Forza 4: Catch-All

eurotransient wrote:

I haven't yet, but I'll send out for an invite.

Might want to PM MisterStatic or Thin_J when you do as they are the two gate-keepers (every club works this way).

So what camera are you using? F4 is the first console sim racer where cockpit cam is not only viable, but damn visually appealing and intense (really mean "visceral" but we all know how overused that term is).

I use cockpit 99% of the time in career and only switch to bumper cam when trying to beat the most difficult Rivalry races with GWJ'ers.

I use cockpit for everything but the F1 cars. Freaking impossible to see out of those things, so I use the hood cam.

Aaron D. wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

Same. Plus, getting the wheel out makes it's barrier to entry a bit more than other games.

This is one thing that makes me glad I simplified and went with the wireless Speed Wheel.

Sure there's concessions aplenty compared to a real racing wheel, but the accessibility of just having it sitting there waiting to be picked up any time makes it a great alternate option.

I could always just play with controller (which I may be faster with). I just want the wheel experience with pedals.

I haven't played in ages. I do want to get back to it at some point, but don't know when that will be. I haven't been buying games at the rate I used to so in theory I should be able to get back to it sooner, but I've also had some oddities as far as games and free time go. Plus when I look at it and think I should start it up again I remember stalling out in the singleplayer because the AI got really annoying in a couple of the races I was trying to run and I end up playing something else. I just got so damn tired of being on the correct line going into a turn and having the AI ram me in the quarter panel and spin me out that I couldn't play any more.

I'll hop on to handle club invites and whatever if Static isn't around for it though, at the very least.

eurotransient wrote:

Looks like this thread's been pretty quiet. Anyone still playing F4?

I just picked it up last week, my first racing sim since Gran Turismo 2. Decided to go all out, too, and picked up the CSR wheel (which I'm still waiting on!).

Anyways, VERY little racing sim experience, but I'm enjoying F4 a lot so far. Would love to know if anyone in the community is still playing and would enjoy lapping me a dozen times while I try to figure out how to back my car out of a wall.

I'm still playing. I have been playing around with painting mode, and doing some private races with some random folks from the UK that I met. I am always up for some random racing.

Aaron D. wrote:

So what camera are you using? F4 is the first console sim racer where cockpit cam is not only viable, but damn visually appealing and intense (really mean "visceral" but we all know how overused that term is).

I use cockpit 99% of the time in career and only switch to bumper cam when trying to beat the most difficult Rivalry races with GWJ'ers.

The game dumped me into cockpit cam and I haven't switched out since, minus a cursory glance at the other views. My memory of console racers was never kind to cockpit views, but it's pretty fantastic here. Really excited to try it out with the wheel and pedals once Fanatec decides to actually ship...

I suspect it'll be a rough transition to the wheel, but seems like it'll be worth the extra effort.

I would still say that NFS: Shift and its sequel have the best cockpit view out there. Unfortunately the physics/driving modeling is kind of crap.

Aaron D. wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

Same. Plus, getting the wheel out makes it's barrier to entry a bit more than other games.

This is one thing that makes me glad I simplified and went with the wireless Speed Wheel.

IMAGE(http://www.vfundude.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Xbox-360-wireless-speed-wheel-racing-game-controller-wheel-controllers-xbox-360-1-300x216.jpg)

Sure there's concessions aplenty compared to a real racing wheel, but the accessibility of just having it sitting there waiting to be picked up any time makes it a great alternate option.

Okay, I admit I sort of chuckled at the sight of that thing, but is it actually pretty solid?

eurotransient wrote:
Aaron D. wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

Same. Plus, getting the wheel out makes it's barrier to entry a bit more than other games.

This is one thing that makes me glad I simplified and went with the wireless Speed Wheel.

