Forza Horizon 4 demo is now live. Xbox and PC

Bugalugs214 · Sep 13, 2018

Spring os my fav part of the demo so far, just so lush crisp and colorful i love the way they did the the trees.
Winter would be my least fav, never liked driving on it in FH3. Hopefully im not stuck driving through it for a week in real time cos that will suck the fun out of it for me.
Really cant wait for the game though.

christocolus · Sep 13, 2018

XVerdena said:
Drone Mode, Xbox One

Stunning.

Joanot said:
Gameplay is excellent but I just wish they dropped already the festival bullshit, lame characters, scripted events...

but that's what FH is all about.

ExhaustedWalrus said:
This game is seriously making me want an X soon rather than later.

Go for it. My younger brother just did same.

Kyussons · Sep 13, 2018

BBQ_of_DOOM said:
Sounds like you want PG to make Forza Motorsport?

No, I want PG to make an open world arcade racer with less but better content.

Deleted member 8408 · Sep 13, 2018

BBQ_of_DOOM said:
Curious. I don't think I've seen others complain about the issue you have. Wonder what the culprit is.

There are actually quite a few reporting the exact same issue littered throughout this this thread and on the Fm.net forums.

This is what has been figured out so far:

Linus815 said:
sound issues seem to happen if you have:
7.1
or
multiple sound sources
or
usb headset

GHG said:
To add to this list: A VR or WMR headset plugged in when you try to launch the game.

All of those things can also cause the game to crash, whether it's at boot up or later on in the game. In my case (WMR headset plugged in) the crashes were happening right at the start during the intro splash screens. Secondary to those some people are having issues with wheels not being recognised by the game or not receiving any FFB.

Gero try one of the things listed above. If not then wait for an official response. If you're having no issues with other games then it goes without saying that your hardware is most likely not the problem.

shadowhaxor · Sep 13, 2018

Shocchiz said:
I benchmarked the demo on my 2nd PC (4930k + 970) and I was shocked to find it keeps 60ps @1440p and high setting.
So I was wondering, why is the X performance mode just 1080p????

Um, because the X is still a console with older hardware than what you have in your PC. Despite the secret sauce that went into the development of the X, in the end it still doesn't have the raw power to do 4K60FPS. So it's either 1080p 60FPS or 4K30FPS. Pretty sure that's like every game on the X with a performance mode. On the flip, they can't not just give it a 4K mode at a sub 60FPS. Do you realize people would go ape shit over that?

Zombegoast · Sep 13, 2018

BBQ_of_DOOM said:
Curious. I don't think I've seen others complain about the issue you have. Wonder what the culprit is.

The game crashed on me 3 times in the intro. With 8gb of ram,i5 6500 and 1060.

neonxaos · Sep 13, 2018

Man, I was so disappointed by Horizon 3 on my GeForce 970, but this is an entirely different beast. I can run it at 60 fps in glorious 1440p, and oh my days is it beautiful. THIS will be the true successor to Horizon 2 for me.

Joffy · Sep 13, 2018

Skyfireblaze said:
You can reset the apps settings and files from the Windows Settings panel.

Thanks! :) Didn't end up being my problem although it helped me narrow it down. Turns out booting it alongside dxtory causes it to crash.

Deleted member 40872 · Sep 13, 2018

removed

Ferdie · Sep 13, 2018

I have the same LOD issues mentioned by couple of other users. AF and all geometry and textures set to ultra and ground is a blurry mess from like 10m of the car.

Gonna try forced driver HQ 16xAF, but I doubt it'll help.

RX 470 4GB, latest drivers.

Klobrille · Sep 13, 2018

Another - in itself really small - amazing enhancement is the new controller vibration inclusion. I can't put my finger on it, but the driving feels much better thanks to that. You can feel the different road surfaces and all the small bumps. Great stuff.

Isee · Sep 13, 2018

Slackbladder said:
No Sli support though so I'm getting 75-95fps on a 1080ti which is a shame.

Can't get past 100 fps on my 1080ti, but that's because I'm running into a CPU bottleneck on my oced 7700k. So if you aren't on a brand new, highly over-clocked CPU chances are high that a second 1080Ti isn't going to help by a lot in the first place ;)

For multi GPU support: It's not really a driver thing in DX12 games anymore, but more of an engine feature. DX12 has it's own multi GPU component. An awesome one that allows you to mix different GPUs, even AMD and Nvidia cards, with pretty descent results.

Example from Ashes "of the Benchmarks"

But I doubt that Microsoft is going to implement a new feature into their engine, that is only going to be used by a small amount of people tbh.

bbq of doom · Sep 13, 2018

GHG said:
There are actually quite a few reporting the exact same issue littered throughout this this thread and on the Fm.net forums.

This is what has been figured out so far:

All of those things can also cause the game to crash, whether it's at boot up or later on in the game. In my case (WMR headset plugged in) the crashes were happening right at the start during the intro splash screens. Secondary to those some people are having issues with wheels not being recognised by the game or not receiving any FFB.

