The Eliminator needs an overhaul, period.
As someone who spends 90% of my Forza gameplay time focused on the Eliminator, there’s nothing more I’d like to see than that this epic game mode continues to grow and flourish. However, after playing 2500+ games, its been quite obvious for a while that this game mode is in desperate need of something new, fresh, and exciting.
Below is a list of suggestions which could help do just that. I’ll also share some thoughts for some entirely new (and exciting) game modes built around the Eliminator which I’d like to see; things like “Hardcore Mode”, “Team Mode”, and “Rush Mode”. Let’s get started.
-
New cars. This one is definitely the most obvious. I’d like to see a rolling roster of new cars added on a consistent basis ( monthly, quarterly, et ). Also, instead of replacing all the cars, maybe just replace around 60% of the current fleet for new ones. Then, for the next roster update, maybe replace the remaining 40% of old cars plus an additional 20% of the last update roster. This would create a nice balance between old and new cars.
-
More cars per level. Have at least 7-8 per level; the more the merrier. Honestly 10 cars per level wouldn’t be too many.
-
More vehicle type variety. Forza has 29 different vehicle types; bring more of that variety into the Eliminator.
-
More car manufacturer variety. Currently, Ford is represented with 8 Eliminator cars ( 11 if you count the Hoonigan cars ). Meanwhile, Nissan has only a single car. No more than 2 cars per manufacturer should be allowed in the Eliminator at any one time.
-
Daily “Super Eliminator”. This would be a 100+ player match, and the winner recieves an exclusive prize attainable only by winning this spicific gamemode. A multi-hour countdown would precede the start of this match so players know exactly when to expect it.
-
Longer Final Showdowns. A current Showdown is around 7 km and the finish line is marked by a single checkpoint. Instead, make the Final Showdown 20 kms long and spread across 4 different 5 km checkpoints. Once you reach checkpoint 1, checkpoint 2 becomes visible ( but only to you, not to those who have yet to reach checkpoint 1 ). Same goes for checkpoint 3 and 4. The winner is the first player to reach the final checkpoint.
-
An in-game leaderboard. This would display each driver’s gamertag, current car, number of eliminations, and current status ( racing, upgrading, or roaming ). The ranking is based on the car level ( level 10 being the highest ), with the number of eliminations being the next determining factor. Drivers that have been eliminated would have their column “greyed out”, but still visible. A horizontal line divides the current and eliminated players. The leaderboard could be tied to the regular big map, where the leaderboard would be on the left side while the map is positioned on the right ( making this the ultimate info-board ). A website with a global Eliminator leaderboard would also be nice.
-
More players per match. It might mean slightly longer matchmaking times, but a 60 player lobby should be normal as opposed to being an absolute rarity. Maybe have an epic Eliminator highlights cutscene play during this longer load-in time.
-
Eliminator finish podium. Other Forza races have a podium for the top 3 finishers; apply that to the Eliminator as well.
-
No repeatable upgrade loop. Currently, if you upgrade to the Funco, your next upgrade choice will always be the Centenario ( and vice versa ). Have a different upgrade choice available after each win, even if you stayed in the same car all game.
-
Add “mystery” car drops. In addition to the normal number and car name that we see on car drops, springled in some car drops that are marked only with a question mark. You don’t know what the car will be until you choose it. After you get the drop, you play like normal. Or, you could make the effects of a mystery car drop more permanent by not allowing the driver to switch to another car afterwards. In that case, maybe make the mystery car drop a level 7 or 8 car; this way it’s not the fastest nor the slowest car in the Eliminator.
-
Have “flash” car drops. These would be level 7-10 cars that appear for 60 seconds and then disappear if not taken. A notification would pop up alerting players to the imminent arrival of a “flash” drop. Upon arrival, the location of this drop is marked by a yellow arrow on everyones minimap. This would bring players together and lead to an increased amount of head-to-heads. Have this happen a few times per match.
-
Add a “legendary” car drop. This is a level 11 car which an airplane ( or Eliminator blimp ) would drop in via a parachute ( similar to the Corvette in the game intro ). This event would be rare and happen only once or twice every 24 hours. Everyone in-game would be alerted to its arrival with a gold banner stating “legendary car drop immenent”. Just like flash drops, the location would be highlighted for all to see ( again leading to more races ).
-
Introduce “spectator” mode. I just got eliminated and want to see how the game ends. This ability allows me to watch each opponent’s POV aftter I’m out of the race. And even if you’re not playing the game, you could still join the Eliminator via spectator mode and watch each player’s progress via their POV. This would also be a great way to spot, and deter, cheaters.
-
More transparent on-screen text. Text like “GO” and “Final Showdown” are too big, and not being able to see past them often leads to what could otherwise be an avoidable crash or race loss. Instead of using bold, filled-in text, maybe just show the outline of the text. Alternatively, make the text size smaller, or disappear quicker altogether. Just don’t block the screen with it. Also, skill scores text still show up in the Eliminator even though it’s turned off. “Off” should mean “off”.
