Forza Motorsport players baffled by bizarre omission of basic racing feature
Turn 10Forza Motorsport, the highly anticipated reboot of the iconic racing series, is back after a six-year hiatus. Yet players are finding that one basic racing feature is missing from the game.
Players are already hitting the Forza Motorsport tracks via early access, experiencing the game’s breathtaking new environments, a revamped track list, and a unique progression system before the game launches on October 10.
However, players with their hands on the game have been left scratching their heads over the absence of one basic feature: adjustable race length.
In a Reddit post, a player expressed their disappointment, stating, “No option to adjust race length in Motorsport 2023 is very disappointing,” helping to kickstart a discussion in the Forza Motorsport community.
The player added, “I like longer races, as they feel more realistic to me and I think just make more sense. Like who tf is going to do three practice laps, hell probably more than that, just for 4 laps around a track for a race of 10 mins? Very disappointing.”
The player also asked, “Why push all this race strategy and give us actual choice in tire compounds and fuel loads for the first time in the series, only to have them be worthless in career mode?”
The sentiment was echoed by many in the community. Another player mentioned, “I’m not sure why there isn’t this option in the career mode cup races. I get that they are set piece races, but it seems a bit inflexible to exclude the option for this from players who want long races.”
The game’s live-service model also adds to the frustration. Some fans believe that this model is the reason behind the game’s “half-finished” features. A post on the Forza subreddit reads, “It’s become painfully obvious that most AAA games nowadays, especially Microsoft games, release in a half-finished, feature-stripped, unoptimized state.”
Disappointed Forza players believe that features such as adjustable race length might be deliberately held back to be introduced later as paid content or to maximize player retention.
While Forza Motorsport has made significant strides in areas like multiplayer, with the introduction of the Qualifier Series and the new racing weekend format, the omission of basic features like adjustable race length and the underuse of the pit system have left players wanting more. Some even pointed out the pixelated and zoomed-in mirrors, making it challenging to gauge the proximity of cars behind.
Despite these criticisms, “Forza Motorsport is still the best entry in the series since the beginning of the Xbox One era,” according to our review of the game. However, it remains to be seen whether Turn 10 Studios will address the absence of adjustable race length in future updates.
