Forza 4 vs GT5 physics

Im curious to know how the physics engines compare.

Of course, vote only if you have played both games.

I have a thread on GTPlanet asking the same question. To see it, go to:
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=226995

Personally, I feel GT5 has the upper hand in the physics department but Forza 4 isn't that far behind. Forza 4's physics are miles better than Forza 3 though. All in my opinion, of course.


Parker

It's hard to say over all which has the better physics model, but in one area I had noticed was in FM4, It's best to have all your braking done before the corner and accelerate through it, otherwise you'll slide and lose speed. In GT5 you can really chuck a car into a corner and don't have to worry as much. In one other aspect, I feel in FM4 it's easier to recover a car from a slide, in GT5... if it gets squirrely, it's over...

Maynard

I feel in FM4 it's easier to recover a car from a slide, in GT5... if it gets squirrely, it's over...

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It feels opposite to me. I seem to lose control way too often in FM4 without control.
Perhaps I'm too used to GT5, where I drive aggressively and produce great lap times. In FM4, I fly off the track in some corners because I'm too aggressive

The 2 games seem so different to me in the physics department. I can't honestly say which one is closer to the real deal since I don't really race IRL. But I do drive fast at times, on windy roads and around some corners near my house. I haven't flown off the road yet, so I'd have to give the upper hand to GT5

I dont wanna get into the debate about which one feels more "realistic", but so far they both have their + and -. I like the feel of GT5 better w/ a wheel. I feel like you get a lot more feedback translated thru the wheel. Especially going over bumps where your car gets a little airborne. You can feel the steering wheel get light when that happens. I dont feel that in forza. The cars react as they should over bumps and undulations in the road, but I just dont feel it.

Tires and grip levels are the main differences ive found. In gt5 when you throw a set of race slicks on, you know it. That car stays planted to the road. Forza, not so much. Which one is a more accurate a representation? Beats me, but I feel like Forza could have been a tiny bit more generous with the grip level of their tires.

Braking is definitely where I give Forza the nod. Like maynard said, best have your braking figured out well before you enter a turn. More than any game Ive played you really need to find the limit between braking just enough and braking too much and locking up. You get a lotta good feedback from the tire noise, so listen to them. They'll tell you how hard you need to brake.

Overall Im happy with Forza. Its never claimed itself to be a "driving simulator", but this is probably as close as its ever felt.

Forza wins.

Not much difference in suspension modelling and force feedback, but the way a tire start to lose grip and its behavior on the edge wins it for Forza. Most tires on GT5 are overly sensitive as if they run on a very hard sidewall, with tires below comfort soft acting most realistically, Forza 4's tire selection is consistently real in terms of behavior and the grip level is spot on.

Forza also feels more natural to drive, as in it allows more different ways of driving, shifting weight around produces more significant results on the car dynamics, if you hamfist it, start braking when the car is not straight etc the game will challenge your car recovery skill but still give you full control.

Brake lockup is better. clutch mechanics is miles ahead.

And given FM series has always simulate tire camber, temperture etc more openly it's another score in that aspect as well, the model is solid from the ground up.

i have played gt5 a long time but when i got Forza i was a bit suprised

but i did vote for equal

Asking that question on a GT5 forum with a trillion members is only going to be heavily biased..

Even though I prefer FM4 (based on the demo), I'd just have to say 'equal' in that they are different, there are some pretty obvious traits of each that aren't perfect simulation, it depends on what you are most willing to gloss over, or just perhaps not notice..

JJ72

Not much difference in suspension modelling and force feedback, but the way a tire start to lose grip and its behavior on the edge wins it for Forza. Most tires on GT5 are overly sensitive as if they run on a very hard sidewall, with tires below comfort soft acting most realistically, Forza 4's tire selection is consistently real in terms of behavior and the grip level is spot on.

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I have to agree on this, at least that its much more realistic.
GT4 had a much closer, to this feel that is absent in GT5.
IMO, this is the biggest factor that gives an edge to FM4.

JJ72

Forza also feels more natural to drive, as in it allows more different ways of driving, shifting weight around produces more significant results on the car dynamics, if you hamfist it, start braking when the car is not straight etc the game will challenge your car recovery skill but still give you full control.

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This is true too, but some of the tire-car base characteristics are way off havng a FM2ish feel.

For example the Mustang GT handling in FM4 sways like a 1962 Buick station wagon.
The GT5 base handling is much closer to real.

As said already by others, there are some pluses and minuses to both.

Forza feels quite a bit better to me and behaves more like a car should I think. I'm sure it's from more than just the physics though, the sound plays a huge roll in that too. I would agree that the tires perform more true to life in Forza as well, but since I've never really driven on slicks I can only assume. The sports tires seem to be pretty close though.

It's tricky for me to decide, I always preferred GT5's feel over Forza in the past, but FM4 has really improved overall. They both have their pluses and minuses as stated above, I do feel that GT5 still edges it by a hair.

PzR Crazy

Asking that question on a GT5 forum with a trillion members is only going to be heavily biased..

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But this is not a GT forum with a trillion members.



Scaff

After spending a coupe days now with FM4, the physics in FM4 are indeed better...AT least in the FEW cars I have driven so far. Which is not many at all.

Soldier 95B

After spending a coupe days now with FM4, the physics in FM4 are indeed better...AT least in the FEW cars I have driven so far. Which is not many at all.

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Agreed. I love it.

I am not going back.... Until GT6... Maybe.

At the current rate of their "DLC" I think we are looking at an equivalent / longer development time than GT5. Lol.

I only preferred GT5 over FM3 because of the physics.... Well, now now brown cow...

Have to say Forza for me.
FF,FR,MR all have there own characteristics.

