I’ve been seeing many people commenting about the issues related to starting order when racing online. Qualifying before every race can slow down the online play, and will further divide the community into lobbies that have (or don’t have) qualifying, since many people just want to race. There has to be a way to reward the best drivers to be able to start up front, which will help prevent significantly faster drivers from being forced to pass mediocre drivers, often causing crashes.
My idea is this: We already have fastest lap leaderboards for every track, where someone can go and try and focus on improving track knowledge. Implement a feature that places driver in order of fastest (clean) lap at any given track. This will encourage drivers to master tracks, which will make online crashes less frequent due better track knowledge (specific to variations of tracks). It seems a vast majority of wrecks that aren’t caused by someone in a limo are caused by someone thinking the track was the standard (well known) layout of a track, when in fact, it’s a variation. It will also reward better drivers by allowing them to start up front and avoid getting into stupid wrecks.
You could allow the “offline qualifying” laps to be done in either any car in a particular class (since some people are better with their preferred car), or one standardized car that cannot be modified. The idea certainly isn’t perfect, but I think it’d be a start towards improving overall driver skills (track knowledge) and preventing some wrecks caused by much faster cars trying to pass inexperienced drivers.
I could be wrong, but doesn’t it only work that way based on the previous races in the session? Where if you’ve just joined, you could be stuck in the back? To my point, I think if this was the method, if would encourage a lot of practicing tracks, which would make for more competitive racing, and better track knowledge IMO.
I agree with your other comment…The first turn is a nightmare. I wish the first turn would ghost everyone. There is definitely one group of people that love to ram, but I think a lot of people don’t do it intentionally. They think that they can late brake and jump a few spots at the beginning, but the reality is that’s very difficult. Then you have a bunch of players who take turn 1 cautious to prevent wrecking, and their early braking causes others to slam into the back of them. Ghosting turn 1 would solve all of those problems.
Many people don’t want to go through all that “work” ahead of a race.
They’re called Hoppers for a reason; you hop in, get racing, and either stay or leave depending on how much fun you’re having. Forza’s a game for people with 5 minutes spare time as well as those with 5 hours.
The current system (fastest lap of previous race) is fine, as it doesn’t add any extra setup time to the experience while still rewarding those for staying in a room longer and/or doing well.
In any case, no matter what grid ordering you use there are going to be crashes, but at least with the current system the faster drivers have a chance to escape before the inevitable happens.
It is based on the previous race so you do usually start in the back when you get into a lobby but after 1 or 2 races it sorts itself out. It doesn’t take long at all to figure out where you stand in a lobby.
Maybe I’m being selfish, but this is where I have an issue. I feel like it takes me more than one or two races to get myself sorted because I’m always getting wrecked back in the pack. Generally speaking, I’m a 1st - 4th consistent driver if I don’t get wrecked. More often than not, my first 3-4 races online, I get wiped out early, and end up finishing 6-10th because I’m trying to catch up for half the race. Then once you get to the top 5, the times are so consistent, it’s difficult to gain much at that point. Often, I’m only doing 5 races before I get off (I don’t have much time to play), so all my races are spent in the back, unless I’m playing for an extended period of time.
I could care less about ensuring I have a fast and clean time everywhere. There are several tracks I have no interest in doing such.
There many like me.
What they have now works good if you’re a good driver. Almost all can break away from the pack for 1 lap.
If you’re average or slow you’ll always start mid pack and will face wreckers and others who think they can outbrake everyone but fail miserably. No matter the system, average and slow players will be facing terrible players. There’s simply not enough separation at the start to pull away.
You must race in very different lobbies than me. Unless I start up front, it’s very difficult to make it through the first 3 turns without being wrecked. I can literally do everything right, and give people tons of room, and I end up in the tires.
Drivers shouldn’t be racing online if they don’t know the tracks. If they are online, they shouldn’t be starting up front. Simple as that. I enjoy passing cars as much as everyone else, but I enjoy close hard racing battles…not people who are clueless how to stay on the track without using other cars to help them brake.
As long as I know my car, I rarely get wrecked and when I do it’s not hard to recover. Afterwards there’s usually enough spacing to make a swift comeback for a win or at least a podium.
Sometimes I’m aggressive and other times i hold back enough to wait until a better opportunity comes about. Its pretty easy to navigate traffic most of the time. Then again I know how to work the probabilities in my favor. The variables aren’t terribly abstract once you learn the common mistakes and how to identify those players prone to mistakes before the race starts.
If someone has a car collector level of 5 or below for example, watch out. Give extra space. Theyll eventually wipe themselves out.
I do have bad nights, but more often then not it’s not too bad.
I can attest to RPM Swerve’s comment. I had a very different driving style on Forza 6 from the average player where most of my builds focused on power first and not much else. I was quick but proved to be frustrating for drivers who didn’t like sideways smoking tire muscle cars slamming the door on them on the straights. I actually frustrated Lobby Lou so much he blocked me and when I happened to end up in a lobby with him he’d quit. But don’t get me wrong I was fast. Forza 7 is too grippy for that driving style and the tire heat model is very different so I’ve adjusted but I miss my 600hp 69 nova with 3.2 braking stat in D class. Many tried it, few enjoyed it but I loved it.
It’s all about judging your opponent. Knowing what someone is going to do before they do it gets you out of a jam so often. Also hugging the inside wall nice and tight on the first turn if your out front and hanging back just a bit if you’re behind. Do those two things and you’ll be golden. Also, don’t try to pass on the inside in a braking zone. It rarely ends well. Favor the outside line, brake a little earlier than your opponent and when they miss the apex trying to outbrake you they will slide wide. That is when you cross underneath them and pass them at the exit of the corner. Fantastic clean way to make a good pass online. Play the driver, not his car.
The best clean lap from previous races work’s well. People should have to work there way up and earn the poll position.
It wouldn’t be fair to the player’s already in the room.
I do think that being rewarded for good racing is a positive thing…
I just think that my idea would provide more consistent competitive racing at the front of the pack by ensuring that the faster drivers (even if they just joined the lobby) are up front.
I don’t think it’s completely broken…I just would like to see T10 try some new things out to see if there are any positive improvements.
I raced online first time today. After a couple races I wD starting in 3rd, a few I started pole. Didn’t matter. I got rammed every single game, sometimes before crossing the starting line. Very few races did I manage to make it clear of the first corner without getting spun.
There was a lot of good racing, but a lot of people intentionally ranking as you pass on a wide open straight…
The online is sad. No matter what i do on the starting line every single time i get rammed. I mean seriously … if i move out of the way dont come and get me on the outside of the start line. I move trying to get the people behind me to pass because i know they will miss the turn anyway… they still ram me off to continue on. its like the only strategy … can we have a race setting where no assist is allowed because its pretty clear that everyone online uses all the assist and if you are not well youll be a back marker getting rammed anyway …
The ai is terrible and online is a ram fest … please Turn 10 help us out here.
What i tend to do now in the first race in a lobby, if I’m getting punted off on the first lap, I’ll just drop to the back or find some clear air and then put in a clean lap. Pretty much guarantees a starting position at the front next race. Shame you have to sacrifice a race to do it.
Online this morning started mid pack, put in two clean laps and was pole the next race.
First turn was rammed viciously, managed to save it and started the next race at pole. Guess I need to work on tuning to get the speed off the line cause I often get rammed before even braking for first turn.