What are your hopes/expectations for FH4?

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Take it with a grain of salt, dont know how competent original author.
 
My expectations:
- While I liked FH3’s Australia a lot, its map was also a bit monotome IMO. I preferred the rougher land of FH2’s Europe a lot more. So for FH4 a very rough landscape with hill villages would be great.
- I liked the 5 villages from FH2 more than the only 3 villages in FH3 (even if they were much bigger).
- No more Hot Wheels cars please! In the end it was okay in FH3 but a bit more “serious” FH4 would be nice.
- Challenging AI with proper difficulty settings instead of the rubberband nonsense from FH3.
- All major brands presented, including VW and Toyota.
- Further evolved blue prints with completely custom races instead of picking from selected ones.

As for the location itself, I’ve seen rumours of Japan, USA coast and England. All 3 seem fine with me. As long as it has enough mountains. ;)
 
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Take it with a grain of salt, dont know how competent original author.

Gravel is an over-the-top arcade game, and yet it features Toyotas. Huge pinch of Himalayan salt, then - undoubtedly there are more factor that play a role in getting the Toyota license than whether or not your game tries to be a simulator.
 
Gravel is an over-the-top arcade game, and yet it features Toyotas. Huge pinch of Himalayan salt, then - undoubtedly there are more factor that play a role in getting the Toyota license than whether or not your game tries to be a simulator.
There are TOYOTA and TOYOTA Motorsports. Gamedevelopers have problems with TOYOTA and road legal models.
 
I'm realizing that while my hopes might be one thing, my expectations are pretty low.

Why would PG put any serious effort into reworking/pushing the series? It sells well and has no real competition. In reality, my expectation is that FH4 will be quite similar to FH3, just set in a different location with a different roster of vehicles.

I suppose we will find out in time, but I don't see a reason to be overly optimistic that they will address the problems with the series...sadly.
 
I suppose we will find out in time, but I don't see a reason to be overly optimistic that they will address the problems with the series...sadly.
What do you see as the shortcomings to the series? I'm not trying to start a fight, I'm just curious.
 
The one thing I've had a problem with, and that's both FH2 and FH3, is that the whole festival setting doesn't hold any real value. FH1 made you go through the ranks and challenge some of the more "famous" racers to get your way to the top, it had events that were specifically curated for one type of car or a specific class, and at the end you had a final boss to beat in order to be named the champion of the festival. It was cringy at times, but there was an actual story to complete.

FH2 was basically a free for all, run what you want massive road trip with very little feeling and no real storyline and no actual sense of completion. Both it and FH3 made the whole festival setup a bit redundant with different hubs scattered around the map.
 
I'm realizing that while my hopes might be one thing, my expectations are pretty low.

Why would PG put any serious effort into reworking/pushing the series? It sells well and has no real competition. In reality, my expectation is that FH4 will be quite similar to FH3, just set in a different location with a different roster of vehicles.

I suppose we will find out in time, but I don't see a reason to be overly optimistic that they will address the problems with the series...sadly.

If The Crew 2 does well enough, it could give PG and Horizon a run for their money.
 
If The Crew 2 does well enough, it could give PG and Horizon a run for their money.

I wouldn't get my hopes up on that front, looking back at history everytime Ubisoft has tried to be ambitious with a title, it has failed miserably.
 
What do you see as the shortcomings to the series? I'm not trying to start a fight, I'm just curious.

From my post a few pages back. My suggestions can be read as improvements needed.

1. More life in the environment. The Horizons thus far have a very cold and isolated feeling even with the stunning visuals. Whether it's having garages (ala PGR/GTA/TDU) around the map that are purchaseable/unlockable or some other kind of engagement, there needs to be WAY more life in the next title.

2. Better designed map. FH3's map is pretty large, but damn is it lame. I have way more fun (just driving) in GTA V's comparatively small map. This goes back to point #1 a little bit, but GTA actually feels like a real, breathing world. FH3 feels like some sort of fenced-in driving zoo. The roads need to be carefully designed to establish more varied driving/gameplay. FH3 is actually a noticeable setback in this regard, as its roads are less interesting than the first game.

3. More mainstream vehicles. Way more. There were more Ferraris in FH3 than front wheel drive cars (it's true, look for yourself!). I can't really feel immersed in a game that feels like a digital/playable embodiment of a Shmee150 video.

4. The festival. It has always been dumb. Just get rid of it already. It feels like a crutch at this point.

5. Sense of progression. Being the boss for FH3 didn't work for me. The game just throws you money and cars in a way that takes away any feeling of progression or accomplishment.

6. Barn finds. I like the idea, but the execution should be more engaging. I've got plenty of ideas how that could be done, why doesn't PG?

7. Better game mechanics regarding off road. A Zonda R couldn't drive 5 meters in thick grass. The madness must stop. The off road vehicles are all but pointless at this point because supercars can go through any terrain.

