Forza 2 demo (graphics)

[citizen X]

Keep in mind this thread is only in regards to the graphics on the forza 2 demo (the game play is amazing no doubt)


believe it or not I'm looking forward to this just as much as halo 3 . ive been RE-playing my old forza 1 game for the last two weeks now just to find something to help with the anticipation. The next thing I know im waiting till 2:24 AM on a Thursday night to download the demo. Im tired, I got to get up for class in 5 hours and the first thing that comes to mind once im in the race is “The graphics look horrible”. No question.

It honestly looked just as bad as PGR3 scaled to 720P, the only improvement was the MUCH better frame rate. The repetitive wall textures, the flat grass textures, and the fact that u couldn’t scrape your paint job on the nearest wall the way u could in forza 1 really got to me. It got to the point where I got upset and just turned my system of in complete disappointment. I felt like I was seeing Turn 10 “PULL A SONY” showing us touched up screen shots of their game, hyping for game up like no other and then just throwing this demo in our faces.

I honestly want to believe the rumors that this demo is 6 MONTHS old in the development cycle, I honesty WANT to end up eating my own words towards the end of this month once Forza 2 launches. Im really counting on it. I cant see how this game could be really finished based on the demo alone.

What to u guys think? Does graphics make or break a game? Can a game be NEXT GEN. with out the next gen. graphics? Was I just way to tired and easily ticked off that night? U tell me…

Keep in mind next day i still played the demo for 2 1/2 hours working on my best lap. Whether or not the game is fun is most definitely not in question here, whither or not the game disappointed u in the graphics department is.

[SCiARA]

Completely agree, my 1st impressions wasn’t great in all honesty, i was expecting more polish to the looks (what’s with the jagged edges?) I know its only a demo but the game went gold the same day? Maybe the old 6 month thing is true, but why would they release an old demo like that? Surely the point is to show off the game?

+ the damage just happens, one frame its new, next frame its damaged, doesn’t seem to be any in between, you don't see the damage happening?

[citizen X]

your right about the damage problem. i never really noticed it till now.. and I just spend 15 minutes going the wrong way hitting the other cars on my last race. people say "its not the graphics that make that the game its the game play".. i cant disagree more. u don’t spend 600 or 450 on a PS3 or a 360 just for the "game play". Next gen. means it has everything, outstanding game play and jaw dropping visuals. That doesn't mean it can be beautiful and yet be a empty shell of a game when it comes to game play or story plot. Game plays and story is the real heart and guts of a game. Visuals are the candy coated shells that makes the game play much better and much more enjoyable to play then with out. U cant argue with that

i know that TURN 10 makes games from the in side out working on physics and game play first and the graphics last. but if that’s true. u shouldn't be rushing passed that polishing stage to meet the dead line just cuz u got the great game play clocked in. your still missing a large portion of the game that consumers have come to expect when there’s a $$60.00 price tag attached to your product. I wouldn’t really car that much if the graphics were at least just above average. But its not… Its barely average.

[SCiARA]

I've read that the jaggies on the cars are supposed to be sun reflection, along the lines of PGR3? Maybe its just a case that the demo didn’t include final touches anti-aliasing?

I got to say though, game play is good....but this is a graphics thread.

you're right to say graphics are important as it's the 1st contact you have with a game, and to the casual gamer 1st impressions last.

[BRUTAL1TY]

I wasn't very pleased with the graphics either. The cars looked good, but not amazing. The track and scenery looked bland and like you said, flat. I sincerely hope it does look better than this.

Plus, did everyone notice a difference when watching your replay? Things looked better when watching the replay. Makes me wonder, if I'm crazy or I'm noticing something real.

[IIJoshIII]

Graphics seemed a bit dull, but hopefully it's true that it was six months back. But the game was so badass I just forgot about that.

[Jamesways]

Brutality, yep, they look smoother. That's due to the 2xAA during the race, and the 4xAA during replays, confirmed by Che yesterday. Also confirmed, this is the final build. What you see is what we get. But, this is just one track, hopefully some others have a bit more pop to them.

My take- felt a bit the same way yesterday morning. I think my expectations were a little too high. The environment seemed a bit drab. But I'll tell you, after reading about jaggies and how bad the graphics were, I was surprised to go home last night and play it again. I really do think it looks good. Not photo-realistic, but very good. Could be better, yeah, I agree with your points.

I think the detail stuff is really nice on the car models, the way the light and clouds reflecting off the metal and the crash effects. I don't think the jaggies are as big a deal as some people on the Froza board make it out to be. There are some there, especially in the hood view, but I won't use that one anyway. Although, I hear they are more noticable with a HD settings cranked.

Then I did some comparison games vs PGR3, picking the same or similar cars. paid close attention to details both in race and during replays. IMO FM2 looks more polished. Smoother, shinier, etc. Jaggies evident in PGR3 too.

