FM4- One for the casuals?

[Gallinho]

A complete contradiction.....and a long way to go about making one.

I sort of get where your going with it aside from the 'casual' gamer angle. Surely if there were more to do 'offline' then that would be playing to the 'casual' crowd.

But before i go further... this 'casual' gamer tag is such a weird one.

In gaming terms given the time i could happily play xbox ALL DAY, i mean that, i love it. But i know i have to be realistic and grab an hour here or there, mainly from 10pm till say 11pm. So yeah i would be called casual. But i still want great features and realism in my driving games. Some kid with bad parents could be allowed to spend all day playing Mario Kart, does that make him a hardcore sim gamer??

Anyway, point is Turn 10 have had to adapt and be clever and this is the reason we have a Forza 4 at all, and we will get Forza 5 6 7 etc etc, cause they know what they need to do to sell games, keep Microsoft happy and above all keep the gamers in the MAJORITY happy......
Its simple business and any good business will be run this way, if not you go under.

I agree, of course they have to make the game more appealing/fun for the average gamer because that's where the bulk of their revenue is coming from, it's just makes sense financially.
But that doesn't excuse removing events from previous games or not having that extra layer of depth for the more serious racer.
Who would complain if there was an extra block of events in event list full of 20 lap races that could be run as 'proper' championships aswell as another 5-10 enduro's? That wouldn't be hard to implement and would keep everyone happy.

 

[I'm Motarded]

That's the problem. You CAN'T race the way you want offline. We can't even pick the number of laps to run in a split screen race!!

I can and I do, hence why I mentioned XBL subscription at the end of the paragraph. I use the online lobbies to set up custom games. People will say "but you can't pause" or some other excuse but I've yet to see one that really affects me.

Forza 4 , however, has car soccer and ten pin bowling and online has nothing like the depth or structure of iracing and doesn't come close to mirroring real world motorsport. If forza did have the online depth of iracing with official leagues/championships where I could earn promotion to higher levels based on my performance and safety rating, I wouldn't be so disappointed with it's offline offerings. But if it can't offer that depth and structure online it should try and offer it offline IMO, just like gt5 did with it's enduros, many championships and the 24hr events.

Yes the comparison might have been slightly crude, but very little of what you mention above can't be done in forza. You can setup a championship/leagues that starts off in MX5's and progresses through to prototypes by the end of two years if you wanted to. (mental note: That's actually a good idea) I think the addition of clubs into the game would actually help the organization of such a championship. It just takes some effort on the part of the people involved. which these days.. well some effort is too much effort to most people isn't it.

In regards to 24hr enduros, Personally I think without driver swaps it's silly offline by yourself, and again you can do this in forza (Online). Some guys did if for a charity event last year. The only thing missing is day-to-night transitions, driver swaps can be done with some organization. This should be even more fluid now the multiplayer has the "Heats" option.

Completed World Record Attempt 24 Heures du Mans

I think console gamers are still crying out for solid, satisfying singleplayer racing games and until console race games come close to matching iracing in their online offerings that will always be the case.

They need not cry. F1 2010/11 fills that hole doesn't it?

 

[ShylockHolmes]

I'll take the focus on online as opposed to offline every day of the week. Online is where both the challenge and the fun come from. What fun is having a CSR Elite and clubsport pedals if you can't show off by kicking peoples asses with lesser gear online?

Who cares about a great paintjob if you can't show it off online?

An example would be NHL 12, I've never even played the single player, I just play online matches.

 

[Gallinho]

I

. You can setup a championship/leagues that starts off in MX5's and progresses through to prototypes by the end of two years if you wanted to.


They need not cry. F1 2010/11 fills that hole doesn't it?

where can you do this? how does it work? Could you give details please because i'd love to do that


Agreed, F1 does fill that hole and despite not being a huge F1 fan IRL i love the game, its just a shame your limited to one class of racing (obviously). Also they've shown other console sims how to implement qualifying and the ability to set the length of race, giving every type of player what they want, which is what im longing for in forza!

 

[imported_SuperCobraJet]

I think console gamers are still crying out for solid, satisfying singleplayer racing games and until console race games come close to matching iracing in their online offerings that will always be the case.

With a million GT5 DLCs sold in 2 weeks, and a DLC available for FM4 no sooner than it came out, I fear those crys will fall on deaf ears.

Step aside son, we got paying DLC customers who need to get up here.

Since the console racing game is becoming a pay as you go affair, Iracing does look better and better, as the preferable alternative.

I'll take the focus on online as opposed to offline every day of the week. Online is where both the challenge and the fun come from. What fun is having a CSR Elite and clubsport pedals if you can't show off by kicking peoples asses with lesser gear online?

Who cares about a great paintjob if you can't show it off online?

An example would be NHL 12, I've never even played the single player, I just play online matches.

See what I mean, its all about online now.

I"ve played racing games online, off and on since PGR2.
But inevitably, I always miss the absolute convenience of offline.
There's no scheduling conflicts, mixed bag or concern for poor performance, if you didn't have time for practice and setup experimenting this week.

Possibly others will reach the same conclusion in time and contribute to the revitalization of the offline game.

Time will tell.

BTW, F1 2010/2011? You must be joking.

