Forza 2 cars!

[carocat]

Some cars:

http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/762/762865/forza-motorsport-2-20070208013043227-000.jpg

http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/762/762865/forza-motorsport-2-20070208013044555-000.jpg
Ferrari
2002 Enzo Ferrari
Engine: 6.0L Naturally Aspirated V12
Power: 651 hp (485 kw) @ 7800 RPM
Torque: 485 foot-lbs. (657 nm) @ 5500 RPM
Curb Weight: 3011 lbs. (1365 kg)
0-60 mph: 3.1 seconds
0-100 mph: 6.7 seconds
Top Speed: 217 mph (349 km/h)

Developed with the help of seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher and named for Ferrari's founder, Enzo, this car became the crown jewel of the Ferrari lineup when it was introduced in 2002. The semi-automatic gearbox is straight from Formula 1 and can perform a gear change in 90 milliseconds. 400 cars were produced.

What the developers have to say about this Class S ride: It just wouldn't be possible to make a game that contains exotic cars and not include the Enzo.



http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/762/762865/forza-motorsport-2-20070208013045961-000.jpg

http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/762/762865/forza-motorsport-2-20070208013041571-000.jpg
Maserati
2004 MC12
Engine: 6.0L Naturally Aspirated V12
Power: 625 hp (466 kw) @ 7500 RPM
Torque: 480 foot-lbs. (650 nm) @ 5500 RPM
Curb Weight: 2943 lbs. (1335 kg)
0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds
0-100 mph: 8.0 seconds
Top Speed: 205 mph (330 km/h)

The MC12 is the latest in a long line of supercars from iconic manufacturer, Maserati. It was designed as a homologation car for Maserati's return to international racing, and in 2005 a race car version won the FIA Manufacturer's Cup. Its sleek profile is only complemented by the historic Maserati white and blue paint scheme. Only 50 were produced.

What the developers have to say about this Class S car: Stiff competition for the Enzo as a road car, and fiercer still when running race trim!

[HotFish]

It's like a saying i was told a very long time ago....just put a bag over it's head, they're all the same underneath lol:|

Like these cars! but they do look nice. I enjoyed Forza but thought the locations let it down compared to PGR/2. Ive seen the track listing's somewhere and they look the same but with a few more this time...should be good though

[carocat]

The tracks:

# Mugello Autodromo Internazionale
# Suzuka Circuit
# Sebring International Raceway
# Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
# Tsukuba Circuit
# Road Atlanta
# Silverstone Circuit
# Nürburgring Nordschleife
# Maple Valley Raceway
# Sunset Peninsula Infield
# New York Circuit
# Test Track

It's got Laguna Seca, so I'm happy!

[HotFish]

The tracks:

# Mugello Autodromo Internazionale
# Suzuka Circuit
# Sebring International Raceway
# Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
# Tsukuba Circuit
# Road Atlanta
# Silverstone Circuit
# Nürburgring Nordschleife
# Maple Valley Raceway
# Sunset Peninsula Infield
# New York Circuit
# Test Track

It's got Laguna Seca, so I'm happy!


Oh no...look miles better at least most if not all are real

(Y)

[Joe]

Laguna Seca's the best track, better with superbikes though.

Also I don't really like those two cars, have they announced anymore?

[Scotty Boy]

Cars of Forza 2 are here (http://forums.forzamotorsport.net/forums/24872/ShowPost.aspx)

[russakagame]

They look amazing :D

[Kalou]

Can't bloody wait, I will have to buy the wheel too which is like £80 so it will leave me skint but it will be worth it.

From 18 environments and 70+ track to 12 Environment and 45 tracks. Not good

Hahaha this is ----ed up, see what I mean about this next-gen bollocks, all we get is better graphics yet we lose everything else it's a bloody disgrace, now I will think twice about buying this game, I still have the first Forza and this Forza 2 will end up the same game with better graphics and less content.

[WACCOE]

Ahh, I always hated Laguna Seca, lol.
Can't wait for this anyways!

[carocat]

How can you hate Laguna Seca?

[WACCOE]

That one bend, when you're going downhill, I always go onto the sand, skid round and lose the race.
EVERY SINGLE TIME!

[bingo83]

That one bend, when you're going downhill, I always go onto the sand, skid round and lose the race.
EVERY SINGLE TIME!


I share your pain, I never seem to manage to nail that one corner.

It should be decent addition to the 360's stable of racers though.

[fazyninja]

they look great!!!

[WACCOE]

I share your pain, I never seem to manage to nail that one corner.

It should be decent addition to the 360's stable of racers though.

Yeah, on Gran Turismo i've attempted it soo many times but always collapse.
:[

[Kalou]

Do what I do, go around the corner at about 5mph ;)

I don't have a particular track I hate or like though, to me a track is a track but it's always good having variety, something you rarely get with this next-gen bollocks these days as they are constantly trimming the game down to give you HDTV noobs better graphics ;)

[Gamemonster]

leaguna seca . arggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh i remember this track on grand tourismo on the license test where youre in the dodge viper ....... tuck me years to do it :(

[carocat]

You see, I love that corner. Absolutely brilliant. It's so funny watching other players on a Live game crash into it though (TOCA 2/3). Genius!

