Forza Motorsport 2 Official !!
- Thread starter _aj
- 1,983 comments
- 109,726 views
Christhedude
hehe, that's funny - as if GT5 will have a cockpit view. Luckily, GTR is coming to the 360 and there is a Force Feedback wheel announced for Xmas. GTR has a cockpit view, damage and online. GTR is also a far superior sim to both Forza and GT. Of course, GTR doesn't have mod-able Ferrari, Porsche and Lambo, but neither does GT...
[rant]
GT is 1080i, but I don't have an extra 5k (on top of the 1k for P$3, new leather Logi wheel and GT5) to give $ony for a 1080i TV. Perhaps by 2008, I will win the lotery. That is more likely than GT5 having a cockpit view;-)
[/rant]
Mr Deap
Obviously, we have differning opinions. I respect your choice, but would like to point out something - I think purpose built race cars like the JGTC, ALMS, and FIAGT don't have 900 degree steering wheels... Certainly LMP and F1 cars don't. Race car driver don't want hand-over-hand driving. Production, Rally and Drift cars do. Personally, I don't like having to do hand-over-hand driving in a video game (even of Production, Rally and Drift cars). I like being able to do lock to lock while maintaining a grip on the wheel. I use the wheel to give me better control over the car in a sim, not make it more difficult. For that reasons, I still use my older Logi wheel with 270 degrees when I play GT4. Again, just opinions.
CAMAROBOY69
Premium
- 18,567
- Michigan
- CAMAROBOY69
You have a great point there. I run my 69 Camaro on road tracks quite often and even on the 90 degree turns I never have to do hand over hand. Ever.
I cant wait until this game comes out. I could care less about the wheel or any of the other stuff people are complaining about.
I cant wait until this game comes out. I could care less about the wheel or any of the other stuff people are complaining about.
- 21,286
- GR-MI-USA
- YSSMAN
- YSSMAN
Heres the thing tho. You really truely cannot see a difference between 1080i and 1080p, it is just a horsepower war that yeilds nothing special. Most folks agree that the magic setting is 720p, but not every TV can handle that either...
- 7,830
- U S A
- Tetsumura
- Nigel Fox
We don't know. The images floating around the net might or might not be authentic. But it is pretty cheeky of Dan to say that when his game is supposedly only a few months from release and we get basically nothing.
- 30,021
- Cuddington, Cheshire
- JDA1982
I think that's a pathetic comment really, all they showed was pure CGI, Sony showed GT4 with bells on and clearly said that was not the next GT and the next GT would far surpass that. What have they shown to be proud of, a CGI video, that's it.
- 1,267
Well the FM2 trailer really did show us more stuff than GTHD did. Forza showed us LAMBORGHINI and brand-name modifications. More importantly, they showed us the much more revolutionary ability to copy and send car designs back and forth from an X360 and PC.
GTHD showed us... more cars on the track at one time. w00t? Not really.
GTHD showed us... more cars on the track at one time. w00t? Not really.
- 30,021
- Cuddington, Cheshire
- JDA1982
Lamborghini is nothing more than a car model, in GT HD we saw bikes and a couple of new car's, we saw more car's on track and we saw the highest resolution a game has ever been displayed at, then we were told the next GT would far surpass that. The FM2 trailer showed us more of what was in Forza basically with the exception of the bit where were told about porting designs from the PC, that was the only bit of info frmo E3 on FM2 that wasn't something implemented in Forza. Face it, neither showed anything good, neither showed what the game will actually look like and nether has started giving away many game details, thogh excpect to hear more about Forza a lot sooner than GT5 since Forza 2 is out this year.
- 26,911
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
This has nothing to do with Forza Motorsport 2 in general, but during the ALMS race at Mid-Ohio, the Risi Competizione (Houston and Texas' own) Ferrari F430 race car had Forza 2 on the hood. Sounds like a little extra marketing that Risi's looking to cash in on. Sadly, Risi's entry got punted off the track by Liz Halliday.
So chances are, the word is out. It would be a real rivalry if Ferrari returns to Prototype racing (I'd love to see that. The 333SP is my all-time favorite race car) or if those Porsche RS Spyders pick up Forza sponsorship while Pescarolo lovingly graces GT sponsorship... we have a rivalry.
