Forza 4: Catch-All

So bucking years of video game convention, it seems like Forza 4's Limited Edition really is limited. Tried to pre-order it at lunch, but was told it sold out in July. Ah well, I just thought I'd treat myself as I only really wanted the Veyron SS—so I'll just wait for the VIP DLC then.

Anyway, now to jump through some hoops for that RX-7.

Rykin wrote:

Agree completely with the difficultly conversation. I went into my very first race with what I would call medium settings (sim-steering, ABS on, TCS on, STM on, Sim damage, medium AI) which is pretty much what I played Forza 3 at and dominated against the AI. Bumping the AI difficulty made it a bit tougher and that is probably the setting I will race at most of the time.

Yup, I went with my F3 settings (normal steering, ABS on, TCS on, no line, sim damage) but on Hard difficulty, and had a great time. It seems like F4's Hard is about where I wanted F3's imaginary Medium-Hard to be.

So bucking years of video game convention, it seems like Forza 4's Limited Edition really is limited. Tried to pre-order it at lunch, but was told it sold out in July. Ah well, I just thought I'd treat myself as I only really wanted the Veyron SS—so I'll just wait for the VIP DLC then.

Well, Amazon stopped taking orders on the LE a while ago, but it was definitely still available elsewhere at least until recently (a friend of mine ordered it from Best Buy a week or two ago). Did you check around?

zeroKFE wrote:
So bucking years of video game convention, it seems like Forza 4's Limited Edition really is limited. Tried to pre-order it at lunch, but was told it sold out in July. Ah well, I just thought I'd treat myself as I only really wanted the Veyron SS—so I'll just wait for the VIP DLC then.

Well, Amazon stopped taking orders on the LE a while ago, but it was definitely still available elsewhere at least until recently (a friend of mine ordered it from Best Buy a week or two ago). Did you check around?

Nah, I just bussed to GameStop on my lunch break. Like I said, all I wanted was the Veyron SS, not the book or anything else, and it'll just be cheaper to wait for the DLC in the end. So it's no big deal, and actually I'm little pleased to know that the "limited" in "limited edition" finally means something (memories of seeing brand new copies of Jade Empire Limited Edition on the shelf a year after it came out).

Gravey wrote:

So bucking years of video game convention, it seems like Forza 4's Limited Edition really is limited. Tried to pre-order it at lunch, but was told it sold out in July. Ah well, I just thought I'd treat myself as I only really wanted the Veyron SS—so I'll just wait for the VIP DLC then.

Anyway, now to jump through some hoops for that RX-7.

Rykin wrote:

Agree completely with the difficultly conversation. I went into my very first race with what I would call medium settings (sim-steering, ABS on, TCS on, STM on, Sim damage, medium AI) which is pretty much what I played Forza 3 at and dominated against the AI. Bumping the AI difficulty made it a bit tougher and that is probably the setting I will race at most of the time.

Yup, I went with my F3 settings (normal steering, ABS on, TCS on, no line, sim damage) but on Hard difficulty, and had a great time. It seems like F4's Hard is about where I wanted F3's imaginary Medium-Hard to be.

Yeah I ordered mine on newegg... they never seem to get any business when it comes to video games. I ordered it late september.

It's funny, a lot of people do seem to be talking about the AI difficulty quite a bit, but for me I didn't really even notice any difference in the normal races.

See, I'm a terrible driver, and for me the fun challenge comes just from trying my best to manage the car and the track while working to undo that fact. In Forza 1, the challenge was just in completing races while learning to follow the racing line. For Forza 2 I bought the MSWW and learned how to manage gears with the paddle shifters. In Forza 3, I turned off the assists -- ABS, TCS, STM all went to off, and the racing line assist went to braking only (although for some of the R class cars I did have to turn TCS and STM back on -- that sh*t is insane without it). For Forza 4, my new challenge will be simulation steering and learning to manage the clutch and H-shifter (although I do expect to go back to the sequential shifters in the higher spec cars). I guess I've always just left the AI difficulty at medium or something, but I've just been so focused on learning some new aspect of the driving simulation that I've barely ever even thought about racing strategy, or cared about the racing strategy and driving of my AI opponents.

The infinite traffic on the Rivals mode races was a fun addition, though. If anything, that mode may finally force me to start thinking a bit more about the intelligence of the AI cars.

I know it's a bummer for some, but I'm pretty happy that the limited edition is actually... limited.

Feels like my extra dough is actually buying something

LupusUmbrus wrote:

Looking forward to getting the full version. Demo has just enough to make me really get that craving, including the lack of available tweaks. The game is silly dark in parts of the track, and I'd like to remap the up shift button to A, but minor complaints aside I'm really digging the updates and changes we can see.

