Am I good enough to race online?

Forza Motorsport Legacy Motorsport FM7 Discussion
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Sorry for the wall of text. There is a brief TL;DR at the bottom for those of you that wish to skip the story. If you do read this gigantic wall of text, I think you will have a better understanding of my progress. Also thank you for investing that much time.

Back in FM3/4 when I started I wanted to learn, so a raced a bunch of time trials and got around the track “ok” I enrolled in a racing club and at our first race I saw that I was clearly outpaced by miles from most of these guys. I was bummed to say the least. I stopped racing with them, discourage by my poor performance and even a 2 race suspension penalty for my ‘bad driving’

I still loved the game and have mostly played since then. I did not get FM5 I just kept playing 4. When I got FM6, pretty near release, I again raced a bunch of time trials or ‘hot laps’. I cant remember my placing but im pretty sure I was at least top 25%. Im sure to some of you that is extremely low, but Ive kept improving. When Nascar dropped, with the encouragement of my son, i started in one of the leagues. It was rough at first and the online world doesn’t make you feel so welcome at times. I took a lot of comments personal as my only online experience prior was with COD and a bunch of IRL friends. But, I got better, After a while I was moved up a class or rank, whatever they were called. Anyways I was horrified. I did not want nor ask for this ‘promotion’

I sucked in this higher division. My want to try and keep up, led to me forcing my driving and I became erratic. To solve this problem I turned on braking assist… I know what you are going to say, and Im just as ashamed to admit it as your are laughing at me. I was certainly not the fastest and my T10 erratic braking line upset a lot of people. I gave up in frustration. And as I had hundreds of million by doing endless hours of endurance racing, I became tired of the game.

Out comes F1 2017 and I get the itch to race again. This time I bought a wheel as I wanted to try that. I was much better with a wheel on that game. I could compete at 80% out of 120% difficulty and I think they have some pretty good AI. I got tired of that because it was tedious as hell having to run so many practice laps to earn things.

FM7 comes out and Im so excited. This title has been my only racing experience with the exception of F1 and mario kart… lol
Anyways I started with the wheel and I was on 20% and then moved to 40%. I started watching a bunch of streams and everyone I asked kept saying the game is optimized for the controller. I was growing tired of having to physically drive. So I picked up the controller again and have practiced and practiced. I am now on 80% difficulty and am about to lap them on certain courses. Again so many people here talk about racing on unbeatable, so this might not seem like much to most. I have started paying attention to my leaderboard times in my Forza Cup and in some divisions, particularly NASCAR is what I have been running all my opens and the one series that Ive unlocked so far. My best times are in the top 1% and my slowest are top 8%. I can win on ovals against unbeatable AI, but that isn’t saying much as they are horrible. I play all races on extra long length. For the credits and the learning of tracks and cars.

I run with TCS/SM On, but no ABS and braking line only. (I’ve started turning off TCS on lower powered cars and am now trying too with nascar when I am out front enough.

Am I good enough to try league again when it starts? Should I jump into online now? I really want too, but dont want to piss people off with my driving.

TL;DR - I have made constant progress, with some setbacks, but now race at 80% difficulty with TCS/SM and no ABS(I’ve started turning off TCS on lower powered cars) I am starting to lap the field on 80%. Should I join league and race online?

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As a player who has been competing in Multiplayer Hoppers at a high level since Forza Motorsport 4 I’ll let you in on a little secret: The majority of people who race online are not very good.

Many players who race online either lack the skill to drive their car in traffic (which requires more nuanced knowledge than simply getting good laptimes), the patience to wait for the best opportunity to pass or the mental strength to deal with sustained pressure and not make mistakes.

You mentioned that you’re nearing the Top 1% on most Leaderboards. That’s good, you’re already faster than the vast majority of people who you will come across online. The top tier of Leagues will likely have people who are in the Top 1-3% on a consistent basis.

Your goal then should be to improve your racecraft. To do this you’ll need to learn what happens when you try to take a corner with another driver on your inside/outside, how a deep or wide corner entry affects corner exit, how to set up tactical overtaking opportunities, how to predict and react to cars that are out of control (both yours and your opponents). Above all else, focus on developing the ability to drive fast without ever making contact with another car.

Right now I would recommend you head into regular Multiplayer Hoppers, but in particular you should stick to the Division-based ones as the racing tends to be cleaner in those. Modern Hot-Hatch is a great place to learn racing skills as you don’t need to think about driving the car all that much (the cars are slow, and allow you to focus on your racing lines for optimal performance). Just get into a Clio, download a good Tune and away you go.

You will eventually build your the skills and confidence to the point where your racecraft is what is winning you races, and not your speed alone.

Also, dig through this and see if you find any solid advice: racecraft tips - Google Search

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Best response I’ve seen in a long time. Great advise.

