I turned of the braking line last night and quickly realised the lack of brake markers, distance boards on the track. Now i realise that they have probably just copied what was on the original circuits but this is on a tv so the sense of depth is completely different. On some corners you are approaching fast and there is absolutely no reference point as to brake, so 3 of 5 times your not nailing the apex. Now there is not going to be Forza 8 next year, (which I believe is a good thing, lets get this game were it should be). It would be nice for a few more markes. Putting 50 100 150 200 lines across the track would be good, as these cant get knocked away. Whats your thoughts?
I sometimes struggle with the same. Usually there are markings you can identify from painted track edges and curbs, fences, signs, maybe even a camera station, or whatever. I’m not interested in competition, so more often than not, I just leave the line on just to use as a braking reference (often very wrong, but like braking markers, you have to learn how it applies to YOU), but I try not to look at it for anything other than a braking reference. Keep eyes ahead on key points, and I don’t think using the braking line to help replace the loss of “seat of the pants dyno” and loss other natural environmental inputs hurts anything. And it REALLY helps when you are in an unfamiliar car, using an unfamiliar tune, and/or on an unfamiliar ribbon. I just don’t have time to learn a track like the pros, or those who spend hours every day on the game…
Use the environment to your advantage. Shadows, trees, gates, walls and such can help out in picking your braking points.
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The lack of braking markers/boards on tracks has been a massive annoyance for me with Forza games. It forces me to use the braking line assist, which is something I would normally turn off in other racing games.
There should be 150 / 100 / 50 metre braking signs at every corner, on every track (the same boards that you get in every single racing series that I have ever watched), and they should at least all be identical and consistent in terms of placement.
Unfortunately this is a ‘git gud’ scenario, I would rather race on the circuits as they are in reality.
git gud
Insightful and helpful
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Some tracks are worse than others in this regard.
Monza has distance markers on the major corners at least.
Lime Rock has cones at every corner for turn in, apex, track out points.
Silverstone is seemingly a wasteland of green green grass with no indicators at all. I hate Silverstone for this reason.
Usually I’m able to find some reference point. A bridge, curbing, fencing, etc that can be used as a brake reference. Can be hard on some tracks though.
There’s always something to see. You have to use your common sense/imagination. They don’t put distance markers on every track in real life either. What I always do is familiarize myself with the car first, get a general idea of the car’s braking, then I take what I’d call “safe” markers around the lap, ones that will culminate in my having to coast a little. Then I gauge that and re-adjust for the next lap. It’s no good plowing into the tyre wall, or indeed turning on the braking line as you will learn absolutely nothing (plus the braking line is rubbish - it tells you to brake about 50 feet too early. Most tracks do have something distinctive to go by but some tracks you really do have to use your head. It’s all part of the challenge of racing driving. Real drivers have to judge their braking zones in all sorts of circumstances. Like when they are mid-pack in a 30 car race in heavy rain and all they can see is spray.
If you want a challenge jump in a Hypercar and go do Suzuka full circuit on a rain map but with just fog. I was using a traffic cone that someone else had dragged up the road with them as my braking marker for Degner Curve as I simply couldn’t see anything else in the vicinity. By the time all my usual braking markers appeared out of the gloom it was too late,
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My favorite is the Indy road course that has a rubber mark on a curb exactly at a braking point at one of the final curves.
Developers probably put it there to help themselves.
I wouldn’t want to see lines on the track. This will only make the game more of an arcade. Migth as well drive with the racing line on. FM should be more realistic not less. Also, I prefer to find an optimal breaking point myself - it’s usually faster than relying on the racing line. I use distance boards, aadvertising boards, Gates, trees etc. Or even sometimes the distance between these objects. I’m pretty sure that’s how its done in real life.
It is. Tunnel vision doesn’t bode well in motorsport.