That would be me saying that but I will put it in to some sort of context as I feel it deserves further explanation.
I aren’t against ghost racing at all and understand many others (unlike me ) prefer it. My argument is that Leagues are supposed to be a way of putting people of similar abilities together and an opportunity for people to enjoy contact racing in a competitive environment. My suggestion would be to run a different ghost lobby or lobbies in normal hoppers every week instead of the stale C Class beginners lobby which in my experience is often inhabited by experienced racers precisely because there is a real demand for ghost racing.
The reason I use the word ‘waste’ is because at the moment there are only 2/3 leagues per week where many who participate would agree the standard of racing is better and the number of random ‘crashers’ entering lobbies is minimal compared to hoppers of which there are still 10+ available including a rolling ghost lobby.
I like the idea of a Spec league every week (where people can just turn up and race) and also using a division from the ‘Stories of Motorsport’ as it is interesting to see how similar cars stack up against each other in endurance racing. My suggestion would be that the third league per week be something open to more general interest like say the ‘B Class Sim’ from a few weeks ago.
I say all this with the intention of getting as many people involved in Leagues as possible as I think that they are the way forward for the more serious online racer in Forza Motorsport. Leagues will help to diminish the discussions we have on here about people crashing/wrecking (My understanding would be that this has yet to become an issue in ghost racing!)
I think that will not encourage the highest participation though. But I dont have the stats so I cannot be sure. I can say that without a ghost league I will not be taking part.
Get your point mate and fully agree. Very few (I think) race for the points anyway, so having the ghost classes rotating in the hoppers (instead of leagues) sounds like a great alternative.
I’m liking the Spec League so far, good choice of car and the racing has been solid. Very few incidents on-track, drivers are more careful into Turn 1.
Now that I’m in pinnacle, i’ve been taken out in the first corner in both endurance and spec classes same as I have been in Professional and Elite. The damage requires me to quit or limp back to the pits and by the time I’m back on the track I’m 2 laps down (depending on track).
Here’s an example, I couldn’t even get back to the pits because the car was so heavily damaged.
Every race seems to be a good race for me in these lotuses. At times the racing can get chippy, but coming from karting I can handle that stuff amazingly. So far today there have been a handful of photo finishes including one with fellow karter Connor Wagner which ended with us split apart by only .002 seconds. I feel like these cars are the perfect pace, as they are quick and exciting while still being close and race-able
In other news It seems like there still are a few drivers suffering from “lack of awareness”, but I’ve rarely raced with them today.
Ghost leagues are useful for those of us who could turn a half decent lap time but needed to get up the skill ladder a few rungs to move up to a higher level. If it weren’t for that I’d still be in Professional and barred from the sim league I really wanted to run.
Also, if I’m tired of contact league I’m probably going to a ghost race. If a ghost race is not available I’m playing single player. So the existence of the ghost league probably doesn’t take all that much away from the contact league, but only the people looking at the participation numbers in elite and pinacle can say for sure.
The R-class ghost leagues were pretty popular in Pinnacle, and were some of the best fun I’ve had in Forza. It’ll be a shame if they don’t come back as I’ve pretty much given up on the contact leagues - they don’t make the racing much cleaner and getting wrecked in 2/3rds of races is no fun at all, and I don’t much like division-based racing anyway. For all the problems in the hoppers, I just prefer the structure there - the fact that I can race with whoever I want in whichever car I want.
I find this easier to do in the endurance league: if you’re able to quickly identify the problem drivers, both wreckers and over-aggressive / over-confident drivers then it is easier to hang back for a bit and avoid them and wait for them to do something stupid and I’m able to gain a few positions. In one race tonight - at Hockenheimring Short - it was so bad, I was able to go from 18th to 2nd (to 3rd strictly through attrition) then won second after chasing them down for 5 laps.
The over-aggressive drivers are harder to identify, they’re usually the ones who force a three-wide going into a corner or are so adamant on following the braking line that they force themselves into a dangerous position that can ruin a race for 2+ drivers. They’re more dangerous than the blatant wreckers, because they’re not out to wreck, they just have to get by you right now. They’re not doing anything “wrong” per se other than being a bad racer.
Then there are the cheaters who cut corners or use the extra track at Hockenheim or Sebring in an attempt to get an advantage but all they do is end up coming blindly back onto the track and causing problems.
Edit: It isn’t fool-proof because you can get stuck behind someone who is just a slower racer and it allows the problem drivers to catch up and cause more problems.
I like to race in the ghost league just because I don’t have the problems like other players hitting me in the corner. (see the video a few posts back). Further : ghost league is more popular than contact league in the pro and fan classes. I can race against other persons and loss of time is completely my fault and not others to blame. Also I can learn a lot from other players. When do they break in similar cars and which racing lines do they use.
So ghost leagues should stay in Forza. Not only in multi-hoppers mode. So promotion should be possible…
The racing so far in the spec league has been really enjoyable, for me at least. I had some amazing close racing with the usual suspects and with people I’ve not seen much of before.
There are some really talented racers out there, and it shows up a lot more now everybody is in the same cars.
After getting used to the stock Lotus 2eleven I have to say, it’s awesome. Much more enjoyable than the MX5 in last week’s league. I hope T10 continue with the spec leagues as they offer some real good racing, although I’d prefer it if it was only ever B class and above.
I did witness some wrecking caused by some I wouldn’t expect to see it from, especially being in pinnacle. Thankfully from my point of view it didn’t affect my race to much but others weren’t so lucky and got dragged into it. Such a shame. I know these guys are quick so I really don’t see the point in retaliation. It affects the people that are there to race clean, fair and also to have fun. I don’t hold grudges with anyone, if I make a mistake and ruin someone elses race I’ll give the place back and/or apologise by message at the end. I’m hoping it was just a one off with these people… Will have to see later.
My personal experience of the 2-11 so far hasn’t been one of overwhelming positivity. There’s some questionable guys in pinnacle, that’s for sure. I’m also not sure why the race lengths have been shortened from last week too, 3 laps of Hockenheim is over in a flash. You start lower the mid pack and you’ve no chance to make any inroads regardless of how fast you are. A bit of a shame really as the Mazda races were about right.
That being said, the spec stuff has been a revelation, I hadn’t played Forza for nigh on 4 months until I heard about the Mazdas, axing cycled production was a mistake but I’m pleased to see the same kind of thing back. There are also some good guys out there, new faces and old. It’s good to see.
The endurance racing is fun when you get a lobby with more than four people in it. I think the problem is people get put off when they land somewhere and have to wait for an entire race to run.
On top of that, what seems to happen is that as the race extends beyond the normal lap count, the racing really thins out as people drop after getting wrecked and the aliens just extend their leads.
Something seriously wrong in Spec league lobby in Elite just now. Got no points for 4 races, then raced Monza short twice in a row and race finished like it usually does, but after only 2 laps (instead of 6) and also no points. Will try later again. Car also felt awfully slow.
PS. Ok, just saw ManteoMax’s new message re. current Forza server maintenance.
Some really bad racing in Elite leagues tonight, seems like it’s school holidays again with all the un-educated and havoc-causing drivers. Really wished some T10 players could have been there tonight, but then again I guess they’re in Pinnacle. Will rather have an early night.