As i disclosed elsewhere, news about the game being set in Japan were perfectly timed to me as I just went back from vacation there, after 2 weeks going around including Tokyo and Hakone, so I’m really looking forward to FH6, more than any other Horizon game to date, for sure, but as people focus on the car list, the map, the customization options, music…don’t get me wrong, important and key things that I really care a lot about, but there’s one big detail to be also taken into account for properly capturing the location properly, which I hope it’s being taken care of, since as stated they want to do true justice to the location…the traffic cars.
Seems like something trivial at first, but after being there for all those days in person, I can say they are part of the whole experience, it’s a vibe of their own, with all the unique cars you (mostly) only get to see there, and the default traffic we had since FH2, the Fiesta-Bora-Legacy pack is simply not fitting in any way. In fact, I managed to only spot a single Fiesta…it was also the only Ford in fact I spotted in 14 days. I spotted literally 3 times more Ferraris. (And don’t get me started on the traffic Golf 3…oldest Golf I spotted was a 6th gen) So, they were not so common back on its day to start with, but now those traffic cars are also really dated, about 15-20 years old, and in Japan is absolutely not the norm at all, since due to many reasons including the infamous shaken inspections, cars older than 5 years are rarer to see than in most countries (As an example, couldn’t find a Prius older than a 3rd gen, sometimes a gem from the 80’s/90’s would appear, but besides special places and events, seeing them in traffic is a real challenge)
A good start for a custom traffic set would be something like this:
-Toyota JPN Taxi / Crown Confort Taxi (Depending on the area maybe)
-Toyota Sienta
-Nissan Note 3rd Gen
-Toyota Prius 5th Gen
-Daihatsu Move Canbus
-Nissan NV100 Clipper
-Toyota Voxy/Alphard
-Daihatsu Taft
-Mitsubishi Delica
-Toyota Probox
-Suzuki Hustler
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, some of the most common cars I saw, and we’re still missing buses and trucks for example. This effort was made back on FH1, when you could find the Corollas, Explorers, and more roaming around, and if one game/map deserves that attention again, is definitely this one. Obviously at this point it would be too late to change anything, as this requires time to license, to create, and more, so whatever is done and ready for the traffic, is set for good, so I can only hope they tried a bit at least…again, it’s not like the game is ruined or something, but the experience will be definitely halted, will not truly feel like being there, and that’s also true at the same time, but I’m afraid I can’t expect surprises on this regard…Will be glad to be proven wrong here!
I absolutely agree with you . There are times I don’t want traffic, then there times I do want heavy traffic for realism , cruising in traffic having turn signals/hazard lights, 900 steering wheel degree etc for that extra realism .