The word is out. Forza 2 is coming. Be very afraid...
So chances are, the word is out. It would be a real rivalry if Ferrari returns to Prototype racing (I'd love to see that. The 333SP is my all-time favorite race car) or if those Porsche RS Spyders pick up Forza sponsorship while Pescarolo lovingly graces GT sponsorship... we have a rivalry.
The word is out. Forza 2 is coming. Be very afraid...
- 4,004
- Croatia
Here is the newest interview with Dan Greenawalt, published yesterday.
Very intresting info about Force Feedback wheel and PhotoMode details.
BEGINS***
Under the hood: Forza Motorsport 2 interview
23 May 2006 6:04pm
Forza 2s Lead Game Designer takes us into the souped-up racing sims garage
You are what you drive. Aside from that making us a Nissan Micra, that was the tagline for the first Forza Motorsport on the original Xbox. The idea was to choose your favourite car, tune it exactly how you like it, stick on upgrades and customisation parts that reflect your personality, and paint it in your colours. Your motor was your unique automotive representation.
Microsoft announced Forza Motorsport 2 at E3, and it was instantly clear that youll have even more chance to express yourself than ever. The hardcore racing simulation will be more accurate and realistic than before (backed up by Microsofts official force feedback steering wheel, due for release at the same time as the game in December), but the real difference is in just how much youll be able to express yourself with your Forza cars.
How much? We sat down with Forza 2s Lead Game Designer at Microsoft Game Studios Studio RX to talk driving physics, steering wheels, Gran Turismo and pimping your ride. Fasten your seatbelt
The PlayStation has always had Gran Turismo. Where did Forza Motorsport come from?
Dan Greenawalt: Personally Gran Tursimo had a big impact on my life. I wasnt even a big gamer until I played the first Gran Turismo. I bought my first PlayStation because of it. In fact, the whole reason I bought my first real car a Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR4 was because I loved that car so much in Gran Turismo! Thats the interesting thing about driving games: They can have an impact socially, not only on peoples buying behaviour but on their social networks and the way they look at cars. I went on forums, met people, learned a lot about tuning, became a garage rat, did a bit of street racing not smart, but I was young and its all because of Gran Turismo. Thats the kind of passion for cars that birthed Forza Motorsport.
Whats your vision for the Forza 2?
Dan Greenawalt: My goal going forward with Forza is not to be Gran Turismos answer on Xbox. Thats fine, but thats not my goal. My goal is to make that moment that happened for me all those years ago with Gran Turismo happen for a whole new generation of gamers. I want to instil that car passion and ignite it in other people and new groups, broaden the appeal of hardcore driving games. Younger gamers, older gamers, less dextrous gamers. I want to give them that moment where you see something like a Lamborghini Gallardo and have an emotional response. Thats universal. No matter where you go in the world you cant avoid the response to the car. That sums up the vision for Forza Motorsport.
Most gamers see Forza as a very hardcore experience. How are you going to open it up to new gamers?
Dan Greenawalt: Ive got my work cut out for me. Its a problem I knew Id come up against even before I pitched the game, but I never wanted to move away from my vision. The whole teams passionate about making the game blow up, but we know we have to make it an accurate sim. The great thing about that, however, is that theres a great path of mastery in Forza. If you become great at Forza youve learned something about driving a car. But as long as we keep that sim focus the games never going to be easy.
Thats why we put the guide line into the first game. Usually when people play a driving game they see cars, they press the accelerator, and they drive into a wall. That guide line taught them that they needed to use brakes. Once youve learned that you can start learning more about cars, and thats where the passion really starts. Were constantly brainstorming new assists and well be adding lots more to Forza 2. I think we can start picking up the Gotham players and reaching out to new players by doing that.
Will we be seeing a lot of new features in Forza 2?
Dan Greenawalt: Well be introducing a lot of new features into Forza 2, but first and foremost lets talk about Photo Mode. I know its something you already see in Gran Turismo 4 and Project Gotham 3, but it doesnt suit any game as well as it suits Forza 2. In GT you can take a picture of a Toyota Celica, but in Forza you can take a picture of YOUR Toyota Celica. Itll have your bodykit, your paintjob. If youve got the Mona Lisa on the side, or if youve painted it like the rally Celicas from the 80s, then thatll show. Put it in the game, get it drifting through a corner, take a photo and thats your avatar! So while its somewhat derivative, Photo Mode is incredibly important to Forza 2 and is really going to help our community.