Gero try one of the things listed above. If not then wait for an official response. If you're having no issues with other games then it goes without saying that your hardware is most likely not the problem.

The sound issues were causing crashes?

Deleted member 8408 · Sep 13, 2018

BBQ_of_DOOM said:
The sound issues were causing crashes?

In those cases, yes, it causes some kind of conflict that results in a CTD with no error message. If you can eliminate the second sound output source or unplug whatever other device it is that can also output sound then the game will load.

XVerdena · Sep 13, 2018

Loginius said:
Aww thank you, its always nice to hear people appreciate the extra effort that goes into day/night cycles!
Lighting is also quite different between the seasons as the sun arc changes quite a bit in the UK.

You worked on the game?

RivalGT · Sep 13, 2018

Game runs pretty good on the PC, as good as FH3 after all the patches. The performance on the X was pretty solid as well. Shame there is no HDR on the PC demo, but I heard the pc version will have HDR this time around, so its all good.

bbq of doom · Sep 13, 2018

GHG said:
In those cases, yes, it causes some kind of conflict that results in a CTD with no error message. If you can eliminate the second sound output source or unplug whatever other device it is that can also output sound then the game will load.

Curious. Hope it gets sorted.

Ran great for me, will run the benchmark after work.

Deleted member 1476 · Sep 13, 2018

Managed to fix my problem.

Upgraded my drivers and still had problems, so I redownloaded everything. Game still crashed, so I almost gave up and uninstalled, but decided against it. Took out everything that was plugged from the computer and voilà, the game loaded. Ended up finding later on that the issue was with my headphone. I can't use my onboard sound with it or it will crash, had to route it through the HDMI cable.

How did this happen, I have no idea. But seeing something random like a plugged headphone completely crash a game is both frustrating and fascinating. After that it took me another half hour to find the right setting to eliminate screen tearing, but in the end I succeeded. Zero tearing, zero stuttering. Chilling at 1080p, 8x MSAA and extreme settings, bench gave me 76 minimum fps, 90-100 average, 110-120+ max. Might try 1440p but I doubt I'll be able to manage over 60 with extreme on.

While the LOD is weird, the game is one of the most clean 1080p games I've played in a long time (FH3 for an example I downsampled from 4k).

Remo Williams · Sep 13, 2018

Today I tried the performance mode on Xbox One X. The controls feel more responsive, and just better overall, of course, while the image still looks decent, but it takes too much of a hit for me, and it's rather obvious in motion. I'll be playing in the quality mode, since the game still controls well there, and I'm used to 30 fps from Horizon games anyway. But the performance mode is much appreciated nevertheless.

I made some quick comparison shots, they're imperfect but usable. At first glance there's not that much of a difference, apart from the obvious aliasing, but when you look at it more closely, the player car model is of a lower level of detail, there's ugly dithering in the background, and I believe that ambient occlusion is also reduced or gone? And then there's all the dynamic headlight shadow casting in the quality mode, it's just an obvious choice for me.

Performance:

Quality:

Performance:

Quality:

Performance:

Quality:

floridaguy954 · Sep 13, 2018

My system (filling in the blanks from the screenshots) has a i7 7700K @ 4.9 GHz and my display is a Sony x900e 49 inch HDR TV.

Once I changed my settings to 422/10-bit in the Nvidia control panel, it was clear that HDR was enabled since my screen maxed out in brightness.

Holy fucking shit everyone, play this game in HDR!

Here are a couple of screens of my benches:

Custom, completely maxed out settings:

Ultra preset, with dynamic off:

Naner · Sep 13, 2018

Played it last night. Feels amazing at 60fps and looks amazing at 4K.

I'll go with 60fps.

Betty · Sep 13, 2018

honest_ry said:
How would you know?

You played a tiny demo.

And in the same time I knew that the other games I mentioned were more special.

Maybe this one get's better hours in or something but based on the demo that was my reaction.

atmuh · Sep 13, 2018

Loginius said:
Aww thank you, its always nice to hear people appreciate the extra effort that goes into day/night cycles!
Lighting is also quite different between the seasons as the sun arc changes quite a bit in the UK.

great job

zedox · Sep 13, 2018

It just reminded me why I loved Forza Horizon 3. That damn discrovering new roads always gets me hooked. lol

Deleted member 1476 · Sep 13, 2018

Forgot to mention: I do agree with other posters that one of my favorite changes so far (if it changed and my eyes are not tricking me) is the lighting.

It doesn't have that "gamey" feel that almost every single Forza game has, it feels way more natural now.

Klobrille · Sep 13, 2018

zedox said:
It just reminded me why I loved Forza Horizon 3. That damn discrovering new roads always gets me hooked. lol

That feeling when you have 544/545 roads discovered and you search for that tiny grey street spot on the map. We all had this moment.

Gowans · Sep 13, 2018

Loginius said:
Aww thank you, its always nice to hear people appreciate the extra effort that goes into day/night cycles!
Lighting is also quite different between the seasons as the sun arc changes quite a bit in the UK.

