Forza Motorsport 6: Apex quick facts and FAQ

Forza Motorsport Legacy Motorsport
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APEX FAQ: PAINTING

“… the game will not feature online multiplayer or the livery design editor. However, in an early beta update, we will be adding a selection of curated livery designs from the Forza painting community to the car select flow.”. (s)

Apex has the same paint options as FM6 for Normal colors and Special surface materials (matte, gloss, metals, wood, etc)

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APEX FAQ: GAME ECONOMY

Economy structure
Apex does not use XP or credits but instead uses an earned points/medals system from racing. The player earns more from harder difficulty settings. Medals unlock cars, and optional microtransactions can be used to unlock access to individual cars earlier than regular game progression. (s) Further information about income methods and purchasable items in Apex is pending.

Tokens
Apex does not use tokens.

Loyalty Rewards
Players may earn a gift car at the start of Apex based on Forza Rewards.

Forza Rewards
Forza Rewards is a loyalty program that tracks your activity across the history of Forza games. By driving, purchasing DLC, unlocking Achievements and performing other tasks, you earn cumulative points toward your Forza Rewards Tier. The higher your Tier, the more rewards (typically credits) you can receive each period. Players must redeem their weekly awards on the website or via the Forza Hub before they are reset for the next week. https://rewards.forzamotorsport.net Apex has 1000 points to unlock. Tier 9 will remain the highest tier. (s)
See also the forum Rewards discussion thread and Forza Rewards FAQ.

Activity (points)

50 Badges Unlocked (50)
50 Cars Driven (100)
25 Perfect Passes (25)
25 Events Completed (25)
100 Bonus Objectives Completed (100)
100 Medals Earned (100)
200 Miles Driven (100)
1000 Xbox Live Gamerscore Points Earned (500)

Contests
Information about contests for Apex is unknown. Turn 10 has held weekly Photo and Livery contests in the Community Events forum for previous Forza games which award credit prizes, as well as other contests which award gift cars.

Selling/Trading Cars
Due to the unlock structure of acquiring access to cars there is no option to sell cars back to the game. Players cannot gift or sell cars to each other.

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APEX FAQ: DRIVING MENU OPTIONS

Apex features the same HUD options as in FM6.

Pause Menu
FM6 players can pause a Free Play, Rivals, or Career race at any time and Resume from the same point later. Players can enter the Pause menu in multiplayer but the race continues while the player’s car sits on the track. The Pause Menu allows access to Photomode, Replay, and Leaderboards for the track and class. Information about Apex menus is pending.

Driver options
FM6 players can choose between a male or a female avatar but cannot customize the driver’s helmet or outfit.

Toggles
In FM6 players cannot honk the horn, activate wipers or lights, or open windows during an event.

Field of View

Camera Angles
In FM6 players can change driving view between cockpit, hood, front bumper, and chase near/chase far.

HUD- can players customize unit display for power and weight?
In FM6 HUD options include the course map with opponent car icons, position, lap count, lap time, sector differential, speedometer, rear-view mirror, damage, fuel, and scoring.

Telemetry
In FM6 players can toggle live telemetry data for speed, horsepower, torque, rpms, boost, suspension travel, camber, lateral g’s, heat, and damage. There is no post-race telemetry analysis in FM6. Information about telemetry data in Apex is unknown.

Audio and Music
In FM6 the audio perspective changes with the driver camera view. Players can change volume but there is no volume mixer to emphasize different sound sources. FM6 has an orchestral score which can be turned on or off. Information about audio and music in Apex is pending.
Reference: The Making of the Forza Motorsport Score Pt. 1 and Pt. 2

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APEX FAQ: DRIVING ASSISTS AND DIFFICULTY

Assists
Before each race players can set their own assists (unless an event as a special restriction on the easiest assists allowed). FM6 provides presets of Easy, Medium, Hard, Professional, or Veteran, or the player can use a mix of Custom settings for each assist in order to boost credit payouts. In FM6 turning off all assists provides a 75% boost in race payouts:

  • Suggested Line: Full shows guidance arrows on the track that are green for accelerate or red for brake. Braking Only just shows red when the player is exceeding grip speed coming into a corner, and Off shows now arrows.
  • Braking: Assisted activates brakes automatically based on calculated speed and grip, ABS ON pulses brakes, and ABS OFF allows the player to lock the brakes.
  • Steering: Assisted activates steering automatically, requiring only acceleration or braking, Normal is suited for controller users, and Simulation is more sensitive and suited for wheel users.
  • Traction and Stability: TCS & STM helps keeps the car from losing control, TCS ONLY limits power to the wheels to avoid burnouts, STM ONLY activates brakes to straighten a car from spinning, and OFF removes both aids.
  • Shifting: Automatic shifts the car at the rev limiter, Manual requires the driver to gear up or gear down, and Manual with Clutch requires the driver to activate the clutch and gear to shift.
  • Damage: Cosmetic shows visible cracks and paint scuffing but allows unlimited fuel and tire fidelity, Simulation depletes fuel and allows tire wear while also subjecting steering/shifting/power/braking/aero to performance failure due to cumulative damage expressed as a percentage. Simulation damage will affect control responsiveness, sound different, and emit smoke behind the car. - Simulation damage does not result in the car breaking apart, catching fire, or popping tires. Damaged cars are repaired by pitting or completing the race (at no cost).
  • Rewind: ON allows the player to rewind the action in segments for a ‘do-over’ during Free Play, Rivals, and Career racing. Rewind is not an option during Multiplayer races where the action is live.

Drivatars

  • Difficulty: In FM6 Drivatar Difficulty can be set to New Racer, Inexperienced, Average, Above Average, Highly Skilled, Expert, Pro, or Unbeatable for increased payout boost and a more challenging race.
  • Aggression: Limit Drivatar Aggression On prevents opponent Drivatars from intentionally crashing you.

Mod Cards
In FM6 Dare Mods offer payout boosts or a more challenging experience by handicapping cars with reduced shift time, extra weight, reduced grip, reduced power, or inferior grid position. The use of Mod Cars in Apex is unknown.

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APEX FAQ: MOD CARDS

Apex does not feature Mod Cards as in FM6.

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APEX FAQ: TRACK LIST AND WEATHER/NIGHT

Forzamotorsport.net - FM6 Tracks page
Forzamotorsport.net - FM6 Features - E3 2015
arstechnica.com - Forza Motorsport 6: Getting dark and wet in a world-first hands-on - June 2015
Team VVV Youtube - Dan Greenawalt talking night and rain - E3 2015

The Apex announcement provides the list of track locations and number of layouts at 20, including night and wet-weather variants. Free Play offers the following track ribbons (lengths in miles):
2.43 Brands Hatch GP Day
2.43 Brands Hatch GP Rain
1.21 Brands Hatch Indy Day
1.21 Brands Hatch Indy Rain
3.83 Rio Full Day
2.84 Rio National Day
1.32 Rio Coast Day
1.01 Rio Mountain Day
0.68 Rio Mini Day
3.83 Rio Full R Day
2.84 Rio National R Day
1.32 Rio Coast R Day
1.01 Rio Mountain R Day
0.68 Rio Mini R Day
3.70 Sebring Full Day
3.70 Sebring Full Night
3.70 Sebring Full Rain
2.13 Sebring Short Day
2.13 Sebring Short Night
2.13 Sebring Short Rain
1.70 Sebring Club Day
1.70 Sebring Club Night
1.70 Sebring Club Rain
4.35 Spa Full Day
4.35 Spa Full Night
4.35 Spa Full Rain
1.75 TopGear Full Day
1.75 TopGear Full Rain
0.94 TopGear East Day
0.94 TopGear East Rain
0.80 TopGear West Day
0.80 TopGear West Rain
1.42 TopGear Loop Day
1.42 TopGear Loop Rain
0.94 TopGear East R Day
0.94 TopGear East R Rain
0.80 TopGear West R Day
0.80 TopGear West R Rain
1.42 TopGear Loop R Day
1.42 TopGear Loop R Rain
3.45 Yas Marina Full Day
3.45 Yas Marina Full Night
1.96 Yas Marina North Day
1.96 Yas Marina North Night
1.47 Yas Marina South Day
1.47 Yas Marina South Night
1.43 Yas Marina North Alt Day
1.43 Yas Marina North Alt Night
2.95 Yas Marina Corkscrew Day
2.95 Yas Marina Corkscrew Night

Note that these track locations in FM6 do not feature ovals, loose-surface, playground, or P2P modes.

