Forza Motorsport General Discussion Thread

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In that scene at Road Atlanta we can see that only your car benefits from the full highlights, but not the other cars, just partially. Also, other spots on the track with the same angle won't be as striking. That is what bothers me because GT and FH5 can do it consistently.
This is true, both GT7 and FH5 does it better.
And I often wonder with what GPUs they rendered the trailers because RTX's 4090 (RX's 6900-6800?) was not around development time.
It was probably not real time.

I don't have a console to compare against, but I haven't seen a huge difference when I've watched people streaming the console version. I don't even personally play with RT on, because it just doesn't make any worthwhile difference that I can see, it still looks worse with RT on than FH5 does without RT. Note, though, that I didn't say the game isn't better on PC, I was speculating they don't want to make the game massively better on PC than console. E.g. they'll let you run at 99fps in multiplayer on PC vs 60fps on console - better, but not massively better.
To me the difference is big. I also don't have a console but a poster send me some pics to compare at launch. And the pc version improved alot after launch which made the difference bigger. i don't have the latest version for the console so keep that in mind when seeing the difference in lighting and color temp.

Left Xbox series X in visual mode (30fps highest quality graphics) vs right pc maxed out
62.jpg

63.jpg


As you can see there is a massive difference in textures, grass, reflections, image quality and draw distance. And im not even counting the higher fps shadow update and higher fps reflections, which makes it look even better in motion. And keep in mind that this is all against the 30fps mode. In the other 2 modes the difference is even bigger.

They have improved the pc version massively compared to launch. The game looks alot better and runs better.

Left launch vs right update 12
66.jpg
 
You say that, but for me the modelling and physics teams are doing excellent work. The driving experience (especially on a controller) is a clear step up from any previous FM. It's more the game around it which has been the weaker link.
I'll agree with that, but I'm more referring to the everything else like you say.
 
This is true, both GT7 and FH5 does it better.

It was probably not real time.


To me the difference is big. I also don't have a console but a poster send me some pics to compare at launch. And the pc version improved alot after launch which made the difference bigger. i don't have the latest version for the console so keep that in mind when seeing the difference in lighting and color temp.

Left Xbox series X in visual mode (30fps highest quality graphics) vs right pc maxed out
62.jpg

63.jpg


As you can see there is a massive difference in textures, grass, reflections, image quality and draw distance. And im not even counting the higher fps shadow update and higher fps reflections, which makes it look even better in motion. And keep in mind that this is all against the 30fps mode. In the other 2 modes the difference is even bigger.

They have improved the pc version massively compared to launch. The game looks alot better and runs better.

Left launch vs right update 12
66.jpg
I hope the next update brings some more embellishments. At least the captures they are using now for promotion resemble real, reproducible game conditions. I also think that the game could benefit from lens flares, which, while not realistic, could help to bring some pop to the visuals (and they could be an optional feature).
 
Does anyone know if they bring back spotlight cars? I missed the CLK-GTR when they had it but I was under the impression that it would be available after the next update to purchase as regular for some reason.
 
You say that, but for me the modelling and physics teams are doing excellent work. The driving experience (especially on a controller) is a clear step up from any previous FM. It's more the game around it which has been the weaker link.

Agreed, although I don't care as much for the "game around it" part as much as some, I quite like FM8 structure.

I did go back and reinstall FM7 in the weekend to put a few laps on Bathurst, I could only manage a few laps, the handling really is a step down and not engaging compared to FM8, it is a shame that for the 2nd year in a row FM is out during Bathurst weekend but the track still isn't here, bring on December I guess.
 
Agreed, although I don't care as much for the "game around it" part as much as some, I quite like FM8 structure.

I did go back and reinstall FM7 in the weekend to put a few laps on Bathurst, I could only manage a few laps, the handling really is a step down and not engaging compared to FM8, it is a shame that for the 2nd year in a row FM is out during Bathurst weekend but the track still isn't here, bring on December I guess.
Oh, that reminds me that I can do a custom race in Panorama in Grid Legends. I hope there are big improvements to AI in Forza when Bathurst comes in December, because right now I would dread the hill.
 
