Forza Horizon 5: General Discussion

[Eunos_Cosmo]

What in particular do you think they should fix?

This would be a pretty big list if it were comprehensive, but a few things immediately jump out:

Menu overload - You have to back out of 3 layers of menus just to start driving when the game boots up. And navigating those menus is clunky.

Inconsistency - Why are car names not standardized? Some of them start with the year (some of those years are 4 digits, some are 2 digits!) some of them start with the car's racing number if it has one...but it's unpredictable. This is especially annoying searching the auction house where the sliding selector doesn't give you much to go on besides year. '16 Mustang '19 Mustang - stuff like that. Yeah, you can figure it out, but it would be helpful if it gave you more information. And then they actually have the audacity to scale the text of the car name to make it fit in certain instances...as a designer, I'm actually offended by this.

Generally, the auction house UI is plain awful. Backing out of a search brings you back one level further than you expect. It's also slow and cumbersome. Why are there fees? Why do you lose your money if you don't claim it immediately? More than that...why do you have to claim your money? Is that supposed to be immersive? I don't get it. Due to the slow nature of the auction house generally, all of these additional steps make the auction house an experience I try to avoid.

Why can't I preview a design before downloading and applying it? It's kind of hard to appreciate the details of a design from a 2" x 3" thumbnail that only shows 2 out of 4 sides of the car.

The course creation tool works, but the experience is far from pleasant. GTA V had a much better course creator years ago. Its really frustrating that you can't edit a path after it's made. Its really frustrating that you can't even see a list of custom courses unless you are saving a new one.

Similarly, the car design tool is functional but there hasn't been any meaningful update to it in 15 years. I don't think anyone would have ever said it was a joy to use even back then, but now it just feels outdated and clunky. Why have they not given us a pen/path tool with Bezier curves? I don't get it. It can't be that hard to implement on a controller with so many buttons.

I don't like how in the tuning menus, the text information for the adjustments autoscrolls...why not let the user scroll with the otherwise unused right analog stick? Also, I feel like those text blocks could be written a bit more clearly, but that's a detail.

Generally I feel like there are a lot of UI/UX elements that are not intuitive. From a high level perspective, I find the pause menu to be visually loud - that's more of a design choice than any sort of shortcoming, but I find it lacks a bit of hierarchy - everything is competing - which takes away from functionality a bit.

I could probably go on, but I don't want to seem overly negative. I generally like and appreciate that this series exists. I just wish they would put some real effort into improving things.

edit: One phrase that I've heard a lot about since the new console generation launched is that they "eliminate friction" due to their SSD drives. I don't think the FH UI friction is due to the lack of an SSD (a lot of it is server verification and such I think) but I do think that the UI suffers from too much friction. Especially in the home menu, any time you accept changes from the garage, design tab, or navigate through the auction house, there is just so much friction. It really dampens the experience for me.

 

[sirjim73]

This would be a pretty big list if it were comprehensive, but a few things immediately jump out:

Menu overload - You have to back out of 3 layers of menus just to start driving when the game boots up. And navigating those menus is clunky.

Inconsistency - Why are car names not standardized? Some of them start with the year (some of those years are 4 digits, some are 2 digits!) some of them start with the car's racing number if it has one...but it's unpredictable. This is especially annoying searching the auction house where the sliding selector doesn't give you much to go on besides year. '16 Mustang '19 Mustang - stuff like that. Yeah, you can figure it out, but it would be helpful if it gave you more information. And then they actually have the audacity to scale the text of the car name to make it fit in certain instances...as a designer, I'm actually offended by this.

Generally, the auction house UI is plain awful. Backing out of a search brings you back one level further than you expect. It's also slow and cumbersome. Why are there fees? Why do you lose your money if you don't claim it immediately? More than that...why do you have to claim your money? Is that supposed to be immersive? I don't get it. Due to the slow nature of the auction house generally, all of these additional steps make the auction house an experience I try to avoid.

Why can't I preview a design before downloading and applying it? It's kind of hard to appreciate the details of a design from a 2" x 3" thumbnail that only shows 2 out of 4 sides of the car.

