Forza Horizon 4: General Discussion

[McLaren]

So there was this FH5 map reportedly leaked on 4chan, I dont know if its true or not but there it is

Believe it when I see it, personally. However, I originally wasn't that much of a fan of feeling Japan should be the next location (I thought at the time, it was more of a desire for fans to have an excuse to relive Fujimi Kaido in FH). After a trip there literally a year ago, I'm more than open to revisiting it in the virtual world of Horizon even though there may be some design choices carried over from FH4 that I'm nit-picky over.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

So there was this FH5 map reportedly leaked on 4chan, I dont know if its true or not but there it is

There's so many things wrong with this map.

There's no ways roads that straight would go to the top of Mount Fuji unless it's laughably small. I'd guess those grades would be well over 75% without switchbacks going up the real thing.

The "construction zone" is enormous compared to...Yokohama. Where's Tokyo?

Why is the urban area near Gunma larger than the urban area next to Tokyo Bay?

Owing to all that, I'm calling this map totally bunk.

 

[Populuxe]

Another thing I noticed between the two different leaked maps were the dates in the corners (2020-1-12 and 2020-8-19). I don't know if it lends any credence or lack of it to this leak, but I thought it was worth pointing out.

This is a significant detail to me. This is consistent with placeholder maps used in development meetings. They’re not finalized maps, but WIPs or “works in progress”, a way to organize information for devs to work out details on refining the map. Notice in the first map there is an absolutely straight line road going northwest out of Yokohama which roughly corresponds with a real world highway. It’s gone in the second map, likely signifying it’s been removed because it didn’t add anything to the game.

As for people complaining it’s not accurate with details in the wrong place, or the lack of the largest city, well we’ve been through all this four times already, haven’t we?

So to everyone screaming “fake!” you may be right. But as far as leaks go, this seems to all but confirm Japan as the setting of Horizon 5.

 

[YoungRhombus]

There's no ways roads that straight would go to the top of Mount Fuji unless it's laughably small. I'd guess those grades would be well over 75% without switchbacks going up the real thing.

Notice in the first map there is an absolutely straight line road going northwest out of Yokohama which roughly corresponds with a real world highway. It’s gone in the second map, likely signifying it’s been removed because it didn’t add anything to the game.

Here's what I think. IF these are real, I think that the empty areas, missing roads, and weird scaling are due to those areas being placeholders. If these are real maps, PG has obviously changed a lot on them between the two dates. This could mean that odd-looking/incomplete areas such as Mt. Fuji, the construction area, the Horizon Race Track, etc. are just placeholders until they actually map it out. I definitely feel this way about Fuji, since the latter map just has a circle at its peak. This would also make sense considering the entire lack of dirt roads on the map.

I think this is entirely plausible and they were/are still developing and changing those areas of the map. It's tough to call if it's real or fake. I think it's definitely possible for it to be real, just very incomplete in certain areas. We've seen how good fan-made maps can turn out, and I doubt a fan would just draw a circle on top of Mt. Fuji and call it a day.

 

[ShawnPhillips]

.Yokohama. Where's Tokyo?

Tokyo likely would not happen even if the next game is in Japan for the same reasons the dev gave for no using London for FH4. It is far to big and has too much variety for the devs to do it justice given the world size, time, and resources the dev have available to make the game. Toyko is about 240 square miles larger then London IRL. Edinburgh is about 101 Square miles in total IRL while Yokohama is about 168 Square miles. So this seem doable given the longer dev cycle this time around.
The fact that this map is not based around Tokyo makes it seem more plausible to actually be real. Then again we have already seen fan concept maps based around Yokahama before.
www.reddit.com/r/forza/comments/ak0oyo/horizon_japan_map_concept/

 

[willbsn13]

Certainly interesting that this has come out right after the first leak.

Either it's fake and someone is doubling down on hyping Japan or its real and someone is trying to get the most accurate info out there.

On the second leak, is it just me or do the dirt roads look way too straight? Could be just a placeholder but they don't really seem to look right as opposed to the first leak where the dirt roads look a lot more realistic.

Still skeptical of this all, but certainly seems to feel like we have a small small chance of a 2021 FH5 release. Though I still think 2022 is the safer bet.

 

[YoungRhombus]

is it just me or do the dirt roads look way too straight?

