Formula Thumb

[Wrestlevania]

Forza Motorsport 3

Wednesdays (1pm MT / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT)

After last week's riotous - if not slightly random - opening night, I've been giving some thought to how we can make Formula Thumb into a decent, organised race event every week.

Primarily, it would be great to have a few set classes to race every week so we can get a decent garage each and race more competitively. At the moment, I've nothing firm in mind, except maybe we should have an official "Formula Thumb Cup" car perhaps?

I'd like to nominate an E-class Abarth 500 as our official car; not too slow, but not stupidly quick and also a lot of fun to race in. Keeps things close and fun!

What do others think? I'll update this post with details of the sorts of class races we want to do each week. No-one seemed bothered about going higher than R3 last week, which is fine with me! My current thoughts on fun, regular class races are as follows:

E-class

- Formula Thumb Cup

- Super Minis (would include anything from Abarth 500s to the humble Toyota Yaris)

D-class

- Hillclimb & Urban

- Imprezza/Evo face-off

- Vintage racers (<1980)

C-class

- Tuned production

- Truck/SUV face-off

B-class

- Short track

- Drift series

A-class

- Stock car

R3

- Supercar / high-performance road car grand prix

'F in the A'

- Take any F-class car and Frankenstein it into A-class

I'd like other class nominations and race type suggestions from other racers, please!

Edited January 25, 2010 by Wrestlevania
Added new races Imprezza/Evo face-off, vintage racers, truck/SUV face-off, Drift series, 'F in the A'.

[Patters]

A Land Rover race would be ace, maybe even an upgraded landrover race. I'd second the Abarth as the Idle thumbs car.

[Wrestlevania]

A Land Rover race would be ace, maybe even an upgraded landrover race.

That would be wicked; we could slot truck racing - to allow for the BMW and that massive Dodge - into the C-class races. They'd be pretty pacey then!

Infovore was keen to have a one-model race, too--something like Toyota MR2s or Honda S2000s, but not hugely modified. That would be fun too I reckon.

[Patters]

That would be wicked; we could slot truck racing - to allow for the BMW and that massive Dodge - into the C-class races. They'd be pretty pacey then!

Infovore was keen to have a one-model race, too--something like Toyota MR2s or Honda S2000s, but not hugely modified. That would be fun too I reckon.

Well the 4x4/SUV race could include: BMW X5, VW Touareg, Range Rover, Audi Q7, Mercedes ML 63, Porsche Cayenne; The Dodge Ram could be added despite being 2 wheel drive. They would have to be in the C class as that is the one which the Cayenne is in.

Edit: A B class Impreza vs Evo could be pretty cool too.

[toblix]

Driving cars is fun!

[Wrestlevania]

Well the 4x4/SUV race could include: BMW X5, VW Touareg, Range Rover, Audi Q7, Mercedes ML 63, Porsche Cayenne; The Dodge Ram could be added despite being 2 wheel drive. They would have to be in the C class as that is the one which the Cayenne is in.

Sounds like an excellent selection to me. And I think it's fair enough if people want to go for the Ram over the 4x4s in the same class; if they're all tuned the same it should still make for some close racing.

A B class Impreza vs Evo could be pretty cool too.

That'd fit perfectly with the "Short Track" idea I was toying with; half a dozen laps around something fairly complex but short, like the Catalunya and Motegi short configurations.

We should probably start making a shopping list...

CARS!

[Patters]

Sounds like an excellent selection to me. And I think it's fair enough if people want to go for the Ram over the 4x4s in the same class; if they're all tuned the same it should still make for some close racing.

That'd fit perfectly with the "Short Track" idea I was toying with; half a dozen laps around something fairly complex but short, like the Catalunya and Motegi short configurations.

We should probably start making a shopping list...

CARS!

The Iberian circuit could be a good one with the 'short circuit'

[monkeyarmada]

How about a classics series? Old Jags, Lotuses, BMW and Mercs...

Also what about an alternate engine series, race anything up to a class limit, as long as it's had the alternate engine/drive train upgrade.

The Abarth 500s definitely should have a spot, the most fun to be had in a car shaped like a bollock.

S.

[Garple]

Do you have to love cars to enjoy this game? I love my own car, she's a Geo Tracker that I've been with for 3 years but I'm not a big car guy in general. I have this game now...but I so far, I don't quite get it. It's gorgeous, but other than that...am I missing something?

[Wrestlevania]

How about a classics series? Old Jags, Lotuses, BMW and Mercs...

Having some sort of heritage cup race was something else I'd pondered; anything up to D-class as long as it was made before 1980. Can't see any reason not to do that, definitely.

Also what about an alternate engine series, race anything up to a class limit, as long as it's had the alternate engine/drive train upgrade.

That could be a bit more tricky. I've been chatting with Infovore about swapping out engines/drivetrains, as it was a fairly horrible experience in the first two games. And I've only done one engine swap in #3 - with admittedly spectacular results - but I think we'd need to experiment a bit more with this first, see if it's reliable. It's a very big waste of credits, potentially, which could sour things somewhat.

[Wrestlevania]

Do you have to love cars to enjoy this game?

I wouldn't say "love," no.

I'll confess to being a big autophile - and have been for years - but the racing's so good I don't think it matters if you "like" or "love" cars. Just as long as you enjoy going fast and seeing the lovely scenery whip past as you go--which it sounds like you do already.

If you're intimidated about picking cars, it's pretty much why I was trying to come up with class-based races; you pick something you like the look of and then use "quick upgrade" to do the leg work. Beyond that, it might be a case of picking a specific type of car - like a 4x4, for example - but otherwise the class list in the OP (once firmed up a bit) should make it easy enough.

