Triump TRs, Ford Anglia, the Morris Minor twins, the 1931 Bentleys, etc. I take them out when I've got a few minutes to spare and just want a fun drive, or I'm in the mood for some photography. So the cars I like best are not the cars I drive most.

Yes, and that is even more true now with the Forza Edition and car mastery perks that de-facto discard 95% of the cars if you want to play the effective way.

 

[Skython]

The second way is a bit strange; T10/PG/Microsoft uses analytics to go through the player data to get statistics on which cars are more popular (how many players own it, and how much use they get out of it, for instance) and which ones have flopped (the Continental, the Odyssey, etc) and then decide what goes in and what comes out. Someone from T10 a few years ago hinted that the most popular car in Forza's franchise history all titles combined is the Datsun 510, it was somewhere on the official forums but that place is an absolute mess for researching old posts, so I can't find it on short duty.

So what you're saying is that it's everyone else's fault that some of my favourite cars aren't in FH4? Time to go online and take my anger out on unsuspecting players! Whose fault it definitely is that I no longer have my beloved Alpine GTA. Maybe that's why Forza online is so chaotic? On a serious note, I hope they take accessibility into account for the next game, seeing as this game has quite a lot of cars that are only obtainable via dumb luck. They should also take into account people's favourites in their garage seeing as well, the players have said those cars are their favourites. Though I guess not everyone uses that.

 

[Gotbeefboy564]

All the weekly forzathon points and car pass cars have been working for me since I got the game. Only issues I’ve been having so far was a few game crashes and the annoying sound one every now and then on my original Xbox one.

 

[ShakesMcQueen]

Yes, and that is even more true now with the Forza Edition and car mastery perks that de-facto discard 95% of the cars if you want to play the effective way.

I don't find the car mastery stuff ever really impacts what car I choose for anything. I mean, it's nice to earn more skill points quicker, but they aren't important enough that I care THAT much.

The Horizon Editions are a bit different, though I find I'm rarely using them either. I was rolling with the HE Vulcan as my S2 car of choice for a while, but have switched to the regular 918 Spyder.

 

[CSLACR]

Just to add, aside from using what's required for some events, using cars good for skill farming, or cars with rewards, there's also competitiveness of cars that comes into play.

People use cars for drifting that are good at it, you might have a hard time 3-starring a drift zone in your favorite cars.
Also racing. My Ram Power Wagon is my most successful vehicle I own, as per game stats. I do like it, but I've easily driven it 5x more than I would have if it wasn't such a monster in A class.

Really I don't think they should be wasting time seeing what gets used and what doesn't.
The '02 Trans Am in FM7 is a perfect example for me, it's just not a very good car in/at it's class/category, so I only take them for joyrides which leads to fairly low usage.

 

[HopAlong]

I wonder how they take into account the DLC cars and such. Are the cover cars counted as popular because they are forced upon you, and counted as being in 100% of player garages? And are DLC car like the S800, '68 Monaro, Alpine GTA, etc not popular because it looks like only 15% of players have one, not taking into account only 20% had the car pass anyway?

I find it odd that they keep adding these classic low powered sports and family cars as they always seem to be the first to not make it across games. I can understand why as the casual player will see these as rubbish, but why put cars in for us enthusiast and have the cusuals satistics decide their fate? Which makes me think about the Holden FX sedan and ute. The ute was available from the get go in H3 and the sedan was DLC, the ute made it to Forza 7 and the sedan didn't, so maybe the car vs how many players holds true. Shame as I never drove the ute and would have loved the sedan in M7/H4 and would have loved to put the small Euro and JDM sports cars up against the Brit ones. There lies my biggest problem with Forza, we'll probably see the GT, S800 in FM8 but the TR6, Tiger, etc will skip 8 and go straight to H5. Or the SSK and 4.5 litre Bentley will make to M8 but the 8C Alfa will bite the dust.


Anyway, thought this week would be a dud, don't care for the NSX (still waiting on the normal one) but man that SSK is fun.

 

[ClydeYellow]

T10/PG/Microsoft uses analytics to go through the player data to get statistics on which cars are more popular (how many players own it, and how much use they get out of it, for instance) and which ones have flopped (the Continental, the Odyssey, etc) and then decide what goes in and what comes out. Someone from T10 a few years ago hinted that the most popular car in Forza's franchise history all titles combined is the Datsun 510, it was somewhere on the official forums but that place is an absolute mess for researching old posts, so I can't find it on short duty.

"Analytics" is a generous term here. They are not being very analytical if they can't account for a car's utility in the PI metagame and the other factors that will make less enjoyable cars more popular, and viceversa.

The Datsun 510 may be the most popular car in Forza history according to the data they've collected (and probably spent all of two seconds analyzing), but I am ready to bet if they ditched it very few tears would be shed.

 

[WanganDream]

The car I used most for FH3 was Viper HE.
But I did not love this car at all. It is the same as Toyota 88C-V in Gran Turismo 4. A car just to make money.
And now I use Hoonigan RS200 for Forzathon Live and BMW M6 FE for get skill points.
I do not dislike these cars, but I do not mean I like them either.