I was talking about that in a previous post on the last page. It seems to me that those may be highways, but that doesn't make a ton of sense either. There are odd discrepancies between both maps in general that lead me to believe that these are either very much still in development (or were at the time of the dates listed on the maps) or they're fake. I think it's just as likely to be either one.

However, I'm still almost convinced that FH5 will be in Japan, especially between these two leaks and based on sheer community popularity.

EDIT: I was incorrect about another leak on Twitter, please disregard that. That's my mistake.

 

[willbsn13]

I was talking about that in a previous post on the last page. It seems to me that those may be highways, but that doesn't make a ton of sense either. There are odd discrepancies between both maps in general that lead me to believe that these are either very much still in development (or were at the time of the dates listed on the maps) or they're fake. I think it's just as likely to be either one.

However, I'm still almost convinced that FH5 will be in Japan, especially between these two leaks and the one awhile back on Twitter.

There was one a while back on twitter? Do you have a link?

 

[-Fred-]

We'll see if this ages like milk or like wine, but I'm saying:

a) it won't be Japan and b) it'll instead be a North American location again.

 

[YoungRhombus]

There was one a while back on twitter? Do you have a link?

That's my bad, it was the one from Jeff Grubb (he's apparently been correct about quite a few of his predictions in the past) awhile ago on a podcast he was on. He was the one who said that we would probably be getting Horizon 5 before Motorsport. I thought he had mentioned Japan as well, but it seems my memory is incorrect. I apologize and will edit my post.

 

[willbsn13]

That's my bad, it was the one from Jeff Grubb (he's apparently been correct about quite a few of his predictions in the past) awhile ago on a podcast he was on. He was the one who said that we would probably be getting Horizon 5 before Motorsport. I thought he had mentioned Japan as well, but it seems my memory is incorrect. I apologize and will edit my post.

All good, I remember that one. I think he was also on the FH5 is coming 2021 train along with a few other people. Rand Al Thor was one of them too I think

 

[TokoTurismo]

Hmmm. I don't know about you guys, but that bottom right corner of the screen makes that leak legit. It reads "2020-08-19", which means 2020 August 19th. Therefore it must of been done last year. It must also be an earlier version of the map as well, with the complete version that was in the works during that period?

Although that could be the map we are set to get, who knows. But the landscapes could look dang beautiful! Heck, there is even an airport and race track in it!

My suspicion tells me that the next Horizon game may very well take place in Japan, so I'ma calling it right now. Just imagine the traffic cars!? Toyota Prius anyone?

 

[pez2k]

My suspicion tells me that the next Horizon game may very well take place in Japan, so I'ma calling it right now. Just imagine the traffic cars!? Toyota Prius anyone?

Regardless of where it's set, the traffic cars will probably just be the same C32 AMG, Fiesta S, Golf VR6, A160, Legacy, and so on. Some of them have been hanging around in the same US spec since the first game, regardless of country.

 

[Populuxe]

Regardless of where it's set, the traffic cars will probably just be the same C32 AMG, Fiesta S, Golf VR6, A160, Legacy, and so on. Some of them have been hanging around in the same US spec since the first game, regardless of country.

You may be right, but with the amount of time being put into this new game, we might finally get some upgraded AI cars.

 

[TokoTurismo]

You may be right, but with the amount of time being put into this new game, we might finally get some upgraded AI cars.

That's right! 👍

Plus, we'll be on the third year without a Motorsport game (can you believe that!?), and Horizon 5 would've been in development for two years (soon to be three), so that would give PG enough time to include different traffic cars based on the country the next game is set to take place.

How exciting!

 

[Populuxe]

Official Forza video for the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.

 

[BlazeTheCat05]

So...did they cancel the Hotwheels Legends DLC or something? It's not even in the Microsoft Store anymore.

 

[Populuxe]

So...did they cancel the Hotwheels Legends DLC or something? It's not even in the Microsoft Store anymore.

I’ve been looking since Monday and I never saw it in the first place.

 

[TheAdmiester]

Hmmm. I don't know about you guys, but that bottom right corner of the screen makes that leak legit. It reads "2020-08-19", which means 2020 August 19th. Therefore it must of been done last year. It must also be an earlier version of the map as well, with the complete version that was in the works during that period?

