Poll: Thoughts on current Forza Original tracks?

Forza Motorsport Forza Motorsport (2023) Discussion
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As of right now there are four Forza Original tracks in Forza Motorsport 2023,

  • Eaglerock Speedway
  • Grand Oak Raceway
  • Hakone
  • Maple Valley

I was curious as to what people thought of these tracks.

How would you rate the scenery (General appearance, buildings, vegetation, color theme) of Eaglerock Speedway?

  • 5 - Excellent
  • 4 - Good
  • 3 - Okay
  • 2 - Poor
  • 1 - Awful
0 voters

How engaged do you feel while driving at Eaglerock Speedway? (If you have differing opinions depending on the layout, select based on the one you drive the most)

  • 4 - Very engaging
  • 3 - Somewhat engaging
  • 2 - Mildly engaged
  • 1 - Not engaged
0 voters

How would you rate the scenery of Grand Oak Raceway?

  • 5 - Excellent
  • 4 - Good
  • 3 - Okay
  • 2 - Poor
  • 1 - Awful
0 voters

How engaged do you feel while driving at Grand Oak Raceway?

  • 4 - Very engaging
  • 3 - Somewhat engaging
  • 2 - Mildly engaged
  • 1 - Not engaged
0 voters

How would you rate the scenery of Hakone?

  • 5 - Excellent
  • 4 - Good
  • 3 - Okay
  • 2 - Poor
  • 1 - Awful
0 voters

How engaged do you feel while driving at Hakone?

  • 4 - Very engaging
  • 3 - Somewhat engaging
  • 2 - Mildly engaged
  • 1 - Not engaged
0 voters

How would you rate the scenery of Maple Valley?

  • 5 - Excellent
  • 4 - Good
  • 3 - Okay
  • 2 - Poor
  • 1 - Awful
0 voters

How engaged do you feel while driving at Maple Valley?

  • 4 - Very engaging
  • 3 - Somewhat engaging
  • 2 - Mildly engaged
  • 1 - Not engaged
0 voters

And of course, the big question is, how do you think these stack up against some of the Forza Original tracks from the previous installments? Could be as far back as Pacific Shipyards and Sidewinder Test Track, or as recent as Dubai.

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This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I’m actually really glad that T10 decided to leave out all of the old fantasy tracks like Prague, Bernese Alps, Rio, etc. They all invariably tended to have really jarring surface transitions such as going from tarmac to cobblestone, or having to drive over tram tracks, sidewalks, or other hazards that really had no place being present in or around a properly sanctioned racing circuit.

Of the 4 fantasy tracks we currently have, I feel Maple Valley is probably the most successful in terms of visuals, track layout, and tendency to provide good racing. That fast downhill right-hander to finish the lap is one of the biggest “yee-haw!” moments of any track in the game.

The other 3 fantasy tracks are ok, with Hakone probably being the best of the rest. I personally don’t find it as impressive as I’m sure T10 would like everyone to believe it is, but it’s decent enough from a visuals standpoint as well as a decent track layout.

Grand Oak, I feel gets a bad rap with people dogging it for being visually unspectacular. Fair enough, I suppose, but honestly I feel like it’s decent enough. A lot of real-world tracks aren’t much to write home about visually either, but if the racing is good, that’s what matters. And I’ve had some pretty good races at Grand Oak, particularly in the Touring Cars hopper, so it gets a thumbs up from me.

Eaglerock is definitely the redheaded stepchild of the bunch. I’ve only raced on it a few times in career, and it didn’t really make an impression on me. I don’t hate it…it’s just kind of…there.

5 Likes
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I don’t like Eagle Rock and I wouldn’t ind if it was cut in place for a different fantasy track like the Test Track or the Shipyard track. Or bring back Sedona, I always liked that one.

As for the ones I like Maple Valley is a true classic and should be in every Forza Motorsport game. I wish we had the wooden bridge back though. Such an iconic piece on the track. Why did they get rid of it??

