I know this is kinda out there, but oh well. It's a little something that I'm sure some of us do, in some way or shape, to keep the game's career entertaining. This is my little document that I created. Feedback is appreciated, as are new ideas.
Introduction
This guide is a little project to keep me busy until FM3 is a reachable object in my life. It teaches one on how to squeeze more depth out of Forza Motorsports 2 in order to get more entertainment out of the game.
Rules
Here is a list of 5 rules in this guide that you must follow (how far is up to you) in order to get more enjoyment out of FM2. Each rule will be broken down one at a time.
1. In Game Options
2. Difficulty
3. Race Rules
4. Car Choice
5. Car Upgrading, Tuning and Livery editing
In Game Options
Within your options menu, select HUD. To get the most realism out of the game, speedometer should be set to analog, and the mirror option set to on. Everything else, including maps and ghosts, should be turned off.
The reason for this is that during a race, the driver does not have a map to go by. He must rely on memory alone, either from practice, or from research. He must remember the intensity of each corner, how to approach it, braking and acceleration points, and so forth.
The same goes for the timers and labels option. The driver must also remember how many laps in the race, and what lap he is on. The driver does not have a time clock in the car, nor does he care how far into the race he is in. The only thing he cares about is hitting his points and squeezing the most of the car as possible.
The ghost option, as well as the draft and g meters option, are both somewhat unrealistic. Most drivers do not care to have a g force meter in the car, as it is something to distract him from more important things like RPMs, fuel level, coolant temperature, and so forth.
Difficulty
Some of the difficulty options can be up to you, while some should be turned off for realism. Things like transmission can be either standard or automatic, as many of the cars in FM2 have both options available. While the most realistic option would be to switch between standard transmission and automatic transmission for cars who only have the one option (or driver choice if both options are present) this creates too much of a hassle, and is also not fully realistic as a car will still use the manual transmission gear box though the automatic transmission option has been chosen.
The racing line should be turned off. This is essentially self explanatory as there is no color changing line in real racing. One must go off prior sessions at the track, research done before the race, and/or the amount of rubber on certain parts of the track, whether from skid marks from a previous lap, or the rubber laid down from the many laps other cars have taken on the track.
AI should be set to hard, and the damage and wear options set to simulation, as these are all the most realistic options.
While TCS and STM should be turned off, since many cars do not have these options (and you will be faster without them), the ABS can be left to your discretion. Most cars now a day use ABS brakes, many drivers will disable them in order to feel more of the car. It is also true that one canturn faster lap times without the option, but that is only if you are used to the feel and can manage your brake pedal well. Like the transmission option, it would be most realistic to switch between ABS on and off for new and old vehicles, respectively, this again creates more of a hassle.
Race Rules
The importance with racing is realism. You must watch out for the other cars, while staying focused on the track ahead. Hitting other cars, while common, should be avoided in order to keep costly repairs at bay. However, if there is serious damage to the car that hampers your ability to drive it, such as a smoking engine or mis-aligned tires, you should take your car to the pits at the next available point in the race. Ignoring these vehicular injuries can lead to a worse finish or more injuries if the car is too hard to drive.
While in a race, restarting is a big no-no. During a race in real life, you couldn’t start over again if you missed your braking point and went off track, so you shouldn’t do it now. The key is realism, and while it will present a bigger challenge, it will lead to more satisfying victories.
Telemetry should only be viewed during replays or during testing sessions (as there is no replay while testing). A driver relies on the feel of his car to let him know when something is up. He does not have a pop-up menu he can access while racing, as that would be distracting and would hamper his ability to control the car. This is not only limited to the telemetry that comes up when you hit the up button on the directional pad, it also includes the pictures that shows up when you hit the left bumper as well.
Race view should be either the hood view (without the speedometer present) or the bumper view (with the speedometer present) as these are the closest to an in car view that the game allows. However, not everyone can race with these, so if you prefer, outside car view is ok.
My Path – I chose to go with the bumper view, as I prefer to see where the car is going head first, and as I like to keep tabs on the speedometer needle in certain corners. It’s easy to remember what position the needle should be close to when coming up to a tricky corner, rather than relying on a number and having to check it multiple times a second.
