Forza 4

[racerfink]

Since there doesn't seem to be one around on this forum, I'll just make this the general catch-all for FM4.

Hawk Performance brake pads has put out a number of liveries of their Pirelli World Challenge GT cars, and a livery for the NASCAR truck that Mike Skeen drove at Mosport, and their SVRA/HSR Camaro as well. Just go to 'storefront', 'buy designs', scroll down to gamertag, and enter HawkPerformance. All are free liveries, as are a few vinyl groups they have too. There are two for the Z06 C6 Vette, two for the Nissan GT-R that Bryan drove, and two for the American Iron Mustang. The livery for the truck goes on the GMC Syclone. There is supposed to be one for an Audi R8, as that will be the car they drive at Long Beach this weekend, but as of yet, it hasn't appeared on their storefront.

http://www.forzamotorsport.net/Handlers/GetPhoto.ashx?game=fm4&id=26413597&full=true
http://www.forzamotorsport.net/Handlers/GetPhoto.ashx?game=fm4&id=26411779&full=true
http://www.forzamotorsport.net/Handlers/GetPhoto.ashx?game=fm4&id=26411616&full=true
http://www.forzamotorsport.net/Handlers/GetPhoto.ashx?game=fm4&id=26411593&full=true
http://www.forzamotorsport.net/Handlers/GetPhoto.ashx?game=fm4&id=26411489&full=true

[racerfink]

Almost forgot... They have some free tunes as well. They are meant to replicate the way the car is raced, and are not built to max out a class PI.

[George]

Bumping an old thread so as not to post off-topic stuff in the Forza 6 thread.

I'm really enjoying Forza 4 as something I can turn on, run a race without spending all day at it, and then get back to more responsible activities. But, I made the mistake of looking up a list of cars online and found there is - or was - a '63 VW Beetle available as DLC. :eek:

I MUST HAVE IT!

However, I can't find how to access DLC in this game. It wouldn't surprise me if it's no longer available, but I can't find anything that tells me either way. I have tried the "Marketplace" section (I think; I'm writing this from work), and the "Community" section without luck. Both say I need to be connected to Xbox Live to proceed.

I don't have a Live account, nor will I purchase one. However, I was able to get DLC for the games Trials HD and Trials Evolution without a membership, so is the problem that the old Forza 4 DLC is gone, or am I just not looking in the right place?

*sniff* :(


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kaGWS8FaC4

[Phil_SS]

Try this link George. (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Meguiars-Car-Pack/061ccef8-df1d-4b41-8d77-1d016741e139)

Not sure if it will work if you don't have Live. Did you order the Trials HD stuff from the website?

[George]

Wow, fast reply! Thanks Phil. I'll have to check that link later, at home, as everything related to video games seems to be blocked at work, except YouTube.

I ordered the Trials stuff from a link within the game, which had options something like the list below in the game:

-Single Player
-My Garage
-Map Editor
-Download Center (or something like that)
-Some Other Choice
-Whatever Else

[George]

Phil, thank you. It looks like that's going to work, after a mighty struggle to reset my long-forgotten password and the verification codes they sent not working. I think I finally triumphed and can now log in at will.

Next, I'll need to buy myself an Xbox gift card at my local video game store, as I feel that's safer than using real credit or debit cards online, and then I'll buy it.

I watched another video about the Beetle in Forza 4 and saw that the rear spoiler available in the Upgrade Shop is a...

Vintage-style roof rack! :up:

[George]

I found the rest of the Forza add-ons. Wow, a person could go broke buying extra cars, and even a new track, I see.

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-us/Product/Forza-Motorsport-4/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8024d530910

I like this. Check out how two of the doors don't match. Classic! :lol:

Skip ahead to about one minute to get to the driving, if you don't want to see it getting built in the upgrade shop.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16XRdheIMQo

[Cam]

George, here's the old Forza 4 thread from way back in case you're curious: http://gtxfrefuge.freeforums.org/forza-4-preorder-bonuses-t70.html

[George]

Thanks Cam. I didn't know that forum was still there.

