Forza Motorsport 4

Forza Motorsport 4 is a 2011 racing video game developed by Turn 10 Studios and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment in the Forza series. It is the first title in the series to support the Kinect sensor alongside the traditional controller-based gameplay. It is the last Forza Motorsport released for Xbox 360; 2012's Forza Horizon and its 2014 sequel were the last two Forza games for the platform, while 2013's Forza Motorsport 5 was released as an Xbox One exclusive.

A new feature in the series is Autovista, a game mode in which players can view precise details such as engine parts and interior gauges on a select number of cars. It features a partnership with BBC's Top Gear as well as its American counterpart. Jeremy Clarkson, then-presenter for Top Gear, provided commentary in the game's Autovista mode. Other partnerships include a two-year agreement with the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). Over 500 cars and 26 tracks are included.

The game received universal acclaim from critics, who praised the enhanced vehicle physics, updated visuals, and strong sound design. Several reviewers also gave high marks for the game's Autovista mode. Some critics expressed frustration with Kinect features, and others also felt that the game was not enough of an innovation from its predecessor, Forza Motorsport 3. These critics did, however, concede that the game was a vast improvement over Forza Motorsport 3.

Gameplay

Forza Motorsport 4 is a racing video game, and the fourth in the Forza Motorsport series. Like Sony's Gran Turismo franchise, Forza games are racing simulations; heavy emphasis is placed on making the cars drive and look as realistic as possible. Races are conducted on closed circuit tracks. 500 cars are featured in the core game experience, ranging from city cars to race cars.

Players can utilize Kinect to look into a corner using a new head tracking feature. This allows them to look toward the apex of a corner or at nearby cars. The controller or steering wheel is used to control the car while Kinect is used independently for viewing around the driver. Players can also use Kinect as a game controller. In this setting the game automatically accelerates and decelerates the player's vehicle utilizing a modified version of the feature known as Auto Brake in Forza Motorsport 3. The steering is controlled by placing the players arms out as if controlling an invisible steering wheel. Kinect will allow the player to use voice commands to start races and navigate menus.

New to the Forza series is a feature known as Autovista. It is designed to allow players to walk around and explore inside cars. This feature allows players to view minute details such as brake pads, transmission, tyres, engine components, and interior details. The player can point at certain features, such as headlights, wheels and the engine for further information about them via audio recording. It can be controlled via Kinect or a game controller. Only 24 cars in the game support the Autovista feature, as it is primarily for sports cars, classic cars, and dream cars. The graphics used to create these cars are formed using image-based lighting which allowed the developers to create perfect reflections, and would better immerse the car in the environment both when racing on a track or in the garage or Top Gear studio when viewing a car.

As in Forza Motorsport 3, there is a career mode for players to complete, which sees players racing at multiple locations around the world. This is known as World Tour Mode in Forza Motorsport 4, previously known as Season Play in Forza Motorsport 3. However, one new feature that appears in Forza Motorsport 4 is the game's ability to adapt the difficulty as the player progresses through the career, and collect a trend of data to see how well they perform. This allows AI drivers to change and upgrade their cars automatically to suit the player's driving abilities. There are several types of races besides the standard format. Forza Motorsport 4 includes the original bumper-to-bumper races, but also has drift, autocross, and multiple-heat races. Unlike in Forza Motorsport 3 where players had no choice over which car they received after leveling up, in Forza Motorsport 4 players are now able to choose one out of several cars as a prize, which are automatically upgraded to the high end of their class. Players are able to import their Forza Motorsport 3 profiles into Forza Motorsport 4. This gives them the ability to transfer a certain number of in-game credits and gifted cars into their new garage. The allowed number transferred is based on how long they have played the game and how many cars and credits they have. Players have the option to create car clubs and share cars in their garages within that club. Previous games in the series were limited to eight cars on the track, however Forza Motorsport 4 supports 16 player racing online, and two players offline.

Forza Motorsport 4 features 26 courses to compete on. These race courses are mix between circuits courses and point-to-point courses. 17 real-world tracks and nine fictional locations are included. Each course features as reverse configuration, and many have multiple other configurations. Three additional real world race tracks and one fictional track have been added to the Forza franchise, Hockenheimring, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway and the fictional Bernese Alps.

