So close yet so far.. (Opinions on FM7)

Forza Motorsport Legacy Motorsport FM7 Discussion
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Before I get into this, I just want to say that I am a big Forza fan and it’s only because of my passion towards the FM series that I am making this post.
This post isn’t intended to slate the game in any way it’s more about me voicing my opinions on how I think the series could improve.

So close…

Despite having owned every Forza on the day of release, I was a little late coming into FM7 because I was without an Xbox for half a year. It’s been a few days now since I first launched up FM7 and it’s fair to say I was impressed with how great the game looked although this typical for a Forza game it was still refreshing to see the game improving visually with every release (I can’t imagine how great it looks at native 4K on XB1X). The sounds have also improved to the point you can actually hear a turbo spooling its guts out or hear splurting when stepping off the throttle and is a great improvement in comparison to FM6 or any other Forza for that matter. I also like the fact that career now has a points system where coming 3rd or better for every race is a thing of the past. Obtaining cars has slightly improved (I will go into details later) but I have to give a big thumbs up on them bringing back the auction house as it was greatly missed by many.

Yet so far…

This is where I get a little disappointed and some of you may disagree completely which is totally fine.

My problem with the Forza series is that they never stick to a solid foundation and that you never really know what will be removed come the next Forza title. What do I mean by this? Well, it seems that whilst every Forza has something new added to it they always seem to remove other great features at the same time. These are a few examples: (please keep in mind that I have only started playing FM7 for a few days so there are things that I will probably miss out but will add it to the list should it become apparent)

No A.I in Private Lobbies:

Now for some this isn’t a biggie however I know there are many who are just as gutted as I was upon finding this out, Sometimes we don’t want to play in public lobbies and just want a friend or two to race with alongside A.I in teams or whatever settings you choose to go with. This is really disappointing but if anything it’s also really confusing as to why this was even removed to begin with? What purpose does it serve to remove a feature that has been in countless Forza titles? Your guess is as good as mine.

Overall Rival Leadboards:

This is a feature I miss greatly in which you would be given an overall rank for ALL of your times that you submitted in rival tracks, without this overall ranking I feel it somewhat takes away the motivation to actually set good times for every track, this feature was in fm2,3 & 4 if I remember correctly yet it seems to have vanished into thin air. There was a time where you could check the overall leaderboards that would accumulate all of your times for each track within individual rival series thus giving you an overall rank (spec rivals rank, autocross rank, VIP rivals rank etc)

oh and whilst we are on the topic of rivals ranks, the autocross leaderboard in FM7 is terrible, just check out the replays of the top times within this series and you will see countless replays of people skipping countless gates and still get top times. I’m not sure how this is achieved but it’s killed the autocross leaderboard.

Buying Cars:

I still feel that cars are way too easy to obtain and although I know many support turn10 in allowing players to get most cars with relative ease I for one think it dampens the feeling of actually saving up for a car that you really want & FM2 was all about that where buying a high-end car or any other high-performance car for that matter was a great achievement and gave the player a real sense of accomplishment with each big purchase. I know the car list has expanded dramatically since FM2 but it would be great if I actually had to save up for some of these cars rather than being gifted countless vehicles or be given massive discounts with each level. Despite there being over 700cars in FM7 I would rather own 100 of them but actually have to save up my money to purchase the cars that I love rather than having cars chucked at me just so I can see all 700 of them. I know many will disagree but I feel that the sense of ownership over a car you purchase is less than what it was back in FM2. Maybe some of you disagree with this? Let me know as I would like to know your thoughts on this.

I will say however, the fact you need to unlock certain cars before they can be purchased is brilliant although I’m not sure how difficult they are to unlock as of yet because I have only had a few days playing this game, I have also noticed that you get special dealerships every week now and that is something I’m loving! It’s a step in the right direction at least but I still feel I’m getting cars way to quickly.