Going back to the track though, I'm a big MotoGP fan, and I think Climax has tarmac down pat. Their version of Mugello is really impressive. The lighting effects and color are striking after playing the FM2 demo. Almost all of their tracks look great, everything blended together nicely, at least to me.

I have a lot of faith in Turn10 though, can't wait to see what they've done with Laguna or the Ring.

God im disapointed with the graphics, i wouldnt mind cept all the hype surrounding FM2 alot of it has been about the graphics 'glorious HD' my arse. and the screenys going around the web in previews and such are WAY better then this build of this demo(im hoping its not final build). Although graphics dont make a game and im sure the racer fanboys will flame us all for making it seem they do, its a racing game FFS! all we see when we play is the car and the scenery and they need to be pretty, last thing in a next gen(pricey) racing game i need to see is manky jaggies and boring/dull scenery.

MEH

[friedkarma]

I'm with the majority on this one. The graphics are disappointing, but I'm still going to play the hell out of this game.

[BRUTAL1TY]

Yeah regardless of the graphics, I just want to purchase some cars, customize the **** out of them, and race them to the death. Just wish the graphics were better. Oh well.

[SCiARA]

There was a huge amount of hype on this game and the in game stills that did the rounds really pushed the expectations on the game. As mush as the physics are good, graphics do play a part. Take the brakes for instance, they glow too quickly and are the wrong colour, the damage is not very convincing, the dreaded jaggies, the flat (albeit only 1) track detailing...

All these should help with the emersion of you actually racing a car round a track.

No doubt it will sell by the millions but I just feel that given the delays we’ve had they could have given it a better finish

[citizen X]

hmm.. and here i was hoping to get into some real debates on this one.. looks like the majority here agree the graphics are disappointing (maybe more evident in HD) but even with the let down on the visuals side most of us are still planning on buying this one.
who's found real evidents in regards to the "6 month" rumor? ive looked around but all im getting is "forza 2 demo looks like vomit" ...some guy on a forum saying this demo is 6 months old isn't credible in my opinion even if he's a developer.. im looking for articles. and im coming up short.

[mega_hertz_99]

I was going over the graphics too. I was a little disappointed but then I was noticing that the sky was really overcast which affects the lighting quite a bit making things look a little more drab. So I'm hoping that in the actual game, when you're racing on a clear, sunny day, everything has that next-gen "pop" to it.

[Jamesways]

I just watched a video of an R class race at Laguna Seca, and I really like what they did with the lighting effects on that one. Much brighter, late afternoon/early evening. Looks pretty good.

Citizen X, no articles, but here's the dev response, posted again an hour and half ago. He's getting sick of people asking him.


chespace

Forza Community VIP

Re: Are the graphics in the Demo final?
Topic Locked

Yes, the graphics in the demo are final.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Che "No Game Info" Chou
Turn 10 Community Manager
Forza Motorsport 2 - Home

[citizen X]

Jamesways. thanx for your post. well then i guess that means im even more disappointed that i dont get to eat my own words..honestly. there have been rumors that the spring UPDATE may actually "turn off anti-aliasing" i don't know if thats true but if it is it may explain some of the things people are noticing.

heres a question.. do you honestly think turn 10 has any real IN GAME anti-aliasing at all? they promises so much. complete FULL screen 2xAA. even on the reflections. and 30 fps on the reflection while the game play is locked at 60fps(which it is). im not seeing any of that. except for the 60pfs.

[Jamesways]

Citizen, yeah, I read that too, about the update causing havoc with AA. Who knows.

Big discussion on the Forza board about tv and monitor types. Many people think that it's your HD settings that are making it look so bad. I don't know, I have a SD tv, I looks pretty good on mine, not nearly as rough as some HD pics people are posting- a few pics on there look absolutely awful. Maybe there's something to that, because the screenshots people are posting are look so drasticly different, even of the same cars.

I definitely think the repalys have some good AA going on.

[flurm]

Will the full release have improved graphics? Do demo's generally have reduced visuals for the ease of downloading?

[BRUTAL1TY]

If the game looked like how it does in the replays, I'd be pretty content, but damn I'm still dissapointed when I play the demo again. And what is this about people blaming your HD settings for how bad it looks? The visual flaws are not subject to such a miniscule problem that most likely isn't one at all. The graphics look bad, straightup, it's not our TV settings.

[Grindstone]

I'm just pleased to note that Citizen X is still alive. I wonder about his buddy, Papa Smerf, however...

With regards to the thread, sorry to hear that it is not what you expected. But honestly, how many games are what we expect these days? Seems that there is always something wrong with games these days. Just wait until the exclusive XBL content comes up for 800 MS points. That'll add more fuel to the fire.

[Jamesways]

Hey, if that 10 bucks gets me RA, Alpine, Tokyo, and Blue Mountains, I'd gladly pay it.