The plan is to be responsive to the community’s expressed interests. Here you are, a community member suggesting that they should pursue licenses. Maybe there are other community members who feel that the starting amount of licenses are sufficient and that features such as spectate should get the priority. Wouldn’t it make sense to listen to everyone to help determine which direction to go first? He could have said “our plan is locked in for the next six months” which would have been met with disdain by everyone using the Suggestions Hub so far.
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Which loops right back to point #2. I’ve seen it argued that this game needs to have a roadmap, and I can’t disagree. Saying that you have no plan and you’re going to listen to the community is:
- a great way to not ever have a plan beyond short-term goals (something that, again, given the amount of content currently missing, is not a position you want to be in)
- a rather foreboding sign of how this game’s post-launch lifespan is going to be handled.
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It’s nice to see people behind the game development in relaxed non scripted format.
PR issues aside, my interest is about how fast and to what extent T10 willing to respond to the player base or “community” suggestions/reaction.
Community refers to the official suggestions hub in my understanding. There are many suggestions regarding tracks, cars, race mode like drag/dirt, and drifting. So suggestions will be tame to wild.
What he’s saying if I understoodcorrectly, the game will be launched as is. Additions, corrections, reconsiderations, … etc will follow based on customers (Players) feedback.
Also, he mentioned that there is no plan for FM II, as they see this game endure for long time as a platform to continue to expand.
Thats more like AC lasting 9 years and likely continue for more, or MSFS that keeps going and evolving through decades adapting to new hardware and software advances.
If they have “no plans after launch” except to “listen to the community” and make quicker adjustments from that feedback using their “new more agile pipeline,” then I hope one of the first things they’ll change is their half-baked notion of a “built not bought caRPG” grind-fest.
…Maybe they thought that sounded like a cool catch-phrase, but
grinding ≠ progression
I like what Chris said (around the 16:25 time-stamp) about the penalty system taking a moment to evaluate the brief time periods before & after incidents to determine fault & who gets penalties vs. who doesn’t.
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I prefer to hear from those who have direct hands-on roles in games instead of from some intermediary spokesperson who can’t speak at any detail on anything since they’re not involved, but yeah, these folks could benefit from some better PR coaching because they always appear awkward & uninspired (and/or tired & unable to show any genuine enthusiasm/personality).
Let’s start with that last point, because it goes to a point that I’ve brought up before and I’m bringing up again. There are times where you need to listen to your customer base and be very considerate of what that base brings up, because - of course - they are the ones who are going to send all of that juicy, leafy dinero your way. And then there are times where you shouldn’t even have to ask. You should already know. I can accept (grudgingly, I will add) that I’m going to have to plead extra hard and extra nicely and show how contrite I can be if I ever hope to be able to drive my Subaru BRZ in a Forza game. I shouldn’t have to do that for the new 911 GT3 RS. If you want me to get on my hands and knees and beg for the Top Gear Test Track to come back or for Michigan International Speedway to be added into the game, OK. But if you expect me to do that for Daytona or Bathurst or Sebring or Road Atlanta or Monza…I have to question what your motives truly are when you say you’re making a motorsport-centric simulator.
There are 12 real-world tracks from the previous game that will not be in at launch. Outside of the Nordschelife, there is no hint as to when these tracks will reappear. There will be no IndyCar representation, no NASCAR representation, the newest GT-class car will be relegated to a museum just days after this game releases (or within a month if you also follow the WEC), and there won’t be an F1 car newer than 1988.
But “they have no plans.” They’re going to listen to the community. OK. I went to the car suggestion section and, on a lark, decided to see how many votes the first WEC or IMSA-spec race car had. I wish I had the ability to capture how much scrolling it took to get to the Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar, which has 219 votes. I’m guessing I passed at least 120 other entries to get there (and I’m probably lowballing that), a lot of which have already been confirmed for the game…because that’s sort of the thing about the suggestion hub; not only does it not separate cars for Horizon from cars for Motorsport, but it doesn’t remove the cars that have been added. It also does a really poor job of keying in on specific models, but that’s for another thread. The track suggestion hub isn’t much better.
I’m saying all of that to say that I don’t think this game is going to get the clear sense of direction it needs to survive and thrive from the Forza community. I think there’s a better chance of tracing the flight path of a meth-addled gnat. Turn 10 needs to have some kind of plan in place to convince people that they’re not about to pay 70-100 bucks for an Early Access game, and that they are going to deliver on their promises that this is going to be the Motorsport game for the duration. They’re not going to get there by going out and telling people, “Yeah, so we’re just kinda going to wing it after 10/10.”
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I think what they’re getting at is in terms of modes or game features more than content like cars and tracks.
Things like spectator mode, maybe people want a bigger focus on endurance racing, Esports and ranked multiplayer, leagues, clubs, the whole drift and drag etc, things that are solely in their hands to deliver features the community wants.
Whilst Chris said they’re “just around the corner” from annoucing a few more tracks, all these tracks and racing series you mentioned are subject to licensing deals with 3rd parties, and we have no idea what complicated mess of legal arrangements exist there.