The Music:

No I have not lost my mind depsite it being a really random complaint it’s something I believe to be an important factor in any game & not just racing although when you look back to the in music FM2 it was great to discover new artists and considering I spend many hours in the menus tuning cars, designing vinyls, creating designs & checking leadboards it was great to have this music at hand, FM3,4 and 6 wasn’t at all bad infact I really enjoyed them although completely different to that of FM2 it was miles better than FM5 choir malarky that they had going on in the background… what the hell was that about? Same for FM7 generic guitar music in the background! Wheres the actual music at? Actual music worth listening too rather than forcing me to mute it in options. I can’t help but feel I’m being a little picky here, however, this is a big thing for me as Forza is a game I play a lot so it’s always welcome to have great music to go with it.

Ghosts in rivals:

This is more than a bug than a removed feature but I am late to the FM7 scene and yet there is still a very obvious bug in rivals where ghosts won’t load in unless you watch the chosen rivals replay first. I’m hoping this will get fixed as it’s a pretty obvious bug and should have been dealt with by now at least.

Campaign/Career:

First things first I’m so glad they got rid of the whole come 3rd or better for every race and instead have implemented a point system for each series, however, it’s not quite perfect. You see when I think of a series that has a system where points are accumulated over a set amount of races I would expect to be in first on the grid if I finished first previously. Then I could actually set the difficulty to unbeatable and have to defend my lead instead of always having to work through the traffic whilst the car in front has the clearway to make a substantial lead. This forces me to down the difficulty all because I keep getting put back half way down the grid despite coming first in the previous race of that series. It confuses me as to why I need to always re-work for my position. Surely if you let people start from their last race position then you would encourage people to up the difficulty. Id rather defend a position or work up to getting pole for a next race than to constantly have to weave my way through traffic and repeat that motion endlessly.

Finally, I would just like to remind people that I do enjoy playing FM7 but can’t help but wonder what if? What if they didn’t remove some of the features that worked so well previously?
It makes you wonder what the next Forza will bring and where this series is going? You could be enjoying a particular feature the one minute then the next thing you know another Forza gets released and that feature you happen to love is gone. I would love Forza to have a more stable identity where features would be kept so that players could identify what the Forza series truly is rather than drastically removing features with no great reason disappointing players from all over. I haven’t even tried online yet (other than private) and I’m pretty sure there will be something in public lobbies that has changed for the worse.

Thank you all for reading, I will add more as I go deeper into the game but until then please feel free to share your thoughts.

My opinion of the Forza Series Best to Worst:

1.FM2
2.FM3
3.FM4
4.FM6
5.FM5 (The fact this was rushed to be launched with the XB1 ruined this game and I’m beginning to think FM7 also met the same fate with the XB1X Launch)

Not included FM7 on the list as I need to play more, however, I can’t imagine it scoring high from what I have experienced so far.

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I could not agree with you more on this. I can never understand why they remove features that were in the game previously. You used to be able to spectate and now you can’t. I honestly played the game the first two days and have not played since. The online classes and the rival leader-boards missing is my biggest problem. I also miss clubs. This is my last Forza and I won’t be purchasing any in the future. I don’t think Turn 10 really cares. I think Fora 4 was the best, but its been getting worst over the years. I would always build on a game, add more features and not remove. The biggest features they should focus on is community based features, because the looks get old. Car Clubs and things that bring people over the world together.

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I’m glad it’s not just me, I think they have the potential to make an oustanding game which is why I get so frustrated when they don’t deliver despite being more than capable of doing so. They have perfected atleast something from each of their games all they need to do is incorporate all of the good features into one of their games and I was hoping forza 7 would do just that. Unfortunately I find myself on the forums having to nag! It’s not as if me nagging will do anything either because as you mentioned T10 don’t seem to listen to their fanbase as much anymore. Oh and how could I forget about the club feature, I truly loved that in FM4 why on earth has it gone? Why introduce a feature for one title then banish it to thing air? And that sucks about the spectacting I didn’t even know that was gone! It makes no sense to me why they would get rid of this either espesially considering they nailed the spectate feature in FM6 with the update that allowed you to see in more detail what was happening in the race. Despite them improving this feature it has now vanished into thin air thanks to FM7 along with other features… ohh it just keeps on getting worse :confused:

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The highlighted part explains perfectly why many feel disillusioned. Granted if the player doesn’t mess with anything more than buying cars and single and free play, FM7 is the best ever.