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If you can get past some of the entitled online racers attitudes->yes.
You might want to look for good racing groups in the racers forum or clubs on your xbox. Both options can lead you to groups that are at different paces of speed. And, I reckon their are clubs that are willing to help you learn skillsets to become faster.
For online I would join hoppers that you are comfortable with and possibly ghost racing in leagues/hoppers where the cars are uncomfortable for you to help your learnimg curve.
I first joined online racing in FM4 and quickly changed my GT to reflect my skillset at the time so I lnow how intimidating it can be. After awhile you should be able to meet and race with a like-minded and similarly skilled group. But first, you have to be willing to put yourself out there.
Happy Racing

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I have not done but maybe 2 races online in FM7 but I do race online alot in FH3. Yes I know two entirely separate racing type games but I learned quickly in my many months of playing online in FH3 is driving etiquette and controlling my vehicle. Trust me FH3 can have some nightmarish groups especially in the S2 ranks because most people just grab the fastest car they can and slide the walls. I was like this at first until I found cars I enjoyed driving and could handle which is why 95% of the time I drive Aston Martins in FH3. I’ve learned to properly brake for entering corners and accelerating to exit(I don’t drift in FH3 unless it’s mixed surface or offroad and not excessively at that). I’ve learned to be patient to get around bad and good drifters on corners. I am rarely in the fastest car on the track and one thing I tell myself is I’m not their to race the other players I am there to race the track. With this attitude the other players are just another obstacle on the track I must find a way to overcome. A lot of the times I come in first and if I don’t I at least finished well enough in the race cleanly to over come them in points. So find a car you are comfortable with and can control and race the track.

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Yes you’re good enough.

You will likely be wrecked though since you may not be fast enough to pull away from the field quickly.

Fast though is something that usually can be fixed by a well built and tuned car. Its not unreasonable to go from 2000 to 500 on the leaderboard simply by driving a better car. I would focus on finding those great tunes.

That will boost your odds of finding battles with better skilled players up front.

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Yes! you are good enough and we need more drivers like you!

I’ve done much the same as you with FM6 but without the wheel. I did plenty of League racing. I learned early on to race the slow leagues whenever they came up, and to do the fast leagues more for comic relief than for serious points. Made some pretty good acquaintances in those slow leagues - we’d trade tips and tunes, look for each other when E class was open, and say kind things to one another. I’m really looking forward to Leagues in FM7, and plan on doing much the same.

Meanwhile, Ghost Class is fun for me. The “real” racing I’m also having fun, especially in the slow classes. I’m rarely in the top half and have only made the podium twice in maybe 120 online FM7 races. I’d love to try the Endurance races, since I need a long race to pass and be passed without a lot of wall-banging. But in GT leaderboards, I’m more of a “top 90%” kind of guy :slight_smile: I’m not sure the GT Endurance racers will be amused, but if I go in with allowed assists on, it ain’t gonna bother me a bit - I’m just here to have a good time.

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Well you atleast need to try to see if you like to race vs players… Being on top of leaderboards doesnt mean you are good Racing vs real opponents.
Hotlapping to get a good time is not like fight for a position, only practice and experience in races can improve Your skill so start join hoppers as soon as you can!

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I still feel like a novice compared to many people I encounter online but from Motorsport 4 to 7…I notice a lot of growth and development…most of my confidence came from racing in Forza Horizon 3,Motorsport 5 and 6 helped give me more structure but the basics of racing…drafting and slingshotting…has made me competitive plus I developed a great formula for upgrading and tuning my cars…there is always room for improvement…nobody wants to be in last place and I had my share of losses but now I have some wins under my belt…

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It’s all been said above. YES, you are fast enough to enter any race you want to be in. Don’t be intimidated by anyone. You belong in a race of your choosing. I suggest setting small goals at the start. Such as 1: Avoid being hit and hitting others. 2: Use the brake-line and use your brakes accordingly. 3: Hold your line, one side of the track (not wondering all over), the better drivers will find their way around you. The poor ones will use you as their brakes (don’t be THAT guy).

You WILL get better and faster with confidence. Practice, practice, practice. Enjoy yourself.

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Thanks for all the encouragement guys. I spent the better part of the evening racing in the Modern Hot Hatch hopper.

Well, it wasn’t hard to find the wreckers, and those that use you as a breaking point. lol. I didn’t get frustrated and had a lot of fun. I floated around middle of the pack most races, with a few in the top 7/8.

The one thing I noticed as TJ said, a lot of people are not very good. I was shocked at how many times people would just fly through a chicane or corner and take out everyone in the corner… Like not even try and brake…

Here’s to constant progress and learning the competitive environment.

Cheers!