 

[artboy76]

I'll take the focus on online as opposed to offline every day of the week. Online is where both the challenge and the fun come from. What fun is having a CSR Elite and clubsport pedals if you can't show off by kicking peoples asses with lesser gear online?

Who cares about a great paintjob if you can't show it off online?

An example would be NHL 12, I've never even played the single player, I just play online matches.

No one said that online didnt have to be awesome, did they?

The question is "FM4 one for the casuals ?"

Well its for everyone, well apart from folks who think a cars sole purpose is to get them to the shops or work and its MPG is more important than its MPH.

Yes enduro races of at least 20 laps would be welcome, but its no show stopper that they arent there. And besides the ammount of folks i know who got the console BOT to drive their enduro races while they went to work / washed up etc etc on GT5, well whats the point in that?

why have enduro races if you get the computer to drive it?

@LickitySplit
p.s. one on one same car no tuning, you with your wheel and me with standard MS wheel...... £20 via paypal says i win....

 

[Moglet]

Personally I'm glad it's aimed at more 'casual' players, as that suits me just fine. I don't like doing long races, especially using a pad. I end up falling asleep I like to be able to fire it up and get going straight away. Video games are meant to be an escape from real life for a while, why the obsession with realism nowadays?!

 

[I'm Motarded]

where can you do this? how does it work? Could you give details please because i'd love to do that

http://www.forzaplanet.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=22

There's already a spec Mazda cup going on there. You could try to talk to the organizers and participants to see if they'd like the take the whole thing a bit further.

 

[SinStorm]

I'm glad in some respects that Forza caters to "us casuals" as i've neither the space or inclination to invest in a wheel setup. I'm just happy that i can plonk down in front of my screen, with my trusty old controller and have some cracking races both online and offline. If i wanted to pursue the experience to a more "hardcore" degree i'd buy myself a trackday!

 

[ShylockHolmes]

No one said that online didnt have to be awesome, did they?

The question is "FM4 one for the casuals ?"

Well its for everyone, well apart from folks who think a cars sole purpose is to get them to the shops or work and its MPG is more important than its MPH.

Yes enduro races of at least 20 laps would be welcome, but its no show stopper that they arent there. And besides the ammount of folks i know who got the console BOT to drive their enduro races while they went to work / washed up etc etc on GT5, well whats the point in that?

why have enduro races if you get the computer to drive it?

@LickitySplit
p.s. one on one same car no tuning, you with your wheel and me with standard MS wheel...... £20 via paypal says i win....

sure thing. I finished in second place in two Microsoft FM2 online gold tournaments. Same car no tunes, no assists 3 laps of the Northloop.

 

[Zoom!Zoom!]

I can and I do, hence why I mentioned XBL subscription at the end of the paragraph. I use the online lobbies to set up custom games. People will say "but you can't pause" or some other excuse but I've yet to see one that really affects me.

....

If you need internet connection and have to had XBL subscription then it's not really offline. This is like saying you can play WOW offline as long as you are connected to the internet and pay WOW monthly subscription.
It's the same with Gt5 A-spec missing some of the options that's in online and arcade mode.

 

[I'm Motarded]

If you need internet connection and have to had XBL subscription then it's not really offline. This is like saying you can play WOW offline as long as you are connected to the internet and pay WOW monthly subscription.
It's the same with Gt5 A-spec missing some of the options that's in online and arcade mode.

I just don't see why it's such a big deal. Every man and his dog has internet connection these days (how else would I be able to read their complaints?) when my XBL subs run out I just accept that that's the way the game is. Do WOW players moan about WOW being online only?

Forza has never really had decent offline options except when you could cheat the system via Lan.

 

[Zoom!Zoom!]

I just don't see why it's such a big deal. Every man and his dog has internet connection these days (how else would I be able to read their complaints?) when my XBL subs run out I just accept that that's the way the game is. Do WOW players moan about WOW being online only?

Forza has never really had decent offline options except when you could cheat the system via Lan.

For example, I have internet but my X360 has no Wi-Fi. If I drag a cable across the house I may have trouble with the Wi-fe.
I only mention WOW that to make the point there is no "offline" option. I would make a bet that offline gamers still out number the online gamers when it come to titles like Fm4 and GT5.

 

[Wolfe]

What fun is having a CSR Elite and clubsport pedals if you can't show off by kicking peoples asses with lesser gear online?

I didn't know belittling others was the key to enjoying a gaming wheel. What have I been missing out on all these years?!

I just don't see why it's such a big deal. Every man and his dog has internet connection these days (how else would I be able to read their complaints?) when my XBL subs run out I just accept that that's the way the game is. Do WOW players moan about WOW being online only?

Forza has never really had decent offline options except when you could cheat the system via Lan.

If there's any justification for Turn10 to only include race options in online lobbies and render them unavailable without an internet connection AND paid XBL Gold subscription, it's not your apathy over the series' past singleplayer offerings, nor your assumption that internet availability and XBL Gold are indispensable aspects of Xbox 360 ownership.

I know Microsoft shares your vision -- without an internet connection, unplugging the 360 will wipe the date & time to 2005 (WHY???) -- but that's because it's beneficial to them as a business. How does it benefit you, or us, to place basic gameplay options on a pedestal of internet connectivity and a monthly fee?