It’s the perfect example as to how T10 frustrates the rest who use other Xbox live required features. They can hit a home run in career but can’t even put together a decent multiplayer with features that were popular amongst all. I mean come on FH3 has a storefront (sort of) and clubs but FM7 can’t? Come on, really? You would think at a minimum those things would be in FM7 as well.

It’s just frustrating. Home run here and there and facepalm everywhere else.

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I agree completely with the OP.

This game could have been the best yet.

The decimation of Rivals and the burying of track leaderboards within Free Play is my main issue.

In addition, the Free Play leaderboards appear to indicate that PB ghosts exist on the servers but the inability to use or see them makes no sense at all. Hot lapping without ghosts is a frustrating experience and removes the ability to improve your driving by watching or chasing drivers with higher skill levels. Such a disappointment.

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I think the game improves on a lot of areas that it needed to. However it’s very poorly made and the decisions from Turn 10 have looked Amateurish.

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I agree with everything that has been said so far. But it seems to me that the FM7 game is incomplete. Whenever I go in to play, I go up to rivals that see if they have added the options to see and chase a chosen opponent, and nothing. I continue with hope. But every day I realize that the T10 is working hard on the problems, Who played in the league in November and December knows what I’m talking about. It was chaos. It seems to me that the process topology has changed, so the T10 team is trying to optimize the situation, and then add some of the resources we’re expecting. I still trust!

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Just far…so freaking far off its not funny. Fm6 was close very very close all it needed was community features like store front auction house and custom private lobbys. Fm7 needs a massive list of things just to put it on a level with 6 I will list them below.
Spectate
Manuel grid ordering
Class hopper
Class rivals
Division rivals
All cars open from the start
Better more stable UI

Once they get these things right u wud still need to improve or add
League points system and choices
Auction house
Store front
Cpls
Clubs
Penalty system
And probably a whole bunch of other stuff I can’t think of right now. Bottom line is fm7 is and will be as big a flop as 5.

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After all is said and done, FM7 is just a disappointment and has gone along way to deter all of us faithful minions. If there is a next installment to the Motorsport series, Tun10 can look back to the “feature” removal and failures in FM7 for the low pre-order sales number.

Myself will not pre-order the next Motorsport game!!

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I’m on the same wavelength as you Xcelrate. I also encourage the op to have a proper listen to the sounds. I agree the overall sound effects have improved, especially in cockpit view. I listen through either Astro A50s or my Home Theater, a full 5.1.2 with Atmos. This iteration has removed all lower frequency effects (bass) from all cars audio making them sound tiny and lifeless. It’s probably not noticeable on TV speakers, and bass isn’t absent in the rest of the game, just the cars. I think a lot of the cars are inaccurate as well due to the “new” algorithm they went with that’s supposed to make similar engines have variations of the same sound. It doesn’t work, try some V12s, they sound horrid and lost the uniqueness they once had. I also agree with your findings in general, great write up sir!

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Same here. I pre ordered 6 and pre offered 7 on the back of it’s success and i was couldn’t have been more let down.

When/if fm8 is realeased I will wait for friend to tell me if there are any “coming soon” features and I will not be ordering it until i know it’s all up and running properly

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Car pricing and availability seems to be a balancing act for T10. Plenty of folks complaining they can’t simply fire up the title and own 700 unique cars off the bat. Plenty more complaining they can see locked cars but can’t buy them immediately. This is akin to the occasional complaint on prior titles that instead of monthly car packs and a couple DLC’s the game should give all future content free the initial day of release. (Remember the FM5 furor over monthly car packs where you still had to earn credits to buy the cars in the car pack?) At the same time there are a few who complain there aren’t enough cars that are unattainable for all but an elite few (themselves usually among their idea of that elite few).

