Volume 83 -- Mar. 14, 2007
A Turn 10 Introduction...
By: Che Chou, Community Manager
I'll dispense with the intro this week to say this: the Forza Motorsport 2 March Car Pack trailer has been released! Go watch it here right now, then head over here to discuss everything March Car Pack related. The one-minute long trailer gives you a good glimpse at the 13-vehicle DLC roster, with some cars being a little tougher to discover than others. The March Car Pack releases globally on Xbox Live Marketplace, Wednesday, March 19th at 400 MS points. We went with a Gametrailers.com exclusive for today and the weekend (why? because they're our pals, that's why). Then on Monday, check back here at FM.net to download a super high-quality version of the video, or hop onto Xbox Live Marketplace and grab a free version of the video for your Xbox 360. You get the feeling we kinda sorta want you watch this video?
Clickity-click to watch the Forza 2 March Car Pack Trailer.
On Monday, we're also officially unveiling the March Car Pack vehicle roster with a comprehensive 14 page feature here at FM.net packed with tidbits and info for any discerning car fanatic -- Forza fan or otherwise. We also spent a little time this week hangin' tough with our homeboys over at the Xbox Live community team. Yours truly from Turn 10 makes a quick appearance on Major's Minute videocast which appears in your "Inside Xbox" blade on the dashboard. I've been told it's going live this Thursday and boy am I not looking forward to seeing the bags under my eyes in HD on my 360. I also managed to sucker a handful of other Turn 10 folks to join Trixie in her videocast, Community Confidential, to issue a challenge to all Forza fans to play us during the Game with Devs event next Friday (3/21). Um, we talk a little trash in the video, so don't be surprised if you feel a little... riled up (i.e. pissed off) after watching the clip. It's all in the spirit of good fun, of course. Right guys? Guys?
The Ferrari 430 Scuderia coming to an Xbox 360 near you on 3/19.
Last week, we rolled out our FM.net scoreboard filters and read a bunch of comments -- some nice, some not so nice, and many others that were constructive (thank you). I've been talking to our web devs and we think some of these suggestions do make a lot of sense (a "do not care" option in assists while drafting is an independent filter, or the ability to filter out multiple cars from a scoreboard). So to that end, we're looking at schedules and trying to see if we can continue to iterate on the scoreboard filter feature. No promises or release dates, but I'll keep you guys updated if we make any progress here. Also, a number of you reported that the auction house was recently having an issue where auctions were hanging at the one minute mark for hours, or cars were not able to be resolved after you've won an auction. We tracked down the culprit this afternoon so everything should be back to normal. Thanks to those of you who helped me debug the situation (you know who you are).
Turn 10 Game Director Dan Greenawalt grabbed this shot of the Peugeot 908 prototype racing at the 12 Hours of Sebring this weekend. You can do the same in FM2.
This weekend marks a legendary motorsports line-up on television, with the Australian F1, 12 Hours of Sebring, and NASCAR all wrapped up in the next 48 hours. Since Turn 10 harbors a soft spot for the American Le Mans Series, we've sent Alan "Big Boss" Hartman and Dan "Game Director" Greenawalt down to Sebring, Florida, to check out the mini-Le Mans endurance race. Class qualifying ended yesterday (see the full report here from Risi Competizione) and Jaime Melo was able to score a pole position despite the cancellation of the full qualifying session due to a prototype accident.
At any rate, Dan Greenawalt shot me an email this afternoon with a quick update on how things are shaping up down in Sebring. It read something like this...
"This morning we rose early to catch ALMS practice. Pretty much as soon as we arrived, we started hearing about the big crash from the night before. I was able to track down Gunnar Jeannette in the paddock. Gunnar's driving for Corsa GT out of Salt Lake. The've got a nice looking F430. The driver that crashed is one of Gunnar's friends -- driving the Mazdaspeed in LMP2. Sounded pretty crazy. The car skipped awkwardly in turn 1. It hit the inside wall and then caught the wind like a kite. It ended up hitting the catch fence on the opposite side of the track. Driver was shaken but otherwise OK."