Are all of the other Mustangs beside the Dark Horse drift cars?
We don't know yet for sure, but one of the screenshots shows what looks to be the 2013 Shelby GT500 which we don't currently have in FM8. Sadly it's also one of the least useful Mustangs they could bring us, but T10 has never been good at the whole "choosing cars" thing.

I've seen someone who is in the loop with T10 through community things say that we shouldn't be negative yet and that there is more that wasn't shown though, so maybe shouldn't be too disappointed yet.
Does anyone know if they bring back spotlight cars? I missed the CLK-GTR when they had it but I was under the impression that it would be available after the next update to purchase as regular for some reason.
Nope. It was pretty vaguely mentioned that the new "Challenge Hub" could possibly have previous reward cars in it at some point, maybe.

Unfortunately with Forza games, you kinda have to get the cars when they are available as they might not be available again for a few years, like the Vantage and Manta in FM6 and the MGB in FM7.

Sucks as it really kills the ability to use them for community events, whether it be organized races or hot lap challenges, means that painters/tuners don't bother making liveries/tunes for them as barely anyone has them to download them, and can create hostility in public lobbies if one of the cars is perceived to be a meta car (I've seen people ram/bully and verbally abuse people using "unicorns" in public lobbies several times over the years, including going back to FM2 where the unicorns were just alternate paint jobs essentially).
 
Left Xbox series X in visual mode (30fps highest quality graphics) vs right pc maxed out
62.jpg

63.jpg


As you can see there is a massive difference in textures, grass, reflections, image quality and draw distance. And im not even counting the higher fps shadow update and higher fps reflections, which makes it look even better in motion. And keep in mind that this is all against the 30fps mode. In the other 2 modes the difference is even bigger.
Thanks, the 3D grass in the PC version seems to be new since I last tried the highest quality settings. I just gave the highest quality settings on PC, with all RT maxed out, a try again, and it certainly looks okay overall, but I still think the cars themselves look pretty bad compared to many other games. I actually see little difference between your images until I copy the image into a paint program so I can see it much bigger, then it becomes clear that the PC version is running at significantly higher resolution.

However, running it like that brings my system to its knees, I only get around 100fps at 1440p with DLAA. The game looks okay, it's acceptable, but it doesn't blow me away like it should for being so intensive to run. FH5 looks better while not needing RT to look the way it looks, and I can hold a solid 144fps. Crew Motorfest has its own graphical weaknesses, but some elements definitely look better than FM. We'll have to wait and see how AC EVO actually runs in the game version available to customers, but the trailer shows elements that blow me away much more than FM's visuals do.

There's a similar thing with the Age of Empires franchise where the newest release, Age of Mythology Retold, has all these ray tracing options, so you turn them all on, set everything to the highest level, expecting to be absolutely blown away, and it still looks like a cartoon and looks worse than Age of Empires 4 does without any ray tracing at all.

Edit: I've just grabbed some frames from videos on YouTube to show what I mean. I've left the video details in place so that people can check out the sources if they want. To me, the shininess and light reflections of the car in GT7 are a much better match for the real life onboard image than FM. The onboard image is from a different place on the track, as I had to pick a location where another car was clearly in the frame.

fmvsgt7vsonboard.jpg
 
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However, running it like that brings my system to its knees, I only get around 100fps at 1440p with DLAA.
I wouldn't be surprised if 60fps is the intended developer target, considering that's what's on console.

You could probably push to get 4K/60 though I don't think the gains in visual fidelity are worth it if you can get a higher locked/consistent rate at 1440p.
 
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This is true, both GT7 and FH5 does it better.

It was probably not real time.


To me the difference is big. I also don't have a console but a poster send me some pics to compare at launch. And the pc version improved alot after launch which made the difference bigger. i don't have the latest version for the console so keep that in mind when seeing the difference in lighting and color temp.

Left Xbox series X in visual mode (30fps highest quality graphics) vs right pc maxed out
62.jpg

63.jpg


As you can see there is a massive difference in textures, grass, reflections, image quality and draw distance. And im not even counting the higher fps shadow update and higher fps reflections, which makes it look even better in motion. And keep in mind that this is all against the 30fps mode. In the other 2 modes the difference is even bigger.

They have improved the pc version massively compared to launch. The game looks alot better and runs better.

