New Forza 4 details emerge

By Fred Dutton Published 17 February, 2011

Kinect features, tire tech detailed.

Forthcoming racing sim sequel Forza Motorsport 4 is looking to give Gran Turismo 5 a serious run for its money in the realism stakes, judging by new details direct from developer Turn 10.

According to a MSN Autos feature, the developer is going to impressive lengths to ensure the driving experience is as true-to-life as possible.

Apparently the studio has "modeled tire-related properties, such as weight transfer" and studied "proprietary performance data" from tire manufacturer Pirelli in an attempt to more closely replicate how tires deal with different racing conditions.

Turn 10 also rented out each track that appears in the game for exacting analysis. Staff shot "terabytes worth of video and photos" and traced the "inside, middle and outside portions of the road surface with a commercial-grade GPS system."

This information then allowed the programmers to spot "road crowning, tiny changes in camber, or angle, and other anomalies with subcentimeter accuracy."

Not only that, but the studio will also be capturing its own audio in order to isolate the intake, exhaust and engine sounds from each vehicle that appears in the game.

A few details slipped out regarding Kinect functionality too. As previously revealed, you'll be able to walk around your vehicle and stick your head inside to check out the interior.

If you've got Kinect switched on while driving you'll be able to shift your driver's perspective by leaning to one side or the other, helping you peer around the car in front or a curve in the road.

It all sounds mightily impressive, but there's still no announcement as to when we'll be able to climb into the driver's seat for a closer look. The Xbox 360-exclusive still has a vague Autumn 2011 release window.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (51) Latest comment 1 year ago

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  • LukehMuse #1 1 year ago

    I hear it'll feature races too.

  • The-Bodybuilder #2 1 year ago

    I read that entire post humming the MSR theme tune.
    Good times, good stuff.

  • 43n1m4 #3 1 year ago

    Forza 3 is still one of my favourite racers ever, and fortunately Kinect will be used for headtracking (bodytracking?) and additional effects, and not actual steering, which would probably not work too well. Look forward to yet another round of great driving.

  • CernaML #4 1 year ago

    @Raining_Upwards

    That's only if they decide not to gimp the simulation aspect of this game again.

  • TheLittlestHobo #5 1 year ago

    Must be great for Turn 10 now that they can see what the competition finally looks like.

  • Kode #6 1 year ago

    I just want more variety in the race types. Drag and 8 car circuit races begin to get old after doing them for 20 hours, but by the looks of the Forza 4 reveal trailer there will be some off-roading.
    Edited by Kode at 17/02/11 @ 20:48

  • sfp_noodle #7 1 year ago

    Sounds awesome, but please Turn 10, do something about the graphics. They're not terrible by any means but they were hardly spectacular by any means. After spending more time with GT5, I've reached the conclusion that the actual racing was a lot more enjoyable in Forza. What I also discovered is how poor the graphics are in Forza in comparison to the GT5. I love what they're doing, and I'm really not a graphics whore, but Race Driver Grid looked better and that came out nearly a year earlier.

    So yes, more of the same racing wise, but better looks please.

  • altitude2k #8 1 year ago

    I for one am looking forward to seeing what Kinect will bring to it. Not the phantom wheel, no no, but headtracking (proper headtracking with the 'window' method, not that daft exaggerated movement balls), and I'm really hoping for it's use in decorating the car.

  • metalangel #9 1 year ago

    Quick, I only have another 50-hours odd worth of career mode races to grind through for the final achievement!

  • ronuds #10 1 year ago

    What I'd like is a more exciting career mode. They're spending all of this time on tires and whatever - they already had that gonig pretty good. Spend time on what really needs to be worked on, plox.

    Graphics were fine. Not poor by any stretch of the imagination.
    Edited by ronuds at 17/02/11 @ 21:03

  • Whizzo #11 1 year ago

    The use of American spellings in this news item makes me want to smash things.

  • albinas #12 1 year ago

    Let's wait and see.
    Now back to GT5...

  • altitude2k #13 1 year ago

    Glad to see this thread was important enough to stop playing GT5 for.

  • SavageEvil #14 1 year ago

    Who the hell told them to remove the tire simulation that they used in Forza 2? You actually had tire types to choose from, not just whatever the car came with and high performance then racing slicks. Lose the active steering crap that made any car easy to drive. Whatever they do, do not mess with the livery editor.