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FIA-mandated safety upgrade - it was deemed a fire hazard. :grin:

3 Likes
5

Fictional tracks are turn10 weakest point whereas Polyphony’s are their strongest and for Oak and Hakone they’ve definately stepped up - Hakone feels like a real race track, a bit too futuristic, but many trackmarks and landmarks are there.

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The poll results match up with how I feel.

Eaglerock is my least favorite circuit, but I don’t care for ovals. It also has a dull aesthetic.

Grand Oak is a sleeper hit. Not that visually interesting, somewhat of a generic vibe, but the actual flow of it makes for excellent racing, in all circuit variations including reverse. Hotlapping’s also enjoyable thanks to how well the corner’s link together.

Hakone looks pretty, but it’s also bordering a little too heavily on the surreal, sterile aesthetic. The actual driving makes for good races and so-so hot laps.

Maple Valley looks good if you’re running a Series X or you have a top line 3080/4080/4090 GPU, but otherwise, it looks like the same basic Maple Valley I’ve played in almost every past Forza. Makes for fun hot laps and so-so racing. I’m going to throw out a hot take and say it’s always been a little overrated.

They need to bring back Fujimi Kaido. Idk what the hold up is there. The overwhelming votes it has with zero feedback makes me think the entire concept of voting on these forums are nothing but a farce sometimes. Fans have been asking for this track for how long now? Since FM4?

And Rally Di Positano/Amalfi Coast. I know you talked about rough surfaces, but that was simply a fun, beautiful track.

I also miss FM4’s Ladera/Iberian Peninsula. Those layouts would play extreeemely well with the new physics.

Never cared for the Alps outside of how pretty they looked. Just never had a race that excited me there; almost felt like there was too much going on for it to be a technical, fun track.

If I had to rank all of FM’s original tracks versus the greats of the series, I’d have to put them, as a whole, in 3rd place. Maple’s a repeat so I’m not talking about that, but Hakone and Grand Oak are pretty good, if not visually exciting.

1 Like
7

I absolutely hate fake tracks. Always have always will.

8

I wish we had more of them to be honest. :frowning:

I miss how many generic tracks were in FM2 like the Test Track variations.

When done right, the creativity allows for great racing, and as long as the back drops aren’t ridiculously over the top, the focus is on what matters: the circuit itself.

I’d take the majority of those fictional tracks over, say, Hockenheim or Yas.

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Also really miss Sunset Peninsula. Reminds me of Indianapolis, but better.

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With you all the way on this. Despised all of them for these reasons and more.

Maple Valley is really good except for one thing. The blasted jumps on the straight toward the bridge.

Once you get to S Class the cars start jumping and thus your same statement about it not having a place in proper sanctioned racing applies. Totally ruins it for me.

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Grand Oak is fun at most speeds, even in X-Class.

It’s a relatively wide circuit with very few sharp turns, which helps.

1 Like
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I like the last turn if you can take it at full throttle. Very rewarding.

2 Likes
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I’m disappointed we only get 4 Forza original tracks tbh. Perfect opportunity to bump up the number of tracks is to just have a load of original tracks. These are turn10’s assets surely.

Having said that, I didn’t care for Alps or Rio. They never felt like genuine race tracks to me. Bring back tracks like Sedona and Camino Viejo, even if it’s just a straight port from the xbox360, I wouldn’t care too much.

Maple Valley will always be brilliant and a must for a Forza game. Hakone will be here to stay as well, I do wonder if there’s meant to be a longer version though. There’s a road that goes straight on at turn one and then a road that joins back onto the circuit down the back straight. Maybe a future DLC. Grand Oak is good and flows really nicely, just a little unspectacular. And the other one I can do without tbh.

14

I miss Fujimi Kaido, Amalfi Coast, and Sunset Peninsula.

