Tips and Tricks - Forza Motorsport 4

Forza Motorsport 4 is so close in gameplay to Forza Motorsport 3 that we could simply recap most of our 2009 tips article. Which we do below, but with a short preface to discuss what's new and compelling.

First up, there's Autovista, which is basically car porn. Seriously, it's got to be erotic if you're a car fanatic - and you'll probably get a tingle even if you aren't. Several cars are available for you to be able to view and interact with from all angles (Lamborghini Reventon, I AM INSIDE YOU!), and the rest can be unlocked with fairly simple challenges. Unlock the right one, and you'll get a pretty cool surprise.

Another difference is the cars. As in, there are many more of them. My favorite part so far has been upgrading a run-of-the-mill Prius (much like my own) into a racing machine complete with rear fin and more power than you'd ever expect from a commercial hybrid. (Click the image at right for a wallpaper version!)

As promised, if you're new to Forza games, here are a few tips to get you started:

• Watch the line. As with previous games in the series, you have the option to display a line that shows where the sweet spot for driving is and whether to accelerate, maintain speed or brake as it changes from green to yellow and then red. Advanced players can turn off this driving aid to earn more points.
• Mod your ride. If you're losing races, you may have the wrong vehicle or, more likely, your car doesn't have the right performance level to compete. Forza 3 offers the option to automatically upgrade your car to the max within your budget, which is tempting but can severely eat away at your available credits without always giving you the mods that could really make a difference. Getting that adjustable gearbox is an important mod since it permits you to...
• Tweak your parts. Boosting your gearbox ratios improves acceleration (at a cost to your maximum speed), which can make a big difference in a twisty track where you spend most of your time speeding up out of turns and little to no time maxxing out on long straightaways. Here's an adjustment you can make right away (without any mods): Add a little air to your tires. I usually add 2 psi to my front tires to gain a little more control in turns. Once you get deep into the game, races will become challenging and you will need to dig into your bag of grease monkey tricks to optimize your car for each track. Read the description of what each adjustable part does and spend some time on the test track confirming that your settings are working before going back into races. For further assistance, this Tuning and Upgrades guide can help.
• Roll back time. Yeah, the game verges on sci-fi with a new feature that lets you run back the past few seconds so you can correct a driving mistake. This won't save you if your car is vastly underperforming, but can fix a tight race where one bad turn is going to lose it for you. There seems to be a limit to when and how much you can use this feature, but it feels so much like cheating that I try not to anyway.

The game does have one neat time saver, which is the ability to quickly downgrade your favorite car for a given race after you've modded it up. You will have to go back and reupgrade it later, so save your settings before doing this. You'll have the advantage of knowing that your car will be at the maximum performance for a level after downgrading, so you should have an easy time with the race.

As nice as all of the tune-up descriptions are, as an amateur racing fan I find I have to refer to them a lot when I'd STILL rather be able to select more user friendly choices - like whether I want my car to be more slide-y or tight in turns. It would be nice if there were a way to quickly visualize how a car will perform after each adjustment rather than having to tweak and test, tweak and test. Someday, maybe. Forza Motorsport 5, perhaps...