The course creation tool works, but the experience is far from pleasant. GTA V had a much better course creator years ago. Its really frustrating that you can't edit a path after it's made. Its really frustrating that you can't even see a list of custom courses unless you are saving a new one.

Similarly, the car design tool is functional but there hasn't been any meaningful update to it in 15 years. I don't think anyone would have ever said it was a joy to use even back then, but now it just feels outdated and clunky. Why have they not given us a pen/path tool with Bezier curves? I don't get it. It can't be that hard to implement on a controller with so many buttons.

I don't like how in the tuning menus, the text information for the adjustments autoscrolls...why not let the user scroll with the otherwise unused right analog stick? Also, I feel like those text blocks could be written a bit more clearly, but that's a detail.

Generally I feel like there are a lot of UI/UX elements that are not intuitive. From a high level perspective, I find the pause menu to be visually loud - that's more of a design choice than any sort of shortcoming, but I find it lacks a bit of hierarchy - everything is competing - which takes away from functionality a bit.

I could probably go on, but I don't want to seem overly negative. I generally like and appreciate that this series exists. I just wish they would put some real effort into improving things.

edit: One phrase that I've heard a lot about since the new console generation launched is that they "eliminate friction" due to their SSD drives. I don't think the FH UI friction is due to the lack of an SSD (a lot of it is server verification and such I think) but I do think that the UI suffers from too much friction. Especially in the home menu, any time you accept changes from the garage, design tab, or navigate through the auction house, there is just so much friction. It really dampens the experience for me.

Everything he said ^^ 👍

 

[Populuxe]

Why can't I preview a design before downloading and applying it? It's kind of hard to appreciate the details of a design from a 2" x 3" thumbnail that only shows 2 out of 4 sides of the car.

The first Horizon was excellent in this regard. It previewed the design on your car in full size. You could spin the car around, look high, look low, really get a good idea of what you were getting before downloading it. It helped me weed out things I didn’t want on my car like Confederate flags or Nazi symbology. Each game has gone backwards in this regard. Like you say, we just get a tiny thumbnail that only shows two of the car’s four sides. More than once I’ve downloaded what looked to be a promising design only to discover they didn’t put anything on the other side of the car. They only put the design on the two sides that face the viewer in the market place.

I would also like a return of the photomode to the pause menu. None of the current options work for me.

 

[YoungRhombus]

Why are car names not standardized?

I have another example here - Both the 2018 and 2012 Cayenne Turbos are just listed as "Cayenne Turbo" in the shorthand names, so you have to guess which one is the right one (maybe they fixed that recently, but not that I've seen).

I have a few more gripes to add just for the sake of the subject. This issue is more subjective, but I think the new-to-Horizon-4 car selection browser (like in My Cars and Autoshow and things) is pretty awful. It's definitely better than scrolling forever in the previous 2 games, but I still think it's generally pretty clunky and slow. I'm not sure what can be done to alleviate this ongoing issue with menuing, but I'm sure there's a better way to go about it.

My other mention was going to be about the photo mode shortcut. I like the D-Pad shortcut, but there really needs to be an option in the menu to go into photo mode as well. I know this has been gone over before, but it's worth mentioning again.

Finally, while this isn't a UI thing, it's still worth mentioning again. I clearly remember mentioning this like 4 years ago on the official forums before FH4 came out. Songs should not repeat over and over and over again during events. Please. Radios don't work like that in real life, and shouldn't in the game either. And if I toggle the radio off and am around the festival and hear "bring me baaaaack to yo-SATELIIIIIIIIITEEEEE" one more time I'm going to stop playing the game. Joking, of course.

The general tile layout they've used since Horizon 2 is getting a little long in the tooth I think. As I said in another thread about Forza Mortorsport 7, sacrificing ease of navigation for presentation/beauty is not a good thing, especially when I don't think the game is particularly strong in either. As I've likely said before as well, improving/overhauling the UI/UX, improving and diversifying engine sounds, and giving more creation tools to the player (whether it be car customization, event creation, etc) would go such a long way in increasing my enjoyment of the game.