Will you be able to use photos from the Photo Mode as your Gamerpic?
Dan Greenawalt: You know, weve asked about that and were not sure of the certification requirements at the moment. There are a lot of issues with the kind of content that can be created and traded on Marketplace. As the infrastructure comes online, however, I think therell be a lot of stuff we can do. But currently were just throwing out suggestions and seeing what sticks. I will say that I think thats a cool idea though
What about numbers of cars and tracks and so on?
Dan Greenawalt: Were also bigger in every way. Thats really hard to do when you make a generational leap. Games like GT and Project Gotham actually lost content when they moved up a generation because you have to res-up everything and that takes a lot of your time. You cant add content because youre just trying to catch up! Weve grown our team incredibly because our goal is to get bigger and make the generational leap. So weve gone from 230 cars to 300 cars in Forza 2. Weve gone from 45 tracks to over 60 tracks in Forza 2, and weve added 5 real world tracks. The only one were announcing at the moment is Sebring International Raceway in Florida, but therell be more announcements soon!
Whats so cool about Sebring then?
Dan Greenawalt: Im really excited about that one because weve got an incredible simulation engine and Sebring is one of the roughest, craziest, nastiest tracks out there. Its all old airstrip and nothing really matches up, so cars are always skipping and jumping all over the place. That really lets us show off our physics engine, which is something were really excited about.
Just how accurate are you getting with your physics and handling?
Dan Greenawalt: We took a hit in Forza 1 because some of the hardcore gamers were asking us why it wasnt 60 frames per second. I tried to explain that theres a bit of a miseducation going on. I like the look of 60 frames per second, but it doesnt make it a better sim. The real issue is how frequently you update your physics. If you update your physics at 60 frames per second you actually get bad physics, with objects sliding and skidding like theyre in molasses instead of properly colliding with things. In Forza 1 we updated the physics anywhere between 180 and 360 times a second. That allowed us to have a very quick response and create a lot of torque in the car. Now, if youre running the graphics at 60 frames per second youre using up a lot of processing power so you have to put a dampener on those physics, and thats when things start to feel a little sluggish. We didnt want that, so we decided to keep the physics running high and pull back on the graphics.
What difference has the Xbox 360 made to the physics and graphics?
Dan Greenawalt: Now that were on Xbox 360 we can do 60 frames per second and keeping the physics at the same speed as the first game. In fact, for some key areas were increasing the speed of our physics. Thats where this all ties back into Sebring. Its not the most visually impressive track its kinda flat but the track surface has all these little ruts and steps in the concrete that put incredible pressure on the physics engine. As a physics geek thats what got me excited because I knew we were going to be beating the hell out of the cars and theyd be rocking all over the place. So it was kind of a strategic choice to show off the complexity of our physics, but its also great fun to drive!
So itll be 60fps what other graphical upgrades are you adding?
Dan Greenawalt: Well, itll obviously be in full HD. Weve also added amazing high dynamic range lighting. Its going to be a beautiful game. PGR3 was a gorgeous game, but it was a launch title. Were releasing this Christmas, which means we know a lot more about the hardware. Id expect every game that comes out this Christmas to look a lot better than the launch titles, and were definitely shooting for that.
Would you say realism is the watchword for Forza 2?
Dan Greenawalt: For sure. Simulation is of paramount importance to us. But the truth is theres only a small percentage of the population who could actually be racing drivers. With my vision of getting new people involved in the game and igniting that car passion in them, we need to help out everyone else. Thats why we had the assists in Forza 1, and well add to them in Forza 2. My dads a huge car nut but hes horrible at every game Ive ever worked on! I want him to play the game so thats why were putting in more assists to help out people like my dad!
How do you see Gotham in opposition to Forza?