IMAGE(http://www.vfundude.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Xbox-360-wireless-speed-wheel-racing-game-controller-wheel-controllers-xbox-360-1-300x216.jpg)

Sure there's concessions aplenty compared to a real racing wheel, but the accessibility of just having it sitting there waiting to be picked up any time makes it a great alternate option.

Okay, I admit I sort of chuckled at the sight of that thing, but is it actually pretty solid?

Having used one in stores, I would say that it is amazingly good for what it is. They did a fantastic job with it. What it is though, is an input method for casual gaming, not something for hard core use.

eurotransient wrote:

Okay, I admit I sort of chuckled at the sight of that thing, but is it actually pretty solid?

Surprisingly so.

I laughed at it too when I first saw/read about it, but shortly after, the Forza 4 bug bit in a big way and I was compelled to give it a second look.

I knew I just didn’t have room for a full wheel/pedal setup in my life, so the Speed Wheel suddenly looked like a viable option. A bit of research revealed that it was actually getting favorable reviews so I decided to jump in when I saw one at a good price.

It’s pretty fantastic for what it is. The sensitivity of movement that it registers is impressive. I found it difficult to hold longer turns with the standard game pad, instead tap-tap-tapping my way through with the L-Stick, but the wheel lets you hold a position with sure precision and confidence. The triggers feel great too with more range and tighter resistance, offering greater feathering of gas/breaks.

Also, having my thumbs never off the face buttons/directional pad led me to attempt manual shifting for the first time ever. Took a bit of practice but it’s second nature now and I can’t imagine racing any other way.

The one fatal flaw in design is that for some baffling reason, there are no RB/LB shoulder button inputs. None. It makes absolutely no sense. The only time it comes into play is front-end menu navigation, which uses RB/LB in Forza 4 (sub and gameplay menus are not affected). So if I’m bouncing between the Auction House, Car Club leaderboards, etc. I just use a gamepad and then switch to the wheel when I’m ready for racing. It’s a strange omission.

Other than that I love the damn thing. It just sits there on the bottom shelf of my coffee table along with my standard 360/PS3 pads, ready to use at a moment’s notice.

Aaron D. wrote:
eurotransient wrote:

Okay, I admit I sort of chuckled at the sight of that thing, but is it actually pretty solid?

Surprisingly so.

I laughed at it too when I first saw/read about it, but shortly after, the Forza 4 bug bit in a big way and I was compelled to give it a second look.

I knew I just didn’t have room for a full wheel/pedal setup in my life, so the Speed Wheel suddenly looked like a viable option. A bit of research revealed that it was actually getting favorable reviews so I decided to jump in when I saw one at a good price.

It’s pretty fantastic for what it is. The sensitivity of movement that it registers is impressive. I found it difficult to hold longer turns with the standard game pad, instead tap-tap-tapping my way through with the L-Stick, but the wheel lets you hold a position with sure precision and confidence. The triggers feel great too with more range and tighter resistance, offering greater feathering of gas/breaks.

Also, having my thumbs never off the face buttons/directional pad led me to attempt manual shifting for the first time ever. Took a bit of practice but it’s second nature now and I can’t imagine racing any other way.

The one fatal flaw in design is that for some baffling reason, there are no RB/LB shoulder button inputs. None. It makes absolutely no sense. The only time it comes into play is front-end menu navigation, which uses RB/LB in Forza 4 (sub and gameplay menus are not affected). So if I’m bouncing between the Auction House, Car Club leaderboards, etc. I just use a gamepad and then switch to the wheel when I’m ready for racing. It’s a strange omission.

Other than that I love the damn thing. It just sits there on the bottom shelf of my coffee table along with my standard 360/PS3 pads, ready to use at a moment’s notice.

I have one concern, and that is holding my hands out in front of me for extended periods of time. I don't know how heavy this thing is, but I would think your arms would get tired after a short while. Is that the case?

The wheel has a real nice heft (Amazon says just over 1 lb), but I rarely have my arms hanging out there in free space.