EDIT: Didn't realize I was tree'd by @Populuxe Cowboy about the photo mode thing, haha. My bad.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I have another example here - Both the 2018 and 2012 Cayenne Turbos are just listed as "Cayenne Turbo" in the shorthand names, so you have to guess which one is the right one (maybe they fixed that recently, but not that I've seen).

I have a few more gripes to add just for the sake of the subject. This issue is more subjective, but I think the new-to-Horizon-4 car selection browser (like in My Cars and Autoshow and things) is pretty awful. It's definitely better than scrolling forever in the previous 2 games, but I still think it's generally pretty clunky and slow. I'm not sure what can be done to alleviate this ongoing issue with menuing, but I'm sure there's a better way to go about it.

My other mention was going to be about the photo mode shortcut. I like the D-Pad shortcut, but there really needs to be an option in the menu to go into photo mode as well. I know this has been gone over before, but it's worth mentioning again.

Finally, while this isn't a UI thing, it's still worth mentioning again. I clearly remember mentioning this like 4 years ago on the official forums before FH4 came out. Songs should not repeat over and over and over again during events. Please. Radios don't work like that in real life, and shouldn't in the game either. And if I toggle the radio off and am around the festival and hear "bring me baaaaack to yo-SATELIIIIIIIIITEEEEE" one more time I'm going to stop playing the game. Joking, of course.

The general tile layout they've used since Horizon 2 is getting a little long in the tooth I think. As I said in another thread about Forza Mortorsport 7, sacrificing ease of navigation for presentation/beauty is not a good thing, especially when I don't think the game is particularly strong in either. As I've likely said before as well, improving/overhauling the UI/UX, improving and diversifying engine sounds, and giving more creation tools to the player (whether it be car customization, event creation, etc) would go such a long way in increasing my enjoyment of the game.

EDIT: Didn't realize I was tree'd by @Populuxe Cowboy about the photo mode thing, haha. My bad.

Oh, how could I forget the one-song-per-event thing? That is definitely maddening. I suppose they don't anticipate anyone doing an event for more than 5 minutes. And yes, the default tracks that play when you don't have the radio on at the end of events drive me freaking nuts.

The whole pause menu interface/experience almost feels like it was designed to feel deliberately overwhelming. There are just so many things. Instead of being confined to one concise tab (maybe called progress?), your game progress in various disciplines, skills, etc seems to just be all over the place. I might be slightly OCD, but the lack of organization gives me anxiety.

 

[YoungRhombus]

Not to pseudo-double-post again and change the subject entirely, but there was an interview article that Eurogamer released yesterday with Mike Brown. It's the same article posted in another thread, but I wanted to point out some of the interesting things Mike said in the interview. I'll post the link here: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...ny-point-being-bigger-if-its-more-of-the-same

Here's what's interesting that I took from what he said:

Spoiler: Interview Info

-Mike discusses how "there's not any point in being bigger if it's more of the same" and how Mexico's diversity in land and culture is what mainly influenced their choice for Horizon 5's location.
-He says there are plenty more murals than just the one shown in the gameplay demo, created by several different Mexican artists.
-Directly after, he says that they're "worked with Mexican musicians" that have provided original compositions for the soundtrack. They have also licensed "existing Mexican music...so that each radio station has some Mexican music."
-He mentions again that he can't talk about car list specifics yet, but Mexican car culture does influence some of their choices.
-The story-driven campaign mode has several events and such giving you a "curated experience" when exploring the map. Expeditions (as shown in the gameplay demo) open up new festival sites which unlock new race routes, similar to Horizon 3.
-He discusses again about the dry vs. wet seasons in Mexico and how each biome on the map will have different weather conditions from each other.
-Festival Playlist returns, but "it's not the same as Horizon 4...it certainly takes all the things [they] learned [about the players] from Horizon 4 and brings them into 5."
-He discusses how Horizon 4 can be "overwhelming" and how they're working on creating a balance between the campaign mode and the live service Festival Playlist so that it's more engaging and easier to latch onto the game (This is something I'm all for).
-Interestingly, it looks like there's going to be a bit of a tweak to car selection in races. He mentions that the team "values the freedom" of picking any car, but the game will give you a recommendation on what car(s) to use for which track in the game. He claims that you can still pick any car you want, but it's meant to give new players a bit of guidance and ease the overwhelming amount of choice that is given. I'm assuming we won't really see how this will work until we see it in gameplay or at launch.
-"Forzathon Live has been retired and replaced with Horizon Arcade." Mike then discusses about how instead of there being 3 events on the hour every hour, Horizon Arcade goes on indefinitely (from my understanding). He says you can join in and then drop out at any point in time.
-EventsLab is based on their "internal design tools." He talks about how it's a rule-based system: "when this happens, this is the outcome, when this happens with these conditions, then this is the action." He also mentions that the rules can do other crazy things as well, like increase or reduce the amount of gravity.
-Mike then talks about how they will probably continue to add new features to EventsLab as players request them, interestingly for "months and years." This could mean that they plan on supporting FH5 long-term as well.
-He says about EventsLab: "You can create single-player gameplay experiences, you can create races in it, it can do all that stuff. And depending on what it is that you've created, they can be then surfaced to players in different ways. Sometimes they'll just appear on the map, if it's a race that you've made. But we as developers will be looking out for those really cool modes that people have made and then we'll be promoting them via the Festival Playlist or in the Horizon Open as well."

Some really interesting information in here. Even though we haven't seen gameplay of much of this yet, the way PG is talking up the features alone in this game make me feel like they actually have confidence in the game as more than a tech demo. It will be great to see how this one turns out.

EDIT: Doubly whammy today, more info from AR12 as well, take with as much salt as you please:

Spoiler: AR12 Info

-He claims that the devs told him that Tunes/Paintjobs from FH4 are transferable. Other games in the series have not been mentioned.
-The Steam version of the game cannot have tunes/paints transferred from the Xbox versions, and vice-versa.
-FH5 is playable offline, exactly as it was in Horizon 4.
-He claims (from the devs) that the cover car will be announced in August. He thinks it's because the car in question has not been officially unveiled in real life yet. This is my two cents here, but this is probably part of the reason why they are not discussing the car list as of yet.

 

[RazorSharkz]

I promise I know better than to get hype based on something AR12 says, but he did a Google Maps dive into the city location shown in the Mitsubishi Evo part of the trailer, and man that tunnel system looks really sweet. I hope it's pretty close to reality.

 

[TokoTurismo]

I really like how PG are being truthful with their anwsers through Q&A, almost like what they have created is going to be their best one yet! I really, REALLY like this and hope it doesn't changes.

Most developers will either be vague with questions or outright lie to their fanbases (I'm looking at you SMS), so this is really refreshing. I'm liking the new T10 and PG. I hope we encourage them to stay this way, because this is the kind of communication that we need all the time: just straight anwsers that are honest. Despite some members in the fanbase giving them a hard time, at least T10 and PG haven't given up (another thing that I like the most), and they're listening to feedback more, as needed after the last two games. I heartly believe, that we're inbound for the best Forza games yet!

I also feel FH4 and FM7 really taught the two companies a good lesson this time (in a good way), because at launch, they were very buggy and unfinished before updating their games.

Keep this up PG and T10. And congrats on the award again. Well deserved! This is why I stuck with guys since 2015, dang that was a long time ago!

 

[Northstar]

Playing FH4 for the first time in a long time reminded me of an ongoing issue I really hope they've finally fixed for FH5, the distance you've driven cars being buggy. I know it's a minor thing and not even close to game breaking, but as someone that likes to see what cars they've driven the most it's annoying to see a car that I've only driven a couple times somehow have more miles than I've driven overall (I have a feeling it's tied to fast travel as this issue isn't present in the Motorsport games).

