How ghosting works in public lobbies and how wreckers use it to their advantage

Forza Motorsport Legacy Motorsport
1

Let me describe to you all a scenario:

You’re in a public lobby, just hoping for a fun race using your favorite car, be it in E, D, C, B, A, S, or whatever-class. Before the race starts, you notice one person selects the Ford Transit (or any other large truck/SUV). Its stats indicate that it has very low handling, but lots of horsepower. And then you see another person select a similar one, and you notice that their gamertags are similar. The countdown finishes, and the race begins to load.

Now the dread sets in. You know what’s coming.

The pile-up at the start was as apocalyptic as you had feared. The Transit buddies went wild. Half the field was pointed in the other direction, tire smoke everywhere, cars are spinning, some dude in a Corvette was launched thirty feet in the air (that’s about 19 meters for all you non Yanks). It was mayhem.

And yet somehow, some way, you got through. You zigged, then you zagged, and you missed one of the Transits by inches, but you and just a handful of other cars made it. Now you set your focus to actual racing.

The Transit buddies, however, have other ideas.

They aren’t interested in lapping. Over the entire race, they might complete one lap. As you approach the front straight, you see them again, creeping slowly forward. They’re both ghosts, so maybe you’ll get by unharmed. But then it happens, just as you’re 200 feet behind them, they turn solid, and have their way with you.

This is what bothers me about how public lobbies are set up. It’s okay if racing gets dirty and crashes happen, but this is different.

The Transit buddies are crawling along the track, or maybe just standing still. But as soon as they see on the mini-map that cars are approaching, they start moving. We all know why. When they were still, they were ghosted, because that’s how this mechanic works in Forza. If you go backwards or stand still, you become a ghost. But after a few seconds of moving forward, you become solid again.

My question is this: Why is this mechanic still enabled even if you are multiple laps down?

Turn10, if you are reading this, please, PLEASE consider making all players that are 1+ lap down to the lead car a PERMANENT GHOST. It would immediately get rid of the people who only play to wreck people in public lobbies. 99% of the wrecking behavior I see (and I race online every night) is exactly this. Abuse of the ghost mechanic. Implement this and no longer will players have to endure this behavior. That is a 100% guarantee.

13 Likes
2

+1 Thank you.

(By the way I think I was racing your ghost this morning on brands hatch, s class, if i’m not mistaken. You’re pretty quick)

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Thanks. Yeah you may have, I’ve never hotlapped Brands but I’ve raced it enough and that’s probably what you saw. I’m good for top 20 or so when I’m really trying.

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Yeah i was just hundreths of second behind and i placed 25th in the americas i think, you were probably 23rd or something like that. Now you went back today and shaved off a second off your time, placing 9th… Should have shut my mouth…

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I couldn’t agree more. This exact scenario has happened to me so many times. I’ve had races where one or two guys in large trucks did nothing but ram the other drivers for the entire race.
Something has to be done.

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I been saying this over, and over. Its probably one of the easiest steps to make the hoppers cleaner. It’s a another stupid decision made by T10.

3 Likes
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Make it an option. Public lobbies can have it enabled. I swear Forza 4 has this feature but it wasn’t an option.

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Just to play devils advocate here:

What if there are back markers racing - how do you ghost them for some but not for each other?
Some will complain it is unrealistic to have back markers ghosted - they present a change in circumstances from hot lapping which is a part of racing.

The issue isn’t back markers or those who are lapped - it is the behavior of some individuals and the solution to that is far from simple (and yes I have come across clowns like these and agree something needs to be done but I am yet to see a viable solution - each solution has other issues or will cause other complaints).

Oh - 30 feet is 9 meters, not 19.

1 Like
9

very easy. Collisions are on for anybody on your lap. Everyone else will be ghost.
As far as realistic goes. It’s unrealistic to have pro level drivers to race against novice drivers. It’s unrealistic no to get blacked flag for dirty driving or drive below race pace

10

Maybe something that can be done is increase the ghost timer?

Instead of the 2-3 seconds it seems to be on now, maybe crank it up to 15-20. That would give people more then enough time to get past the Transit brothers (as they could not sit still until a group enters the straight) and back markers would still be in effect for the serious racers.

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It’s not the best option I know, but use the REPORT function. The Xbox live enforcement team DOES review complaints, (how many it takes I’m not sure), and WILL ban people for improper behavior. Right now it’s the only real way we have to get these clowns out of the lobbies.

2 Likes
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This is what I do… And do it repeatedly… Every race some 1 wrecks I report em each time sometimes commenting the individual is a repeat offender… I have sometimes seen a player join the lobby and not race. A few races later the wrecker is gone… This depends on the time of day… I wonder if it is someone observing the wreckers behavior… I also report em each time because some wreckers frequently change their gamertag. I might not be able to find em if they do but the Xbox live system does track name changes so it is best to report em immediately and I always add a comment.

1 Like
13

I like this idea lot… Why it is not in the game already is beyond me. Whether you’re trying or not, if you are getting lapped, you should be ghosted, simple.

The races are so short that if you’re getting lapped, it might be time to practice, not race online.

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How about if some people go for 40+ laps on private race series race? it is just realistic that there is cars that fall down a lap, or even 2 laps. Then again on those series races are not causing havoc at least intentionally.

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OP was referring to public lobbies, so was I. I’m sure if you set up a 40+ lap private race with friends, the people a lap down wouldn’t be wrecking you on purpose.

The hopper lobbies in Forza 5 and 6 have made the online racing in Forza an absolute joke. The fact that nothing has changed or is even being addressed makes it worse. If you’re okay with the hopper lobbies as is… you either don’t race much online or you’ve adjusted your racing mentality so much that you accept this as normal… or you are a turn 1 bowler.

I’ve been in parties with 8 friends, all vote to kick the wrecking ball and other randoms do too…nothing happens. The kick system is not an effective tool against trolls.

There is an effective tool for all this, we just can’t have it…and I’m beating a dead horse asking for it back.

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All that would be needed in private multiplayer is the option to turn off ghosting. As far as public hoppers go, the races are so short that I feel ghosting anyone a lap or more down could be quite beneficial.

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We are talking hoppers here. In free play and private lobbys , the host would have the option.

.

18

One thing I liked about Gran Turismo 6’s multiplayer was that you could manually ghost yourself by pausing the game. Most people weren’t entirely aware of it but it did come in handy if you spotted a car about to ram you off the road, or you screwed up your braking and were about to plough into a field of drivers.

Maybe this is the way to go since I imagine coding “1 lap down ghosting” is a little tricky. At least this way you have some form of protection from problematic players.

1 Like
19

I agree with this idea the most since it would give the clean racers a chance at defense against the intentional wreckers. Last lobby that I was the target of one all I could do was dodge his last attempt to put me in the wall at Daytona again just to come in next to last with a demolished mustang. He managed to barrel roll me on the back straight first lap. I had to switch from cockpit to hood view just to see and I tried to lose him by pitting, but he just waited at pit exit. He jumped out of the lobby after the race before I could block his gamer tag, but I did get to report him at least.

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20

Personally i like the 1 lap down ghosting idea regardless of how realistic it is, for the private lobbies it could be turned off. In collisions mode you would have: default, always on, ghost, or default + 1 lap down

Too many are abusing now, and i dont see how anyone could abuse that system.

1 Like