Gamescom allows gamers and journalists to try countless upcoming titles. However, some developers and publishers present their titles in the form of hands-off demos. In practice, it works in such a way that the invited guests sit down directly on the show floor or in the closed business part in one of the created rooms, where the developers then present their title. In some cases, it may be a pre-recorded demo, which only the studio representatives present will accompany with a commentary. Other times it’s about exclusive gameplay, where the developers play the title live in front of you.
The authors selected the category of German super sedans for the demonstration.
This is exactly how Microsoft showed the upcoming new installment of the racing series Forza Motorsport directly on the show floor. Studio representatives seated us in a small room for about 20 visitors, which was dominated by a large screen in addition to the game’s logo. After a short welcome, Turn 10 studio representatives moved on to the actual live gameplay demo. As Gamescom takes place in Cologne, Germany, the authors chose the so-called German super sedans category for the demonstration, which includes models of cars such as Audi, BMW or Mercedes. The developer who took charge of the gamepad promptly chose the BMW M5 and then moved on to the selection of circuits. Here we ventured beyond the borders of Germany and into Italy’s sun-drenched Mugello.
At first glance, it was not a specific race. The developers, on the other hand, wanted to show a traditional three-lap race during the day and in good weather. In short, the type of race that you complete hundreds of in the sky online multiplayer career mode. Even before the start of the race, the authors drew attention to one of the interesting novelties. Before the start of each race, you will be able to complete a free practice, where you can get a feel for a specific car and circuit. This part was quickly skipped by the developers for time reasons. This was followed by an explanation of another new mechanic in the form of choosing a starting position. If you don’t have much confidence before the race, you can safely start from the front of the starting grid. In this case, however, you will receive a smaller reward for the race. If, on the other hand, you choose positions from the back of the grid, in addition to more intense fights with other drivers, you will receive a significantly higher supply of finances and experience points.
After this part, the race finally started, which, among other things, fully showed what the new Forza actually looks like. I won’t bore you for long and I’ll just say that it looks great. I could start with detailed models of individual cars, continue with the surroundings of individual tracks and end with elaborate lighting and reflections that can reflect the surrounding objects from the bodies of individual cars in great detail. While elaborate reflections and car models could be taken for granted, it is the processing of the surrounding environment that reveals one of the differences compared to the competition. This is because it is one of the weaker links of the rival Gran Turismo 7 and titles from the Milestone studio. In the new Forza Motorsport, you really feel that the racetrack is not just an empty place where 20 cars race. In addition to the more detailed objects around the track, the main impression is made by the large crowds of spectators in the stands.
Although it was understandable that not much could be learned from one three-lap race, one important feature was. Already in various official materials, the developers highlighted the redesigned behavior of the artificial intelligence. However, similar claims before release are not exceptional and do not automatically mean that there will be a really significant change, which has been confirmed by a number of games in the past. In the case of the new Forza, however, it was already clear after the first round that the opponents make mistakes with the computer control and the live fights end with each other and with you. In some moments it even felt like live players were racing each other.
In addition, the developers pointed out that the behavior of artificial intelligence will gradually evolve thanks to machine learning. However, the authors consistently oppose rubber banding and other elements of artificially influencing the race. During the presentation of the new Forzy Motorsport, the high production values, budget, experience and good technical basis of the Turn 10 studio were very evident. It is already clear that the competitor Gran Turismo 7 is waiting for its first serious opponent. But Forza Motorsport has a distinct advantage over Gran Turismo in that it doesn’t target the previous generation of consoles. Forza Motorsport launches October 10 on PC (Steam) a Xbox Series X/S.
2023-08-25 18:09:05
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