Forum (noun) a place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.
I’ve been in this forum for close to three years now & for better or worse, it’s been a habitual part of my FH life. Being a faceless, fairly anonymous online environment, I’ve seen the good, bad & downright ugly among the members, but for the most part, this has remained what I consider to be one of the best group interactions available.
I’ve learned a lot & tried to contribute a lot along the way. I’ve seen a lot of good members who were previously here who have left or chosen to no longer interact bc of some of the various interactions that have occurred, but for those who have left or gone dark that may still read this, here’s hoping you might rejoin the discussions once again.
For those who remain: in what way does this particular Forza Forum “Family” contribute to your enjoyment or displeasure with the game?
I’ve heard it said before, that while some members had pretty much given up on the game itself, this Forum kept them coming back. Good or bad, it’s pretty much a habitual part of my daily routine to check-in, so I’d just like to say thank you for all the interactions & contributions from those who have stuck around.
The biggest draws for me are the weekly/seasonal info threads with tunes/tips and also the Rivals thread (where I mostly lurk for cool tunes and to be inspired by people that are simultaneously way better at racing than I am but are still humble enough to take input and criticism from others). A lot of my work in vinyl groups and liveries is just seeking to find a way to contribute (outside of tunes). So some of my most gratifying projects have been custom requests. One of those custom requests has become one of my most downloaded livery patterns (not just one livery, but the line of similar liveries with the color scheme/vinyl groups).
I try to stay out of the negativity, outside of occasionally griping in the seasonal info thread. But I DO try to keep it positive.
I keep coming back with the vain hope that I can at least influence the direction of this franchise and be a small part of its success.
I also hope to convince others to my cause. I don’t expect to convince everyone of everything I say, but convincing even a few that maybe my ideas are good ones can potentially snowball into a big deal for both us consumers and the devs.
Lastly, I do like helping out my fellow players on occasion. I don’t often get to do that in the traditional sense with building and sharing tunes since most people are looking for meta builds, something I aggressively avoid, but I do get to contribute on the odd occasion with threads like Little known facts about the game.
I appreciate the depth of knowledge many members have as well as their willingness to share it. For me, this forum introduced me to the Rivals weekly competition, (which I love, although never do very well). My time is extremely limited, so I envy those who tell tales about spending hours trying to perfect their lines in a certain race. I’ve got a vacation coming up though in 2 months, and after we get back from Disneyland, I hope to make a bigger splash in the Rivals ranking.
This is the community that Forza should try harder to focus on in game IMO.
It definitely helps to keep me coming back. While there’s obviously some bad users who shall not be named, I’ve had various great discussions with other people, and it’s great to discuss with like-minded people and vent my frustrations about the game. Similar to @TheWarmWind76, I like to think we have some kind of influence here and the more we voice our opinions on the game, the better.
In the end I’ve met some great people here, and I do enjoy coming back here to chat even with the bad users that pop in every once in a while. The [post removed due to community standards] are pretty bad too, but you guys make up for it. I enjoy my time here.
Completely agree & can fully empathize with you there, which makes it even more impressive some of the tunes you’re able to crank out. Many thanks again for sharing those. (Planning to visit Galaxy’s Edge?)
I don’t actually remember how I ended up first coming here lol.
But the main 3 reasons I’ve stayed are…
The playlist thread is very helpful for getting everything ready instead of looking at it in-game, remembering restrictions, getting a car ready, forgetting some, going back to playlist over and over, having everything in 1 place makes it much easier.
Jezza’s Rivals Challenge, I only browsed it during FH4 and it opened my eyes to who the proper tuners are, then I reluctantly jumped in for this game and it’s improved my tuning + course knowledge and driving full stop, it’s got me into Rivals as a mode and added near infinite replayability in the game for me.
The community, this is the place where you’re least likely to get blinkered views, yes there are times where people are overly harsh/forgiving of things but on the whole I’ve found relative to the other places it’s the most balanced, and despite the game + franchise’s popularity there really aren’t many, TrueAchievements stopped bothering with it’s weekly playlist article because there was so little engagement with it for example.
There are the odd people who I think are just full of hot air and come here to talk the talk when underneath the act they have little to no idea but overall the forum has plenty of passionate players who I’m glad I’ve met, they’ve taught me plenty and it’s helped me get a better sense of perspective in general on both the game + franchise.
Much like Bravo it’s part of my daily routine coming here now and it would be hard to imagine not doing it.
I feel like in 9/10 cases, people who disagree with each other in one thread are still very cordial and friendly to each other in other threads. It is nice to know there is a high baseline for respect around here for each other despite differing opinions and tastes.
I love the forums. It is one of my favorite things to do. I am on all the time. I try my best to serve the community here well and share the knowledge I have. I appreciate everyone’s sharing their knowledge with me as well! It has kept me coming back to fh5 time and time again, even after it lost all I had done several times. These forums are the best!!
There is a lot of truth to this statement. There have been times where I’ve been disagreeing with someone in one thread and agreeing with them in another thread at practically the same time.