Night
In FM6 night tracks are the same layouts as day tracks. Reduced night temperatures reduces grip. Grandstand areas of the track may be lit but further areas may be completely dark, greatly limiting visibility for cars without headlights (race cars, or damaged production cars). Night tracks are always at a fixed time and do not transition to day time in FM6. Night tracks do not feature rain in FM6.

Does night air temperature affect air density and engine performance?

Rain/Wet
In FM6 wet-weather tracks are the same layouts as day tracks but feature puddles and falling rain. FM6 automatically switches car tires to wet tread without changing PI, and automatically activates wipers for the race. Rain does not accumulate in open cockpits. Cars will hydroplane with wide tires and drag with skinny tires in the 3-D puddles. In FM6 puddles do not transition during a race (unlike the evaporation in Forza Horizon 2). In FM6 there are no tracks with both night and rain.

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APEX FAQ: FREE PLAY AND SPLIT SCREEN

Free Play
Free Play allows the player to set up a custom race between you and up to 15 Drivatar opponents. You can select any track and any car you have unlocked. Locked cars can be unlocked with the use of real money. Cars can be painted and tuned here. To Test Drive a car (no time/lap limit), select Tune Setup and then the key or button for Test Drive indicated on the bottom of the screen.

Split-screen
Apex does not feature split-screen or local multiplayer.

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APEX FAQ: CAREER MODE FEATURES

The Apex announcement states:

Does Apex use Drivatars or AI for opponents?
“Forza Motorsport 6: Apex utilizes the cloud-based Drivatars of your Xbox Live Friends and the Xbox One community” (s)

What’s a Drivatar?
Forza games since FM5 have used the Drivatar system to fill a field of racing opponents in the absence of a live player (career, free play, multiplayer). Instead of a fixed A.I. program, Forza’s servers learn how each player drives and creates a Drivatar to represent that player’s driving style in braking, turning, acceleration, and collision avoidance. Your Drivatar appears in other players’ races even when you are offline and will be labeled with your gamertag and show liveries. (s) Over time, as your driving style changes, your Drivatar’s behavior changes as well; your Drivatar will lap faster or slower depending on your performance in solo and multiplayer modes. (s)

Can I choose Drivatar opponent settings, cars, and liveries?
In FM6 a Professionalism setting allows you to limit griefing behavior by Drivatars. (s)
Drivatar settings in Apex are TBA.

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APEX FAQ: MULTIPLAYER

Does Apex have multiplayer lobbies?
“Forza Motorsport 6: Apex utilizes the cloud-based Drivatars of your Xbox Live Friends and the Xbox One community, as well as asynchronous leaderboards for comparing your Race Points, but the game will not feature online multiplayer” (s)

(s)

Is there cross-play between Apex and FM6?
“No, it is a curated experience designed for Windows 10.” (s)

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APEX FAQ: RIVALS AND LEADERBOARDS

Leaderboards
Apex uses asynchronous leaderboards for comparing your Race Points with friends. (s) Other leaderboard sorting info and details are TBA.
Leaderboards are only available while playing with an active online connection. (s)

In FM6:
Rivals
Rivals is a solo mode that allows you to compete against the ghosts of other players on the leaderboards for specific events and for each class/track. The next Rival listed will be pulled from your Friends list or the next nearest Regional or Global leaderboard time if no Friends are ahead of you. These Rivals will also appear in "Congratulations you beat: " and “Next Rival” alerts on your HUD when you race in Career. You can change your target rival to any listed on that leaderboard; higher ranked targets award more credits and XP if you beat them. Players may choose their assists and use tuning setups (unless an event is restricted to Stock Only) which can be adjusted or loaded from the pre-race menu. Photo Mode is available from the pause menu, and you can view and save the replay from the post-race menu. Mods are not available in Rivals mode.