Dan Greenawalt: We have a great relationship with the Gotham guys. I actually lived in Liverpool for a while and worked on Gotham 1, and another member of our team worked on Gotham 1 and 2. Weve shared a lot of technology and were very close. But the goal is that we come out separately and keep raising the bar for each other. Im all about car lust and car passion in the simulation space. Gotham is all about having fun, driving beautiful cars and drifting them everywhere. You can drift in Forza if you want, but to be a drifter in Forza you better know your cars. Youve got to watch your tyre heat, youve got to set up your car right, or itll just spin out or understeer. Thats where the difference is.
What about online?
Dan Greenawalt: Thats where the technology partnership gets really interesting. When Gotham 2 came out it did some amazing stuff with Xbox Live like the leaderboards and the online racing. Then when Forza 1 we took all that stuff and added more, like the seamless integration of our offline and online racing, increasing the number of scoreboards and adding car classifications. Now Project Gotham Racing 3 is here and its added even more features like Gotham TV, the new matchmaking system and the structured tournament setup. For Forza 2 we get all that technology! In a lot of ways we beta test their new features and they beta test their new features. We just keep setting new standards.
Any specific new features you can discuss?
Dan Greenawalt: There are a lot of things were not announcing right now, but everything you see in Gotham 3 will be in Forza 2. Gotham TV? We got it. And that works so well in Forza because you wont just be watching identical cars sliding around corners everyone will be in unique cars. Even if everyones driving a Ferrari Enzo youll have a Hello Kitty Enzo, a Gears of War Enzo, a Final Fantasy Enzo. Itll almost be like a car show. Plus, its a real simulation, so itll be more like watching live motorsports. Therell be no bumping and shunting. If you need to get past someone youll have to do it with skill. That aside, rest assured that were going to innovate in the area of online and do things nobody sees coming
How are you enhancing the customisation aspect of Forza 2?
Dan Greenawalt: There are a couple of really cool things were doing. Engine swaps was something that was a real sleeper hit in Forza because you could roll up in something that shouldnt be too hot and then smoke your opponent because youre putting out power right across the power band. Were increasing the number of engine swaps and letting more cars have them, so thats something real techy freaks and hardcore players will love. Were also adding more layers to the livery editor and making it easier to use. Were adding more parts and were adding more cars including Lamborghinis and the McLaren F1, so therell be more ways to express yourself than ever before. Were basically growing in every way. Everything that we could do more of, were doing more of!
Forza 2 was used to demonstrate how Live Anywhere could let you play different parts of an Xbox 360 game across PC, mobile phone and Xbox 360 [Peter Moore showed how players could tune their car using their phone, customise its appearance using a PC, and race it on their Xbox 360]. Will this make the final game?
Dan Greenawalt: Were certainly looking at that but we were asked to help with a demo of the sorts of things Live Anywhere will allow and thats what we did. That was just a demo. Its not currently working in Forza 2 and I hope people didnt get the implication that those things will definitely be in there. The goal was just to show the sorts of things we could expect. Its a huge opportunity but the question is really what makes the most sense. So I wont make any promises, except that Im looking at what we could do, Im excited by what we could do, and well make the right decisions for the game.
On the social side, what are you adding to the online game to create more of a community feel?
Dan Greenawalt: Again, some of the features were adding are still to be announced, but what I can say is that in spite of ourselves we had a huge community in Forza 1. The game got really good ratings and sold a lot in Europe. But for the most part we did everything we could to NOT build a good community! I hate to say it, but we should have done that better. Our website kinda sucked, we didnt do downloadable content, and we missed out on a lot of the things that build good community. So weve hired a new community manager for Forza 2. Hes just launched the new website and hes already building up the community, so were really focussing on it this time. In terms of the things we can talk about right now, I think the Photo Mode is going to be huge for the community because youll really be able to put your cars and your personality out there.
Were really excited about the Xbox 360 steering wheel. Is it coming out because of Forza 2?
Dan Greenawalt: Its coming out because of Forza 2 and PGR3, yes! Itll work with PGR3, and itll ship simultaneously with the game later this year. The wheels incredible and weve got a real partnership with the team working on it. A while back I started hearing questions like, if we were making a steering wheel, what kind of things would you want? and I was like, WHOS MAKING A WHEEL? I found out there was a team thinking about it and got in on the initial meetings, and thats turned into a really valuable partnership. They have lots of really talented and clever guys, but they dont have someone who knows race car physics like my team does.