Every single fantasy track T10 has done since suffers from the exact same problem. The tracks are way too wide. This makes nearly every turn a sweeper resulting in every fantasy track feeling the same but reordered and reskinned. IMO, Hakone and Grand Oak might be interesting if track width was 1/3 of what they gave us.

1 Like
15

I have to remember not to give in to nostalgia.
The tracks are very modern feeling but over-done when it comes to track side busy-ness. It’s as if a race broke out at a carnival rather than some track side vendors and a few rides set up shop at the track. Also, the crowds cheering and moving like they are at a UFC fight doesn’t help things. I would like that to be toned down.

Also, can we get different seasons for all the tracks, or is this too much to ask?

Comparing to older tracks… It’s a tough call. In the past Forza Motorsport absolutely kicked butt with their older tracks. FM4’s version of Sunset Peninsula, with the red hue from the Bird-Air like screens. Or FM3’s Rally Di Positano throwing a bonified Tarmac Rally special stage at you. Or even the charm from FM1’s Alpine Ring, the old tracks had a ton of charm and were impressive and for the most part great to race on considering how the hardware was limited. Hakone and Grand Oak shows that Turn 10 can get there with the original tracks, so hopefully they continue thinking up originals as well as bringing back some of the missing classics. Just don’t pull another Bernese Alps move on us, and I don’t have any complaints. Don’t get me wrong, I warmed up to Bernese Alps, but T10 didn’t have to scrap-can Alpine Ring in making it. (Look up the Alpine Ring and Bernese Alps connection in FM3)

Sorry for the run-on.

2 Likes
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I remember when I first saw the track layout of Hakone, I thought “…Is that it?”. I wasn’t quite sold on the track after the opening sequence either. I thought it drove alright but it wasn’t very thrilling to me. Though after I went into multiplayer and had some proper racing at Hakone, my opinion changed quickly from “This track is meh” to “Hey, this isn’t so bad!”.

I remember having a P class race at the full layout where we had a pack of 3 or 4 cars and we were all drafting on the straight. After the tire wear started kicking in we were all shuffling places… Turned out to be a pretty good race in the end.

Since FM4 indeed

At any given moment, I can guarantee if you were to look at the LFG posts for FH5, there will be at least a handful of posts that will drive up and down one road in the game only… The one going up the volcano. (Though this can be extended to FH4’s Fortune Island “Snake” road or FH5’s Rally expansion). An entire community can be built up just around one track/road. To this day there’s still a community that races at Fujimi Kaido in FM4 weekly, probably daily. FM4 already fulfilled a “10 year Forza” by my standards :wink: There just needs to be more for the community to work with. There can be a lot to say about that, but in the spirit of this thread… Fujimi Kaido (or a track similar to it) would help.

Curiously, the bit of road coming off of the long back straight is blocked using the same barriers that are used to block the longer variant of Hakone Circuit at the shorter variant… There’s also a structure located along that road which can’t be seen on track, but can be seen in the loading screen for the track. I’m thinking there’s definitely a possibility for a future “extension” of Hakone, but we can only guess as to what the nature of the layout will be. Fujimi Kaido’s newer cousin, or something else?

Even if it would spell disaster for public multiplayer lobbies (much like Rio was in FM6/7)… I’d love to see it back as well. Especially the long variant in FM3. Will have to see if I can cast a vote in the Suggestions Hub (EDIT: Here’s the vote page for Rally Di Positano)

1 Like
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Appreciate your insight and thanks for the link. Voted!

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I think ealgle rock is probably one of the worst tracks ive ever raced on, gt7s mini oval is just as awful. I think hakone is a decent track, a little boring, not particularly challenging, better looking than grand oak but i think grand oak is the best of the new tracks.

19

Maple Valley is one of my most favorite tracks of all time in Forza (I, too, miss the wooden bridge.)

Hakone is by far the least favorite of all Forza tracks, and may just be the worst.

The other two are OK.

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I rate it: This video/10