Car Choice
Car choice is one of the best parts of role playing in FM2 as there are multiple ways to go about it. At the start of the game, you are given 21 vehicles spread across the three regions of the Forza world. These cars range from the lowly 1994 Honda Civic 1.5 VTi, to the supercharged 2005 Cobalt SS, with a 2002 Saab 9-3 Aero in the middle.
Role playing with these cars can be done in many different ways. One could pick the car that he drives in real life, seeing what kind of car it could become given the time and funds. One could also pick a car they have been lusting over for years in order to satisfy their desire. One could also go on stats alone, and pick the car they think may dominate the races it will be in, or provide the greatest amount of potential later on down the line.
All of these are great ways to start the game, but the most important thing to remember is that you should pick the car you want. While picking a car simply because of it’s superior stats, it may be less satisfying to beat up on all the cars on the track by half a lap when you could be battling for first or second in a lesser car. While picking the fastest car at the start of your racing career may be the most strategically sound option, we must remember that this guide is about squeezing more enjoyment out of the game. Anyone can make one car dominate the rest in the race, but where’s the fun in that?
My Path – I chose to go with the 1992 Volkswagen Golf GTi. While it is the least powerful out of all the options in the European region, it is also the lightest. This makes it a great track car that, while not being too competitive in the beginning, can be easily upgraded to stay with the higher horsepower cars when things get twisty.
Car Upgrading, Tuning, and Livery Editing
Buying performance parts and tuning your car is a big part in the role playing aspect. You must pay attention to the class and PI Index of your car in order to make sure you don’t completely dominate. The best thing to do is pick a car that is most like the others in the field and keeping your PI Index ten to twenty five points lower than the leader. The car choice ensures realism while the PI Index keeps you competitive while not being overly dominant.
With simple cars, such as the Golf I picked at the beginning, simple performance parts should be added at an early level. A driver who only competes in weekends is not going to install a fully customizable transmission or suspension in an otherwise stock car. They will choose the more budget oriented Street or Sport upgrades. Likewise, someone with a brand new Ferrari F430 isn’t going to go with a Race weight reduction and keep everything else on the car original.
The key is to match performance upgrades with one another and with the use of the car to keep it realistic. If the afore mentioned Ferrari owner plans on making a pure track car out of the F430, then the Race weight reduction is permissible if coupled with a Race aero kit, Race tires, Race suspension, and so on.
Now this isn’t to say that you must go with all Sport or all Street upgrades. You can mix and match these, but only within reason. There is no use going with a Race flywheel if you are only using a Street clutch, and vice versa.
Tuning cars is an important part of role playing as well. If you have a mildly modified Civic, a super stiff, unforgiving suspension should not be allowed. Many people who open track or rarely race their vehicles use them as daily drivers or street toys as well, and will want a somewhat soft suspension that can perform if needed.
A car that is open tracked on Laguna Seca may also see highway duties, and therefore will not be suitable for a fully customizable Race transmission with super close gears and a Race differential that is almost fully locked.
Like upgrading, tuning must be matched to the cars level of use and modification.
With livery editing, one must keep in mind the car that he has. If it is a weekend warrior, a number block or circle, and a fewperformance parts decals would be perfect. If the car is a full on race car, with a cage, non-road legal slicks, and straight exhaust, a racing livery, with sponsors, would be great. However, a person who races their mostly stock Lamborghini or Porsche may not want to ruin the integrity of the vehicles outward appearance, and may not use any decals. Again, the use of the vehicle needs to be considered when editing the appearance.
With decals, only those with parts used, implied or actual, should be used. A Crane Cams and a Comp Cams decal should notinhabit the same vehicle, as it is highly unlikely someone would use both. Royal Purple and Mobil 1 decals would be the same. The only exception to this is if the player wants to create a racing “series” that requires mandatory decals, which signifies that these companies sponsor that series. If Mobil 1sponsors a race season, and that governing body requires the decal, the player may have that decal, as well as the Royal Purple decal if that’s what the player “runs” in their vehicle.