[Grant135]

Both of those cars look great. I can't wait until the game comes out.

[exocet ape]

I take it you refer to the Corkscrew as 'that corner'.

Tip - slow in fast out

basically cut the first corner at about 80 degrees so you are pointed sraight from apex to apex and floor it. this should get the back end out, sliding with the lie of the hill bit between the two corners and you'll be heading down the next straight.

[carocat]

Yeah, I'm referring to that corner, corkscrew, whatever you call it. :)

I've played that track so many times I can get the corner pretty well. :D






[After initially crashing into the wall 10 million times!]

[carocat]

Australia, February 21, 2007 - Forza Motorsport was unquestionably one of the most sophisticated racing simulations ever released, boasting an excellent driving model, extensive tuning options and compelling online play. It was a game developed by an incredibly passionate team, who understood that a racing sim was about more than just a massive list of cars; it was about everything from the finest details of how tires interact with tarmac through to the community that is built around it. Now that the sequel is set to appear on Xbox 360 in May, it's time to check back in with the team to find out how Forza Motorsport 2 is taking the series to a new level. Turn 10's Lead Designer Dan Greenawalt was kind enough to answer our questions.

IGN: How much of the technology behind the original Forza has been re-used for Forza 2? What new systems have you built and why were they fundamental to making this sequel a leap forward?

Dan Greenawalt: Some of the new features include next generation graphics at 60 FPS, online tournaments, spectator mode, photo mode and server space for gamers to post their images to Forzamotorsport.net.

Other improved features include brake assists in suggested-line mode that will guide beginning racers, next generation immersion with 5.1 Audio and Force Feedback wheel support, the addition of Lamborghini and BMW to our roster of more than 300 cars, more real-world circuits, robust car painting tools, expanded tuning and upgrading options, and improved online career, car classing and rankings.

IGN: You've rebuilt the courses that are making a second appearance in the series. How different do those courses feel now? For instance, is Nürburgring a completely different beast?

Dan Greenawalt: The courses definitely feel different, thanks to the overhaul of the physics engine. More than ever before players will experience unprecedented realism in the cars they take out to these tracks. Add to that Force Feedback wheel support and we're delivering a first-of-its-kind simulation experience on consoles. The Nürburgring was recaptured and has been completely rebuilt with spring colors and lighting. We've really captured the famed "Green Hell".

IGN: Is it harder to re-create a real-life course in the game or to create a new one? How much playtesting does a new course go through before the team is happy with it?

Dan Greenawalt: Both original and real-world tracks are difficult to create, but for different reasons. Real-world tracks have a real-world fan following. Forza Motorsport was a huge hit with real-world racers and racing enthusiasts from around the world. Many of these fans have track time on the real-world tracks. This increases the pressure to get the track just "right."

For original tracks, we usually start with some real-world locale to draw inspiration from. We try to capture great elevation of corner sequences from different real-world tracks and then spice up the original with impactful visual "moments." In many ways, the playtesting is provided by real-world professional drivers. Every driver has some favorite track element they call out in interviews -- those elements are where we start. The final step is to pull in playtesting to provide fine-tuning.

IGN: A lot of racing games focus on smooth frame rates, but there's far more to creating a realistic simulation. Tell us about your physics system and what it brings to the game.

Dan Greenawalt: Although "Forza Motorsport 2" uses the same simulation engine as the previous game, we've increased the physics update rate to 360 frames per second in order to make the simulation even more subtle and realistic. We already had an incredible tire simulation model -- including tire heat affecting tire pressure... Again, like the last game, we brought together top automotive engineers, professional race car drivers and experienced programmers to up the ante on the most complete racing simulator experience available. Sub-systems like advanced tire and suspension models respond to everything from heat and pressure changes, to weight transfer and aerodynamic load. For Forza Motorsport 2, we've improved the weight and inertia simulation for sub-systems all over the car. Everything from clutch, flywheel, engine crank, driveline, transmission as well as different rim brands and tire sizes now have independent weight and inertia simulation.

IGN: How much of an overhaul has the AI seen?

Dan Greenawalt: This is by no means normal racing game AI. Drivatar technology is a neural network learning system developed by Microsoft's advanced AI research team in Cambridge, England. Occasionally the Drivatars did things we never expected. At times it felt less like tuning game AI and more like teaching a child. Sometimes they learned good habits and sometimes they learned bad habits. We are addressing their aggression levels. However, there will always be an aspect of character to the Drivatars -- it's built into the system. Therefore, we're adding a system to better communicate Drivatar character to the player by giving them names (even including real-world race car drivers) and different driving tendencies and skill levels. We've also improved the AI's passing behavior. One of the amazing things about our Drivatar technology is that it is a learning AI system. Another notable fact is that our AI does not cheat -- it drives the same cars using same complex physics and tire simulation the player does.