I'm not suggesting we run a strict roster or anything--not at all. I'm just thinking of how we can make this varied and everyone be sure they've got a good selection of cars in their garages to race with. The more experienced/wealthy players could always loan or donate a car to newer players or those not sure about what to pick.

[monkeyarmada]

Do you have to love cars to enjoy this game? I love my own car, she's a Geo Tracker that I've been with for 3 years but I'm not a big car guy in general. I have this game now...but I so far, I don't quite get it. It's gorgeous, but other than that...am I missing something?

I think enjoying cars helps, but it's probably just a crutch for a deeply competitive steak that the game seems to bring out... It's a great game for 'tinkerers' too, tweaking the gear ratios to get the car to bounce of the limiter, in top gear at the end of the straight can be deeply satisfying for some reason.

I am a bit of a car fan though, so it pushes all my buttons, happiest in the garage with an oily spanner. I drive a Landrover Defender and have a 70's VW Beetle too.

[Garple]

I'll admit I haven't played a lot of Forza, but I've never felt like I was going fast at all while playing it. The series that gives me that is Burnout.

[Patters]

I wouldn't say "love," no.

This: I don't believe both Miffy or 'Blix are big car people. But liking cars helps a lot. The best thing about the game, other than the actual driving, is the upgrading and tuning, to a point, you can completely destroy a car by altering it's setup, as in real life. The driving model is perfect by the feel of it.

[JonCole]

Well, if I understand the time correctly, I'm not gonna be able to make it to Formula Thumb because it conflicts with my school schedule. Not a huge deal, considering I absolutely suck ass at the game, but you guys have fun.

[miffy495]

I have a break from noon to 3:15 on Wednesdays, which means that I'm in when I don't have lunch plans with friends or such. Which means I'm in for this week. Jon, are you on EST (I don't know what time zone Florida is in...)? When Wrestle says 1pm Canadian, he means Mountain Time, which is 3 Eastern Standard and noon Pacific Standard.

Groucho: I know fuck all about cars, and honestly have never cared to. I've never owned one in my life, and have only driven borrowed or rented vehicles. All of the fancy talk on this thread does nothing but baffle me. You probably know far more about cars than I do. That said, I've always enjoyed Forza and this one is no different, fun-wise. Last week I remained pretty much in the middle/bottom of the pack the entire time, but still had great fun. If you have the game, I'm sure you'd feel comfortable racing with us. Despite the car talk going on here, during the race it's much more relaxed. Jon and I were saying things like "the blue snazzy one" to describe vehicles last week and it was no issue. Join in if you can, at least to give it a shot.

[JonCole]

Yeah, I'm eastern, I just have classes practically all day on Mondays and Wednesdays. Grand Thumb Auto might even be jeopardized for me, but I'm trying to remedy that.

[Wrestlevania]

When Wrestle says 1pm Canadian, he means Mountain Time, which is 3 Eastern Standard and noon Pacific Standard.

Sorry, that was lazy/clumsy of me. I've sorted out the time zones in the OP now and added Eastern too.

All of the fancy talk on this thread does nothing but baffle me. [...] Despite the car talk going on here, during the race it's much more relaxed.

Am I ruining this by agonizing over the details..?

[miffy495]

SuperYaris is go! To all those who don't believe, I give you my beautiful supercar, a turbocharged A-Class Yaris with a Performance Index of 595 and a custom paint job to boot!

She just took the opening round of the A-Class world championships at Sebring very handily. The game actually didn't even present upgrading the car from C into A class as an option, so I had to back out to the main menu, tune the fuck out of her, and take her into the final myself. Who's laughing now?

Here's a video of my new baby in action:

Or there WOULD be a video if the video upload hadn't fucked up. Has anyone else tried uploading video from Forza 3? I've tried twice now (first when 'blix, Jon, and Infovore flipped me over, and now with my superyaris) and neither has worked. Fucking thing.

Anyway, she needs a formal online coming out party. An A-Class race in this Wednesday's Formula Thumb, hatchbacks allowed? I'm not that great, so I probably won't win. But goddamnit, I WILL compete.

[Wrestlevania]

a turbocharged A-Class Yaris with a Performance Index of 595

I'd like to update the dictionary definition of "properly mental" with these details and the accompanying photograph.

[miffy495]

What's even better is that I managed to get the PI to 609, making her an S Class, but then she'd be ineligible for the series that I wanted to race in.

[Patters]

Or there WOULD be a video if the video upload hadn't fucked up. Has anyone else tried uploading video from Forza 3? I've tried twice now (first when 'blix, Jon, and Infovore flipped me over, and now with my superyaris) and neither has worked. Fucking thing.

For me the one time I used the video feature it worked nicely, despite taking ages to upload:

P70tTEqG6R8

Also a couple of awesome things I managed to pull off:

Firstly my Nissan GTR which those who haven't got the winter DLC cannot see.

Secondly pulling a power slide in an R1 class car

[monkeyarmada]

SuperYaris is go! To all those...

The SuperYaris is far more pretty in game, flying past my ear... Awesome.

Sorry to bail early, we're a one TV household and I can only push my luck so far. A plan is afoot though, VGA wires and a better net connection(ip over power atm) you never know, it might improve my driving, finding the ghost car effect quite difficult to work with.

S.

[toblix]

That was great fun. I apologize for sucking consistently, but at least I got some points this time.

I don't know what was going on in that cat and mouse thing at the end, but I drove horribly in a shitty car, and still got a second place, so I must've done something right? No?

[miffy495]

Good game all around. Well played, everybody. I had some incredible moments of triumph, some hideous crashes, and very few Did Not Finish races. Hooray!