How does the Xbox 360 wheel differ to other force feedback wheels?
Dan Greenawalt: When you look at other force feedback wheels, they base the feedback on friction. In a real car those things are correlated but theyre not equal to each other. Our wheel will actually go limp when youre understeering and subtly track your tyres back into alignment although youll probably go into snap oversteer straight away. And to stop us needing to use force feedback to represent friction coming through the wheels weve got rumble. That way you can get a full 3D feedback system. All your control feedback is coming through the wheel, and any additional feedback like hitting ruts or getting bumped by another car comes from the rumble. Other wheels use their force feedback to do both and never give you the accurate feedback you need. Our wheel is going to give people a much more robust driving experience and a much better idea of what its like to actually steer these cars.
Are you changing the single-player game in any way?
Dan Greenawalt: We broke new ground by bringing the single-player and multiplayer game in Forza 1. In Forza 2 were really blowing up the multiplayer game and pushing that seamless nature between the online and offline game. So I wont say were adding a totally new single-player game. One thing we are doing is enhancing the regional rarity system from the first game. If we do our job right then on the community side we should have guys that love muscle cars making fun of guys who love import tuners, and theyll be making fun of guys who love European sports cars. There should be arguments and passion and excitement. The regional rarity system helps that because you have to make a decision about the kinds of cars you like right from the beginning of the game. Then let the arguments begin!
We started with Gran Turismo so lets finish off with it. What did you think of the PS3 version Sony showed at its pre-E3 press conference?
Dan Greenawalt: Im a huge GT fan and I would like them to capitalise on the car passion like they did with GT1 and 2, and I dont see them doing that. As a Microsoft guy Id tell you that I dont want to talk about it, but as a gamer Id say that I wanted to see something more, something cooler. But it looked like a PC version.
***ENDS
If nothing else, many very nice promises amde here. Still, I feel a bit of anger because I'll need to change the wheels on my cockpit all-the-time.
Biggest hope goes to that Logitech is going to make its new FF wheel both X360 (Forza2 and GTR2) and PS3 (GT5) compatible.
Very intresting info about Force Feedback wheel and PhotoMode details.
BEGINS***
Under the hood: Forza Motorsport 2 interview
23 May 2006 6:04pm
Forza 2s Lead Game Designer takes us into the souped-up racing sims garage
You are what you drive. Aside from that making us a Nissan Micra, that was the tagline for the first Forza Motorsport on the original Xbox. The idea was to choose your favourite car, tune it exactly how you like it, stick on upgrades and customisation parts that reflect your personality, and paint it in your colours. Your motor was your unique automotive representation.
Microsoft announced Forza Motorsport 2 at E3, and it was instantly clear that youll have even more chance to express yourself than ever. The hardcore racing simulation will be more accurate and realistic than before (backed up by Microsofts official force feedback steering wheel, due for release at the same time as the game in December), but the real difference is in just how much youll be able to express yourself with your Forza cars.
How much? We sat down with Forza 2s Lead Game Designer at Microsoft Game Studios Studio RX to talk driving physics, steering wheels, Gran Turismo and pimping your ride. Fasten your seatbelt
The PlayStation has always had Gran Turismo. Where did Forza Motorsport come from?
Dan Greenawalt: Personally Gran Tursimo had a big impact on my life. I wasnt even a big gamer until I played the first Gran Turismo. I bought my first PlayStation because of it. In fact, the whole reason I bought my first real car a Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR4 was because I loved that car so much in Gran Turismo! Thats the interesting thing about driving games: They can have an impact socially, not only on peoples buying behaviour but on their social networks and the way they look at cars. I went on forums, met people, learned a lot about tuning, became a garage rat, did a bit of street racing not smart, but I was young and its all because of Gran Turismo. Thats the kind of passion for cars that birthed Forza Motorsport.
Whats your vision for the Forza 2?
Dan Greenawalt: My goal going forward with Forza is not to be Gran Turismos answer on Xbox. Thats fine, but thats not my goal. My goal is to make that moment that happened for me all those years ago with Gran Turismo happen for a whole new generation of gamers. I want to instil that car passion and ignite it in other people and new groups, broaden the appeal of hardcore driving games. Younger gamers, older gamers, less dextrous gamers. I want to give them that moment where you see something like a Lamborghini Gallardo and have an emotional response. Thats universal. No matter where you go in the world you cant avoid the response to the car. That sums up the vision for Forza Motorsport.
