This suggestion is extremely long, so firstly I will summarize the points that will be described in more detail below
A new Upgrade and Tuning system in Forza needs:
- more tiers of parts
- more adjustable parts
- upgrades that the community has been asking for
- levels of part adjustability varying per level
- more accurate and in-depth adjustability of some parts
- a vastly improved PI calculation system
Original post:
This is probably going too far, and would only be possible to implement in a future title if it ever gets made. The current Upgrade and Tuning System we have in Forza Motorsport functions in the exact same ways it did in the first Forza Motorsport for the original Xbox. While this isn’t inherently a bad thing, it’s become kind of lackluster over time.
Three levels of Upgrades are either too far away from each other and sometimes it’s almost impossible to get a car exactly to the top of a class, or not enough to show the full potential of an engine since most engines capable of exceeding 1000 horsepower can’t even get close with all Race parts installed. The performance difference between the only 3 track sets of upgraded Tires we can currently apply is too big as well, quite often I find my cars underwhelming with Street Tires, but not needing Sport tires. At least five tiers of parts are needed for most cars, probably outside of race cars which already have special equipment.
Then there is Tuning which often determines a car’s competitiveness. You can have two cars with the same parts applied, but with different gearbox and suspension tuning, and there is always going to be a clear winner, yet they both have the exact same PI. This is an aspect which even the arcade Need For Speed Unbound manages to capture! Tuning should absolutely impact the PI just like Parts do, and so an improved method of calculating PI is also necessary.
Another thing with Tuning is that we shouldn’t be required to use top-of-the-line parts to unlock a decent level of adjustability. I would be more than okay with “duplicating” some parts if they offered a range of adjustability on a different range, eg. Soft Tier II Suspension, Medium Tier II Suspension, Hard Tier II Suspension, offering adjustability of 20 kg/mm from default. Need For Speed Unbound kind of does this by allowing the player to move a Grip-Drift slider between values that change depending on Suspension, Differential and Tire level and type applied. Gearboxes should also have different adjustability levels. A game called Kaido Battle 2, aka Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Drift 2, perfectly shows different levels of adjustability for each tier of Gearbox upgrade. Forza could go further from there, adding gearboxes with different numbers of gears (4-10), different preset gear ratios and different tuning values for each tier. Also, the current Race Gearbox is a sequential gearbox which should strongly bump the PI but shouldn’t be the absolute Meta option that it currently is. Lower but often more viable options should be available, and the Sport Gearbox is not one.
Let’s also not forget about upgrades that Forza has never had. ECU was never a thing you could upgrade and adjust in Forza, yet TXR:D2 had it in 2005, even if it wasn’t as advanced as it could possibly be, however I myself don’t know enough about ECU tuning to make a reasonable stance on how it should function. An upgrade that Forza already kind of features, but also not exactly, is Launch Control. It is currently limited to Horizon 5 and works in a weird way - it adjusts itself depending on the car and surface it is on, which should always provide an adequate level of power and grip from the get-go. This should be expanded upon in Motorsport, or any future title, as the player themself should be allowed to set an RPM value for each car equipped with a Launch Control system. Same with all other Assists, that really should be adjustable, such as ABS or Traction Control. Adjustable Launch Control also sounds like something people would love to see for Drag Racing events.
I almost missed the more visual side of upgrades too, but it also needs a solid update. Bumpers and wings in various different shapes and sizes offer just as varied effects, and that is almost never reflected in the game. Many wings that are bigger than the currently available Forza Aero offer lower downforce values than Forza Aero even when they shouldn’t, many parts that should be adjustable from factory actually aren’t, the weight of most parts is wildly inaccurate. Downforce values should differ across parts and should be stated in the Upgrade Menu, without having to go into Tuning to see the actual value blocked. Same with adjustability ranges, as I’ve mentioned multiple times in my previous points. Brakes should recieve an overhaul to their upgrading, by dividing upgrades between Discs and Calipers & Pads, combining different models of these parts in a way similar to modern Need For Speed games but with actual functionality, and allowing for changing Brake size separate from Wheel size. Wheel Spacing in Forza should be adjustable too, as in their current Horizon 4/5 form I often find myself not applying them when I just want my cars to have good wheel fitment, which cars in Forza never come with, and the Wheel Spacers available launch the track width outside of the fenders. Wheels on their own also have a massive issue, and it’s the fact that unsprung mass does not exist in Forza as of yet, meaning that it is meta to apply the heaviest and biggest wheels available in order to lower PI, as it will not impact the car’s behaviour, even though it should. Truth be told, this as well as different body kits having different effects on a car’s aerodynamics and performance is some advanced simulation. I definitely don’t expect the latter to come to Forza any time soon, however the former absolutely needs to be taken care of.