The Mental Detox Thread

Forza Horizon Forza Horizon 5 FH5 Discussion
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I have to say that as of late, taking a look at what’s going on in this forum brings up memories of the Jerry Springer show from back in the day :smile: (which is definitely not a good thing for those who may not know what that is lol)

I’m guilty of sharing my frustrations along with everyone else but it seems like more & more the forum has turned into a geopolitical mud slinging contest that continues to divide the members, with removed posts & suspensions being handed out left & right to the point of prompting official statements by Max (which I thought was pretty sad that it has come to that).

To quote others & simply put: it is just a game. And IMO, as games go, (playing on a XSX), it’s a pretty amazing game for a lot of reasons. Sure, there are certainly issues that still need to be addressed that have lingered, as with any game, but the sheer volume & detail of available cars, tuning, designs & activities is really unbelievable when you look at what it must take to achieve that.

Anyway, since most of us tend to partake in this forum as a form of “group therapy”, I thought it might be good to try to focus on the positives, not to cover anything up or hide the issues, but just to realize there is a balance & maybe help close some of the division.

For me, I’ve stepped away from the game before due to frustrations, but always end up coming back because I enjoy designing, the weekly challenges & most recently the insanity of rivals, trying to place decent times among some of the best players, (which I clearly can’t do :smile:). I really appreciate input from others on recommended cars for events, tunes & what worked or failed.

I find the fact that this global platform brings together players from all over the globe also pretty cool & I feel for those players who get caught up in some of the controversies created around specific country’s policies who are just trying to play the game. Personally, I’ve made friends with players on the opposite side of the world that we routinely get on a call together to complete the weekly events, race & just hang out.

So what are the things that you really enjoy about FH5 that keep you coming back & how can we continue to promote that as a player community? What things do you find the most helpful when it comes to these forums & player input?

If you’ve read this far, you’re clearly in that category (or just preparing your response to lambaste this post & tag it: TLDNR :smile:) if not, thanks for reading & any positive feedback is welcome!

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I enjoy the Forza monthly updates and having a good laugh at all the rubbish added like hearing aids for our avatars. This would be digestable if it was coupled with features/fixes we want but this is never the case so it just becomes a long drawn out joke…

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What are the top three for the “we”? (Rhyme intended :grin:)

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Pretty disappointing so far…this might just be proof of the adage: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”…

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Personally i am still playing the game regularly (daily!) Members of my club are on most evenings and we complete the Festival Playlist in Co-Op or PVP, dependant on the skill level available that evening! We have a very varied skill level across the club members, which makes for some interesting racing. Once the playlist is complete, or everyone has acquired the cars / rewards they need for the week, then we race open class, bring what you think you can win with, or do Arcades.
I am rarely impacted by bugs, or they do not affect the way i play the game.
In summary, still enjoying it 10 months on from release.

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I wouldn’t go that far, it’s just and I don’t think I’ll be alone on this that the great things about FH5 are things that have been great throughout the series since the first FH 10 years ago, I really can’t think of anything to praise that is unique to 5.

I mean other than the initial burning through of the content the most fun I’ve had in a FH game since FH4 released was actually going back to FH2 to 1000G it.

The past 2 games have just lost something for me that you can’t measure in any factual way, they just don’t have the atmosphere or give me the level of immersion that the first 3 games possessed.

I mean I see someone has replied before this but almost none of it is anything that the actual game itself does, that’s their friends getting together and making it fun, but you can get fun + enjoyment out of any game in existence if you have friends with you for it.

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I still play every day. I am either designing a vinyl, doing Goliath, or the Seasonal events.

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Yeah, I kinda have to agree with TGM that this game isn’t doing anything unique to make me enjoy it. It’s just another entry in the series. But I have largely felt that way about every sequel in the series. I may have had more initial hype for 3 just because it was the most scenic, but once the shiny wore off it was just another day at the office so-to-speak. The first game is the only one in the series I ever got nostalgia for and had to revisit.

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Yeah, I really only started the series with 4 & have to say, based on a lot of similar comments, that I feel I missed out on some of the best of it.

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You don’t make progress by ignoring the negative and pushing it under the carpet, which is what this new world wants.

Everyone to be happy and content with what your given.

The combined experience of the story and the multiplayer are simply weaker than every game prior, naturally that creates a dichotomy between those who are unhappy with the product (can see the flaws) and those who can’t justify a bad game.

Why? Because they are new to the game.

