Turn 10 Studios, the developers behind the controversial Forza Motorsport, released four major updates since the October 2023 launch. But setting aside much-appreciated new content, there are still significant technical issues to address. According to the devs, fixes are on the way, but we don't know when they'll arrive.
Forza Motorsport is one odd duck, if I may. Steam users don't really like it and gave it a 38% "Mostly Negative" score, which is abysmal for such a high-budget AAA game that, on top of everything else, was highly anticipated by fans. The low score is most likely reflective of their disappointment.
Also regarding scores and Steam users, as a quick side note, another major Xbox 1st party release from 2023 got a "Most Innovative Game of the Year" award from players. People were trolling and voted for the game ironically.
Coming back to our side of the tracks, Forza Motorsport's Creative Director, Chris Esaki, Game Director, Andy Beaudoin, and Executive Producer, Trevor Laupmanis, publicly acknowledged the issues players have with the game and "pledged" to fix them in time. The three main areas targeted are AI, Race Regulations, and Car Progression.
Aside from the glaring bugs from launch, where the ground simply disappeared before your very eyes, one crucial area that Turn 10 Studios needs to fix ASAP is the AI department.
While Polyphony Digital is showing off Sophy in Gran Turismo 7, their latest in-game adaptable AI technology that players love, Forza Motorsport is dragging behind with AI opponents that are severely lacking. Especially for a big-budget, highly-anticipated AAA game from such a renowned studio.
In Motorsport, the significant problems with AI stem from erratic and buggy behavior. The studio leads themselves recognize that the opponent drivers sometimes brake out of nowhere or don't even accelerate out of exits. Furthermore, there's the over-the-top braking in mild corners or how they follow the racing line too strictly.
Photo: Microsoft
Next, the Forza Race Regulations are also broken in some cases. You could find yourself "awarded" with unfair penalties out of the blue. Imagine minding your business while another car rams into you, trying or succeeding to push you off the track, while you still get time deductions for "intentional ramming."
Others report that some collisions at high speeds yield no consequences, while those at low speeds also have unintended consequences. The fix for the Race Regulations will come "over the next few months" with data collected directly from "long-time competitive Motorsport players."
Finally, the Car Progression system is a tough nut to crack. Some players appear to be happy with the way things are, while others... not so much. The problem the development team is facing now, is how to keep what works for some, while changing what doesn't for others, without ruining the fun for the people who already like the systems in place.
Turn 10 Studios aims to fix these three pillars in early 2024. It will be really interesting to observe if, in time, that 38% Steam review score will change along with the improvements. A lot of games in worse conditions rose above and beyond from failure, so why couldn't Forza Motorsport do the same?
My estimation is that they have time until Gran Turismo 7 hits PCs. Nothing's been announced so far, but some Nvidia leaks revealed a port is coming. On top of everything, if GT7 on PC comes with ray tracing during gameplay... it could mean game over for Motorsport.
Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive). Full profile
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