I play leaning forward on the couch with my elbows sitting just below my knees. Resting your arms on your legs stabilizes the controller and allows for more granular turning control.

Mr. Green nudged me to give it a shot and it turned out to be fantastic advice for someone unable to commit to a full racing setup.

Thin_J wrote:

I would still say that NFS: Shift and its sequel have the best cockpit view out there. Unfortunately the physics/driving modeling is kind of crap.

One of the Test Drive games from early this generation (the one where you could roll the windows up and down) and Dirt are two of first games that really blew me away with their cockpit views. I think I actually liked Forza 3's cockpits a little better than 4's though. Seemed like I could read the gauges better in F3 and could turn the HUD ones off.

For anyone interested in a unicorn, I put my Pinto in the club garage. I ran a 1:07.597 on Don’t Be Fuelish (on a game pad with automatic transmission) which gives me a pretty good safety margin over phRED's current time of 1:09.708.
IMAGE(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8015/7601045764_7d98d99bc2_z.jpg)

Nice. Never driven a Unicorn ride.

I'll give that a go soon.

ElectricPi wrote:

For anyone interested in a unicorn, I put my Pinto in the club garage. I ran a 1:07.597 on Don’t Be Fuelish (on a game pad with automatic transmission) which gives me a pretty good safety margin over phRED's current time of 1:09.708.
IMAGE(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8015/7601045764_7d98d99bc2_z.jpg)

That is one foxy Pinto!

I actually just got back into this game last night, started playing it after playing minecraft with a friend kept giving me massive lag, and I was impressed that I could still race and not totally lose it in a corner. Still enjoyable as well. And I really want to check out the 2013 Viper as I love the Dodge Viper. I think I'll be putting a few more hours into this game before I shelve it for good. If anyone wants to race I'd be glad to add you, GT - bluedemon82384

So I got my CSR wheel, elite pedals, etc. earlier this week. Spent a good four or five hours driving around in F4 and checking out everyone's times from the car club. First off, you guys are ridiculously good. Or I'm ridiculously bad. In the spirit of boosting everyone's egos, I'm going to go with the former.

Second, any other CSR wheel owners care to share any settings they tweaked on the wheel itself? I dug around the F4 forums and a Fantatec wheel fansite and played around with some different settings, but can't really settle on any I'm really happy with. Am I over thinking this?

Also, playing with all car assists off, I can barely keep most of the low handling RWD cars on the track at all. Two that come to mind are the Chevelle and the Ferrari you get as a gift at level 16. I know I must be doing it wrong, but any tips on keeping these suckers on the track with a steering wheel?

Side note: I'm really stunned at how much fun it is to drive even a class E car in this game with a wheel. Best gaming investment I've made in a looooooong time.

eurotransient wrote:

Also, playing with all car assists off, I can barely keep most of the low handling RWD cars on the track at all. Two that come to mind are the Chevelle and the Ferrari you get as a gift at level 16. I know I must be doing it wrong, but any tips on keeping these suckers on the track with a steering wheel?

I don't have wheel specific advice, but in general you want to be very gentle with the throttle coming off of corners until you have the car straight, and when the back end does step out, countersteer and lift slightly, but only slightly or you will transfer all the weight to the front and spin.

The other thing you can do is tune the car to improve the handling. a limited slip will really help keep a high HP RWD car controllable. With high enough HP I will often set the diff to full lock all the time.

Giving the car an alignment can help too. I usually install adjustable suspensions and lap Tsukuba to set them up. Because it is mostly right turns, I ignore the right side tires, and adjust camber so the left side has even heat.

Be sure to check out the club garage. There are some really great cars in there, and I try to share any that I really like and/or are really competitive. You cannot use the club garage in career mode, but you can for rivals and online racing. If you just want to try out something from it on your own, you can create your own private online lobby and not invite anyone.

Yeah, no-assist RWD vehicles with high HP are a Female Doggo no matter what controller setup you're using.

