i like tracks that have an equal combination of turns and straights, for example Atlanta. road American is my favorite track but I tend to like tracks like the two I mentioned.
my least favorite track is brands hatch just because there is no area on that track you can go flat out, you always have to have a foot on the brake sort to speak.
First of all, excellent thread!
IMO, what makes a track really great to drive on is a mix of technical sweeps and corners, coupled with a few easy-to-negotiate corners, mixed with just enough camber and elevation changes to challenge even the most high-speed precision driver, and straights that let you go past 200 MPH in a high-powered car.
Really miss the good ol’ days of Camino, test track from FM2, Positano Full, Kaido etc.
Phillip Island. It’s perfect for every car ever.
I have to admit that tight 90(+) degree turns aren’t my thing. Tracks where they move some cones our barriers and use different painted lines, not my thing ( I hate Yas).
I love Lime Rock, Sonoma, Laguna, Bugatti at Le mans (love it, and yes there’s a couple tight 90’s, but they’re just one larger 180), miss Mugello imensely.
Tracks that have that corner before the straight, you know, like the last run at Road America, nail it or get smoked down the straight.
Ultimately, tracks that have good flow but also some alternate lines possible when in traffic. Tracks that you simply don’t get lost because they moved the cones on you.
Hockenheim is wonderful, Some of the best races I ever had, my first multiplayer win even, was on the old Sedona.
COTA, Yas Marina, Prague, Alps, hate 'em. The last two perhaps less so.
A great circuit is
I like a course where you can do an hour long race and not feel bored or too worn out.
The Indy Oval is an example of a boring course. If you put 23 drivatars out there it is interesting but still not exciting.
Nordschleife is an example of a course that wears me out.
Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen, Brands Hatch, and Hockenheim are courses that have the right balance for me.
Mugello and Suzuka are also good courses. Okay, this thread isn’t suppose to be a wish list but those are good courses.
For the most part I like the real world tracks ( except Yas and CoTA ) and dislike the fantasy tracks ( except Maple Valley and Sunset )
It comes down to mostly “realism” and the constraints that come from building an actual track that give it character. Why is Sebring flat? Duh, it’s in Florida. Why are there so many oddly shaped curves on Nurburgring- that’s the terrain they had to work with when they built the track. It’s why Yas seems so artificial an sterile, because it is.
Which is why I dont like the fantasy tracks, immediately you know that this isnt a real track and that no track in this location would run like this. Is there anything about Alps with its wide track and large flowing corners that says ’ this is what racing in the mountains must be like’? Even Praque and Rio, if it werent for the scenery surrounding the track, would you ever think you were on a track that was inside a densely populated city?
What makes a good track is character, that track has something no other track has because of unique local conditions and restraints that dont exist anywhere else. A track with a precise constant radius corner followed by straight followed by decreasing radius corner followed by straight followed by increasing radius corner followed by… is why Yas sucks, it could be built anywhere, and why the Nurb rocks, because it could be made in one place.
You know that Road America is an American track, because horsepower. When you’re on Tsukuba or Suzuka - its something only the Japanese could do, because Zen. Yas, Camino Viejo and Test Track, because deadline. The character of the land and builders all shows itself in the track, thats why real tracks have real character.
There is many good tracks, I do a brakedown of the tracks that are or has been in Forza series, that I concider bad, and for few I make few suggestions how to improve. Now this is not a bashing post, more like constuctive critisism in upcoming fantasy tracks,
The tracks I dislike.
-little to none runoff area, New York (FM3), Camino Viejo (FM4), Positano (FM3), Rio, Alps, Fujimi, Prague, Long Beach. almost whole bathurst except the straights, Nordscleife
-Very narrow track New York (FM3). Camino Viejo (FM4). Positano (FM3), Rio, Fujimi, bathurst, Nordscleife
-Pure momentum track Alps, Maple Valley (FM4) Prague, Rio.
From these Is still like Nordschleife and Fujimi.
-Nordschleife is somethig quite special with very long history. and it also tests all aspects of a car.
-Fujimi, you never really race there, but it’s awesome track to drift and fun to just generally mess around
Acceptable Positano, Camino Viejo, Long Beach. Maple Valley, New York
-I never had FM3 but looking at youtube it seems to me that it was too long, but still rather interesting track. So by making it shorter it might be actully pretty good track for lower classes.
-Maple Valley, It is actually rather similar to the closest track from my location. By making it bit shorter, and tightening few turns it actually would be rather good track. (Track map of Ahvenisto Circuit) http://ahvenistoracecircuit.com/wp-content/uploads/Ahvenisto_kartta-2012.jpg
-New York Again I never had FM3 but I con check the layout from youtube. It’s actually not that bad for street circuit, but the straights, are “too long” The chicane in there helps a lot, but I’d rather see a detour around a city block at least on other side of the track.
Lost all hope, Rio, Alps. Prague.