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I’m loving modern hot hatch hoppers

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I hopped into Multiplayer last night and first tried Indycar because I enjoy driving the Indycar in Freeplay quite often. It was a total Charlie Foxtrot. It was Maple Valley in the rain which just seemed horrible track but I gave it a shot. Know it’s raining I knew I’d have to brake more for turns and such but there were 3 players that I don’t even think they knew they had brakes so I was constantly getting rear ended or tboned by them coming back onto the track. It was a bit disappointing. So next I gave Endurance a try which I enjoy it was a lot better. I was at the back of the pack just getting a feel for it which was fine I just wanted to give it a go. There was 1 or 2 annoying players but I easily got either ahead or behind them. Race leaders were on mic chatting so I had heard them commenting the bad players and keeping an eye where they were on track so when I knew they were coming up I knew I needed to move over and let them by. I see no reason for impeding the race leaders because I’m not racing as fast.

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Agree that Indy can be a mess. I race there sometimes and would be racing for podiums but definitely not the fastest out there.

There are slower drivers there who are just trying to race and there are slower drivers who are trying to wreck. We try and pass lapped traffic cleanly and communicate to each other who the wreckers are and who is slower and clean. Due to speed differential in Indy cars and fact that some cars do not show names above them, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish slow clean from slow wreckers.

Slow wreckers will get punted into the gravel from time to time. Slower clean racers will also find themselves caught up in this when the faster guys assume you are a wrecker.

If you hold your line, do not weave about and do not try and take out a faster overtaking car you will soon be recognised as being clean.

I will personally try clean overtakes every time until it is absolutely clear that someone is purposely trying to wreck me. Once wrecking has been established the rest of the racing community in that race will find out through party / game chat.

Unfortunately, if you are a running in the middle of the pack pace wise you will come into contact with these idiots more often

I think they are drawn to the Indy car lobby as the cars are so easy to drive.

Don’t give up or get discouraged if you get wrecked ( you will, we all do). Drive clean and try not to be too erratic. Stick with the same lobby class and the real racers will recognise that you are trying to race and you will find an encouraging race community.

If you accidentally take someone out and do not want to make enemies just send a simple “sry” message during the interval. It goes a long way.

Good luck.

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oh I don’t get discouraged. I had just avoided the MP here since it was just awful at the beginning. I’ve getting back into it. The Indycars can be easy to drive but hard to master I think. I enjoy them alot more now after doing the series. Tho I really think Turn10 should give us a Push 2 Pass button in them lol. Be interesting to see how people would learn to strategize that in game.

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No offense but was that a trick question OP? If most of your times are in the top one percent with your slow times in the top ten percent then you are already better than most of the players in this game. Of course you’re good enough to race online and I’d rather be in a race with you then the wreckers, cutters, and cheaters out there. Myself I just got into FFB wheels so I’m taking a big hit in speed in exchange for enjoyment and immersion. I have trouble beating the slower guys on my friend list in most challenges, but then again just about all of them are accomplished, experienced players. For now pretty much the only multiplayer I run is private club races. You are there now. I have a long way to go to reach that level.

-k

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The second post by PJTierney is the most important in my opinion.

to get the maximum out of multiplayer your going to have to really learn racecraft. Learn corners and various racing lines observe common driving errors and how to avoid them and when you are really good really learn how to not crack under pressure for sometimes the entire race (Imagine not making any show stopping mistakes for the entire nurburgring because someone is on your rear who is just as good waiting for the 1 mistake to make a pass). I’m not sure if your a real life racing fan but spending time observing some imsa /WEC/F1 racing came in real handy in avoiding mistakes and learning a few tricks while not pissing off the lobby for simply ramming people out of the way, running others wide off a corner or a divebomb.

Hot lapping is great once your in front … but to get to the front is where the race craft is an essential skillset and your race is a whole lot more fulfilling when you can win the race with sublime passes and your car has not even a scratch on it. ( At least for me it is)

I’ve yet to start multiplayer racing in FM7 (doing single player first) but I was a regular in B class for FM6 and A class for FM5.

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Since I started Forza Horizon 3 earlier this year I really got into watching GT Racing. Found a link with some places to watch races and I started with the ALMS series which had 2 or 3 seasons before they merged and became IMSA. IMSA also has a youtube channel that posts the race online a few days after the race. Indycar also has a youtube channel and they are even going back and uploaded older seasons. I usually have a race going on when playing.

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Here’s one important thing to know for multiplayer: always anticipate when the person ahead of you will brake so you won’t go into the back of him. I’ve had this happen way too many times to me where I’m right behind someone going into a corner and they brake earlier than I was expecting, which causes me to hit his bumper. Every single time it happens the person takes it as a deliberate attack and they ram me on the next corner.

Overall, smoothness and consistency is more important than speed in a race. If you can get consistent laps without screwing up too badly then you’ll be better than 95% of the people who already race online.

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The fact that you ask that question already makes you better than 50% of the guys who play mp.

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