NOTE: @ForzaFederation, this is not meant to be directed at you personally - I wrote this up a couple years back - can’t remember if I ever posted it anywhere or not…
I want to race with “like-minded” players!
When it comes to discussions about assists and view mode settings in User-Created races (formerly referred to as Custom Public Lobbies or “CPLs”), we frequently hear:
“I disable all assists, force cockpit view, and turn on damage – because I want to race with ‘like-minded’ players.”
Well, let’s look at a player who goes by the name “Bob”:
He is, for lack of a better way to put it, a “grown-up.” Always uses a mic (and doesn’t have kids screaming or music blaring in the background). He has real-world track experience, which he’s happy to talk about, and he likes to chat between races, occasionally getting a laugh from some of his jokes.
While he’s not at the very top of the leaderboards, he’s reasonably quick and races very cleanly, always aware of traffic around him, waiting for opportunities to pass cleanly instead of making those risky attempts which often result in contact and off-track excursions. Bob uses a variety of cars that he just likes to drive - doesn’t matter if it’s not the best car with the best build/tuning setup for the particular track - because his idea of a good race is not “getting the win,” it’s having good competition, whether that means finishing 1st, last or somewhere in between.
On the occasions when he ends up with a big lead, he slows down on the last lap and waits, so more players can finish before the end-of-race timeout. He has even been known to drop back when he’s running out front, because it’s more fun to be “in the thick of things.”
In short, “Bob” is EXACTLY the kind of guy everyone wants in their races.
Except…
Bob prefers to use Bumper View, because he’s been playing since the original FM1 - before there was a cockpit view - and bumper view was the only view with a mirror. He uses a game-pad instead of a wheel setup (cost, space limits, wife, etc) and, due to an injury a while back, he has limited dexterity in the fingers of his left hand… so he uses ABS.
That means “Joe” - who sets up his CPL with all assists disabled and forced cockpit view - will never meet Bob. Apparently, Joe is more interested in the SETTINGS a player uses, rather than in the ATTITUDE a player brings to the game.
Personally, I too prefer to race with “like-minded” players… although, my definition of “like-minded” is a guy like Bob. Players who want to have good, clean, competitive and FUN races. I don’t care what assists anyone uses. In fact, if a player normally uses ABS and TCS, I’d prefer that he keep those enabled. He’s far less likely to inadvertantly cause a collision if he’s playing in the way in which he is accustomed.
Of course, Joe is free to set up his CPL however he wishes. I’d advise him to broaden his definition of “like-minded” players, though. He just might end up meeting some good players, and maybe even make some new friends.