8. Less clinical feeling interface. This is a long shot, but I really dislike the whole Forza interface experience. Give it some life, please.

9. Drivatars. They are homicidal imbeciles that don't appear to be programmed to be aware of other vehicles, driving standards, or anything else. It breaks any sort of immersion to be constantly slammed into by drivatars.

Basically I think FH4 should lean *heavily* on GTA-O for crafting an open world experience that people will keep coming back to, and not just rely on creating a larger map and thinking it will solve all of the shortcomings the FH series has had so far.
 
This guy's not wrong.

Fh3 has gone into an embodiment of #yolo swag rich kids of Australia etc. with the hospital records skrillex music etc.

There is just too much wrong in FH2/3 that needs fixing I reckon.

Barn finds is a good example. Its now about checking Youtube for the exact location because drivng around circles in the dark isnt fun.

I have always complained how FH2/3 was worlds devoid of life.

Here's a town that looks like a typical Aust. country town.. with NO PEOPLE?

A mining town where it looks like the boom busted and everyone left their Cat 797B's and departed.

Even back to GTA San Andreas, they were able to make a living city... on a PS2!

FH2/3 was the same expereince for me... great cars, great location, no motivation to do these tasks except a burning desire to get my money's worth.
 
Even back to GTA San Andreas, they were able to make a living city... on a PS2!

True, but Forza would have to deal with the age-old question of "what to do with the pedestrian that crosses the street at the wrong moment". GTA never had such problems, and wasn't afraid to let you shred people with a combine harvester, as it wasn't going to bump up its rating anyways. Other games essentially turned the weakest users of the road into ghosts, but that solution would be as immersive-breaking as the absence of pedestrians. And then you have to consider that GTA cars are to this day a very low-poly affair, compared to Forza's... It is very possible that adding in fully-animated, 3d people to the scenery could push the old XB1 past the breaking point.

Also, I personally find Barn Finds to be a fun occasion to do some off-road exploring, so on this one YMMV.
 
^Tc2 has peds, they move out of the way if you come toward them.

I'm hoping fh4 has HOUSES. customizable interiors. Optional gas meter. Peds. online car shows were people vote for the winner and winner gets prize.
 
^Tc2 has peds, they move out of the way if you come toward them.

Which is the other way to handle them. Problem is - how do you ensure pedestrians always move out of the way, even when you have an open-space environment you can cross at speeds well in excess of 400 kph?

I am not saying that it would be impossible for PG to give more life to the maps, and I am all for it. However, it is something that presents many challenges, both technical and "political", so to speak (rating boards being what they are these days), and that I won't hold my breath, as they seem to be quite settled in keeping the humans behind what few impenetrable barriers are left in the game world.
 
THere's actually humans outside and they can be hit... the guy who waves the flag on start can be hit and its like hitting a rock boulder.

Be that as it may, that's just one thing that needs looking at.

or maybe not... I mean they can very well make FH4 Hong Kong and have Chinese people behind barriers and still sell millions.

Lets rock up to Southern China for your latest barn find.
 
True, but Forza would have to deal with the age-old question of "what to do with the pedestrian that crosses the street at the wrong moment". GTA never had such problems, and wasn't afraid to let you shred people with a combine harvester, as it wasn't going to bump up its rating anyways. Other games essentially turned the weakest users of the road into ghosts, but that solution would be as immersive-breaking as the absence of pedestrians. And then you have to consider that GTA cars are to this day a very low-poly affair, compared to Forza's... It is very possible that adding in fully-animated, 3d people to the scenery could push the old XB1 past the breaking point.

Also, I personally find Barn Finds to be a fun occasion to do some off-road exploring, so on this one YMMV.
Like in the first Midtown Madness :lol:
 
Midnight Club 3 had people walking around. They would jump out of the way if you went near them at all, and your car would just ghost through them if you were able to make “contact”.
 
I wouldn't get my hopes up on that front, looking back at history everytime Ubisoft has tried to be ambitious with a title, it has failed miserably.

I didn't like The Crew 1 much but The Crew 2 seems like a much improved game. And the many racing game YouTubers that were invited to the Ivory Tower play session seem to be very enthusiastic about it.

The world is huge and planes, boats, monster trucks, bikes and motocross seem like a welcome fresh air for a racing game. The graphics look stunning as well and that is an area Ubisoft really rocks lately (Assassin's Creed Origins, Far Cry 5). The only thing that looks a bit weird to me judging from all the gameplay videos I watched is that when drifting and changing direction the car seems to slide from one side to the other in a very arcade/unrealistic way. So I'm not convinced yet about the drifting physics. Also bikes seem a bit stiff from 3rd person view. But ooh boy, everything else looks so sweet.

