Forza Motorsport 6 players were faced with an unexpected title update for the game yesterday. Continuing to build off of the foundation set late last year with an eSports-focused update introducing a number of new features, another effort has arrived with the intent of improving the game’s multiplayer and spectator features ahead of the third season of the ForzaRC.
As of this update, players that start an online private multiplayer lobby have a number of new features at their disposal, beginning with the ability to manually organize the grid before the start of a race. To do so, when in a private online lobby, all the host has to do is select “Game Options” from the menu, scroll to the “Advanced Rules” screen and look for the “Grid Ordering” option. From there, you can choose “Manual” from the list of options.
With manual grid ordering, the host now has the ability to place players within their lobby in any order by moving them up or down the grid using the right analog stick. Players in the lobby set to “Spectate” will automatically be moved to the back of the grid, with active participating set to move up accordingly.
Also introduced in the update is a new feature allowing players a detailed view at the starting grid before the race begins. Again at the host’s disposal, the feature can be taken advantage of by enabling the new “Grid Preview” feature — select the “Game Options” menu and then scroll to the “Advanced Rules” screen and look for the “Grid Preview” option. There are three options to choose from: auto, manual, or off.
When enabled, players will be shown a car-by-car rundown of the competition before the green light. Players will see the accompanying Gamertags, in addition to the make and model of the cars being driven for that race. When set to auto the in-game camera will automatically switch to each car on the grid; in manual, the lobby host will be able to switch between cars manually by pressing the LB or RB buttons. The start-up previews can be skipped and the race will be immediately started by the host pressing the X button at any time.
Finally, the update includes improvements to the existing in-game race screens for spectators. Once a racing event is underway, spectators will find a new option—indicated by the race helmet icon—called “Info Panels”, pressing A will present spectators with two information panels to choose from: Race Overview and Player Overview, or both can be brought up simultaneously.
The Race Overview panel presents important in-race information, including a mini-map showing racers’ positions on the track, and a leaderboard indicating where the current car is, and how far the closest competitors are either in front or behind. The Player Overview panel delves more into the specifics of the individual player; all information, including name, car information (Car Class, PI, and performance characteristics), as well as driving telemetry like revs, speed, current gear, and braking and throttle pressure will be presented.
The panel will also relay information on that player’s fastest lap, quick stops completed, current lap number, and more. Panels can be toggled on or off at any time during the event by pressing the Y button.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the update is Turn 10’s continued support for a game that is quickly approaching its third year. While these features are expected to be included in Forza Motorsport 7 — a game players can look forward to later this year — these features will see extensive use in the upcoming third season of the Forza Racing Championship. For the original post, head over to the official Forza Motorsport page for more.
More details on the upcoming season will be discussed in April.
Forza Motorsport 6 is currently available on Xbox One.
See more articles on Forza Motorsport 6 Game Updates and Forza Racing Championship.
