Alright. I gave it another go. This time fully set with wheel and the whole afternoon for myself and the game.
Okay. So the real saving grace for this game has been Free Play. I failed to notice all the options this had and so far I have played for 4 hours straight. And let me tell you; I have had an absolute blast! What a fantastic game. I managed to make over 1,000,000 in only 4 hours, get my collectors stat up and my level. So I actually feel I am doing something
First of all, the physics with wheel. Copied some settings suggested by one of the developers, did a few adjustments myself and the game feels surprisingly... GOOD. No more dull, lifeless feel like in Horizon 3 or the FM7 demo. I can actually feel what is going on with my car! I feel understeer, oversteer and even loss of weight. What the heck? In a Forza game?! I mean, this is not Assetto Corsa, but darn... Physics are finally doing something! The deadzone at the center is a bit too pronounced, but it really only takes a few laps to get use to it. Other than that, it feels so alive, yet so smooth! FH3 either felt dead, or the game suddenly decided to break your wheel along with your wrists. The clutch feel is fantastic. You now have to be accurate when shifting, or heel-toeing, if not you are met with a transmission grind. Once you time it right with your clutch, neutral and gas, the car downshifts and match revs perfectly! I applaud T10. This is with all assists off and steering in "simulation."
But there is still a bitter taste... I still can't get passed the forced Homologate option. This certainly has to change. Another negative aspect: performance. My system is well within and a bit over the recommended requirements. I was getting an average of 4 CTD's per hour, plus heavy stuttering in menus, parts not showing and infinite saving loops. After a few hours, the game seemed to have "settled." Went the last 2 1/2 hours without CTD's, but performance is definitely still an issue. Core 0 in my CPU is taking all the payload apparently. It's just like FH3 on release. Very disappointed, as I would think they learned from their past experiences.
All in all, Forza 7 has so much potential. I actually like the reward system, as it is full of surprises and goodies that keep the interest. Car collector system is okay. Not great, but it isn't bad either. Sounds are great, visuals are stunning, physics are, again, good! The areas that it fails in can be easily fixed, if the developers show interest on what their fans really want from the game.
We'll wait and see... In the meantime, I will keep Free-playing the heck out of FM7. (haven't done a single career race
)