I played it last night and the driving felt really good. I did also think it was a bit dark, specifically the dashboard of the car. I'm not too concerned b/c there is usually options to tweak brightness and gamma, I just couldn't find a way to access a settings screen in the demo.

In the previous Forza games the car sounds have always been great but this is the first time I had played with a good surround sound system and it is amazing.

I ran another race last night on Hard (with the middle class, B?) and I'm feeling sure it's easier than 3. I finished 2nd last night, and I played the SP of F3 on Normal and it was halfway through the season before I was smashing every race (and even then, it was partly because my car was always best).

This game is kind of sneaking up on me, but I'm looking forward to it. I played F3 as kind of a solo affair, but a lot of the stuff they're putting in to this one sounds like it could be fun with the GWJ crew.

The demo looks great. If I get into this, I might look into selling my MS wheel and upgrading to something a bit better. Don't think I'm going to drop $300+ bucks, but I would love to have a wheel that really works on PC as well as the 360.

MannishBoy wrote:

If I get into this, I might look into selling my MS wheel and upgrading to something a bit better. Don't think I'm going to drop $300+ bucks, but I would love to have a wheel that really works on PC as well as the 360.

I don't think there's any options in that area. As far as I know the Mad Catz wheel is the only available offering cheaper than a Fanatec, and it's non-FFB and I doubt better than the MS wheel.

LiquidMantis wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

If I get into this, I might look into selling my MS wheel and upgrading to something a bit better. Don't think I'm going to drop $300+ bucks, but I would love to have a wheel that really works on PC as well as the 360.

I don't think there's any options in that area. As far as I know the Mad Catz wheel is the only available offering cheaper than a Fanatec, and it's non-FFB and I doubt better than the MS wheel.

I just wish Logitech would get a license.

I could spend the money, but at this point in the lifecycle of the 360, I don't find it something I feel makes sense for me. If we knew stuff would work on the next gen, I would probably do it. But since we don't, I don't want to drop that kind of money on something I'll not use day in and day out.

MannishBoy wrote:
LiquidMantis wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

If I get into this, I might look into selling my MS wheel and upgrading to something a bit better. Don't think I'm going to drop $300+ bucks, but I would love to have a wheel that really works on PC as well as the 360.

I don't think there's any options in that area. As far as I know the Mad Catz wheel is the only available offering cheaper than a Fanatec, and it's non-FFB and I doubt better than the MS wheel.

I just wish Logitech would get a license.

I could spend the money, but at this point in the lifecycle of the 360, I don't find it something I feel makes sense for me. If we knew stuff would work on the next gen, I would probably do it. But since we don't, I don't want to drop that kind of money on something I'll not use day in and day out.

I'm not sure I fully understand what you are looking for? You know the Fanatec CSR is PC and PS3 compatible even though it has the Forza logo? I am also sure it will support any future consoles, at least with a firmware update. (I know I sound like a Fanatec fanboy but I actually prefer my T500, the Elite or CSW may change that).

I do understand not wanting to drop that kind of change on something you won't use often.

MisterStatic wrote:

I am also sure it will support any future consoles, at least with a firmware update.

There's no guarantee of anything like that. And I don't trust MS to not change the peripheral standards enough for that not to be possible.

It might work, but I'm not taking that kind of financial risk.

And yes, I know the Fanatec stuff has worked across all three for the last couple of years.

Giant Bomb Quick Look.

Joystiq review.

Kind of disappointed in the level of that Joystiq review. Very high level. I want to know more about the tracks, physics, head tracking, etc.

From Thomas' blog:

UPDATE 1

We started to ship out the CSR orders from our US warehouse.

I got the shipping notice on my Rennsport stand yesterday, but no tracking number yet, and no shipping notice yet on the wheel and pedals.

So I finally got a chance to give the demo a spin last night and boy was I impressed.

I'm loving the cockpit view and the sense of connection (even with the controller) that I feel with the road. It really is night and day compared to Forza 3's generally sterile cockpit cam.

Now I'm in a pickle.

I haven't budgeted time or money for Forza 4 at launch. Batman is coming out a week after Forza. Aaaand, I was really happy with waiting for the Forza 3 Ultimate Collectors edition that came out a year after launch. It only cost $30 and it included all 10 (yes, 10!) car/track packs on a second disc.

I keep telling myself that the best bet would be to wait for the Forza 4 UC edition that includes all DLC at a discounted price, but after playing the demo I'm not sure if I can wait and am really torn. It wouldn't be so bad if Amazon had the now standard $20 gift certificate for major release pre-orders, but I can't find and decent pre-order deals for Forza 4 anywhere.

Oh, decisions decisions

MannishBoy wrote:

Giant Bomb Quick Look.

Joystiq review.

Kind of disappointed in the level of that Joystiq review. Very high level. I want to know more about the tracks, physics, head tracking, etc.