The car I love on FH4 is a car like Toyota Landcruiser, Chevrolet Nova FE, Terradyne Gurkha, Mercedes-Benz Unimog.
I'm upgrading these cars for on-road race and off-road race of each class, and so that they can be used immediately for each situation.
I hope that their "analytics" are not only utilization rates.

 

[Techlet]

I'm guessing all the wheelspin exclusive cars are not going to make it into FH5.

 

[ShakesMcQueen]

"Analytics" is a generous term here. They are not being very analytical if they can't account for a car's utility in the PI metagame and the other factors that will make less enjoyable cars more popular, and viceversa.

The Datsun 510 may be the most popular car in Forza history according to the data they've collected (and probably spent all of two seconds analyzing), but I am ready to bet if they ditched it very few tears would be shed.

To be fair, he doesn't say that's the ONLY data they collect and analyze around the cars. I imagine most people don't really use the really old cars in the games (by which I mean, like 1930s and 40s) that much, and yet here we are four games in, still getting a steady drip feed of those kinds of cars.

When you're making games with 500+ cars in them, you're not just focusing on who uses what cars the most, because in a game with 500+ cars there's bound to be several hundred that almost no one uses very often.

I doubt most people will use that Mercedes they added via the Car Pass this week, but I'm still happy it's in the game. Forza's crazy-ass range of cars is one of the best things it has over just about any other racing game out there.

 

[Thomas2012]

If anybody is wanting the suit from the trial and needing help I'm happy to help (After cooling down from that drag race event... )

Spoiler: Wins

 

[Stang616]

Depending when you can be online, I have 2 of the 93 Cobra R, so I can put one up for auction when you're online.

I can't guarantee you'll get it but it can't hurt to try.

Depending on your time zone we may be able to get something worked out. I'm in EST and I'm usually on from 8 - 11 PM. Sometimes earlier or later, send me a request on XBL and I'll message you when I'm on.

Thanks!

 

[Moglet]

I have w crown vid but don’t want it, reckon I could get enough for Edinburgh castle by selling it on the AH?

I think there's a limit on how much you can sell for until you get to a higher tuner or painter level.

 

[Populuxe]

Anyway, thought this week would be a dud, don't care for the NSX (still waiting on the normal one) but man that SSK is fun.

Agreed. The NSX is whatever, but the SSK is amazingly good fun. I took it on several Forzathons yesterday, both on the main map and on Fortune Island, and I had a blast. It's slow, has terrible brakes, steers like a barge, and I don't think there is a more fun car in the game.

 

[Stang616]

Agreed. The NSX is whatever, but the SSK is amazingly good fun. I took it on several Forzathons yesterday, both on the main map and on Fortune Island, and I had a blast. It's slow, has terrible brakes, steers like a barge, and I don't think there is a more fun car in the game.

It's the oldest car too now, isn't it?

 

[Populuxe]

It's the oldest car too now, isn't it?

No, that honor still rests with the 1926 Bugatti Type 35C.

 

[Vic Reign93]

But it IS the first to have a Vintage Engine swap option, the 3.0 Supercharged V12 from the W154 race car.

 

[ClydeYellow]

But it IS the first to have a Vintage Engine swap option, the 3.0 Supercharged V12 from the W154 race car.

The NSX is whatever

Unless you grew up with RR4, that is.

 

[-Fred-]

The NSX has the new NSX's engine available as a swap. Doesn't make it any less ugly, though.

 

[Populuxe]

My only (very minor yet oddly frustrating) complaint about the SSK is the running boards option. it comes with cycle fenders without running boards. You can add streamlined running boards. You can also change the fenders to a larger, more traditional style that bolts to the body. But if you go for them, you're stuck with the running boards. You cannot get the second set of fenders without the running boards.

 

[L8 Apex]

Forget boring...how do you three-star the fifth mission?

The NSX has the new NSX's engine available as a swap. Doesn't make it any less ugly, though.

Or change the fact that it has the exact same interior model as the first-gen NSX-R...right down to the 5-speed shift pattern on the console.

 

[mustafur]

With the 7.2L the NSX is the fastest accelerating car on the game, by a significant margin.

 

[Nielsen]

The NSX-R GT may not add much over the car it is based on, but it's great to have it in Forza as interactive reference material. With only five cars built exclusively for JDM, I can imagine it's hard to find much about it elsewhere.

 

[mustafur]

A JDM special on a JDM Special.

 

[-Fred-]

The NSX-R GT may not add much over the car it is based on, but it's great to have it in Forza as interactive reference material. With only five cars built exclusively for JDM, I can imagine it's hard to find much about it elsewhere.

Not much is known about the 5 cars anyway, if 5 cars even exist. They had updated bodies to homologate certain changes that allowed them to stay competitive within Super GT but Honda has always stayed tight lipped regarding any other changes done to the drivetrain, if any at all.

 

[mustafur]

It just looks like a NSX-R with Body panels that resemble the Super GT car.