Most gamers see Forza as a very hardcore experience. How are you going to open it up to new gamers?
Dan Greenawalt: Ive got my work cut out for me. Its a problem I knew Id come up against even before I pitched the game, but I never wanted to move away from my vision. The whole teams passionate about making the game blow up, but we know we have to make it an accurate sim. The great thing about that, however, is that theres a great path of mastery in Forza. If you become great at Forza youve learned something about driving a car. But as long as we keep that sim focus the games never going to be easy.
Thats why we put the guide line into the first game. Usually when people play a driving game they see cars, they press the accelerator, and they drive into a wall. That guide line taught them that they needed to use brakes. Once youve learned that you can start learning more about cars, and thats where the passion really starts. Were constantly brainstorming new assists and well be adding lots more to Forza 2. I think we can start picking up the Gotham players and reaching out to new players by doing that.
Will we be seeing a lot of new features in Forza 2?
Dan Greenawalt: Well be introducing a lot of new features into Forza 2, but first and foremost lets talk about Photo Mode. I know its something you already see in Gran Turismo 4 and Project Gotham 3, but it doesnt suit any game as well as it suits Forza 2. In GT you can take a picture of a Toyota Celica, but in Forza you can take a picture of YOUR Toyota Celica. Itll have your bodykit, your paintjob. If youve got the Mona Lisa on the side, or if youve painted it like the rally Celicas from the 80s, then thatll show. Put it in the game, get it drifting through a corner, take a photo and thats your avatar! So while its somewhat derivative, Photo Mode is incredibly important to Forza 2 and is really going to help our community.
Will you be able to use photos from the Photo Mode as your Gamerpic?
Dan Greenawalt: You know, weve asked about that and were not sure of the certification requirements at the moment. There are a lot of issues with the kind of content that can be created and traded on Marketplace. As the infrastructure comes online, however, I think therell be a lot of stuff we can do. But currently were just throwing out suggestions and seeing what sticks. I will say that I think thats a cool idea though
What about numbers of cars and tracks and so on?
Dan Greenawalt: Were also bigger in every way. Thats really hard to do when you make a generational leap. Games like GT and Project Gotham actually lost content when they moved up a generation because you have to res-up everything and that takes a lot of your time. You cant add content because youre just trying to catch up! Weve grown our team incredibly because our goal is to get bigger and make the generational leap. So weve gone from 230 cars to 300 cars in Forza 2. Weve gone from 45 tracks to over 60 tracks in Forza 2, and weve added 5 real world tracks. The only one were announcing at the moment is Sebring International Raceway in Florida, but therell be more announcements soon!
Whats so cool about Sebring then?
Dan Greenawalt: Im really excited about that one because weve got an incredible simulation engine and Sebring is one of the roughest, craziest, nastiest tracks out there. Its all old airstrip and nothing really matches up, so cars are always skipping and jumping all over the place. That really lets us show off our physics engine, which is something were really excited about.
Just how accurate are you getting with your physics and handling?
Dan Greenawalt: We took a hit in Forza 1 because some of the hardcore gamers were asking us why it wasnt 60 frames per second. I tried to explain that theres a bit of a miseducation going on. I like the look of 60 frames per second, but it doesnt make it a better sim. The real issue is how frequently you update your physics. If you update your physics at 60 frames per second you actually get bad physics, with objects sliding and skidding like theyre in molasses instead of properly colliding with things. In Forza 1 we updated the physics anywhere between 180 and 360 times a second. That allowed us to have a very quick response and create a lot of torque in the car. Now, if youre running the graphics at 60 frames per second youre using up a lot of processing power so you have to put a dampener on those physics, and thats when things start to feel a little sluggish. We didnt want that, so we decided to keep the physics running high and pull back on the graphics.
What difference has the Xbox 360 made to the physics and graphics?