However, there are still subjects that I tiptoe around here on the forums. Like the fact that I like EVs and want them to be in the game.
To pre-empt the responses (a bit), liking EVs does not mean I dislike ICEs.
It’s a mixture of things that have me keep coming back. The main thing being that I have unfortunately been unemployed for the last year, mostly because my previous job refused to work around my post-lockdown school schedule so I could complete my AA degree, and after receiving my AA degree, finding work of any kind, including blue collar and retail, has proven to be an enourmous challenge in my area. Luckily, I had a ton of money in my savings before I was let go, so l could live at home more comfortably than most, which I am very thankful for. As a result, I spend most of my free time either playing games (mostly racing games and not limited to Forza), or online, and I always have a tab with forums on it on standby. So, if you’ve ever wondered why I’m around here almost around the clock, that’s why.
I’ve had fun sharing thoughts with users, expanding my ever increasing car wishlist, and having debates with users I both enjoy and tolerate the company of. It’s been a great past time on here, and it’s actually the best spot online to talk about the game in any light since YouTube and Twitter aren’t the best places to have discussions, and usually Reddit changes with the wind.
Heck, I probably spend more time with the Forza community online than I do in the game. Or playing the game for that matter. So much so, I actually recognize a lot of members of our forums on other social media. For the sake of anonymity, I don’t recommend using your gamertag for all of your accounts, folks.
Aww man, I’m sorry to hear that. I too have forums always open, an even have it added to my Home Screen with notifications. I also spend more time on here that I do on actual Forza.
I agree with everything you said!
There is not much on these forums that goes on that I don’t know about.
The forum kept me in the game when the game got to be too much of the same old junk over and over.
There are relationships built up here that are as important to me as any face to face relationships. And maybe one day that will happen. It has in the past, it can again. Then there are others but that’s not for now.
I’m not always positive, but I’m always honest and open. But I do try to make this a better place and I always want the game to continue to grow and improve. And if I can help someone else along the way or if they can help me that’s really the spirit of the community here.
Never know what tomorrow brings, and living on these fixed incomes today a new console maybe a long way off. I don’t know if a new xbox is even in my future. But if it is, I look forward to catching up with you all in the future forza worlds.
I was a reader here long before I was a poster and the forum has really helped me break out of my shell! I’ve read countless posts and learned many a thing from the fine folk here and have been amazed more than once by some of the knowledge and skills our forum members have!
I have made some friendships and acquaintances out of the forum that I am really grateful for and hope to make more!
We have a lot of points of view here (not that I agree with them all) and I’m glad everyone has somewhere to share them because I know (for the most part ) they are all doing so in the hopes of improving the game in some way.
Without the frequent posters (serious and comedic!), the rivals thread, and the playlist discussions (tunes/liveries etc…I’m jealous of you great painters!) I’m not sure how much of a game they would have left! To me the forum makes the game, so i come here everyday!
I didn’t get into the forum until FH5 and for the most part (shamefully) i’m a lurker, not because I have nothing to say, it’s more a case of I don’t see the point in repeating what others have already said. so in most cases, I give a like and move on but i’m like that in real life too, listen more than I talk.
Don’t get me wrong, ask me a question and i’ll give you an honest answer to the best of my knowledge but i’ve yet to find my niche to contribute.
I’ve tried the painting side of things but not very good in comparison, so feel more like i’m spamming more than contributing.
Tried the tunning bit too, even had 55 DL’s in one day (huge for me) but again, it’s very hit and miss.
But regardless of whether I contribute or not, the forum is imo a major part of the game and i’ve met some great like minded people through it and learnt a lot, as well as having a good laugh here and there albeit mostly through the Rivals thread.
Would I still be playing FH5 without the forum ? … possibly.
Would I play it daily ? … doubtfull.
This forum has added to the longevity of the game imho. So thank you to all the people that help it be the place it is.
(sorry if I waffled on, another reason why I don’t post much )
When I log on here I think of myself as a little squirrel who nudges his head out of his lair and twitching my nose, I cautiously scurry over to Auntie Cashless and Uncle TonyKart and scurry off with a few of the “squirrel pilets” (aka tunes) they’ve left me.
Occasionally I post my sloppy livery daubings with the self delusion I’m some sort of automotive Michelangelo. I do that too.
I also sometimes give the latest goss on what I’ve got up too on the weeklies. And that’s about it.
Thanks for all the heartfelt replies so far; genuinely more than I expected & great to hear how the Forum contributes to our player community & enjoyment of the game. I truly appreciate the friends I’ve made on here & all the sincere effort that goes into helping each other, improving the game & the community overall.
(Now you guys have me thinking how cool it would be to have an actual gathering of the Forum members at an actual car show, cooking out & having a few cold ones! Would be like a family reunion with the family we’ve never actually met!)
) they are all doing so in the hopes of improving the game in some way.
Would be like a family reunion with the family we’ve never actually met!
)
Glad you guys are all here! 