Left launch vs right update 12
66.jpg
Basically they're the same, except one traded brake markers for balloons in the sky. 🤷‍♀️
 
Thanks, the 3D grass in the PC version seems to be new since I last tried the highest quality settings. I just gave the highest quality settings on PC, with all RT maxed out, a try again, and it certainly looks okay overall, but I still think the cars themselves look pretty bad compared to many other games. I actually see little difference between your images until I copy the image into a paint program so I can see it much bigger, then it becomes clear that the PC version is running at significantly higher resolution.

However, running it like that brings my system to its knees, I only get around 100fps at 1440p with DLAA. The game looks okay, it's acceptable, but it doesn't blow me away like it should for being so intensive to run. FH5 looks better while not needing RT to look the way it looks, and I can hold a solid 144fps. Crew Motorfest has its own graphical weaknesses, but some elements definitely look better than FM. We'll have to wait and see how AC EVO actually runs in the game version available to customers, but the trailer shows elements that blow me away much more than FM's visuals do.

There's a similar thing with the Age of Empires franchise where the newest release, Age of Mythology Retold, has all these ray tracing options, so you turn them all on, set everything to the highest level, expecting to be absolutely blown away, and it still looks like a cartoon and looks worse than Age of Empires 4 does without any ray tracing at all.

Edit: I've just grabbed some frames from videos on YouTube to show what I mean. I've left the video details in place so that people can check out the sources if they want. To me, the shininess and light reflections of the car in GT7 are a much better match for the real life onboard image than FM. The onboard image is from a different place on the track, as I had to pick a location where another car was clearly in the frame.

View attachment 1396584
Well, when compared with the last image, I would say that neither FM and GT are that close to full realism, but GT is more eye catching because its reflections and color saturation have more pop and better glow. That being said, the color grading on FM is more realistic (warm) and there is a build-up of dirt/grime on the cars over time, something that never happens in the immaculate (sterile) world of GT.

Also note that shadow detail/occlusion in track is better in FM. The trees stand out, but also check the shadow of the right fender.

On my settings at 1440p I have everything at ultra but with only RT car reflections, and my framerates go to the 80s to up to 130, with no upscaling. I could lock them at about 80 and it would be fine.

Now check this video of Dirt Rally 2 vs GT7:


Lovely reflections in GT7, but cars that remain pristine and unscathed kills the immersion for me, honestly.
 
However, running it like that brings my system to its knees, I only get around 100fps at 1440p with DLAA. The game looks okay, it's acceptable, but it doesn't blow me away like it should for being so intensive to run. FH5 looks better while not needing RT to look the way it looks, and I can hold a solid 144fps. Crew Motorfest has its own graphical weaknesses, but some elements definitely look better than FM. We'll have to wait and see how AC EVO actually runs in the game version available to customers, but the trailer shows elements that blow me away much more than FM's visuals do.
I compared it to alot of different racing games, and while its not perfect and has some things lacking or bugged graphically. It still looked better overall than almost all of them. Not everything is better and each game has its strong point and weaknesses. But FM (on pc obv.) had more compared to other games. I can post some comparisons for you if you like.

But the worst part is that its not even the best version this game can look. When the visual target thing worked the games visuals just elevated to another level with RTGI.
There's a similar thing with the Age of Empires franchise where the newest release, Age of Mythology Retold, has all these ray tracing options, so you turn them all on, set everything to the highest level, expecting to be absolutely blown away, and it still looks like a cartoon and looks worse than Age of Empires 4 does without any ray tracing at all.
Nah man, RT reflections and RTAO does alot to this games, especially in the cockpit and environments. It makes everything look more natural and grounded. At launch it was broken and it didn't look good, but now its looks great and more stable. The RT reflection quality is improved drastically.
SB0Do.gif

SB0DD.gif

Edit: I've just grabbed some frames from videos on YouTube to show what I mean. I've left the video details in place so that people can check out the sources if they want. To me, the shininess and light reflections of the car in GT7 are a much better match for the real life onboard image than FM. The onboard image is from a different place on the track, as I had to pick a location where another car was clearly in the frame.

View attachment 1396584
GT7 light reflection is indeed more true to life. In FM its too muted and not as consisted. Thats a area they should improve on in the coming updates.
 