Development, marketing and release

A technology demo for Forza Motorsport 4 was first revealed at Microsoft's E3 2010 press conference. The live demonstration showcased a passing challenge while driving the 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia. Using the Microsoft Kinect sensor the player steered the car to pass opponents. Forza Motorsport 4 was formally unveiled at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards. Turn 10 announced that the game would feature over 500 cars from 80 manufacturers, and confirmed that it will support Kinect as well as standard Xbox 360 controllers and racing wheels. Turn 10 officially partnered with the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) for two years from August 8, 2011. The partnership provides several in-game ALMS themed events to complement the cars and tracks raced in the ALMS present in previous entries in the Forza Motorsport series. Unlike past games in the series, vehicles from the SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge were not present initially in Forza Motorsport 4 aside from a Mopar sponsored Dodge Viper. The Porsche download content pack added one World Challenge Porsche GT3. More known content was leaked during IGN's visit to E3 2011, which revealed that there will be the option to create car clubs and share garages within that club, and that the game will support 16 player online racing. Hockenheimring, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Infineon Raceway were added as three more real world tracks to the Forza series.

On August 26, 2011, at PAX Prime it was announced that Turn 10 would include the UNSC Warthog from Microsoft Studios' Halo series in Forza Motorsport 4s Autovista mode. The model of Warthog used in Forza Motorsport 4 is identical to the version in the then-upcoming Halo 4, although the vehicle is not drivable. Turn 10 has cited the vehicle's exaggerated four wheel steering system, fictional futuristic technology and excessive height as reasons for its exclusion, stating "One, it's got some technology that's built into Halo that would have been a big investment for us to then build into the game only to support one vehicle. [...] Technically we don't support that because no real world cars in our game do."

Sound design

Turn 10 identified sound as a cornerstone of the Forza experience, and that accuracy and excitement are key to that. The sound design team for Forza Motorsport 4 set out to make car audio "more visceral" than prior entries in the series. Sounds from over 500 cars were captured on a dyno in a Redmond, WA garage, using the same recording setup first used with the Bizarre Creations' PGR games beginning in 2001. Fans of the game were also solicited to bring their own cars for recording. An 8 to 10 channel recording device captured sound from microphones at the engine, intake, and exhaust. High SPL mics were used on the loudest of cars, notably the Mazda 787B, to reduce distortion.

The audio channels were mixed, sliced, and recombined to span rev range. The sounds are then applied to the car physics model, applying DSP and filters based on how the car is driven. The team licensed a distortion effect, iZotope's Trash plugin on FMOD, to achieve the "on the limit" feeling of sound distorting in your head. The sounds are then mixed with transmission and tire sounds, and finally the distance and environmental model to form the final soundtrack heard by the player. DSP also changes the sound of the car after engine upgrades, rather than swapping samples as was done in prior games.

Along with the physics team making a new tire physics model with data from Pirelli, the sound team added more granular tire sounds to differentiate skidding from braking, steering, or wheel spin. A Tesla Roadster was used to record the game's tire sounds, due to its near-silent electric motor which allowed them to record the sounds cleanly without engine or exhaust noise. Two microphones were mounted to the car and pointed at the tire for recording. The tire model contains hundreds of sounds for each surface and varies dynamically depending on lateral and vertical load. This detailed tire feedback improved lap times among hardcore Forza drivers within Turn 10.

In Autovista mode, engine startups were recorded in 5.1 from the perspective of the driver's head plus mics near the engine and exhaust.

Lance Hayes, also known as Dr Drunken Master, the award-winning composer for Forza Motorsport 3, returned to score Forza Motorsport 4 with the Microsoft Studios Music label, which features a combination of his music and other licensed artists. 15 songs were provided by Hayes for the user interface and some in-race music. In speaking of the tone of the soundtrack, Hayes stated "The score has an increased cinematic feel as well as incorporating many of the styles (downtempo, electronic, ambient) that made the Forza Motorsport 3 OST a fan favorite."

Forza Motorsport 4

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