Dan Greenawalt: Now that were on Xbox 360 we can do 60 frames per second and keeping the physics at the same speed as the first game. In fact, for some key areas were increasing the speed of our physics. Thats where this all ties back into Sebring. Its not the most visually impressive track its kinda flat but the track surface has all these little ruts and steps in the concrete that put incredible pressure on the physics engine. As a physics geek thats what got me excited because I knew we were going to be beating the hell out of the cars and theyd be rocking all over the place. So it was kind of a strategic choice to show off the complexity of our physics, but its also great fun to drive!
So itll be 60fps what other graphical upgrades are you adding?
Dan Greenawalt: Well, itll obviously be in full HD. Weve also added amazing high dynamic range lighting. Its going to be a beautiful game. PGR3 was a gorgeous game, but it was a launch title. Were releasing this Christmas, which means we know a lot more about the hardware. Id expect every game that comes out this Christmas to look a lot better than the launch titles, and were definitely shooting for that.
Would you say realism is the watchword for Forza 2?
Dan Greenawalt: For sure. Simulation is of paramount importance to us. But the truth is theres only a small percentage of the population who could actually be racing drivers. With my vision of getting new people involved in the game and igniting that car passion in them, we need to help out everyone else. Thats why we had the assists in Forza 1, and well add to them in Forza 2. My dads a huge car nut but hes horrible at every game Ive ever worked on! I want him to play the game so thats why were putting in more assists to help out people like my dad!
How do you see Gotham in opposition to Forza?
Dan Greenawalt: We have a great relationship with the Gotham guys. I actually lived in Liverpool for a while and worked on Gotham 1, and another member of our team worked on Gotham 1 and 2. Weve shared a lot of technology and were very close. But the goal is that we come out separately and keep raising the bar for each other. Im all about car lust and car passion in the simulation space. Gotham is all about having fun, driving beautiful cars and drifting them everywhere. You can drift in Forza if you want, but to be a drifter in Forza you better know your cars. Youve got to watch your tyre heat, youve got to set up your car right, or itll just spin out or understeer. Thats where the difference is.
What about online?
Dan Greenawalt: Thats where the technology partnership gets really interesting. When Gotham 2 came out it did some amazing stuff with Xbox Live like the leaderboards and the online racing. Then when Forza 1 we took all that stuff and added more, like the seamless integration of our offline and online racing, increasing the number of scoreboards and adding car classifications. Now Project Gotham Racing 3 is here and its added even more features like Gotham TV, the new matchmaking system and the structured tournament setup. For Forza 2 we get all that technology! In a lot of ways we beta test their new features and they beta test their new features. We just keep setting new standards.
Any specific new features you can discuss?
Dan Greenawalt: There are a lot of things were not announcing right now, but everything you see in Gotham 3 will be in Forza 2. Gotham TV? We got it. And that works so well in Forza because you wont just be watching identical cars sliding around corners everyone will be in unique cars. Even if everyones driving a Ferrari Enzo youll have a Hello Kitty Enzo, a Gears of War Enzo, a Final Fantasy Enzo. Itll almost be like a car show. Plus, its a real simulation, so itll be more like watching live motorsports. Therell be no bumping and shunting. If you need to get past someone youll have to do it with skill. That aside, rest assured that were going to innovate in the area of online and do things nobody sees coming
How are you enhancing the customisation aspect of Forza 2?
Dan Greenawalt: There are a couple of really cool things were doing. Engine swaps was something that was a real sleeper hit in Forza because you could roll up in something that shouldnt be too hot and then smoke your opponent because youre putting out power right across the power band. Were increasing the number of engine swaps and letting more cars have them, so thats something real techy freaks and hardcore players will love. Were also adding more layers to the livery editor and making it easier to use. Were adding more parts and were adding more cars including Lamborghinis and the McLaren F1, so therell be more ways to express yourself than ever before. Were basically growing in every way. Everything that we could do more of, were doing more of!
Forza 2 was used to demonstrate how Live Anywhere could let you play different parts of an Xbox 360 game across PC, mobile phone and Xbox 360 [Peter Moore showed how players could tune their car using their phone, customise its appearance using a PC, and race it on their Xbox 360]. Will this make the final game?
Dan Greenawalt: Were certainly looking at that but we were asked to help with a demo of the sorts of things Live Anywhere will allow and thats what we did. That was just a demo. Its not currently working in Forza 2 and I hope people didnt get the implication that those things will definitely be in there. The goal was just to show the sorts of things we could expect. Its a huge opportunity but the question is really what makes the most sense. So I wont make any promises, except that Im looking at what we could do, Im excited by what we could do, and well make the right decisions for the game.