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When it comes to the locked cars i think the problem is the way people have to unlock them. I believe every car should be obtainable through offline play ie single player, but they arent. People are forced to obtain these 100 or so cars when as well as how turn 10 decide they do. The bottom line is people dont like being forced into doing things and when things like this are put into any game people dont like it. Imo it was a poorly implemented as well as a unecessary feature to be added and they deserve all the complaints they have gotten.

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The lack of AI in multiplayer is disappointing. A friend and I like to race without random people, just us, but with AI. Because we can’t have AI in 7, we haven’t even bothered.

Regarding getting cars too easily, they gave in to complaints that it’s too much grinding for cars. No matter what Turn 10 does, someone will be unhappy.

The music is so horrible that I turned it off even in the menus. Forza generally hasn’t had very good music, but the all-dad mid-life-crisis rocker-wannabe garage cover band riffing is the worst soundtrack ever.

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Private lobby racing with friends and AI was so popular had it drew people away from the multiplayer hoppers. This is the reason Turn10 change the private lobby settings. We easily had 8-10 players every night in a private lobby and enjoyed every minute. Now we’re stuck in a boring free whatever…

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all i want is offline support so if i set world record times top 20 times i get credit for my effort , i want full control off ghost recordings and the ability to download ghosts like tunes and replay any ghost or even multiple ghosts while you hot lap , bt no they but a bunch of dune buggys and an atv in the game , no turn ten you should add more trucks and maybe even a fisher price wagon for forza 8 …!!!

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Game of the year runner up fo me. HZD takes first place but ive sunk more hours into Forza in total, so purely on value for money forza wins

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Overall I like the feel of Forza 7. Yeah I see some things have been downgraded or straight up removed which does suck since by now Forza should be ONE COMPLETE GAME. But I’m definitely enjoying freeplay and all the new options. The AI while sometimes acts stupid by running into you or staying behind you while they clearly have a faster car, most times they make the racing real competitive or closer. In fm6 even on unbeatable I would find myself in 1st place often, but now even down to expert or pro I’ll come in 3rd 4th or 6th. I’m not too big into multiplayer so all that does not really phase me but there are a ton of cars and most divisions are nice and full. Although some more requested cars can still be added which they seem to keep missing some.

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I agree with a lot that has been written so far. I do not agree that FM7 becomes a failure, at least commercially it is already successful. Look at some leaderboards in 6 months with more than 100,000 lap times. In FM6 it took years to reach this mark. I believe that we who buy the FM7 in the pre sells that we will be the failure in this investment. If T10 had an initial failure, it would now be running after injury.

What I am most disappointed with is the penalty on users of steering wheel system. Today in FM7, many players who use elite control get extra features in acceleration and dominance over the car. In a straight line with same cars and same tuning, what uses a G920 steering wheel system is always behind. What uses the elite control makes the curves with tire marks on the asphalt without losing speed, it is possible to see the front wheels going from one side to another as if it had a push button doing the work, it is not possible to be so fast with the hand, and still maintain the speed. Using the G920 does not even begin the tire marks, just the sound of the tire appears and the car immediately slows down. I do not know what happens to common control. So the people who used the Forza 6 as a simulator lost any feeling of simulation. Before I ran and I still run on FM6, with my friends always in the front platoon. Now I always finish races 1000 to 1500 meters behind. Are you worse off?

Not to mention that I have already completed the entire career of FM7, but the Honda Civic, who is a dear of the current league, I did not get it, can someone tell me where he got it?

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Yes, commercially it is a success. I think the problem here is commercially the real fans and enthusiasts of the series dont care if its commercially a success. Actually every effort they make to make the game more commercially successful it alienates the true fans and goes farther from the initial direction that we believed forza was heading. Horizon is commercially more successful, does this mean that motorsport should do away with tracks and just turn the game into horizon?

Also with that said. a few months after release when the game has likely already reached its peak users they wiped the leaderboards on forza 6 because of the differential glitch so using leaderboards is not a good determination of which is more popular/better.

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