Although that could be the map we are set to get, who knows. But the landscapes could look dang beautiful! Heck, there is even an airport and race track in it!

My suspicion tells me that the next Horizon game may very well take place in Japan, so I'ma calling it right now. Just imagine the traffic cars!? Toyota Prius anyone?

The date doesn't mean anything, I could easily make a fake image tomorrow and stamp 1996_05_12 on it but it wouldn't change the fact that it wasn't made then.

Personally I think the leak is a total fake. The roads look like someone randomly threw some white lines on a satellite map with the hopes of making it look "Horizon-like", but without considering things like contours in hills, or the fact that an entire city is shown next to a single road, with no suggestion that anything within the city is driveable.

I'm sticking to my theory that FH5 will be returning to the US, because this is the only one where there are actual findings to support it, however unintentional they may be.

EDIT: Additionally, if you want an idea of how Playground's work-in-progress maps actually look, just take a look at this one from the files of Horizon 1:

 

[ShawnPhillips]

So...did they cancel the Hotwheels Legends DLC or something? It's not even in the Microsoft Store anymore.

They never actually announced exactly when it would be releasing, Just "soon".

 

[TokoTurismo]

The date doesn't mean anything, I could easily make a fake image tomorrow and stamp 1996_05_12 on it but it wouldn't change the fact that it wasn't made then.

Personally I think the leak is a total fake. The roads look like someone randomly threw some white lines on a satellite map with the hopes of making it look "Horizon-like", but without considering things like contours in hills, or the fact that an entire city is shown next to a single road, with no suggestion that anything within the city is driveable.

I'm sticking to my theory that FH5 will be returning to the US, because this is the only one where there are actual findings to support it, however unintentional they may be.

EDIT: Additionally, if you want an idea of how Playground's work-in-progress maps actually look, just take a look at this one from the files of Horizon 1:
View attachment 991584

Ohhh, I see. So I guess it's just some random, desperate individual who tried to be clever. Gotcha! 👍

As much as it would be cool to have Japan, it's just another country like everywhere else that JDM wannabes are so clung to. Going back to the US would, IMO, be the better choice. And hey, we'll get to finally drive on the right side again.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Tokyo likely would not happen even if the next game is in Japan for the same reasons the dev gave for no using London for FH4. It is far to big and has too much variety for the devs to do it justice given the world size, time, and resources the dev have available to make the game. Toyko is about 240 square miles larger then London IRL. Edinburgh is about 101 Square miles in total IRL while Yokohama is about 168 Square miles. So this seem doable given the longer dev cycle this time around.
The fact that this map is not based around Tokyo makes it seem more plausible to actually be real. Then again we have already seen fan concept maps based around Yokahama before.
www.reddit.com/r/forza/comments/ak0oyo/horizon_japan_map_concept/

The fan map you linked looks far more plausible, IMO. Notice how Yokohama is clearly delineated, and Tokyo (I suppose) would be visible in the background, unlike the previous map in which Tokyo didn't seem to exist at all. That stretches beyond any reasonable artistic license, IMO and would be way more surreal than even typical Horizon maps - if Horizon 4 is sorta-Britain, Horizon 5 would be not-Japan if you catch my drift. Would they just never mention Tokyo? The roads in the link you posted seem more plausible too, but I think its verging on too many. At least they show an attempt at grading the road properly up Fuji! If PG ever does a Horizon in Japan, I still sincerely doubt it will be near Tokyo for reasons you stated. That is why I think the maps posted thus far are fake.

 

[pez2k]

Notice how Yokohama is clearly delineated, and Tokyo (I suppose) would be visible in the background, unlike the previous map in which Tokyo didn't seem to exist at all. That stretches beyond any reasonable artistic license, IMO and would be way more surreal than even typical Horizon maps - if Horizon 4 is sorta-Britain, Horizon 5 would be not-Japan if you catch my drift. Would they just never mention Tokyo?

To reiterate what I posted earlier - FH4 never mentions London, or any city in the UK other than Edinburgh, despite covering landmarks from most of England. If they did Japan to the same scale you'd basically have somewhere like Osaka with Tokyo Bay / Expressway grafted onto the east and Mount Fuji up north. Just about the only relationship between FH4's map and actual geography is that Edinburgh is north of all of the English parts.