My biggest frustration seemed to come from right turns that were on elevated slopes. For some reason they would always make me spin out.

ElectricPi has some great advise about tinkering, but if you aren't into going under the hood, the most practical techniques I found were just going easy on everything. Easy on the gas, easy on the wheel...almost like you're coasting through the turn. I also try to have the car at the peak of the appropriate gear I need to be in (usually 3rd, I think) so that the torque is in the rear of the car. And like EP said, I never hammer the gas unless the car/wheels are pointed in a straight direction (even then, I slowly/steadily increase speed).

I find that treating controls extra, extra gingerly with RWD super-cars goes a long way in keeping them on the road.

Wow, thank you! Great tips, guys.

I've peeked at the tuning screens a bit, but it's all a little like going out to eat in a foreign country. I recognize some of the words, but what they all mean when taken together completely eludes me. Definitely going to need to learn more about the different tweaks there, but I'll keep in mind the info above.

Excessive throttle definitely sounds like the culprit. Not knowing much about the technical details of cars, I'm assuming that what happens is when I'm coming out of a turn and letting off the brake, the cars weight is still forward, so when I throttle too quickly with RWD, there's not enough weight in the rear to let my tires grip the road. Not sure if that's an oversimplification or just completely wrong...

Anyways, thanks again for the advice. Will definitely put this to use over the weekend.

eurotransient wrote:

Excessive throttle definitely sounds like the culprit. Not knowing much about the technical details of cars, I'm assuming that what happens is when I'm coming out of a turn and letting off the brake, the cars weight is still forward, so when I throttle too quickly with RWD, there's not enough weight in the rear to let my tires grip the road. Not sure if that's an oversimplification or just completely wrong...

Anyways, thanks again for the advice. Will definitely put this to use over the weekend.

I think it is probably less of a weight transfer issue, and more just overwhelming the rear grip with engine power, but the solution is pretty much the same.

On a separate note, they are doing DLC clues on the forza forum, and you can win unicorns by guessing right.

you can win unicorns by guessing right

I'm really glad I know what unicorns are in the context of Forza. My immediate thought was Secret of the Magic Crystals.

Woot! finally got the M3 GTR Street Version for telling about my favorite roads. I'm not sure when I'll be able to tune it and put it up, but look for it in the club garage soonish.

Thanks for sharing all your cars with us, ElectricPi! Some seriously sweet rides in there. I took the Audi out for a spin, though, and I scuffed it up a bit...

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/E9L9g.jpg)

I may have had a few drinks before rolling out onto the Hockenheimring. Sorry about that, man. I'll have my people call your people and we'll get it sorted out.

eurotransient wrote:

Thanks for sharing all your cars with us, ElectricPi! Some seriously sweet rides in there. I took the Audi out for a spin, though, and I scuffed it up a bit...

I may have had a few drinks before rolling out onto the Hockenheimring. Sorry about that, man. I'll have my people call your people and we'll get it sorted out.

That's actually about what it looks like after I use it most times. That's one of my favorite cars for tag.

Does your car exist in FM4? Recreate it and take a photo!

IMAGE(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-05nYKuk4Oiw/UBdvdEgmdsI/AAAAAAAAARs/Tr6jgbpLwZ4/s800/Fit.jpg)

Registration number altered slightly to protect the stupid. Not pictured: scratches, bird poop, static cling window shade on right rear passenger window.

Here's my old '85 Toyota Supra, complete with window tinting that I originally had.

IMAGE(http://i47.tinypic.com/mmzei9.jpg)

Sadly I have never owned a car cool enough to be in Forza. It is funny that both the Nissan Sentra and the Versa make the cut but the Altima and Maxima (what I own) don't.

Mine doesn't quite exist, but it's somewhere inbetween the 09 JCW MINI and the 02 Cooper S year wise, but down power from both of them.

Beyond that, the Hurst Olds 442 is pretty close, although mine was a 67 and not a Hurst model.