It may seem silly to some of you latest-and-greatest-tech guys, but this Forza 4 game doesn't seem dated at all, to me. Lots of fun. Too bad I have no time to play it during the week. :(

I haven't bought any DLC yet, but the more I think about it, I think I want the van more than the Beetle! Yeah, I know, I'm an oddball...

Dig this one, found via The Google:

http://www.forzamotorsport.fr/photos/x1/forza-motorsport-4-gmc-truck-vandura-1500-par-douleurtetard10-306831.jpg

:up:

[21Kid]

Nothing at all wrong with enjoying older games. :)

[Jason]

Considering how simple racing games are, Forza 4 probably holds up pretty well in the graphics department... it definitely has gameplay in spades.... frankly I'd still play it myself if I didn't have a Xbone/Forza 6

[Phil_SS]

Considering how simple racing games are, Forza 4 probably holds up pretty well in the graphics department... it definitely has gameplay in spades.... frankly I'd still play it myself if I didn't have a Xbone/Forza 6

Agreed. I put hours upon hours into that game.

As I've said since it released. Just give me that game with more tracks and cars. Graphically it is more than acceptable.

[George]

Graphically it is more than acceptable.

Especially when I finally hooked up the Xbox to our 48" (I think) HDTV with an HDMI cable. Wow! And now I can read about the cars, read the starting grid before races, and other fine print, too. :lol:

We had not hooked up the Xbox in our main family room because our kids did not (and do not) have carte blanche when it comes to playing video games. They'd play all day if we let them, and get up before dawn to start, too! So now we have a dedicated HDMI cable for the Xbox downstairs, and I can just pick up the box and make it disappear when it's not video game time, or grab the power supply and a controller too, and hook it up to our much smaller upstairs TV with the older style cable with the red, white, and yellow plugs. It's not HD, but still a lot of fun if Dad wants to catch a quick race after the kids are asleep. Considering I still judge games like this against GT and GT2, the standard definition on a smaller TV is still very enjoyable to me.

I've been having fun with my favorite car from Gran Turismo 2, the Toyota 2000 GT. Thinking back to my time of playing GT and GT2, I tended to stick with a small number of cars and I've been trying to see how many races I can win, or at least have fun competing in with the 2000 GT with a stock engine and all stock engine parts (muffler, air cleaner, etc.) but otherwise fully modded with racing tires, lighter/wider wheels, roll cage, and drivetrain parts like the racing clutch, differential, etc. Oh, and lots of vinyl decoration. Got to keep the priorities straight!

I continue to be amazed at discoveries such as bumpers flying off cars in hard collisions, and then still being there on the track to drive around or run over on the next lap(s), and also how the skid marks and tire tracks stay there, too - like doing tire-smoking donuts at the start/finish line and then seeing the marks still there when I come around again and again. I also like how well the '57 T-Bird does as a road racer with racing parts, and again a stock engine so I'm not bumped up to too high a class, but not even one adjustment to the settings. That thing hauls ass! Mine is currently black with big shiny chrome wheels and flames on the front fenders that look pretty decent, if I do say so myself.

It's something like this found online, but my flames are a bit different:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3924/14433619059_5c4f22635a_c.jpg

Not surprising to those who know me from my posts here, I tend to stick with the older cars as much as possible, if only because they look so cool. At times I wish I could watch replays as in GT/GT2, but apparently those require a hard drive to be installed in the Xbox and they're not that important to me.

After watching a couple YouTube videos to get a clue about vinyl, and with the help of the larger HDTV to get things lined up properly, I'm getting pretty decent at applying vinyl. I think it's just as much fun as racing. Lately I've been working with some of the gradient patterns to make cars look old and worn, with primer spots, rust, and of course mismatched doors and other parts, similar to but not nearly as good as that van posted above with the SWAT team rear door, etc.

