Really enjoy the game but feel like I don't "get" it

[Chucklehead]

I've played for a couple of hours but I'm just doing random stuff, is there any sort of progression I should be following?

I also don't get why I start with Class A cars. What's the incentive for buying Class B/C/D cars if you start with Class A? Are there events with particular requirements?

[TheHuskyGT]

1. There is no general progression in this game. You are 100% free to do as you wish. It is the game's greatest feature, yet it's biggest flaw. Personally I don't mind it, but I'm more used to old Forza Motorsports titles and Gran Turismo progression mechanics.

2. It's not about having the fastest car. This game is geared towards car enthusiasts who will enjoy any car regardless of their class. There are no requirements. You can pretty much start and finish the game with one single car, no matter if it's D or X class. The fun about this game is that you can make extensive use of every car.

That is except weekly Festival events which will have some requirements.

[Chucklehead]

I guess I prefer the FM/GT style progression because it's what I'm used to and it feels more properly "gamey" to me. But I'm still having a lot of fun, I certainly don't regret the purchase.

[chimeran_dragon]

Yes, there are events that require a specific class of vehicle most notably seasonal events and the online adventure that has class requirements. For example say for an online adventure race you have to use an A class vehicle and let's say you already have one that is already a default A class which severely limits upgrades in order to stay in A class. Whereas you can take a D or C class vehicle and upgrade it up to A and it would handle and be faster than a default A class vehicle with the right upgrades.

[1MantisPhoenix]

Go to races you like then go to custom events and download a new race,
You can blueprint any class you want too,
Get your favourite cars. Make them all wheel drive, upgrade, customize, so much to do. Drive the types of race you like last, do the chores first.

[Specific Beef]

It's all about progression, and the various strands open up as time goes on. If you enjoy the game, this is going to feel pretty great very soon as you'll start to follow different paths and feel like you've got a lot to do. I've bought every property, found every bonus board, own every business and I've three-starred almost everything but I'm still finding more to do with the "seasonal" (i.e. weekly) events. Follow things through: do all the races in a showcase, do all the missions in a story, complete the requirements on the boards.

I wish I'd known sooner about buying the Huntsman's Lodge. It's a hard-to-find house hidden in one of the forests, and once you've got it you'll open up "Skill Songs". Every so often, the radio djs will announce a Skill Song event and you'll have 6-8 minutes of time in which to perform skill chains and get up to 10x multipliers on them. The skill points you get from this make a meta-game out of your garage, since you'll be trying every car just to unlock the Wheelspins and credits payouts. Some cars have massively more Wheelspins and CR than others, and make it cheaper to get them (some cars have only one or two Wheelspins on the 10 point row, while others have lots on the 1, 3 and 5 rows).

[Boboscus]

What else do you expect from sandbox games? Why do people not do basic research when buying games and then ask others why they don't like the game they bought? lmao

[kireta]

Originally posted by Chucklehead:

I also don't get why I start with Class A cars. What's the incentive for buying Class B/C/D cars if you start with Class A?

Low-PI cars are for those who enjoy racing oldies and everyday cars, but also are base for upgrading/tunning, which is big part of game.

Originally posted by Chucklehead:

Are there events with particular requirements?

Yes, Festival Playlist, which is weekly set of events, including races that require something specific to complete them. This week we have events for: S2 Hypercars, S1 Track Toys, A class offroad Lamborghinis, and C class "spiders" (literally cars with 'spyder' in name)

[1MantisPhoenix]

I'm on 1000 hours, and it's a great escape , driving whatever you feel like,

[Chucklehead]

Is there any disadvantage to playing offline? I generally don't do online gaming and if I can still play all the events offline I'd probably prefer it.

[TheHuskyGT]

Originally posted by Chucklehead:

Is there any disadvantage to playing offline? I generally don't do online gaming and if I can still play all the events offline I'd probably prefer it.

No there is not. You are not missing anything.

The only thing would be the weekly Forzathon Playlist, which you have to be online for it. But as for FH4 goes, you don't need to do all the events. You can skip the multiplayer ones. And of you miss a prize car because of it, you can buy it from the Auction House.

[1MantisPhoenix]

Originally posted by Chucklehead:

Is there any disadvantage to playing offline? I generally don't do online gaming and if I can still play all the events offline I'd probably prefer it.

for some reason, the open world has more traffic when playing horizon solo, and cars of other players are not ghosted anymore, creating more collisions in comparison,

[TheHuskyGT]

Originally posted by /1MantisPhoenix/∞:

Originally posted by Chucklehead:

Is there any disadvantage to playing offline? I generally don't do online gaming and if I can still play all the events offline I'd probably prefer it.

for some reason, the open world has more traffic when playing horizon solo, and cars of other players are not ghosted anymore, creating more collisions in comparison,

Player cars are simulated in solo. It's basically just NPC's. In online the game has to process so much more with the presence of real players, reason why the A.I traffic is reduced.

Playing solo can have its benefits too. You can create insane chain combos at the highway. The downside is that if you like just cruising around, the NPC's can be a real headache.

[kireta]

Originally posted by Chucklehead:

Is there any disadvantage to playing offline? I generally don't do online gaming and if I can still play all the events offline I'd probably prefer it.

First thing you're obviously going to miss are MP-only events. You can buy rewards from other players, but it can get pricey really fast. Traffic is much thicker in SP, and it can really get on nerves sometimes. You can still challange AI drivers to 1v1 freeroam race, like you would players.
Racing vs AI only, eventually gets boring. Once you figure out how they drive, you can't unsee it, and increasing difficulty only increases their performance bonuses. Might as well just race against time, and you actually can.

[Chucklehead]

I don't mind racing against AI. The "highly skilled" setting seems like a nice balance for me where I can win but not 100% of the time.

OK, last question (I think):

Can you run any race with any type of car? Like I had assumed that the road/dirt/crosscountry races all had to be done with a particular type of car. But then I was about to start a road race with a Jeep and it seemed like it was going to let me.

[morgoth13]

Originally posted by TheHuskyGT:

Originally posted by /1MantisPhoenix/∞:

for some reason, the open world has more traffic when playing horizon solo, and cars of other players are not ghosted anymore, creating more collisions in comparison,

Player cars are simulated in solo. It's basically just NPC's. In online the game has to process so much more with the presence of real players, reason why the A.I traffic is reduced.

Playing solo can have its benefits too. You can create insane chain combos at the highway. The downside is that if you like just cruising around, the NPC's can be a real headache.

I actually like the free roaming Drivatars. They do some stupidity sometimes but the game feels much more lively with them. They aren't just traffic all driving exactly the same way... sometimes they'll be cruising and then take off to play around a while, or you might encounter a whole group of them racing together. Plus it's the only way you'll ever see any traffic on dirt roads. Playing online when everybody you see just ghosts makes them nearly irrelevant and forgettable, so all the traffic that matters is the most boring variety.