I figure you are of the latter.

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From OP: “I thought it might be good to try to focus on the positives, not to cover anything up or hide the issues, but just to realize there is a balance & maybe help close some of the division.”

I think you’ll also find responses to some of your other comments above, regarding my position & experience with the FH series. In terms of gaming experience, I’d say 45 years of playing has given me a perspective on the industry & where it has progressed to.

I think the “new world” you refer to is more about “instant gratification” which has helped to skew the paradigm of tolerance when things aren’t perfect.

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I admire your position for sure in attempting to remove divisions.

There should be more objective reasoning and focus on what the game does offer, but ignorance is equally as much of a problem.

Obviously the simple solution is just walk away from the series but that’s not easy for some.

Yes, moreover said tolerance of incompetence thus making resistance less common, which although does make us more peaceful and forgiving, it also breeds groupthink and individuality slowly disappears.

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Reminds me of a flame war I mistakenly got roped into in the YouTube comments section. I had some guy claiming that it is people like me who ruin Forza by having negative opinions. Well, for one, I’m not “ruining” Forza because the developers clearly aren’t listening to my or other more critical player’s suggestions, and two, what fun is there to be had in a community that does not discuss problems and possible solutions. Is there fun to be had talking about current things in a positive light. Absolutely. Would things get old pretty quick? Highly likely.

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I’ve been thinking about this since you posted, but to be really honest I can’t think of one single thing that falls into this category. There’s stuff I enjoy doing, but nah… I can’t find any positives. My own activity has hit a once a week blast, followed by a quick visit to do a daily challenge. There’s nothing left to get me to come back and play.

Now… F1 2021 & 22 I play every day after work and most of my weekends. Why doesn’t FH5 get me like that I wonder? Oh yes… progression, long-term progression through dedicated game modes like a driver/team career (even in solo mode). It keeps me going back to F1, yet in FH5… nothing. We can’t even build our own championships.

But at least we have hearing-aids now… what a joke. (Don’t at me, I have hearing-aids myself)

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Some fair points for sure & I definitely struggle with some of the same “walls” in terms of gameplay, which has driven me away completely for weeks at a time before. You tend to hit that point of meaningless repetitiveness after a while & wonder why you continue. You can clearly see this trend is impacting the overall player base just by the volume of players in game at any given time compared with where it used to be, unfortunately.

Totally agree about the F1 series & also play quite a bit myself.

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Absolutely agree; this is the fundamental basis for such a forum & I wasn’t suggesting otherwise (as previously stated). When it’s been fact based & constructive, I don’t think there they have been any issues.

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The franchise has remained stagnant since 2016. Horizon 3 was the last genuine sequel that actually expanded upon the game that came before it.

Then live service got big and now all we have are crappy childish addition and a lack of genuine features that should be in a car game. They just make a glorified graphics benchmark test, slap an old racing game over it, and sell it for 60$ now. Critics and casuals stunned, everyone else is screwed over

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Personally, I bought into this game not expecting much. It was a stopgap because Motorsport isn’t out yet. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Horizon 4 at the end of that run, and I knew that Horizon 5 was going to be more of the same. Indeed, for reasons I’ve discussed prior, Horizon 5 is very much a lateral move, and the only reason I persist with it is for the cars themselves.

Cue the meme (edited to TV-PG standards): “Our expectations for you were low, but holy carp.”

To say that I have not been impressed with the post-launch handling of this game would be a grave understatement. And I know that I’m far from alone, or even in a significant minority, in holding that belief. What’s particularly irksome is how some people, and particularly the ones in positions high enough to advocate for or do something about it, are quite eager to sit down at the table while the room is burning and say “This is fine.” And when pushed about that, they clam up and go silent, or post something that does little outside of accusing people of being impatient or unreasonable. Then they burn time on their monthly update streams talking about the cool new Doritos‐sponsored outfit.

And we’re supposed to feel positive about that?

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Don’t forget the new hearing aids too!!!

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Right now I only play enough to get the seasonal exclusives. From time to time I like to browse user created liveries to download for my cars. That’s about my favorite part of the game right now, just seeing the great work that talented creators produce. I don’t really drive/race for ‘fun’ anymore.

Sure there’s a lot of content in the game, cars and such, but the problem is that a LOT of the content was already created in previous games. I’ve been playing since FM1/FH1. So after seeing so much stuff stay the same, it’s getting less and less interesting. I am trying to see what’s NEW in FH5…

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