I'd say I've already gotten my $19.95 plus tax worth out of this game, and then some! :up:

[George]

I realize there is probably a way to get the photos I took in Forza 4 from the Xbox to a PC and then to Photobucket or wherever, but I haven't figured that one out yet. So, in true clueless luddite fashion, I snapped pictures of my TV set just now. :D

Here are a few versions of the 2000 GT. The grey one was the first car I applied vinyl to. Then it became orange and you can see I was experimenting with layers of flames, and the green over silver is how it looks now. A bit classier, I think, but it's sure to change again soon enough. Below that is my latest experiment with flames on the T-Bird.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00552_zpsn2d80eyj.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00550_zpsy3kkuyz9.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00547_zpsoh9knl8y.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00554_zpsp9qk2cqc.jpg

[SkylineObsession]

Some cool looking cars. :)

I did most of my car decaling in Forza 1, slightly less or the same in Forza 2, less in Forza 3 and even less in Forza 4.

Not really sure why i stopped doing as many designs, but may be because i moved out of Mums and got a job etc during that time.

[George]

Thanks SO. I'm old enough to know better but sometimes I just can't resist playing like a kid.

Here's a work in progress.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00555_zpsvhk8fif4.jpg

[George]

I have become totally obsessed with this game, and want to play it more than I do on weekends, but I don't like to let my kids see me playing video games alone. I think it's a fun thing for us to do together, rather than to have them think it's okay to play video games all the time like Dad does, so I don't play by myself until they're in bed or out playing with friends, etc. So it's a weekend thing, even though the little kid in me wants to play it all the time. :lol: I guess some things never change.

Both my son and daughter are pretty good drivers. I guess it's hard not to be when they give you the big green line to follow and practically tell you when to brake with the yellow and red colors.

Here's a head-scratcher, though...my son goes straight for the Bugatti Veryon (did I spell that right?) when we choose cars to race. How does he even know what that is? He's only seven. I have given him no guidance about choosing cars.

No matter, however, as he has yet to win a race against me, whether in the Bugatti or his other favorite brand, Ferarri. He spins out in the corners and his old man wins in the mighty '57 T-Bird with an all-stock engine. Sure, it has all the trick racing parts otherwise, but the engine is bone stock. That keeps me out of the A class and higher, which I prefer.

Oh, and just to rub it in, my T-bird now has big vinyl letters on the trunk reading Faster than Jack!, so my son can see it every time I blow by him in the corners. :D

His sister, however, cleaned by clock yesterday in a Dodge Viper. I confidently chose the Toyota 2000GT to race against the Viper, because, hey, it's just a Viper and not the Bugatti, right? Mistake. She actually slows down in the corners, and therefore she gave me quite a whuppin' at one of those fast Swiss mountain courses that we all enjoy. :lol:

Current project: making a beat-up looking Datsun 510 in that fastest of all colors, Power Beige! Of course, then I googled and it appears that's what everyone does with 510s, but I'm far enough into it now that I'll see it through. Rust and stains are fun! I built one 510 with maxed-out everything and can barely keep it on the track. So, I'm running the beige one in class F around a 177 rating, which reminds me: what do the numbers measure? I thought maybe horsepower at first, but that can't be if changing parts like brakes and tires raise the horsepower.

Here's one from the internet. I'm going for a more mild look, than this, and mine already sports a GTX Forums bumper sticker on the back - a smaller version of what's on the El Camino doors above.

http://www.forzamotorsport.fr/photos/x1/forza-motorsport-4-nissan-datsun-510-par-djthunder-319510.jpg

I also realized I can make a license plate for this car. I hadn't thought of making vinyl license plates before, and I guess not all cars can take them, such as those where the plate mounts to a chrome bumper, like the T-Bird. I think I'll make a Colorado plate for it, if I get the time. Applying vinyl can take forever, as I'm learning, but at least I can do it with the TV muted when the kids are asleep and not feel like I'm missing the sound when I drive.

Signed,

Ever the video game geek!

[George]

My daughter was pretty good at this game from day one. She is fun to race because she's so good and doesn't trash-talk like her very competitive brother.