 

[willbsn13]

I'm sticking to my theory that FH5 will be returning to the US, because this is the only one where there are actual findings to support it, however unintentional they may be.

EDIT: Additionally, if you want an idea of how Playground's work-in-progress maps actually look, just take a look at this one from the files of Horizon 1:
View attachment 991584

Didn't realise there was a beta map like this in FH1. I guess it might have been a small prototype they did for testing out France/ITaly for FH2? Weird how none of that map/location made it in to the final game though.

Also, what findings support FH5 potentially being set in the US? Curious to know

 

[TheAdmiester]

Didn't realise there was a beta map like this in FH1. I guess it might have been a small prototype they did for testing out France/ITaly for FH2? Weird how none of that map/location made it in to the final game though.

Also, what findings support FH5 potentially being set in the US? Curious to know

Yeah, FH1 had this map hidden in its textures, and the E3 build actually had height maps for Colorado, La Spezia, and Sabah. It also had an airport icon which possibly implies they weren’t trying to decide on one, but initially may have had plans to have all three.

As for FH5, my prevailing theory is:

- Australian cars start showing up in FM6 DLC -> FH3 in Australia
- British cars start showing up in FM7 thumbnails -> FH4 in the UK
- American cars start showing up in FH4 leaks (stuff like the Lincoln MKVII and MKVIII which make no sense in the UK) -> FH5 in the US

That’s the way I see it.

 

[-Fred-]

As for FH5, my prevailing theory is:

- Australian cars start showing up in FM6 DLC -> FH3 in Australia
- British cars start showing up in FM7 thumbnails -> FH4 in the UK
- American cars start showing up in FH4 leaks (stuff like the Lincoln MKVII and MKVIII which make no sense in the UK) -> FH5 in the US

That’s the way I see it.

That's my theory as well. On top of the leaks, the massive influx of American cars recently (GT500, Shelby 1000, C8 Corvette, Iroc-Z, Cyclone, Typhoon, Velociraptor etc) fits the precedent.

 

[willbsn13]

Yeah, FH1 had this map hidden in its textures, and the E3 build actually had height maps for Colorado, La Spezia, and Sabah. It also had an airport icon which possibly implies they weren’t trying to decide on one, but initially may have had plans to have all three.

As for FH5, my prevailing theory is:

- Australian cars start showing up in FM6 DLC -> FH3 in Australia
- British cars start showing up in FM7 thumbnails -> FH4 in the UK
- American cars start showing up in FH4 leaks (stuff like the Lincoln MKVII and MKVIII which make no sense in the UK) -> FH5 in the US

That’s the way I see it.

That's my theory as well. On top of the leaks, the massive influx of American cars recently (GT500, Shelby 1000, C8 Corvette, Iroc-Z, Cyclone, Typhoon, Velociraptor etc) fits the precedent.

Very interesting about the FH1 stuff. Sabah is a very very interesting choice. Definitely not what I thought would be in there Top 3 locations for FH1.

Back to the USA thing, yeah that makes sense now that you point it out. It'll be interesting too see if FM Next comes out before FH5, will we see any more indications of it being set in the USA? Im honestly leaning toward FH5 leap frogging FM Next but we'll see.

Odds its in the California region? Surely very high if they return to the states. California doesn't necessarily have to be LA as well, as people have pointed out in this thread before.

 

[WanganDream]

If FH5 takes place in the United States, I would strongly prefer that it be in one of these areas other than Florida (Miami), California, New York, or Nevada (Las Vegas).
These states and the cities they represent are great, but they have been chosen as the setting for many other open world games in recent years, and I'm getting a little tired of these states and the fictional cities based on them.

 

[Darla Starch]

Let's go to New Jersey for FH5.

....or really, anywhere in the eastern US that isn't NYC or Miami.

 

[L8 Apex]

Let's go to New Jersey for FH5.

....or really, anywhere in the eastern US that isn't NYC or Miami.

How about the Carolinas? Add a bunch of vintage NASCAR cars and the road cars on which they're based spanning from the late '40s to like the early '90s (i.e. '49 or '50 Olds 88, mid-'60s Galaxie, '70 Monte Carlo, mid-'80s Thunderbird, etc.), to the '40 Ford, Hudson Hornet, Charger Daytona and so forth they already have and have lots of unpaved backroads that were originally the domain of moonshiners for rallying.