Porsche GT3 Cup class racing at Sebring before the endurance race.
"We spent most of the day watching some really good class racing. Porsche GT3 Cup, Star Mazda and a tourning car group featuring BMW 3's and Mazda 6's. In the middle of the day we caught an awesome vintage Trans Am racing. After watching some great racing, we walked the course. I love Sebring. Even when its been prettied up, it still looks like a freaking warzone. Anyway, later we ended up at the Turn 10 club. Its sorta like the dog pound for Sebring. By the way, for all those reading this in the pitpass, this is not where Turn 10 got its name, but it made for a cool picture."
The 1969 Cadillac DeVille. Nearly 2.5 times the size of a Smart Car.
Before I leave you to Landin, I just want to direct your attention to the Turn 10 Car of the Week blog for this edition of the pitpass report. Our misty-eyed car fiend J. Mason does some soul searching in an automotive junkyard and waxes about the 1969 Cadillac Deville, one of the most iconic American cars ever built. Honestly, reading this piece actually brought back some fond memories for myself during heady times when Caddy was a symbol for class and quality (yes, I know that dates me). Ah... they don't make 'em like they used to. Enjoy your weekend, the DLC trailer, and watching tons of racing on TV. I'll be doing a 3-mile run on Sunday in honor of the Irish and some saint named Patrick -- and not by choice either!
1969 Toyota 2000GT by: UltraVyletKnite
The Forza Motorsport 2 Community Update
By: Landin Williams, Community Moderator
So what is every Forza 2 fanatic doing right about now? I would guess that you are all currently watching the DLC promotional video that was recently released, and analyzing the heck out of it trying to determine the complete car list. Luckily for you I made sure to show off the entire line-up at least once, however you will have to pay super close attention if you hope to catch them all! If you haven’t already seen the video then head on over to gametrailer’s and check it out pronto. I spent the good part of 2 weeks putting this video together with the help of my good friend “The Beast”, and I hope that everyone reading this takes a few minutes to absorb all the hotness that is oozing out of this DLC pack!
2005 Lamborghini Gallardo by: megawind - Replica Livery Comp.
So what does it take to put together a video like this? Well let me tell you that first of all it takes a lot of time and patience, as things don’t always turn out the way you envision it in your head. For me editing is a really creative process, but at the same time hectic, partly due to the working method that I have adopted over the past few years. My methods may seem crazy and extremely unorthodox, but in a way it allows me the creative freedom that I desperately need when creating a video.
Any exciting and interesting video project needs to have a base, and for me that foundation has always been the soundtrack. If you start off with a really interesting song, then you already won half the battle in my eyes. Just try watching your favorite horror movie with the audio muted. You will soon notice that certain sequences that would normally make you jump out of your lazyboy will no longer frighten you at all. Music builds tension and excitement and for that reason I will always find the song first, before even conceptualizing what the video should look like. This means no storyboards and no scripting. It also means that most directors and editors would consider me a fool, but hey different strokes for different folks right?
1992 Nissan Silvia CLUB K's by: Kami Iki - Realistic Photomode Thread
So once I have found that perfect song (and trust me when I say it has to be perfect), I start visualizing how the video should progress. I will listen to the song over and over again; and develop a clear understanding of how the video should accompany the music. For me it is all about the visuals and how the movement on screen, along with the editing and pacing matches the soundtrack. If you can accomplish this then I feel that you will have an interesting and exciting video, that just “feels right”, because the music and video flow together as one element.
If I had to pick one thing that takes up the most time it would have to be staging the shots and capturing the footage. Since I don't have a clear storyboard it means that I need lots of footage to dig through in order to find that perfect shot. It’s almost like a puzzle. You have all the pieces, and just have to figure out how to put them together in a creative and interesting way. So with all that said we always love to see cool community videos, so if you have a new creation don’t hesitate to send us an e-mail! Also while we are on the video thread; our friends over at the Cyber Racing World Championship have created another interesting video from their latest race on Road Atlanta. You can check out the video here, so go grab yourself some popcorn and tune in to Forza Central TV for all the racing action.