IGN: How extensive is the damage modelling in the game?

Dan Greenawalt: There were three levels of damage in Forza 1: no damage, moderate damage, and heavy damage, the latter one being the culprit. With heavy damage, the team learned players would create massive crashes and still come out relatively unscathed. They were taking advantage of a system not built for such abuse. So for Forza 2, the heavy damage mode will be full damage. That is, a serious crash will total the car, ending the race.

IGN: There's been controversy about the lack of car interiors in Forza 2 -- how much time would it have taken to include this, and are there plans to implement it in future?

Dan Greenawalt: The 360 hardware has opened many new doors for us as a developer. Implementing car interiors is one of those important, but extremely time consuming details that help keep the overall presentation and look of real-life, which complements the authenticity built throughout "Forza Motorsport 2." Part of the draw of the Forza Motorsport franchise is the diversity and depth of the car list. For Forza Motorsport 2, we rebuilt all of our car models with *much* greater detail to take advantage of the High-Def experience and the added power of the Xbox 360. Because of damage and customization, our models already took twice as long to build as without those features. To add car interiors would have dramatically reduced the number of great cars in the game.

IGN: Tell us a little about the changes to the car class system, and ensuring that car performances are both balanced and true to life. How difficult has this been to achieve?

Dan Greenawalt: From the highest level, we've gone from six car classes in the original Forza Motorsport to 10 in Forza Motorsport 2. All the changes that we've made to the overall class system have been about one thing -- making sure that there isn't a single car that dominates its (or every) class -- and this came not just from our own desire to improve but from fan feedback as well. Part of the solution was to completely rewrite the production car classification system. We've added more granularity to the car classification system. Each car and upgrade now gets a Performance Index number -- based on a non-linear math model created by neural-network search AI. This Performance Index (PI) makes upgrading more of a game in-and-of itself. For the race cars, we employed a different tactic than for the production car classes. For this version, we took the race car subclasses that made up the original "Forza Motorsport" R Class and split them into four distinct race classes complete with their own online scoreboards.

IGN: How will levelling up work in the Career mode? What other inclusions can we look forward to?

Dan Greenawalt: As mentioned before, we've also improved the car classification system, physics and AI. In the first version, the math model we used to classify the cars was linear and only cued off 5 variables. The Career has gotten much bigger in Forza Motorsport 2. There are now nine event types in the Career. We've also gone from 75 events in version 1 to 90 events in Forza Motorsport 2. Current playtest results indicate that it takes over 70 hours to unlock all the Career races and 100 hours to finish every race in the Career mode.

IGN: What are some of the online features that you've included this time around, other than straight races? Any Gotham TV-style channels, or other improvements over the original Forza?

Dan Greenawalt: Forza Motorsport 2 has a TV-style spectator mode this time around. We included Forza TV because it's a feature that fits one of the unique strengths of Forza Motorsport 2 -- customization. Watching Forza TV is like watching a virtual customized car show.

IGN: Have you made any changes to the ranking system, and how are you stopping glitchers this time around?

Dan Greenawalt: Having the Xbox Live team at our side, we definitely have perks of being able to refine our online experience to a level higher. We are constantly testing and refining our ranking system to ensure it's fair, balanced and reliable.

IGN: The team had some input into the official wireless racing wheel. What advice did you give?

Dan Greenawalt: To get the most out of a racing simulator like Forza Motorsport, you need as much feedback as possible. Racing in the real world is a multi-sensory experience with drivers relying on a well-integrated stream of visual, auditory, vestibular, and haptic information -- everything from the sound of the wind and tires to the pressure of the brake pedal and engine vibration travelling up through the steering column - to let them know how their car is performing. I worked pretty closely with the internal wheel team. One of the areas we had a lot of discussion about was the inclusion of separate rumble and force feedback motors. This allows us to give truly 3D tactile feedback. We can use the rumble motors to give feedback on the rear tires, while leaving the Force Feedback channel "clean" to simulate front tire aligning torque.

IGN: Can you tell us about some of the Live Anywhere functionality we may see in the game?

Dan Greenawalt: We are still investigating the best way to integrate Live Anywhere into the Forza Motorsport 2 experience.

IGN: Can Australians look forward to any local cars or tracks?

Dan Greenawalt: First let me say, I'm a big fan of the Australian V8 Supercar series. Years ago, re-broadcasts of that series opened my eyes to some of the great cars out of Australia -- such as the Holden Monaro and the Ford Falcon. Unfortunately, licensing these vehicles has been more difficult than expected. It's really disappointing for me.
Source @ IGN.com (http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/766/766507p2.html)

The official Forza 2 site (http://forzamotorsport.net/default.htm) also received an overhaul and now has auctions for ingame cars included.

[blearkitten]

Ahh, I always hated Laguna Seca, lol.
Can't wait for this anyways!

ditto...hate with a vengeance, a particularily nasty and evil type vengeance

[Scorp]

looks like forza is going to be a nice game, PGR4 is the one im really waiting for tho.