My son has gone from hilariously awful, mostly due to flying into corners WAY too fast, to a driver who beats me consistently, although I've been driving slower cars against him. I had the day off yesterday and they don't have school this week for fall break, so we raced for an hour or two. I had started out against his Viper at first in a Toyota 2000GT, but as his skill increased, I had to move up to my T-Bird, which is a B-475 car IIRC,

He has a nice pile of money now from single player mode and 100% off Dodge parts in the Upgrade Shop. Probably because I suggested it, he chose not to upgrade tires and brakes - the first things I do - and instead built a monster engine but left all the suspension and drivetrain parts alone. It's rated S-672.

And, most impressive to this proud father, he figured out not only how to create vinyl groups, but the importance of them if you want to let Dad know how slow he is on all sides of your vehicle. We haven't had the "all caps" discussion yet. :lol: I took this picture of his car after he went to bed last night.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00572_zpstpevcdcb.jpg

With them asleep, I decided it was time to build a car to compete with his S-Class monster, and I figured a Pinto-Stang was as good a choice as any. I souped it up last night and did a quick vinyl job that he won't recognize but it makes me smile. We'll be playing here shortly on a Saturday morning after Mom and sister leave to go do a Saturday thing. This is an S-Class car rated just a few points below his, and I'm hoping my racing brakes and tires will give me the edge over Mr. Monster Engine with his stock tires and brakes.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00577_zpsdzyshxtw.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00580_zpsd6pbohxf.jpg

In other news, one of the fast mountain tracks in Switzerland has a corner that you can come out of really fast and wide and just on the edge of out of control. Right there is a concrete wall that sticks out where it shouldn't, and if you hit it just right, you can get three cars airborne all at once. I was driving the Supra. :D

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00576_zpsdfe1gl5f.jpg

[racerfink]

The number you're referring to is the Performance Index. It's mostly based on Power to Weight ratio, but handling upgrades have an effect on it as well.

[George]

Thanks RF! That's makes sense, and is good to know.

[George]

So I'm the only one still playing this relic, huh? That's okay. I'm having fun. Here's some more foolishness:

Don't drive like me.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00586_zpshglrmrsa.jpg

Or like these Nissan drivers behind me. One or both slammed into me in a corner and knocked the rear bumper right off the car! That's it bouncing along the track behind the freshly repainted Pinto-Stang.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00592_zpso0rpxvyw.jpg

Sharp eyes may notice my homemade Moon Eyes sticker above. That was easy - just four layers for one eye, then group, then copy and paste the second eye, and group again. Now they seem to be showing up on all my cars. I guess I need to make some different ones for variety. A Champion spark plug logo looks like it would be pretty easy, and somewhat "vintage" as well.

I am really developing a Mustang fetish. They say this one is a '94. Wow, did the '79 Mustang really last that long? To me, it's a pure '80s car. I was trying to do something '80s-ish here, with dubious results. One thing I did here that I like is coloring the body molding dark grey (as if slightly faded) and ran a white stripe around the indented part of the rubber. They used to look like that, sort of. This is a Cobra version which comes "stock" in the game with body-colored molding. I just had to change it for some reason.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00594_zps8e39jybk.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00593_zpsiuwrtodv.jpg

Moon Eyes, again. The Mustang series with a limit of 350 Performance Index is a lot of fun, and doesn't allow much in the way of upgrades.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00596_zpsmeyaivbq.jpg

And this was a late night flame job that I kinda got carried away with - well beyond the boundaries of good taste. Some of these flame shapes remind me of the illustration style in Dr. Seuss books. Groovy!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00588_zpsls9uuxdo.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00589_zpsekynite6.jpg

A later shot, after cleaning up the sides a bit, but still plenty gaudy. The H/O is a real pig in the corners, too. I probably need to tune the darn thing, but I'm having too much fun slapping on stickers.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00591_zpsd1e93l0g.jpg

[George]

My son had a sleep-over at a friend's house last night and my dear, sweet daughter wanted to race me. Really. It was her idea, not mine. I guess she knows what I like to do when I think they're asleep.

She is a much better driver than her brother. She has started working her way through single-player mode, and seems to enjoy two-player racing. In split-screen mode, like her brother, she chooses a Viper to drive. I guess they learned about them while playing this game with their cousins in Seattle this summer, which is where I first saw this game, said "Wow!", and bought it soon after we got home.