    As for morons talking, Raining_upwards, have you actually delved deep into GT5? I suggest you get your head out of your own ass and actually do that. Get online with a room full of great racers in a 10-15 lap race with full simulation on, this includes tire wear, tire temps, fuel, damage, realistic grip loss and once in a while try a transition day to night to day on the Nurb. Glitches an all, that is a sight to behold.

    Now with all this talk, I hope Turn10 fixes these courses and stop making them wide as expressways, it's incredibly crazy at times flying down the Nurb to come to a corner and it looks like I can park a semi and still drive my car by without much fanfare. Might be a perspective thing, but seeing cars going 3 wide on Flugplatz is BS.

  • tossum #15 1 year ago

    Weren't they boasting about the realistic tyre simulation for Forza 3? Is this some sort of rubber fetish perhaps?

  • DrStrangelove #16 1 year ago

    It all sounds mightily impressive, but there's still no announcement as to when we'll be able to climb into the driver's seat for a closer look. The Xbox 360-exclusive still has a vague Autumn 2011 release window.

    They better not try to outdo GT5 in this regard.

  • Beano #17 1 year ago

    Just drop the rewind feature this time, and I will be satisfied.

  • ChadSexington #18 1 year ago

    Realistic tyre wear and GPS-measured courses? Welcome to Gran Turismo 4, Turn 10.

    For me, the biggest gimping facing Forza is the lack of a decent force feedback wheel, which means the games have all been optimised for pads and that ain't driving.

  • Noble6 #19 1 year ago

    Traded in my GT5 at gamestation yesterday for £30! Coming from me, I've only ever traded in two games in my whole life. I did enjoy Gt5 buy the disappointments far out weigh the better bits of the game. I know for certain Forza 4 is gonna be so freaking epic. Forza 3 is still my favourite core racer of this generation.

  • CreepinJesus #20 1 year ago

    TYRES. With a Y.

  • sfp_noodle #21 1 year ago

    I love how my earlier comment got negged for raising a perfectly legitimate complaint. Seriously, some fanboys cannot take a single criticism of a game on their console, whether they like the game or not. What was wrong with me saying I preferred the racing in Forza 3 compared to GT5 but thought the graphics were not on par with other racers this gen? Some guys need to really wake up and accept that no matter how good a game its never perfect. Even the most die-hard 360/Forza fan will admit that graphically, the game can be improved big time.

  • Beano #22 1 year ago

    Yes, the graphics in F3 were quite dull and lifeless compared to GT5... but at least F3 ran in solid 60fps without any tearing. That counts quite a bit in my book :)

    Better lighting could do a lot for the game.
    Edited by Beano at 17/02/11 @ 22:47

  • Beano #23 1 year ago

    He talked about graphics in his previous post - the post he was referring to.

  • coolbritannia #24 1 year ago

    " The game was too dummed down"

    Ironylol

  • Syrette #25 1 year ago

    Game was only dummed down (sic) if you chose to utilise the dummed down settings.

  • frunk #26 1 year ago

    How about adding a key feature that GT5 has that Forza does not...

    being able to use a wheel of your choice!

    That will go further to create a proper simulation than any graphics or tyre fanciness.

    What!!!! Microsoft allow use on a non-approved Microsoft peripheral... NEVER!

    Shame as its one of Forza's few genuine issues.

  • chronom4n #27 1 year ago

    Please make the game compatible with logitech's range of wheels. Thats is all i ask for the time being.

  • Psychotext #28 1 year ago

    "For me, the biggest gimping facing Forza is the lack of a decent force feedback wheel"

    Don't confuse not having the Logitech with not having a decent force feedback wheel. I've got a G25 and a Fanatec 911 Turbo S and the Turbo S stomps all over the G25. The Fanatec 911 GT2 is apparently even better, but I've not tried that one yet.

    I can appreciate why people are annoyed that they can't use their Logitech wheels, but there are certainly alternatives for the multi-platform inclined.

  • persus-9 #29 1 year ago

    What is it with racing games and the total obsession with modelling the real world? Forza 2 was fun and I'm guessing this will be to but I don't think any of these vastly expensive realism chasing processes will have anything to do with that. Is it all just so much fluff to put in press released and ammunition for the fanboy war between Forza and GT?