I’ve mentioned before that NASCAR, Indy and WEC all have official games contracted, as does F1 of course (now in hands of EA), even Formula E I think has contracts now, so I don’t expect any of those cars to be in FM, ever. Would love it if they do of course, but I think it is very low probability. IMSA, I really really hope you’re right but again we have no idea what the content of that arrangement is.
I suspect that also has a lot to do with the new game’s focus on building up road cars because they simply can’t offer the same diversity of racing series. It’s the new focus because it has to be.
Getting a license for a track or road car has got to be a lot easier than a racing series, so I expect we’ll get plenty of those, but I wouldn’t classify that as game “direction”.
They’ve also spoken to the potential of the game. Over the long term as a platform, if it gets a large and resilient playerbase, maybe more of those big name deals will be possible if they become commercially viable. Who knows.
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Thing i dont understand about this no plan thing is, this is the 8th motorsport game not the first. To think about the amount of wishlists this forum has had over the years and they still have no idea about what people want.
I cant see how this is a viable plan to basically have no plan. 6 years to release a half finished game and they have no idea what to add to it, no clue as to what players want or have wanted. Sounds like these arent the right people to be making a Forza Motorsport game.
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But how long term of a platform could this game ever be? The upgrade system alone is going to turn off 99% of casual players. These are going to be crossovers from horizon, do you think theyre going to embrace this game when they can buy and upgrade the same cars in horizon within minutes.
Theyre not going to have the success horizon has had. The fact is that most people who play this game will play it because its on game pass and i dont see them sticking around. The game isnt going to generate enough revenue to be adding free content for “years” to come.
They really needed a road map to at least show people why they should invest, nevermind their money but their time into this franchise. Ive owned every forza, motorsport, horizon, every dlc theyve made for both and its sad to say it but, if i didnt have game pass i would never play this game.
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I remember reading a comment in Suggestions Hub expressing concerns about car voting due to the high number of players in Horizon compared to Motorsport. The replay was that they do take into account the difference in numbers.
I think its okay when it coms to counting vots but that doesn’t solve lifting up suggestions that interest larger groups.
Track voting isn’t facing such issue.
Agree that laying a plan and announcing a road map would induce confidence. Given that there is no overpromising in the mix.
About the 70 to 100 bucks, if you buy based on what is expected to be added, you’re taking a higher risk. I take the lower risk. WYSIWYG, any future addition would increase satisfaction, no buyer’s remorse.
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How long? Well, they’re saying for this console generation “at least” and they intend to update with new cars, tracks, features and technology as they go.
What content and features underpin that exactly I don’t know, but I’m sure keen to stick around and find out. We’re all crystal balling here, though you do seem particularly convinced of your forecast of what 99% of people think and will do which I’d consider a bit brave.
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Everyone shocked by how this game isn’t how it used to be, seem to be forgetting…
FORZA MOTORSPORT 2023 it’s not 8, it’s not a sequel. Never is it more apparent when you look at how the game system runs and how they built this game to last forever.
You’d be amazed how many people still call it 8 or that it’s 7.5, add on for 7 ect
That it bears similarity on so many core aspects to the old game makes it hard to not draw comparisons. We will see for sure once it releases, but preliminary viewing of the game doesn’t make it look as new as they claim it is.
Stopped reading early in the article to write this brain storm…
For the first time in my Forza intro expierence. I am going to completly bone both intros. I plan on spending about an hour doing donuts in the E-RAY, and completely wrecking the Cadillac. I am tired of being a “good little player” when encountering these intros. I had half a mind to drive the Bronco into the valcano during the FH5 intro, but I didn’t try. This time, I am driving the wheels off of those cars, and hopefully I can literally do it.
This has the potential to get really bad really fast…
IMO, game developers in general need to face far more scrutiny than they currently do. Whether they’re called Turn 10, Polyphony Digital, Playground, Ivory Tower, all of them.
T10 in particular has disregarded its community for almost 10 years and it’s not Esaki’s good guy’s persona, nor Xbox’s marketing’s usual big words, that will win people back.
So, about 2 or 3 years?
I dont know how long youve been playing motorsprt for, but there were reasons why game after game players left. Horizon was a huge part of this mass exodus which is why it was important to try and get some of those players back. A game as a service requires players, no players means no service. Theres no vast untapped player base thats going to be playing forza for the first time, if you had an xbox or a pc you could play, and they didnt.
Playstation is once again outselling xbox 2-1, gt7 even though it has its faults still offers more than this game does and while graphically on a technical level im sure forza has the upperhand, gt7 looks more realistic.
Im not trying to act as though my opinion is fact, but it is based on certain facts. They needed a much stronger showing then what they have. Then on top of it to act as though future content is going to be based on player feedback, when this developer is notorious for pretty much having no interaction with their community is laughable.
Only time will tell, and its not a who’s right who’s wrong situation. I dont want this franchise to fail, and i hope you enjoy the game as you seem to be excited for its release but i just dont see a future of success with the plan or lack there of they have chosen.
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