1991 BMW Motorsport M3 E30 by: SpecOpsBob
So now that this major project has been completed I am set to begin working on some cool community features and articles that should spice things up around here. The first project I am going to tackle is to overhaul the current weekly tournaments that have been on an everlasting loop since the dawn of time. I have already received some great feedback from the community, and will be using this to create a wide variety of tournaments with distinct settings. For example I am thinking about creating a tournament that is completed in one day over the weekend, creating a race day for people who may not have the time to race during the week. This is just one example of the changes that will be made, and if you have an idea for a tournament then you should check out this thread and share your ideas. I have no specific dates in mind for when these new tournaments will go live, but expect to see a few new ones popping up within the next few weeks!
In other community news the CGS has recently completed the North American Combine and Draft for 2008, and I wanted to take a moment to congratulate all of the players who attended, as well as those lucky (and talented) players who were drafted for the 2008 season! You can watch a video broadcast of the draft here, but for now here is a breakdown of the current line-up for the North American Forza 2 CGS season. Congratulations to all who were drafted.
3D.NY: ComeBackDan and Dark Storm
Carolina Core: Phantom and General E LIVE
Chicago Chimera: Ch0mpr and JaSoN-X
Dallas Venom: Chaos and Muffinman
LA Complexity: Chavisan and GTO
San Francisco Optx: Mixup and Sackamonjaro
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 by: Kartman013 - FC's Feb. Car of the Month
On another note, Ryan and I have been talking back and forth about the Hotlap Series, and while we are still deciding on all of the specifics, you can expect to see the launch of season 3 around the 4th of April. If you have some suggestions and ideas for season 3, then head on over to the tournaments section and post your ideas in this thread. You can expect the team sign-ups to open up within the next few weeks, so stay tuned to the community updates if you are interested in participating.
Speaking of the Hotlap Challenge, some of you may have noticed a glitch in this week’s challenge where users were posting times way faster than what is possible with an A class car. I won’t go into any more details, but I will say that we have identified the problem, and will make sure that it does not surface again in the future. I apologize for the inconvenience, especially since we had to replace the challenge half way through the week. So for now here are the top 10 qualifiers from this week who are all eligible for a free gift car of choice!
Hotlap Challenge Week 25: Top 10
1 VVV Richie Roo
2 TDR Koenigsegg
3 R2P JED
4 SqR Parabolica
5 VVV ChilledHeat
6 Baumdiggity27
7 VVV Daveyskills
8 R2P CruzCntrol
9 VVV headyman
10 R2P CoNCepT
Click here to see if you have been selected as one of the Random 30 from Week 25.
2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS by: omhdan77 - 911 Photomode Comp.
Alright just a few more quick notes before I take off for the weekend. One of our most active community members Hadoq, recently took a trip to the Nurburgring and documented his journey on our forums. It is cool to read about a firsthand experience with the Ring, especially considering it is one of my lifelong dreams to drive on this incredible track (and I’m definitely not alone on this one). Check out his thread here, and get involved in the discussions comparing the real track to the virtual one in Forza 2. Apparently, the track looks totally different in real-life versus videogames. No way.
Hadoq on the Nurburgring proclaiming his love for Forza.
And finally I wanted to mention that I have recently started a Race Settings Database to help new users who are looking for some competitive cars. Special thanks to Fit4aking for sparking the interest in this thread! It will be updated on a daily basis with all the new settings, so if you would like to contribute or if you are looking for a set-up then check out the thread here.
Alright that’s all she wrote for this week’s update. Thanks for reading, and make sure to take a gander at the DLC video! Enjoy your weekend.
Peace
Landin