Forza Motorsport 3 - Developed for Enthusiasts by Enthusiasts

Forza Motorsport 3 really pinged our radar when it announced the R8 as its "Hero Car", which meant the Audi served as the ambassador to the game appearing in numerous videos, special promotions and a starring role on the game's packaging. The leading-edge driving game is burning rubber off the starting line as it hit the scene on October 27th. The Auto Union badge is represented by 22 cars in the game ranging from the Q7 SUV to the R10 Le Mans Prototype. The best part, is that just like Audizine, this all-new title from the studio at Turn 10 has been developed for enthusiasts by enthusiasts!


When it comes to driving simulator games, physics are all about emotion. While contradictory terms at first glance, the mathematically induced feedback the player feels as he dives into a corner, struggles to maintain grip and power out to the next apex makes the game. Turn 10 has focused the Forza Motorsport 3 physics model squarely at the contact patch.

"Tires are the absolute heart of any driving simulator," says Forza game director Dan Greenawalt. "You have to get the tires right. If the tires aren't right the simulation is worth nothing. Suspension is extremely easy to do frankly. It's a three-point architecture or a four-point architecture; it's just straight up math, spring rates, dampening and un-sprung weight." Forza 3's advanced system uses tire flexion, heat build-up and weight transfer as well as the grip quotient of the track surface to provide super-realistic handling. Older cars with balloon tires feel like they're on stilts and float through the corners while modern cars with good tires and a proper set-up can claw tenaciously at the road providing a stable, confident feel.


Forza 3's performance hierarchy consists of a letter followed by a three-digit number. A 2004 TT Coupe 3.2 quattro, for instance, checks in at a D-289. So a B rated car will be superior. The hierarchy goes from F to A for production cars while S and R ratings are reserved for race cars.

The game provides new levels of modification and customization with twice as many go-fast parts as FM2. Enthusiasts can select from upgraded wheels, upgraded tire compounds, a cornucopia of suspension parts from sway bars to full-race coilovers and a bevy of under-hood enhancements all the way up to stroker kits, turbo systems and engine swaps. But be warned, the combination counts. Enthusiasts can't just throw parts at their ride and go faster. The game knows how the parts relate to each other. Forza 3 features a 'Quick Upgrade' option that allows less-involved players to buy packaged parts aimed at a certain group of cars. So the TT can target a Mitsubishi Evo X or Subaru WRX STI (C-425) Mustang GT and Camaro SS (B-500), Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 and Audi A8 (A-600), Saleen S7 and Maserati MC12 (S-700).