The reviews are pouring in now but head tracking seems to work well. I don't have a Kinect so I'll be borrowing a friends.

IGN review has a bit more info.

Destructiod review

LiquidMantis wrote:

From Thomas' blog:

UPDATE 1

We started to ship out the CSR orders from our US warehouse.

I got the shipping notice on my Rennsport stand yesterday, but no tracking number yet, and no shipping notice yet on the wheel and pedals.

Yeah, hopefully they are just making their way down the line. I got my shipping notice yesterday morning and a tracking number in the evening.

zeroKFE wrote:

Yeah, hopefully they are just making their way down the line. I got my shipping notice yesterday morning and a tracking number in the evening.

Oh, I'm sure. I didn't mean to sound worried about my wheel and pedals as I'm just a Johnny-come-lately. Glad to hear you've already gotten yours though. Sounds like I should be kitted up within a day or two of getting F4 which makes me happy. Are you able to see your tracking number on your order history? Still haven't gotten the tracking info for my stand and nothing on the order history yet either.

You'll probably get your CSR tomorrow, right? We await your impressions.

Yeah, delivery is scheduled for tomorrow.

The tracking number was emailed to me through the UPS shipping notification system around 6 PM yesterday. Basically I got an email from their warehouse saying the order was ready to ship at 7 AM and that I would get the tracking number when it left the warehouse, and that was the last communication for Fanatec directly. Their web shop's online order tracking system is, to be frank, pretty lousy (in a quaint, English is not our language, cottage industry sort of way), which was one of several major problems when I ordered my stand from them two years ago. Basically, as soon as your order is ready to ship they change its status to "delivered" and that's the last update you will see when you are logged in at their site. After that, it's all left up to either communications direct from UPS (or whoever the carrier is) or email with the Fanatec support team.

That said, they definitely do seem to have improved their customer service significantly from two years ago -- when I was trying to sort out some bullsh*t that PayPal pulled with this order, I got prompt, efficient replies from their customer service (within business hours in Europe, of course), which was decidedly not the case the last time around.

Here's an interesting bit from Ars' extensive review:

In the audio settings, you can also tweak the sound effect focus between engine noise or the sound of your tires, which can be handy depending on what sort of feedback you like when driving.

I always turn off the music in any racing game I play because engine roar and tire squeal is a) part of the thrill, and b) very informative; but F4 is really taking it a step beyond.

I'm not a big car guy, or at least wasn't until I finally picked up F3UC in January and dove into Top Gear on Netflix (I had the first Forza (and a wheel even!) but spent most of that time painting cars), but I'm really looking forward to Tuesday. I thought I could wait until Christmas for this, but this has passed Battlefield 3 and is second only to Skyrim in terms of my stoked-ness.

Gravey wrote:

Here's an interesting bit from Ars' extensive review:

In the audio settings, you can also tweak the sound effect focus between engine noise or the sound of your tires, which can be handy depending on what sort of feedback you like when driving.

I always turn off the music in any racing game I play because engine roar and tire squeal is a) part of the thrill, and b) very informative; but F4 is really taking it a step beyond.

nice.

zeroKFE wrote:
zeroKFE wrote:

And if you have any of these cars in your Forza 3 garage, you will have them carry over to Forza 4:
IMAGE(http://forums.forzamotorsport.net/photos/community/images/4772807/original.aspx)

This particular table is actually looking more important. Based on reports from folks with preview copies of the game, it sounds like the following cars will now be unicorns in Forza 4, so the import from Forza 3 will be something of loyalty bonus for long time players of the series:
2007 430 Scuderia
2007 Gallardo Superleggera

So be sure you have at the very least those two in your Forza 3 garage before you start Forza 4.

I think the ZR1, the 458 Italia, and the LF-A were all DLC and hence that import is also a bit of a loyalty bonus, and obviously the other three cars were the Forza 3 unicorns so that import makes sense. Still no idea about the secret import car though -- preview players are being shockingly tight lipped about that.

One final update on what to have in your Forza 3 garage before you start your Forza 4 profile. This isn't 100% confirmed, but according to Badned of Forza Central, who is fairly reliable and has a preview copy of the game, the last car that will import is the HKS Time Attack Evo, which will be a unicorn in Forza 4. I think that might have been one of the VIP gift cars, because I know I had it but I don't remember specifically buying it and it wasn't one of the driver level reward cars.

(EDIT: This info is being refuted in a few other places, so that secret import car may still be a secret.)

(EDIT 2: NeoGaf folks are claiming the secret import car is the DeLorean. Lame.)