  • frazzl #30 1 year ago

    @sfp_noodle

    It may be a perfectly legitimate claim for you, but it may not be for others hence the negging. Just because someone doesn't agree with your OPINION, doesn't make them a fanboy. I personally think that FM3 looks great, better than either Burnout Paradise (I mean honestly?!) and GRID; that's just my opinion. I also don't think it looks any worse than GT5, especially when you factor all those PS2 quality cars (around 80% of them), and let's not get started on some of the backgrounds either, and the copious amounts of screen tearing. Once again that's just my opinion. Different strokes for different folks.

    Anyway I'm pleased to hear that FM4 is on its way given how much I enjoyed FM3. If they tweak the career mode and make it more interesting (in the long run), I'll be happy :).

  • MizzouGaming #31 1 year ago

    Can't believe Im clamoring for a racing game mere months after GT5 launched but that really is how bad GT5 turned out. As many have said FORZA 3 is already a better overall experience so its hard not to be extremely excited for FORZA 4.

  • Felwyn #32 1 year ago

    If gt5 turned out bad for you it must mean you kept getting raped online and didn't have the brains to actually learn something about driving. There is nothing else in the game other than racing against other people so that must be it.

    It's ok, move on to less sophisticated racers...it's evolution - or in your case devolution

  • SavageEvil #33 1 year ago

    Lol, stupid comments keep coming, someone clamoring for a racing game after GT5? What the hell happened to FM3? Just like to talk out of your ass for no apparent reason than to troll perhaps?

    GT5 has tearing and such weird phenomena and FM3 exhibits none of that crap, but GT5 also has twice the car count on screen, running roughly the same polygon count per car...

    What I really don't like is FM3 visual direction, it just lacks in realistic looks, which is weird because when you take photos all of a sudden everything looks better, but when the game is in motion it looks cartoon like. Fix the PI, lord knows that thing needs a little revamping, that AWD swap breaks the PI into pieces and then everyone all drive the same damn car because that is the only competitive car.

    I don't know why they are implementing this "me too" camera movement crap that GT5 had, seriously Greenawalt needs to stick to things that work and don't go over casualizing the game. Keep it closer to FM2, bring back custom lobbies as that matchmaking is a hot mess. Stuck racing the same 7 tracks for like 6 months or more, that is plenty annoying.

  • Eraser #34 1 year ago

    I wonder how all this "realism" translates to the actual game experience. I was really thinking about this after seeing the Dirt3 Gymkhana stuff. I mean, you can have all the weight/power transfer ratios exactly modeled out, but because you, as the player of the game, don't feel the actual forces applied to the car, it's probably nearly impossible to judge everything correctly.

    It'll be the same with Forza 4, GT5 or any other sim racing game. You're using completely different types of input to judge your steering, throttle and brakes. Therefor, I've always thought the whole sim thing was a fad.

  • Breach #35 1 year ago

    Holy smoking tires!
    T10 have just discovered 'weight transfer' !
    Better call a press conference ...



    Edited by Breach at 18/02/11 @ 08:09

  • coolbritannia #36 1 year ago

    Lots of GT5 fans in here making themselves look really stupid. GT5 had it's strong points, Forza 3 had it's strong points. Without Forza 4, 5 and 6, GT6 might not improve anything.

  • altitude2k #37 1 year ago

    I think the mods need to investigate this. I'm sure it's against EG rules for Kaz Yamauchi to have so many accounts.

  • dagas #38 1 year ago

    They did this for Forza 3 and even Forza 2, this is not news to anyone who have followed the series. It will be an incremental upgrade. I remember they talked about pretty much the exact same things before the release of Forza 3 on the Major Nelson podcast.

  • Beano #39 1 year ago

    "Game was only dummed down (sic) if you chose to utilise the dummed down settings. "

    Exactly - and that is one of the things I like most about F3 - the ability to make it as hard or easy as you like and get rewarded according to it. I don't see this as dumbing down at all.
    My only real complain reg. F3 was the rewind feature which could not be limited or turned off like other assists. Hopefully this will be fixed in F4.

  • billythekid #40 1 year ago

    Tyres,tyres, tyres. All with the letter Y people, that's how you spell it. Tyres.

  • Beano #41 1 year ago

    I'm getting tyred...