-Rio, While I actually like that the track surface is anything but smooth, but it’s gone a bit overboard with this. I’m almost surprised that the higher end race cars don’t get beach on this track if they drive slowly. The track has almost no straight’s at all, and it’s so narrow that if a car bit higer up makes a mistake it will collect everyone coming behind. also to get past someone cleanly you just have to wait a mistake, or you have to be in by far superior car. assuming that drivers have equal skill.
-Alps momentum track, it’s extremely difficult to attempt a pass, unless driver in front makes huge mistake. I have found only 1 place where yuo can challenge the driver in front, but again, to make that move stick you need to be in superior car. Again assuming that drivers have equal skill.
-Prague. This is the best of the worst. I have love/hate relationship of the section between start/finish and Charles Bridge. I love how bumpy it is, but I hate how narow it is. I also love how the tram tracks are rather slippery. The section further away from the river, just put’s me off, as it is almost flat out trough the whole section. No intersections, and banked corners in street circuit. and half a mile wide road at one point. Yes I know that prague isn’t exactly grid based city, but that section just ruins the whole track.
Now what makes a great track. Well Laguna Seca has the corckscrew, Road Atlanta has the esses, Spa has just about everything. Hockeheim is medicore, it could have 1 or 2 sweepers, but it’s ok as it is. Sonoma has the clib on to the hill, esses, and a hairpin, Yas has many braking zones, althuogh I’d sacrifice few for seepers. Sebring has bumpy concrete, Watkins Glen has the esses up to back straight.
One of the best tracks ever in Forza franchise hasn’t actually even been a one single track. It was collection of 10 or so tracks all mashed up in to one. I’m talking about the fantasy track/test track/playground usually called “Sidewinders” or “TT-Snake” tracks. featured in FM2. Yes it was anything but an actual race track. but it tested the car in every possible way, on relatively smooth surface. having hairpins, some elevation changes, square corners, round corners, round corners with rather heavy elevation changes heavy acceleration and braking zones, and relatively long straight. Quite literally it was great “all in one track pack.”
Great post juggernaut! I agree with pretty much everything you said 
Elevation changes.
Not a street circuit.
I remember a quote from Mark Webber after a test a Mugello, he said he’d rather drive 10 laps of Mugello than 100 at Abu Dhabi or something to that effect or as Fred Flintstone calls it Abu Dhabi Doo!.. Anyway I think the perfect track for me when it comes to driving is one that has great flow and elevation change, but also enough decent sized braking zones so there is good passing opportunities, chicanes have to be fast too.
For racing and as a spectator tracks to me have to provide good racing not just overtaking. What I mean by racing is the car behind being able to dive down the inside or outside before a corner, but because of the corner layout can’t quite get passed and has to run side by side, criss-cross or have to tuck back in,. If you pass a car the layout makes you off line for the next corner(s) and the car behind can launch an attack to get back its position. Many of the new GP circuits have long straights followed by very tight where a car can overtake before or into the braking zone, get passed and because the next corner sequence is very slow and clumsy for 90% of racecars, the car behind has to fall in line to get through the corner or miss the corner and have to give the position back to the overtaker.
A great track also has to make the car feel alive, whether that’s bumps like a Sebring, Baltimore or the front “straight” a Pukehoe. Chincanes that can almost be straight lined and have the cars get air like the Morocco street track or Knockhill. Very high speed turns that really have the car on the edge of grip like that back section of Thruxton, Turn 8 at Istanbul or turn 6 at Sochi.
Here is a list of some of my favourite tracks not in Forza, its worth checking not just onboards but race footage too, some of these tracks might not be well know outside their home countries but are really worth a look.
England
Thruxton - Highest average speed in the UK, great flow with cars really on the edge, it has a corner that is 130 mph in a touring car! the runoff is a grassy down hill with a small bank and trees!
Oulton Park - In my opinion it feels like a mini Nordscheife, its picturesque too.
Cadwell Park - If Oulton is the mini nordschleife, Cadwell is the Go-Kart Nordschleife.
Donnington Park - Crainer curves need I say more.
Scotland
Knockhill - Short and sweet with a corkscrew like first corner and a reverse corkscrew that has cars on two wheels.
New Zealand
Pukehoe - Crazy front straight, enjoyable short layout until the chicane was put in the back straight.
Highlands Raceway - cross over section, beautiful scenery.
Australia
Philip Island - great flow and enjoyable racing.
any street circuit - they do the best street circuits down there.
Queensland - not the greastes driving track, but a great racing track.
US
Virginia International Raceway - Those Esses! sadly no oak tree anymore
Barber Motorsports park - Beautiful flow and elevation, very picturesque.
Other
Enna Pergusa (Italy) - follows the shores of a lake, with fast curb hopping chicanes.
San Luis Potrero De Los Funes (Argentina) - most scenic track in the world? also follows a lake shoreline.
Villa Real Street Circuit (Portugal) - New layout for 2015 WTCC, very flowing for a street track.
Salzburgring (Austria) - Very fast flowing track in an alpine valley.
