Forza Motorsport: All the news from the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase

First announced during the now distant 2020 Xbox Game Show, the new racing video game made by turn 10 Returned to show at the latest Xbox and Bethesda event. Forza Motorsport is expected by the large community of enthusiasts who want to see the next chapter in the ambitious racing series arrive on Microsoft’s next generation of PCs and consoles. Thanks to the capabilities of the new hardware, the developers have been able to work on some of the features that Forza Motorsport fans have loudly requested. The title will arrive by the summer of next year, as usual, also free to all Game Pass subscribers.

During the Xbox & Bethesda presentation, the developers wanted to focus exclusively on some Forza Motorsport news. First of all, the first, insignificant is the title of the video game. Many expected it to be called Forza Motorspot 8, and instead preferred not to add any number to the brand.

This makes us think of some kind of soft reboot of the series, but at the moment we don’t have much more information about it. On the other hand, other innovations relate to the day-night cycle, dynamic weather, graphic quality and a fully regenerative physics engine capable of simulating even crashes and collisions.

While we await further confirmations on the vehicle fleet, gameplay, online segment and other undoubtedly essential characteristics to fully understand the value of this production, let’s review in detail the items recently revealed so we can do some brief previews in this Forza Motorsport Special.

physical engine

In a simulation racing game like Forza Motorsport, the real enthusiast should focus first physics engine video game. It is at the heart of the experience which allows us to experience motor racing in a realistic way on different types of cars in different climatic conditions. Whether you’re using a simple cushion or a professional steering wheel, it’s important to feel the grip on the asphalt, the grip when cornering and the sensitivity on the throttle or brake pedal pressure.

The guys of Turn 10 know this well, in fact they decided to invest significant resources on the physical engine of Forza Motorsport. Unfortunately, they did not reveal many details about the improvements that were made, but they did release some important statements about it. According to their words, the physics engine is now 48 times higher than last semester from the series. This is a significant leap, obviously made possible by the recent hardware of the Xbox Series X | S and PC. Older consoles weren’t able to do all the calculations needed to simulate such detailed behavior of cars on the track, so this is a true next-generation video game from this point of view.

The new physics engine also takes into account Temperatures Asphalt and weather conditions for tracks and ideal track tires. Moreover, for the first time, items such as management Tiresfrom level fuel And different types of vehicles to be used depending on the roughness of the asphalt. All this is clearly handled in the form of complex calculations by the physics engine to translate it into a realistic and simulated experience, just as enthusiasts loudly demand it.

New generation circuits

One of the main novelties of Forza Motorsport is Day and night cycleIt is present in every track of the game. This gives a high level change in lighting and shadows, reproduces every hour of the day in a very realistic way. In order to achieve this, the developers spent a lot of time building each element that encloses a circle from scratch. From rocks to trees, passing by curbs, bushes, tall grasses and other highly detailed polygons, further improving the visual presentation of the path. Usually in productions of this type, the visual quality of the track’s surroundings is sacrificed in favor of movement on the track and the fidelity of the cars. This is not the case, in fact already in the first demo shown, we noticed a high level of accuracy in the drawing. Each item has been 3D scanned and placed faithfully within the existing tracks. In addition to the Maple Valley circuit, there will be vintage classics such as SPA-Francorchamps and Laguna Seca Raceway.

To this add a dynamic weather Which brings rain, clouds, heat or cold at different times of the day, thus changing air and asphalt temperatures. At night, the headlights come in too, recreated in a very realistic way using the latest technology for truly top-notch artificial lighting.

Partial list of existing cars

The following cars were featured in the recent Forza Motorsport promotion, and will therefore be part of the video game fleet. We still do not know what other devices will be in the title, so we have to wait for more news on this topic.

• 2018 Acura #36 Gradient Racing NSX GT3
• 2020 Acura #6 ARX-05 DPi
• 1958 Aston Martin DBR1
• 2017 Aston Martin Aston Martin Racing V12 Vantage GT3 #7
• 2018 Audi #44 R8 LMS GT3
• 2021 Audi RS e-tron GT
• 2017 BMW #24 BMW Team RLL M6 GTLM
• 2018 BMW #1 BMW M Motorsport M8 GTE
• 2019 Brabham BT62
• 2021 Cadillac #31 Whelen Racing DPi-VR
• 1966 Chaparral #66 Chaparral Cars 2E
• 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport Coupe
• 2020 Chevrolet #3 Corvette Racing C8.R
• 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe
• 1969 Dodge Charger R/T
• 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
• 1967 Eagle Weslake T1G
• 1967 Ferrari #24 Ferrari Spa 330B4
• 1966 Ford #2 GT40 Mk II Le Mans
• 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302
• 2018 Formula Drift #64 Nissan 370Z
• 2020 Formula Drift #151 Toyota GR Supra
• 2019 Ginetta No. 6 Team LNT Ginetta G60-LT-P1
• 1967 Honda RA300
• 2020 Koenigsegg Jesko
• 2018 Lamborghini #63 Squadra Corse Huracan Super Trofeo Evo
• 2020 Lamborghini Huracan EVO
• Mazda 1991 # Mazda 787 B
• 1966 McLaren M2B
• 2019 McLaren Senna GTR
• 2018 Mercedes-AMG GT3
• 1970 Mercury Cougar Remover
• 2016 NIO EP9
• 2019 Nissan 370Z Nismo
• 2020 Nissan GT-R Nismo (R35)
• 2017 Porsche #911 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR
• 2021 Porsche 911 GT3

Technical sector

If what was said in the previous paragraph was not enough to convince you of the visual quality of Forza Motorsport, we strongly advise you to read the following lines. Yes, because the technical innovations at Forza Motorsport do not end there. Next-generation hardware allowed developers to implement a ray tracing of the highest level. Seeing the reflection of opponents on the track on the metallic paintwork of our car with the reflections of trees and surrounding clouds in the sky gives a truly amazing visual experience. As if that weren’t enough, the developers revised all previously used textures, took advantage of the faster loading of assets via the SSD, and were able to take advantage of the new stuff at very high resolutions. With the help of beams that trace the surface of aluminum compared to carbon, one can easily distinguish the components of the engine. In the same way this will also apply to the details of the interior, but unfortunately we have not seen anything about it yet.

By inciting the rival device Gran Turismo 7 in a completely indirect way, the developers also talked about the new damage system. According to Turn 10, each scratch is created individually, simulating the effect of a car with a wall, a guard rail, or another car. Dirt, dust and mud will also be taken into account on impact, as these stick to the surface of our car.