  • gjgjg #42 1 year ago

    as an impartial race gamer, I was surprised how good F3 was compared to GT5. They are both great for different reasons so no clear winner for me.

    @post up there somewhere: +1 please drop the rewind feature!

  • Toothball #43 1 year ago

    I'm quite keen to see this head tracking with Kinect. I've been loving Dash view since Gotham 3, but when playing with a steering wheel it's not easy to look at your mirrors. The "Explore a car" thing sounds mostly like Kinectimals for guys though. Which is not to say Kinectimals is a bad thing, but it's a harder sell to your typical car enthusiast.

    @metalangel

    I'm still working on Solid Gold myself. Only got another 40 ticks to fill the grid. Should be able to get them out of the way before they launch this.

  • homerramone #44 1 year ago

    They need to actually add something new before I think about buying this. (And putting proper lobbys instead of the pish that I can only assume was meant to be simialr to COD ones.. Its NOT COD FFS!)....

    Weather perhaps ? Rallying ? Something new !! (Other than 'tweaking' what was there !)

  • WinterSnowblind #45 1 year ago

    @Ap3xx
    The game was dumbed down? Are you perhaps confusing this with GT5, which locked off things like damage and proper physics unitl you put serious hours into the game? Forza did offer more assists, but you didn't have to use any of them. All of them could be turned off from the get go AND you'd be rewarded for not using them, unlike GT5.

    I think this was a great idea, it makes the game much more accessible for casual gamers who just want to play a game and have fun, without dumbing it down for those who want a serious realistic racing game. It can appeal to both. The rewind may have been taking it a bit far, but again, I thought it was a very useful feature for letting people understand how to play the game. You can learn how you should be taking corners and if you mess up, easily go back to see what went wrong.

    If you're a serious enough driver, you shouldn't need it anyway and I can honestly say I used it for the first few races, before bumping the difficulty up, turning the assists off.. then never needing to rewind again. Far better than GT5's anger inducing licence tests.

  • ATNR1 #46 1 year ago

    You know for once I would love the comments to just stick to the topic.This isn't GT5 vs Forza4. It is more details on Forza 4. Even if the game looks like a fucking disney cartoon, who cares, as long as it is fun and as good a the previous Forza's or better if that is even possible. Looks like they putting in a lot of effort for this game, and I am pretty excited about it .

    Not so sure about head tracking though? How does that work, when I look left do I see the left hand side of the screen? So if I move my head I will have to peer to my right with my eyes to see what is happening on the screen. The only thing that makes sense is leaning forward to see the curve of the road, or how close I am to the car in front of me. Actually that sounds pretty sweet, I guess it is about time I get a PS3...errrr...I mean a Kinect.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #47 1 year ago

    Stop limiting our choice on Racing Wheels please MS.

    Add Weather effects.

    Add Time of Day

    Impove Lobbies including some rather strange menu choices to access certain races (???)

    Give me the Top Gear test track.

    If you're gonna do the Kinect thing, please do it like Johnny Lee's demo and not head turning tracking.

    Make the campaign better. Maybe a world view where you can rotate round and complete sections of races and immediately see progress/times/friends. Think NFS:HP but bigger.

  • Sabreman64 #48 1 year ago

    A few details slipped out regarding Kinect functionality too. As previously revealed, you'll be able to walk around your vehicle and stick your head inside to check out the interior.

    Kinect is now a Star Trek holodeck. You can walk around your car and look around inside. Great stuff.

  • Beano #49 1 year ago

    "Far better than GT5's anger inducing licence tests."

    In GT5 you don't need to pass or even play the license tests. Just saying...

  • betrayerofhope #50 1 year ago

    It's a good thing PD did not put any rewind feature judging by seeing the fans in here. Rewind is nothing but dumbing down.
    Anyways, it sounds all impressive but is it still going to be 8 cars on track as usual?

  • nasanu #51 1 year ago

    Thing is that all this same crap is said before every forza release. And always ends up with a pseudo sim tailored towards the casual gamer / drift kiddie demographic. Plus with the constant upgrades coming to GT5, by the time FM4 comes around it is going to have to be very, very special to pull me away from GT5.

    Like all Forza games I will give it a go, but in my first play of Forza 3 I jumped into a car I've never driven, a track I've never seen, and I won by a mile drifting most of the way. No thanks. We will see how this one fairs.