On the social side, what are you adding to the online game to create more of a community feel?
Dan Greenawalt: Again, some of the features were adding are still to be announced, but what I can say is that in spite of ourselves we had a huge community in Forza 1. The game got really good ratings and sold a lot in Europe. But for the most part we did everything we could to NOT build a good community! I hate to say it, but we should have done that better. Our website kinda sucked, we didnt do downloadable content, and we missed out on a lot of the things that build good community. So weve hired a new community manager for Forza 2. Hes just launched the new website and hes already building up the community, so were really focussing on it this time. In terms of the things we can talk about right now, I think the Photo Mode is going to be huge for the community because youll really be able to put your cars and your personality out there.
Were really excited about the Xbox 360 steering wheel. Is it coming out because of Forza 2?
Dan Greenawalt: Its coming out because of Forza 2 and PGR3, yes! Itll work with PGR3, and itll ship simultaneously with the game later this year. The wheels incredible and weve got a real partnership with the team working on it. A while back I started hearing questions like, if we were making a steering wheel, what kind of things would you want? and I was like, WHOS MAKING A WHEEL? I found out there was a team thinking about it and got in on the initial meetings, and thats turned into a really valuable partnership. They have lots of really talented and clever guys, but they dont have someone who knows race car physics like my team does.
How does the Xbox 360 wheel differ to other force feedback wheels?
Dan Greenawalt: When you look at other force feedback wheels, they base the feedback on friction. In a real car those things are correlated but theyre not equal to each other. Our wheel will actually go limp when youre understeering and subtly track your tyres back into alignment although youll probably go into snap oversteer straight away. And to stop us needing to use force feedback to represent friction coming through the wheels weve got rumble. That way you can get a full 3D feedback system. All your control feedback is coming through the wheel, and any additional feedback like hitting ruts or getting bumped by another car comes from the rumble. Other wheels use their force feedback to do both and never give you the accurate feedback you need. Our wheel is going to give people a much more robust driving experience and a much better idea of what its like to actually steer these cars.
Are you changing the single-player game in any way?
Dan Greenawalt: We broke new ground by bringing the single-player and multiplayer game in Forza 1. In Forza 2 were really blowing up the multiplayer game and pushing that seamless nature between the online and offline game. So I wont say were adding a totally new single-player game. One thing we are doing is enhancing the regional rarity system from the first game. If we do our job right then on the community side we should have guys that love muscle cars making fun of guys who love import tuners, and theyll be making fun of guys who love European sports cars. There should be arguments and passion and excitement. The regional rarity system helps that because you have to make a decision about the kinds of cars you like right from the beginning of the game. Then let the arguments begin!
We started with Gran Turismo so lets finish off with it. What did you think of the PS3 version Sony showed at its pre-E3 press conference?
Dan Greenawalt: Im a huge GT fan and I would like them to capitalise on the car passion like they did with GT1 and 2, and I dont see them doing that. As a Microsoft guy Id tell you that I dont want to talk about it, but as a gamer Id say that I wanted to see something more, something cooler. But it looked like a PC version.
***ENDS
If nothing else, many very nice promises amde here. Still, I feel a bit of anger because I'll need to change the wheels on my cockpit all-the-time.
Biggest hope goes to that Logitech is going to make its new FF wheel both X360 (Forza2 and GTR2) and PS3 (GT5) compatible.
CAMAROBOY69
Premium
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- Michigan
- CAMAROBOY69
amar that is an absolutely incredible update. You guys have to read all of it. I am even more excited about this game than I was before. The car customization and photomoded sound very impressive. This truly might be one of the best simulation games to ever come out. If you read all of it you will understand what I am talking about. I was like this reading most of that interview. 
Again thanks A LOT amar. 👍 👍
I cant wait until Forza 2 comes out!!!!
Again thanks A LOT amar. 👍 👍 I cant wait until Forza 2 comes out!!!!
- 1,267
Sweet post amar, that was a really interesting interview eh?
I can't wait for this game!
I can't wait for this game!
- 97
in-car view please god!
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