I signed up for the beta, hopefully I get into that. Will probably preorder the game as well.
 
Keyword being seems. I'll hold my judgement for when it comes out, but so far while it does look great, I'm also afraid it'll fall in the same spot as Watch Dogs, the original The Crew, and Tom Clancy's Division; good on paper and full of promise, but ultimately short on execution.
 
True, but Forza would have to deal with the age-old question of "what to do with the pedestrian that crosses the street at the wrong moment". GTA never had such problems, and wasn't afraid to let you shred people with a combine harvester, as it wasn't going to bump up its rating anyways. Other games essentially turned the weakest users of the road into ghosts, but that solution would be as immersive-breaking as the absence of pedestrians. And then you have to consider that GTA cars are to this day a very low-poly affair, compared to Forza's... It is very possible that adding in fully-animated, 3d people to the scenery could push the old XB1 past the breaking point.

Also, I personally find Barn Finds to be a fun occasion to do some off-road exploring, so on this one YMMV.

I think if they were simply 'ghosts' with no collision detection, it would be fine. Either that or have them do some sort of token juke move (accompanied by a PG 'hey, watch it!) so they at least respond to the player....but still no collision detection. You couldn't hit pedestrians in driver 2 (don't remember the others) and i never found it particularly immersion breaking. The only reason for that to be immersion breaking is if somebody really wants to run them over, otherwise, the likelihood of actually running into them would be slim. And who cares about the immersion for those types of players in a racing game?

They could set the game in Dallas....there wouldn't be any pedestrians in the first place. :lol: "Why are you walking? Are you poor or something?"

Just because I want to get it out, my ideal open world driving game would be this:

-Period set. There, I said it. I've rarely seen this done in a racing game, but I think it could be really great. 1995ish - Tokyo, Japan. Open world with a lot of attention to the urban fabric of Tokyo. I think setting the game in period would allow for a few things:
-Car selections can be less nebulous without feeling contrived. Less of an emphasis on the ever-increasing amount of hypercars in the post-great recession contemporary world, which would seem conspicuously absent if the game was set in 2018.
-Art design, music, and other design choices can be tailored to the setting, creating an evocative atmosphere.
-Maybe it's just me, but I think the nostalgia of a period-set game could be very compelling.​

-Split focus on disciplines: Touge, Drift, Wangan. There could be others, but these seem most in keeping with the period.

-Purchaseable garages with a realistic amount of storage. Not too far down the rabbit hole of RPG, but limiting your fleet size will naturally make each car feel more special, and at the same create a reward/incentive for upgrading your garage. There should be enough of them, and enough customization to feel like you are making a choice and making it your own, but not so much that it feels like a distraction (looking at you Fallout 4 settlements).

-Dealerships with rotating selections. Condition may vary.

-Car list more similar to GT series....lots of cheaper vehicles and different trim levels of each. It should be rare for two players to have the exact same car.

-Parking areas - Like the Daikoku Futo parking area. This would be the hub for initiating races, possibly trading vehicles, parts, etc.

-Clubs. Similar to the adversaries in the TXR series. These could be either AI or player filled, depending on mode (online vs offline).

-If I was writing the gameplay, I would make it kind of a meta or self-aware racing game. I think an open world game needs some kind of narrative framework to hold it together, but racing games thus far have been way too contrived (dumbass Horizon festival) in this respect. Here's how I would do it: The characters are very serious and earnest about racing, but are a little more self aware than you'd typically expect: they understand that it's meaningless but do it anyways. A little existential. I feel like Initial D had a little bit of this in it's writing (especially the older characters, which may or may not have influenced a lot of dialogue in F&F Tokyo Drift, but I digress).

Alright that's it....for now. :lol:
 
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Keyword being seems. I'll hold my judgement for when it comes out, but so far while it does look great, I'm also afraid it'll fall in the same spot as Watch Dogs, the original The Crew, and Tom Clancy's Division; good on paper and full of promise, but ultimately short on execution.

True, this is the type of game that can look good from watching videos but in the end disappoint from playing. I had that happen with NFS Payback, in the end I got convinced from watching videos but didn't like the game that much. Well it was okay-ish I guess but not that great either.

It seems on the Mercedes-Benz facebook page there is a reusable unlimited "closed" beta access code so you can give the beta a try this weekend and see how it works out:



code needs to be added here: https://thecrew-game.ubisoft.com/the-crew-2/en-gb/beta/redeem.aspx

(might be an interesting article for the front page news)

more info also on Reddit:
 
Still no legit leaks hmmm....:rolleyes:. Well atleast it wil be a unexpected show at the E3 with lots of surprises.

It's quite boring when they reveal everything at the same time. They should've made a teaser or some sort of leak.
 
Usually we have heard something by now. I have a feeling we are gonna be treated to something big .
 
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