I will be really disappointed if the Dark Horse Mustang sounds more like a food processor than a V8 engine. But after the Lexus RC F GT3 and others I'm not very encouraged.
 
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Nah man, RT reflections and RTAO does alot to this games, especially in the cockpit and environments. It makes everything look more natural and grounded. At launch it was broken and it didn't look good, but now its looks great and more stable. The RT reflection quality is improved drastically.
This is the difference between RT on and off on my PC:

fmrtonvsoff.jpg


I just don't see much difference, not enough to justify only getting around 77% of the frame rate.
 
I posted what the difference is on MY PC. It doesn't matter to me what it looks like on whatever you're running it on. There are some bits such as Hakone where yes, you can see a clear difference in a specific reflection, but that is like 0.01% of the time spent playing the game. I also never use cockpit cam, so again, I don't care what difference it makes there. I posted two images that look virtually identical and what those show is what I see for 99.99% of the time playing the game, i.e. no difference worth bothering with.
 
To each their own and is perfectly fine not to play with RT for the most fps.

I used to be a RT skeptic, but my library of games that use it (mostly on PC) just keeps growing and in some is now a feature that you can't turn off.

And actually a picture at noon is not proof of what RT can do.
78700184-5077-416d-b778-ee06738a8e70.png
Scenes lighted from multiple sources, all shooting rays, with objects casting reflections and shadows, are more representative.
09ac6e35-827a-4f1a-8648-c824abaaab6a.png
 
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To each their own and is perfectly fine not to play with RT for the most fps.

I used to be a RT skeptic, but my library of games that use it (mostly on PC) just keeps growing and in some is now a feature that you can't turn off.

And actually a picture at noon is not proof of what RT can do.
View attachment 1397009
Scenes lighted with multiple sources, all shooting rays, with objects casting reflections and shadows, are more representative.
View attachment 1397010
1728830165604.png


I'm all for more RT
 
So last night I was doing chapter 2 and 3 in the mid-engine tour, and I noticed that the narrated intro videos weren’t there. Is this another good thing they are giving up on in order to reduce development costs?
 
There were some interesting stats in last week's blogpost about most used cars/tracks etc. Which got me back to wondering how many people are playing the game currently.
There's a lot of chatter about lobby numbers in MP, but the only very inadequate metric I've ever found personally was by looking at my number on the Rivals leaderboards.
I'm a pretty average (more towards slow these days) driver, but have rarely been lower than 10,000 in FM23 leaderboards (usually around top 70%).
But when I compare that with GT7, this was my standing in the last bi-weekly time trial:
20241014_103342.jpg

I didn't put much effort in, so was likely near the bottom, but even if the total entrants was, say 150,000, that's 15x the number of entrants of the FM23 time trials? My ranking is lower than average, but I'm almost always in the 100,000s so this is not a massive exception.

Do people just not bother with the FM23 time trials, or are the leaderboard numbers a fair reflection of the relative player numbers?

Of course, thats a question that we can't answer because the stats aren't public, so this post is going to go nowhere...

But I can't help but be concerned about the impact on FM23 and beyond.

There are a lot of good things coming in the next few months to FM23, but have they buggered the game permanently by chucking it out way too early with ill though out ideas like the car upgrade unlock system? I hope not, because we need good competition in driving games.
 
Do people just not bother with the FM23 time trials, or are the leaderboard numbers a fair reflection of the relative player numbers?

Of course, thats a question that we can't answer because the stats aren't public, so this post is going to go nowhere...
From a personal standpoint in regards to the question, I'm one of those people who does not bother with the trials.
 
From a personal standpoint in regards to the question, I'm one of those people who does not bother with the trials.
The FM23 time trials are hidden away behind far too many steps and rewards seem pointless. I never bother with them.

In comparison, FH5 monthly rivals are easy to reach and give points towards the weekly free car, so I always do them.
 
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The FM23 time trials are hidden away behind far too many steps and rewards seem pointless. I never bother with them.

In comparison, FH5 monthly rivals are easy to reach and give points towards the weekly free car, so I always do them.
Project Cars had a better idea in their daily, weekly and monthly time trials, right from the home screen.
 
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