-
Better anti-cheat. If I have to travel on land to my destination while my opponent zips through the air at rocket speed, there’s a problem. Teleporting, traveling across water, high speed erratic movement, etc; it all needs to go. Having “specator” mode would also help gather evidence directly from a cheater’s POV and potentially reduce the number of cheaters we see in-game.
-
Add skins, wraps, and liveries for Eliminator cars. Have an “Eliminator cars” section in your garage where you can modify the appearance of each Eliminator car. Add exlusive wraps available only to those who have completed various Eliminator accolades.
-
More Eliminator accolades. Things like “win 2/3/4/5 consecutive Eliminator games” or “eliminate 7/8/9/10 players in a single game”. Another suggestion would be “eliminate someone in a car 5 levels higher than your own”, etc. For a really tough challenge, throw in a “eliminate someone in a car 9 levels higher than your own” (yes I would definitely go for it ). Rewards for these accomplishments would be exlusive car wraps, Eliminator apparel, Forza Link chats, etc.
-
Start of the game announcer like in FH4. Maybe let players choose a few dialogues they’d like to hear (similar to the lines you choose for Forza Links )
-
Fix the Time-Out bar. Experience has taught me how long I can stay outside the Arena without being eliminated, not the broken time-out bar that is specifically in-game to do that job for me. Please fix it so it shows accurate information.
-
Fix the car horn bug. There’s nothing quite like honking at your opponent 5 times before the race will actually start. If I’m within range and a horn goes off, a race starts. It should be that simple.
-
Fix the finish line. Properly show the finish line like in Flag Rush mode. Maybe have a circle on the ground that we need to drive over. Sometimes the only way I see it is by combining the distance indication and minimap. The head-to-head is hard enough; make the start and end of the race easy.
-
Balance the cars. I’m specifically looking at you Audi RS6. This is a “sleeper” level 2 car with a higher top speed than many high-level cars, and it was a level 5 in FH4. Car levels should be tied to car performance. Or if the RS6 was deliberately brought in as a sleeper ( as opposed to an oversight ), there should be a sleeper car on each level ( but only if each level has 7-10 cars to choose from ).
-
Add a “triple header”. Currently only 2 cars can race each other at the same time. Make it possible so that if a third car comes along, he could challenge either driver and instantly be added to the race. Instead of upgrading just 1 level, the winner would now have the option to upgrade to a car 2 levels higher than his own, or he could take his opponents car. Maybe this could be a separate mode in the Eliminator.
Now lets take a look at what some all-new Eliminator game modes like “Hardcore Mode”, "Team Mode, and “Rush Mode” could look like.
-
Hardcore Mode
-All assists are turned off for this mode.
-Simulation damage is turned on. There would be a damage bar which would fill up if you hit obstacles like cars, trees, rocks, ( massive jumps would also affect it ). As it fills up, the car’s performance starts to slow down, and visually the car looks like a wreck. Once the bar fills completely, your car would be unable to move for a set amount of time ( or you could be simply eliminated as another option ). The damage would reset once you swap to another car.
-Remove the map and ability to choose a starting position. Visual spotting and listening for cars become very important.
-Reduce the starting Arena size so players don’t have long travel times with no other cars in sight.
-Remove the car drops. The only way to upgrade is by racing others.
-Everyone starts the game with a level 5 car of their choice so you already have a decent car.
-Remove the Final Showdown. The game goes on until only 1 driver remains. -
Team Mode
There are 2 modes for this; a “30 Vs 30” ( or 20 Vs 20 ) mode and a “Squad” mode. Let’s look at the “30 vs 30” mode first.(30 vs 30 Mode).
-
Everyone is divided into ether “Red Team” or “Blue Team”. You can only race opponents from the opposite team.
-
There is no Final Showdown; the first team to eliminate all of the other team’s drivers wins.
(Squad Mode)
-
You have the ability to spawn in with another driver or friend ( maybe via Convoy mode or something similar ). If you don’t choose a teammate beforehand, the game will assign you one.
-
Your teammate is indicated with a green ( instead of pink ) dot. A green ( instead of the normal white ) triangle shows direction of travel.
-
Each squad has a captain, and only he can inititate races. Once he challenges a driver, the race is on. Both teams need to get to the same finish line. The first team to get both cars across the finish line win, while the other team gets eliminated. Or, instead of eliminating both drivers from the losing team, only the last placed driver would get eliminated but his teammate is allowed to continue. This remaining player would have the option to “buy back” his teammate instead of upgrading his car the next time he wins a head-to-head. However, if he loses his next race, that team is eliminated. Since this is mode is all about teamwork, both team drivers need to be present in order to compete in the Final Showdown. If a teammate reaches the Final Showdown but his partner is eliminated, the remaining driver will also be eliminated near the start of the Showdown. This will put pressure on the remaining driver to win a head-to-head so that he might bring back his eliminated teammate. The first team to get both drivers across the finish line in the Final Showdown are crowned the Eliminators.
-
Rush Mode.
This is for players who don’t have a lot of time to play, or are simply looking for a quick match. Everything is accelerated, so the starting Arena is smaller than normal and car drops are very plentiful. The Final Showdown starts 5 minutes after the game starts.
. But they don’t unfortunately so we have to deal with terrible monthly updates like the donut media one. 
