Wouldn't model-specific leaderboards be great?

[Wiggs]

Not sure if FM4 has it but didn't previous Forzas show wheel or pad on the leaderboard?

Nope...not in Forza 4.

It doesn't say on FM4 (not as far as I'm aware), I've just been assuming that the top times are all with a wheel and pedals set-up. Firstly because they're using a clutch, and then because they are so far ahead...

A lot of the top times are by controller users. A wheel isn't faster, it's just more fun and immersive, imo.

 

[RikkiGT-R]

My wheel times were usually a couple of seconds slower than the times I set with a controller.
I just figured it was because I wasn't completely comfortable with the wheel...

 

[Wiggs]

My wheel times were usually a couple of seconds slower than the times I set with a controller.
I just figured it was because I wasn't completely comfortable with the wheel...

It took me a couple of months before my wheel times matched my controller times. There is definitely an adjustment period...especially if you've been using a controller for years.

 

[RikkiGT-R]

Yeah, on both GT and FM we're going back 14 years of using a controller

 

[RikkiGT-R]

Nope...not in Forza 4.


A lot of the top times are by controller users. A wheel isn't faster, it's just more fun and immersive, imo.

I'm still not convinced Wiggs.
I've spent the past week or so really putting a lot of effort into the leaderboards, currently I'm ranked about 1,500 overall for the circuits - although I've yet to work through F, E, D, C, R1 and X Class.

My point is, I've been watching a lot of replays of the top times to get some help with my own technique (as well as trying to figure out how on Earth these guys are so far ahead), and I can tell I'm watching replays of steering wheel users. The steering around the tracks is just so smooth I find it hard to believe I'm watching someone with a controller.
When I do watch controller replays the difference is blatant. Even in fast times the steering is a bit jerky around sweeping bends, whereas a steering wheel user just steers left or right and holds it there.

 

[PzR Crazy]

Every single leaderboard seems to be dominated by the same cars, and I find it really deflating.
I can make the top 1% of almost all leaderboards, but that's still as low as 10,000th place on certain tracks.

Seems to be Chevy Spark/Lotus Elise on the lower classes, then Lotus 2-Eleven from A to R2, and then Sauber C9 at R1.
There is no variety at all and I've no hope of getting anywhere near the top guys (who clearly use the full driving simulation set-up).
It's a shame because every track's leaderboard is now nothing but a meaningless high score table. I'd love to know how I do against others using the same car as me, rather than finding out yet again that my stock Nissan GT-R (or whatever) is 10 seconds behind an expertly tuned Lotus 2-Eleven

I agree if you mean the leaderboards could be sorted by class/car/track and everyone could post multiple times, that would open up the leaderboards nicely, so you could see who's the fastest GT-R or whatever, and as others say, have a 'stock' option in their as well!

However, I don't agree the current leaderboards are meaningless, I got the last car pack, took the Austin Healey Sprite, threw some upgrades on it to E275 and was hitting top 500 on leaderboards as part of the career mode.. sure it's a few seconds behind a Chevy Spark, but beating the regular stuff in my Sprite during a race was more rewarding!

 

[RikkiGT-R]

Yes perhaps "meaningless" is a bit far. It just frustrates me that virtually every track's leaderboard is dominated by the same car (differing occasionally depending on the track).
There are a few exceptions of course; I've seen the Mazda 787B be "the car" for a certain track, but the actual top score is held by the Mercedes C9 or one of the Acuras (and vice-versa).

I just wish I could filter it to know how good I actually am compared to others driving the same car as me.
For example - I absolutely love driving the #12 JGTC Skyline, but it is simply no match whatsoever for the Mazda Furai. It's frustrating

 

[saskman1950]

I have a few "F" times in the top 1%...which for me is great, but when there are 1,567,342 guys racing......
I recently shaved off .108sec and moved up 2,324 places...
I wish I was at the top and didn't have to watch everyone else's brake lights!!!
What is with the Chevy Spark???
I set my best times with it. Is it a magical car?
I've had really good tunes in lighter cars with more power and grippy tunes..only to finish back of my Spark....
If we had specific leader boards then I for one would not be ashamed of my times in a Hudson..especially if I could see how others did with the boat too..

 

[RikkiGT-R]

Thing is, I try using these 'magic cars' but still set times similar to what I had set previously in the non-magic, non-leaderboard cars

Having said that, earlier there I was 1,252nd overall on the circuit leaderboards, all classes combined.
By my reckoning I should make it to about 300th overall, maybe higher.
Still going to be about 4 hours behind [1FMS] FMS DJChris

 

[TRC GeorgiaDawg]

Yes perhaps "meaningless" is a bit far. It just frustrates me that virtually every track's leaderboard is dominated by the same car (differing occasionally depending on the track).
There are a few exceptions of course; I've seen the Mazda 787B be "the car" for a certain track, but the actual top score is held by the Mercedes C9 or one of the Acuras (and vice-versa).

I just wish I could filter it to know how good I actually am compared to others driving the same car as me.
For example - I absolutely love driving the #12 JGTC Skyline, but it is simply no match whatsoever for the Mazda Furai. It's frustrating

First post here as this topic peaked my interest.