 

[YoungRhombus]

Playing FH4 for the first time in a long time reminded me of an ongoing issue I really hope they've finally fixed for FH5, the distance you've driven cars being buggy. I know it's a minor thing and not even close to game breaking, but as someone that likes to see what cars they've driven the most it's annoying to see a car that I've only driven a couple times somehow have more miles than I've driven overall (I have a feeling it's tied to fast travel as this issue isn't present in the Motorsport games).

I feel like this is one of the number of small issues the series has developed over the years. It's like the issue arises in one of the games, is never fixed in that game, and then is carried over to the sequel(s) because they didn't fix it there either and just kept the same code. Consequently, I feel also like Horizon 4 has several little nagging bugs in it that really bog down the experience (on top of the aforementioned issues brought up in this thread). Hopefully part of the agenda for FH5 has been, is, and will be clearing out some of the spiderwebs.

As much as I like the Supervan 3, I have not driven it thousands of miles or however much the game says I've driven it.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Playing FH4 for the first time in a long time reminded me of an ongoing issue I really hope they've finally fixed for FH5, the distance you've driven cars being buggy. I know it's a minor thing and not even close to game breaking, but as someone that likes to see what cars they've driven the most it's annoying to see a car that I've only driven a couple times somehow have more miles than I've driven overall (I have a feeling it's tied to fast travel as this issue isn't present in the Motorsport games).

I used an AWD swapped Ford F100 to 3-star a lot of dirt drift zones - barely driven it otherwise. Somehow I ended up putting more than 10,000 miles on it in doing so. I wonder if it's a bug related to wheelspin or something?

I wish the cars' visible odometer didn't reset every time you drive the car...that would be a cool feature.

 

[Populuxe]

I really hope the Dinalpin A110 is in the game. It’s the Alpine A110 built under license in Mexico.

 

[TealYellowOwl]

I was rewatching FH5's gameplay demo and noticed there's a 3-second delay after sending a chat message at the 4.57 mark.

This will help mitigate chat spamming from certain players.

 

[Aerocoupe]

I was rewatching FH5's gameplay demo and noticed there's a 3-second delay after sending a chat message at the 4.57 mark.

This will help mitigate chat spamming from certain players.

View attachment 1061334

Thank God. I've been in a few online adventures recently and the bottom left corner of my screen is just

Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving

 

[UKMikey]

Thank God. I've been in a few online adventures recently and the bottom left corner of my screen is just

Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving
Nice driving

The few seconds I ventured into a Trial race this was the only message I ever received. It was a trial for me in at least three senses of the word.

 

[YoungRhombus]

I really hope the Dinalpin A110 is in the game. It’s the Alpine A110 built under license in Mexico.

This is pretty awesome and I'd definitely welcome it to the game. This is a bit of a different situation, but this reminded me of another car I wanted to point out as a pretty good option. I think it would be the perfect time to bring the Suzuki Jimny to the game since it just went on sale in Mexico in limited numbers and has done very well. There's nothing else really like it and I think it would be cool to have this little pocket-sized offroader in the game:

 

[ScottPuss20]

I would be very annoyed if we don't have a mariachi band in this game.😂

 

[UKMikey]

I would be very annoyed if we don't have a mariachi band in this game.😂

I get the feeling a lot of Mexicans will be annoyed if we do, especially if they set it up so we could get extra points if we knock them all down in a row GTA 1 style.

 

[ViscousTraction]

I'm excited for another new entry into the Horizon series since I've been enjoying every release so far and don't have a feeling that FH5 will disappoint. However aside from the typical critiques of the rubber band AI & engine sounds, I just hope they can come up with a more fair auctioning system that doesn't result in people flooding the storefront with Red Bull/Monster liveries just so they can have a higher buy out listing. If they have to rework the game's economy then so be it, cause I don't want to deal with another FH3 RX7 situation. Can't say I really expect any change though since they left that system in for some time and don't really seem keen on improving it 😒

 

[GBalao888]

This is pretty awesome and I'd definitely welcome it to the game. This is a bit of a different situation, but this reminded me of another car I wanted to point out as a pretty good option. I think it would be the perfect time to bring the Suzuki Jimny to the game since it just went on sale in Mexico in limited numbers and has done very well. There's nothing else really like it and I think it would be cool to have this little pocket-sized offroader in the game:

To be honest I've been wanting the Suzuki Jimny since FH4. I really hope FH5 would finally feature this one. I quite like it for its quirkiness, and the fact I've seen a lot of these while in Japan.