Back end starts to step out on a FR car, gotta counter steer and lift off or your binned.
Understeer a FF car, gotta brake or your in a ditch.

Driven around only 10/15 cars so far. All with there own personalitys.

You do need a steering angle over 270 to appreciate these.

FF on the wheel feels better to me.
GT5 is all about centre spring strength, nothing subtle. Ok the steering goes light as a feather when airborne. Meh.

Forza portrays edge of grip perfectly via FF. I can feel the edge via FF before tyre squeal kicks in. Excellent.

Call me biased if you wish. I own both titles so I don't need to show loyalty to any.
Forza 3 didn't show body roll to well in cockpit. Actually virtually nothing.

Cockpit view in F4 now rolls with the turn. In soft suspension.

Can't praise a console game high enough.

Soldier 95B

After spending a coupe days now with FM4, the physics in FM4 are indeed better...AT least in the FEW cars I have driven so far. Which is not many at all.

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I viLe styLe I

Agreed. I love it.

I am not going back.... Until GT6... Maybe.

At the current rate of their "DLC" I think we are looking at an equivalent / longer development time than GT5. Lol.

I only preferred GT5 over FM3 because of the physics.... Well, now now brown cow...

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This

The physics are sooooo improved over FM3. I was always on the side of GT5 over FM3 when it came to physics but now FM4 has stepped it up allot over FM3. I find GT5 and FM4 very similar now in terms of physics especially with the revamped physics GT5 added in the Spec2.0 patch.

The biggest problem I had with FM3 was when turning into a corner it felt like every car had massive understeer on corner entry. This is completely gone.

Suzuka Circuit Turn 11 (left hand hairpin) is the best example of this. In FM3 I had the hardest time getting almost any car to turn into that corner even in 1st gear. I would have to almost come to a complete stop to get the car to turn into that corner. FM4 no problem. I ran the NSX Top Gear rival event and went through that corner in 2nd and had no problem at all to get the car to turn in.

I voted an even tie. With that said I only took into account the driving, nothing else. right wrong or indifferent I do like the driving in both.

I think GT5 has more believable physics, but its hard to compare really.

The Forza cars are all so alive in feel, which means you can approach corners in a different manner over a few laps. Driving the S204 on TGTT earlier, I executed a bit of lift-off to power-on oversteer, let off the throttle to straighten up and the car snapped the other way and I spun out. Loved it!

Scaff

But this is not a GT forum with a trillion members.



Scaff

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That's what I was thinking. This is a FORZA forum!

Forza makes slower cars feel faster and more realistic I'd say. I have far more fun driving slow, stock or underpowered cars in Forza than I do in GT games. The low speed tyre physics are certainly superior to GT.

The cars do tend to feel a little ice rinky in Forza at times, the road isn't as tactile, I don't get as much feedback as in GT5 and that does make me miss it.

Braking is certainly seems more detailed in Forza, although I never really felt GT5 felt bad in this area either.

Collisions in Forza are definitely things you want to avoid, they upset your car far more than they do in GT5 and that's surely a plus point.

They both feel very different and I think they beat each other in different areas.

TheIllustrious

Forza makes slower cars feel faster and more realistic I'd say. I have far more fun driving slow, stock or underpowered cars in Forza than I do in GT games. The low speed tyre physics are certainly superior to GT.

The cars do tend to feel a little ice rinky in Forza at times, the road isn't as tactile, I don't get as much feedback as in GT5 and that does make me miss it.

Braking is certainly seems more detailed in Forza, although I never really felt GT5 felt bad in this area either.

Collisions in Forza are definitely things you want to avoid, they upset your car far more than they do in GT5 and that's surely a plus point.

They both feel very different and I think they beat each other in different
areas.

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Yeah I agree 👍

I agree with the cars feeling more alive Forza compared to GT5. GT5 felt very dull sometimes and boring. The sense of speed is fantastic. The one thing that I really miss from GT5 is the grip of the rear tires. I haven't driven a car that the back doesn't come lose.

FM4's new tire physics make all the difference for me. For the first time ever in a racing game, I feel like I can accurately feel when I'm at the very edge of traction. This edges it over GT5 for me, but I still feel that GT5 has a better sense of weight to the car.

I have now spent even more time with these cars, and there is no doubt I could go back to GT5 after this.

A case in point of how these physics have moved on since the 3rd game; the 2002 (albeit I'd added the S14 M3 engine) can go into terminal snap oversteer through simple corner transition at speed and adverse camber. That's pretty much what you'd expect of an old, crude RWD car. I love losing control in this game almost as much as I love getting it right, because the loss of traction feels so sudden like IRL.

forza 4 wins it for me. I am only playing with a pad at the moment but I can already feel the finesse in Forza's physics. Braking hard in the Noble M600 into the Hammerhead resulted in the back end getting all squirrelly and required a deft touch to keep it level into the corner, something I never felt in GT5.

Forza 4 wins hands down until your car hits a bump or goes airborne. I don't know why but Forza just has the weirdest suspension physics as far as hitting bumps goes. GT5 isn't much better though.

FM4 easily, it feels like real driving. GT5 = wobble, wobble, wobble down the straights some of the most bizarre FFB Ive ever encountered. FM2 had hideous physics too, like just slightly scraping the wall would result in endless 360's down the track or getting rear ended was like being shot out of a cannon.

FM4 has set a new bar for a console ride.

Forza 4.

The tyre modelling alone is superior to GT5's and as a result the loading of grip, slip limits and breakaway is much, much more accurate. Load transfer and how differing suspension types manage said transfer is more realistically done.

Overall the differences between FM3 and FM4's physics are significant and even with the Spec 2.0 update on GT5, FM4 still manages to nudge ahead.

Scaff