Yea, meaningless is a bit too far. The thing with Forza's LB's is if you want to be at the top of them, you have to use the right tools for the job. Which are the hated leaderboard cars. I agree that most of the time the LB cars just plain suck, but it is what it is and it's fair as everyone has the same opportunity to run those cars. So, if testing yourself against others in the same car is your goal, they do serve that purpose.

Model specific LB's would just thin out the competition even more than it already is. Lots of fast guys just don't hotlap anymore because it's gotten to be too much of a chore to do so. Back in FM2 days, one could run through a class in a day or two. Now with all the extra (mostly crappy) tracks they've added, combined with much longer load times, it just takes forever to run a class. If there were LB's for each model, there'd be thousands of more LB's there and you wouldn't be competing against all the best drivers, you'd be competing against the handfull that decided to run that particular car/track combo.

I do feel your pain though. I miss FM2 because it was simply a better racing game than FM3 or 4. It has a sizeable number of features that have been cut that were great for the racrers..even list LB's, local LB's, the list goes on. The thing I miss most is dedicated racing classes where there were only real race cars. I hate seeing the great GT1/2 and JGTC/SuperGt racecars getting owned by maxed out supercars everywhere. But, it does provide some fun, in that beating guys in JT1's and Furai's in realworld racecars is fun. If you scroll down a bit on some of the tracks to the bottom half of the top 100, you can find where some have pushed the real stuff up there. Not going to ever crack #1's with those cars, but top 100's in spots are possible, and beating noobs in their JT1's is always fun.

 

[RikkiGT-R]

Very good post, and I definitely see your point about there being a vast number of LBs if they became model-specific.
However, I do feel that a simple option added to toggle between [top scores] [near me] [friends] and [same car] in the main LB would make the world of difference. It would simply become a filter rather than an entirely new LB.

Back in FM2 days, one could run through a class in a day or two. Now with all the extra (mostly crappy) tracks they've added, combined with much longer load times, it just takes forever to run a class.

As for this, yes it does indeed take forever. I've made my way through classes B, A, S, R3, R2, R1 and half way through X so far. Taking me an age but I'm determined to get them all done.
Thing is, because there are so many of the little crappy tracks, I usually just do a single "flying" lap, rather than a flying lap followed by the actual fast lap.
I know it's costing me a lot of time overall, but I really can't be bothered trying to shave a couple of seconds off countless tracks like Iberian Mini, Ladera Mini, Test Track a, b, c, d and so on, plus all the reverse variants
When I start a class, I quickly go through all the dirge, and then put a bit of effort into the real tracks that are worth a bit of lapping.

 

[TRC GeorgiaDawg]

Very good post, and I definitely see your point about there being a vast number of LBs if they became model-specific.
However, I do feel that a simple option added to toggle between [top scores] [near me] [friends] and [same car] in the main LB would make the world of difference. It would simply become a filter rather than an entirely new LB.



As for this, yes it does indeed take forever. I've made my way through classes B, A, S, R3, R2, R1 and half way through X so far. Taking me an age but I'm determined to get them all done.
Thing is, because there are so many of the little crappy tracks, I usually just do a single "flying" lap, rather than a flying lap followed by the actual fast lap.
I know it's costing me a lot of time overall, but I really can't be bothered trying to shave a couple of seconds off countless tracks like Iberian Mini, Ladera Mini, Test Track a, b, c, d and so on, plus all the reverse variants
When I start a class, I quickly go through all the dirge, and then put a bit of effort into the real tracks that are worth a bit of lapping.

Yea, I agree that a filter would somewhat give you what you're looking for. Although, it does still present the same problem in that the numbers who run whatever car you're wanting to filter will be small, so hard to really tell how well you've done in that car. But it's better than nothing.

If you haven't been to forzastats.com you should try that. I think Tchak is only going 300 deep on the overall leaderboards, but you can filter by car there. It's really a amazing site, one of the better reasons I have to even continue to play Forza at all.

www.forzastats.com

And I totally agree with all the crappy tracks and reverses. I can live with Iberian, but hate the other two that make up that "test track". And the silly benchmark tracks are mind numbing. But to me the worst is (and I'm sure some will disagree) is Fuji Kaido. I can't stand that track at all. It has no business being in a circuit rollup with real tracks. Don't want the track taken out of the game, but out of the circuit rollup would be nice.

 

[RikkiGT-R]

Agree with you about Fujimi Kaido. It's one of those tracks that makes me want to smash my controller for the number of times I get to the last corner or two, barely touch a barrier and then /!\

 

[doctorrg]

Agree with you about Fujimi Kaido. It's one of those tracks that makes me want to smash my controller for the number of times I get to the last corner or two, barely touch a barrier and then /!\

I, for one, like Fujimi Kaido. Then again, I do like P2P, and I guess you don't have many options here. As for getting to the last corner, don't get me started on the number of times I've gotten through without a scratch, and the lap was still invalid.

 

[imported_timeatkuu]

Amen to OP. I'm tired of seeing the Spark and Elise dominating the boards with these ridiculous setups to meet the class threshold.

I like how they have TA community monthly events which require you to use 1 specific car. I especially like it when there is no tuning involved, so it's just down to the driver's skill. The last monthly I can recall that was like that was the Lexus GS350 F Sport. Making top 1% in that event was much more rewarding... But how many users ACTUALLY compete in that?