 

[TheAdmiester]

Considering they've already shown a couple of "big hitters" with the Defender, Bronco, Taycan, and AMG, there are a few more that I think wouldn't be too unrealistic. This isn't a leak but just a prediction from myself:

• Some kind of faster 992, pretty perfect timing for either the Turbo S or the GT3
• If the bodykit guys were anything to go by, the GR Supra should be making a debut - because of this I can see the Yaris coming too
• Finally some new Audis, maybe the 2021 R8, RS E-Tron, current RS5/6, etc.
• Likewise with BMW, I expect to see the new M4, and maybe the new M3
• Maybe an electric VW such as the ID 3
• DAF TurboTwin, Nissan Dakar and Subaru Crosstrek Racer from the FH4 leak (perfect for the environment)

 

[WanganDream]

Are there any files in the FH5 preload data that are particularly interesting?
I know that these data are still only partial files, but I am hoping that there may be some new cars etc. in them that have not yet been identified.

 

[Stang616]

Considering this is taking place in Mexico, I expect to see the VW Beetle. It was sold and made in Mexico up until 2003.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I hope the F150 Raptor is badged as Lobo Raptor. Pleeeeease.

 

[Nacho Libre]

Considering this is taking place in Mexico, I expect to see the VW Beetle. It was sold and made in Mexico up until 2003.

Yes, but not the current 1963 model that has appeared in FH2/FH4. I would love to have the VW Sedan (That's it's official name, Vocho is the popular name) 2004 final edition, I would also want the 1st/2nd generation New Beetles, all built in Mexico.

 

[UKMikey]

Yes, but not the current 1963 model that has appeared in FH2/FH4. I would love to have the VW Sedan (That's it's official name, Vocho is the popular name) 2004 final edition, I would also want the 1st/2nd generation New Beetles, all built in Mexico.

La Cucaracha horn as standard.🎵🎶

 

[ScottPuss20]

Considering this is taking place in Mexico, I expect to see the VW Beetle. It was sold and made in Mexico up until 2003.

Isn't it already in Horizon 4?

 

[WanganDream]

https://jalopnik.com/feast-your-eyes-on-a-secret-track-focused-version-of-th-1847140715

There has been a leak on Jalopnik that Aston Martin is working on a high performance model of the Valkyrie.
This news in itself has nothing to do with FH5, but considering that the cover car for FH5 has yet to be announced, and that the Forza cover car since FM6 has been an unannounced supercar that has yet to appear in any other game, I'm guessing that this "high performance" Valkyrie will be the cover car for FH5.

 

[Nacho Libre]

I wish they would include the Koenigsegg CCX-R Special One, if only because it's very rich owner, who is nicknamed "Don Koenigsegg" (not affiliated in any way with Sebastian or the company) infamously crashed it on Mexico City's streets some time ago. Oh, and he will tell you all about it, he even has a YouTube channel! (In Spanish, look it up.)

 

[Populuxe]

Isn't it already in Horizon 4?

Three different versions, in fact. 1963 Beetle, 1969 Class 5/1600 Baja Bug, and 1970 Desert Dingo Racing Stock Bug. The Beetle, or Vocho as @Nacho Libre pointed out, has a pretty amazing history in Mexico. Imports began in 1954, and the importer entered seven of them in the 1954 Carrera Panamericana. All seven had stock engines, and all seven finished the race. It was an impressive show of reliability, and it was an immediate hit. VW of Mexico began building Beetles in 1961 and production ran to 2003. When production ended in Europe, Mexican Beetles were reverse imported back to the Fatherland. It was also the most popular taxi in Mexico City for decades. There was a final ”Sedán Última Edición” that came in two colors, Aquarius Blue with Franell Grey interior and Harvest Moon Beige with Black interior, and I would love to see that added to FH5.