And, for those who might care, he also has a complete list of the unicorns for Forza 4:

2002 BMW M3-GTR "Street Version" [Auction]
1969 Chevy Camaro SS Coupe [Import (F3 Unicorn) /Auction]
2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia [Import (F3 Buyable) /Auction]
2003 Ferrari Challenge Stradale [Auction]
2007 Ford Shelby GT500 [Auction]
2004 Honda Mugen Civic Type-R [Auction]
2002 Honda Mugen Integra Type-R [Auction]
2005 Honda NSX-R GT [Auction]
2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera [Import (F3 Buyable)/Auction]
2007 Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 [Auction]
2002 Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type-A [Import (F3 Unicorn)/Auction]
2006 Mitsubishi HKS Time Attack Evolution CT230R [Import (F3 Buyable)/Auction]
1993 Nissan MINE'S R32 Skyline GT-R [Auction]
2002 Nissan MINE'S R34 Skyline GT-R [Auction]
2004 Nissan Top Secret Silvia D1-Spec S15 [Auction]
2006 Subaru Impreza S204 [Import (F3 Unicorn)/Auction]
2002 Toyota Top Secret 0-300 Supra [Auction]

It's important to remember that for almost all of these there is another very similar car in the game -- either a different model year (eg, 2010 Shelby GT500), a different spec of the same model year (eg, 2005 NSX-R), or a non-tuner version (1993 Skyline GT-R V-Spec) -- or are importable from a buyable car in Forza 3 (the 430 Scuderia). Still, it's vast expansion to the cool/annoying (depending on your disposition) "hunt for the unique car" mechanic that has been a part of Forza since F2. I just wish I had tried harder in Forza 3 to get ahold of the S204 -- that is a slick looking car, and it may become even harder to acquire now that there are so many other unicorn options.

So, a quick summation on what to have in your Forza 3 garage:
- Buy an HKS Time Attack Evo, and if you have the DLC they came from, a 430 Scuderia and the Gallardo Superleggera, if you ever want those cars in Forza 4 -- they will be hard to come by otherwise.
- If you have the DLC they came from, buy a Corvette ZR1, an LF-A, and a 458 Italia to get those cars in Forza 4 without having to buy them with Forza 4 credits. No big whup if you don't have them though, they will be freely buyable in Forza 4.
- If you have any Forza 3 unicorns, obviously keep them (but why wouldn't you?).
- Don't worry too much about grinding up your F3 driver level. You get some nice/expensive cars for free if your level is high, but they are all cars that will be freely buyable in Forza 4.

Oh, and regarding the list of unicorns from Forza Central that I posted on the previous page: that info is being refuted in a few other places, so that secret import car may still be a secret. A bummer, really, because it would be sweet to start the game with that awesome HKS Evo. I guess we'll see next week, though.

EDIT: Sources at NeoGaf are saying the secret import car is the DeLorean, which is confirmed to NOT be a unicorn, so no big whup on buying that one.

zeroKFE wrote:

See, I'm a terrible driver, and for me the fun challenge comes just from trying my best to manage the car and the track while working to undo that fact.

I'm hoping I don't see you on the track! Joking aside, hope to see some of you guys online to race against. Feel free to add me if you like.

Woohoo! I just got my tracking info for the wheel and pedals. Tuesday! F4, stand, wheel, and pedals all on the same day. Hopefully the UPS guy doesn't freak out when I scream and hug him.

LiquidMantis wrote:

Woohoo! I just got my tracking info for the wheel and pedals. Tuesday! F4, stand, wheel, and pedals all on the same day. Hopefully the UPS guy doesn't freak out when I scream and hug him.

I am excited for you all. I anxiously await your impressions. I really liked the CSR when I demoed it.

EDIT: maintaining a solid 93 !!

MisterStatic wrote:

EDIT: maintaining a solid 93 !!

Probably a tiered embargo (high-scoring reviews allowed up today, everyone else up Tuesday), though I don't expect it to go lower than that regardless.

Reading old reviews and looking at screenshots of the first Forza. Memory does a funny thing cos man that game was incredible when it came out.

Gravey wrote:
MisterStatic wrote:

EDIT: maintaining a solid 93 !!

Probably a tiered embargo (high-scoring reviews allowed up today, everyone else up Tuesday), though I don't expect it to go lower than that regardless.

Reading old reviews and looking at screenshots of the first Forza. Memory does a funny thing cos man that game was incredible when it came out.

I don't expect many lower reviews either. Turn 10 has perfected their craft. It is insane what they have been able to do with 360 hardware. Based on the demo, Forza is finally on par with the high-end PC sims for physics modeling.

I am curious how the Kinect will work at the short distance I sit in my simracing cockpit. I have some hope but I doubt it will compete with my TrackIR.

Yeah, I'm pretty nervous about the head tracking as well. I'm super excited about the idea of the feature, but sitting on my couch I'm just outside 8 feet from the sensor, and they say 6 to 8 feet is the sweet spot. That said, most games don't have trouble seeing us just in front of the couch, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.