Anyway, she's GOOD. Unlike her brother (and her father), she doesn't fly into corners too fast and slam into walls. She is a formidable opponent, which delights me to no end.

Unrelated to our multi-player duels, here are some more silly photos of my cars, just because if I don't share them here, no one will ever see 'em, and having the ability to do this makes the game more fun to me.

I've found a few cars that are a joy to drive with minimal tuning. The Dodge Daytona is one of these. I'm loving the muscle car races and the speedway tracks. Yes, I drive the twisty courses too, but sometimes it's fun to just sit back and go fast without having to try too hard. Another favorite is the 1970 Corvette ZR-1. I put some wheels and racing tires on it, and that's all, so far, I think, and it's a real treat to drive.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00646_zps6opccl6q.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00647_zpsciio34wb.jpg

Here with some mild flames on the fender...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00648_zpsoo84okuf.jpg

How it looks today. The middle of the car is one of the flip-flop "special" colors, but I did the blends on the hood and trunk. There are very subtle ghost flames on the hood as well.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00649_zps4mmkmizh.jpg

Still one of my favorites, with yet another paint job (or lack thereof) and a couple added stripes on the sides:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00645_zps1dzv6pkm.jpg

I seem to drive Mustangs more than anything else. They all seem very good, except the '71 Mach 1, which seems to want to bounce back and forth, or maybe I should say up and down, at the slightest touch of the brakes. I guess I'll need to mod and tune the suspension more to keep it somewhat level. This one kicks ass:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00644_zps1fmcsixw.jpg

I have also found that if one drives poorly enough, it is possible to knock the giant wing (and rear bumper) off the 1969 Dodge Daytona. :lol:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00643_zpsgceoiby8.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00642_zpslczzhd31.jpg

Lately I'm having the most fun with my F-class (200 P.I.) Datsun 510, which I'm slowly slapping vinyl on to make it look beat-up and rusty. Yes, I realize this is hardly an original idea, but I find it relaxing.

Here I am wondering why the heck there's a Chevy Volt on a racetrack. Okay, I can see bringing a Tesla to the track, but I say Volts and Previas should stay in the parking lot.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00640_zpsp4xkq70f.jpg

Here I'm taking the road less traveled to get around the surprisingly annoying Volt. I don't usually drive like this, and even earned a "Clean Passer" badge to use in my profile, somehow, but this was the first lap of this race, I hadn't been driving Laguna Seca lately, and I didn't realize I was here until it was too late.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC00638_zpsd9bzndfy.jpg

[George]

I realize nobody plays Forza 4 anymore, except for all those dudes online that I tried to race this morning. There were lots of players in every race I tried, and several had full 12-car fields.

Why is it that I can have a finely tuned car that hugs the corners in single-player mode, but in multi-player online mode, it's as if we're driving on ice? I'm even getting what I'd call EXTREME torque steer in a FWD car while driving Mustangs! Stomp on the gas pedal and the car spins out, sideways, right at the beginning of the race. That doesn't happen in single-player mode.

And cornering? Forget about it. It's just like ice skating. Bam! Into the wall! Every time. The brakes seem to work, but it's as if the physics of the game have gone crazy.

Oh well, at least single player mode is still fun.

[SkylineObsession]

Still got a few things in Forza 4 to do before 'completing' the requirements set by Forza Rewards, and took a couple of pics last night. Still not a bad looking game - and the AI is awesome without the cheatiness of the real player drivatar system!

https://gallery.services.forzamotorsport.net/fm4/photo/6f624571-82c4-4ec5-b74d-aa98f9180f0a

The other photo i took last night was a 'big shot' but it isn't on the website (yet?).

[Cam]

George, you are not the only one to observe cars handling differently online. However, it could be that the creator of the lobby you raced in may have lowered the grip level. Yes, that is a setting you can change when you create a lobby, among many other aspects of the race.

Edit: Oops, just realized G’s post is a year old. :o

[SkylineObsession]

My fault, epicly bumped the thread just for an average photo. :p