It these little details that make it.

I have to remind myself that so many people don't have the day/night time seasonal swings that the UK has.

nikasun :D · Sep 13, 2018

Just played it on the Samsung 49 inch 32:9 3840x1080 monitor... It is awesome! I am playing it on an i5-6600K with a GTX 1080 (not sure if I did some OC or not), but it is buttery smooth :D Is there any way to enable HDR in the demo?

Remo Williams · Sep 13, 2018

Klobrille said:
That feeling when you have 544/545 roads discovered and you search for that tiny grey street spot on the map. We all had this moment.

And then you discover it's not even visible on the big map, because it's some damn underpassage on an airfield or something.

floridaguy954 · Sep 13, 2018

luffeN said:
Just played it on the Samsung 49 inch 32:9 3840x1080 monitor... It is awesome! I am playing it on an i5-6600K with a GTX 1080 (not sure if I did some OC or not), but it is buttery smooth :D Is there any way to enable HDR in the demo?

Just make sure your monitor is set up for 10-bit (or 12-bit) color in the Nvidia control panel. Next you have to make sure that the "HDR and WCG" option on the Windows display settings is enabled.

vorimenn · Sep 13, 2018

What for is that weather window in main menu? Is it actual weather in my location or in-game? Because now in my game it says 19°C and in London is exactly 19°C.

melodiousmowl · Sep 13, 2018

My attempt at parking on a pier for a nice drone shot

Remo Williams · Sep 13, 2018

vorimenn said:
What for is that weather window in main menu? Is it actual weather in my location or in-game? Because now in my game it says 19°C and in London is exactly 19°C.

Probably in-game, why would a game give you the current weather reading at your location?

HBK · Sep 13, 2018

Falus said:
I still need to understand how some developers makes 30fps amazing and some other are borderline Unplaybable.

Correct frame pacing and good motion blur plus low response times.

It should be standard IMO, but is far from easy to achieve.

tatwo · Sep 13, 2018

I lost all progress after I restarted the game... ffs....

Granholme · Sep 13, 2018

Anyone got thoughts (+/-) on how this plays on XBX with a wheel?
Seriously tempted to go in on a set up for this but wary of another hardware generation screwing up compatability

Terbinator · Sep 13, 2018

PuyoPypo said:
I lost all progress after I restarted the game... ffs....

... like any other demo.

tatwo · Sep 13, 2018

Terbinator said:
... like any other demo.

ah yeah I guess that's normal. I don't even remember when I have downloaded real demo last time. I'm too used to betas etc that keep progression.

Deleted member 2595 · Sep 13, 2018

Loginius said:
Aww thank you, its always nice to hear people appreciate the extra effort that goes into day/night cycles!
Lighting is also quite different between the seasons as the sun arc changes quite a bit in the UK.

Jesus, you took seasonal axis arcs into account? I've worked on a game with a day night cycle and I can't imagine the amount of work this must have been

Psyrgery · Sep 13, 2018

melodiousmowl said:
My attempt at parking on a pier for a nice drone shot

In the distance to your right you will be able to see a car trying to drink water in its natural habitat.

Drakhyrr · Sep 13, 2018

I tested both performance and quality modes on the Xbox One X, and I thought the game really took a hit on performance mode. The foliage just doesn't look very good, and it may be just me but pop in seemed way more noticeable. Not to mention the loss of detail here and there.

On the other hand, they did a really good job making the game feel smooth at 30fps. Very stable and with incredible use of motion blur (which also appears to be gone in performance mode).

Personally, I'm going with quality mode on this one. Still, it's great to have a choice. The developers did an awesome job here.

Kevin Shields · Sep 13, 2018

Any impressions on the campaign and open world structure? Any major changes or improvements from 3?

solis74 · Sep 13, 2018

This game graphics is beyond stunning! day one!

potentialtodisplease · Sep 13, 2018

Looking really good.

The Albatross · Sep 13, 2018

kubev said:
Did you trade in your original Xbox One or something? The reason I ask is because something similar happened to me, as I sold my original Xbox One to a co-worker, and I was kind of freaked out when an Xbox One named Winona Ryder popped up on my account. It turns out that wiping the original Xbox One didn't remove its association with my Microsoft account, so I ended up removing it manually.

Ooohhh... actually... come to think of it I gave my original Xbox One to a friend of mine... But I had formatted it prior so I didn't think that'd still carry over. Weird. Also weird that he named it Harry.

Hawk269 · Sep 13, 2018

Played a bit more on the "X" and was able to do a night time race..yeah, those shadows casting with the headlights is pretty amazing in quality/4k mode. Really impressive lighting.

melodiousmowl · Sep 13, 2018

Psyrgery said:
In the distance to your right you will be able to see a car trying to drink water in its natural habitat.

"Don't get too close by crikey, they startle easily"

Psychotron · Sep 13, 2018

Drakhyrr said:
I tested both performance and quality modes on the Xbox One X, and I thought the game really took a hit on performance mode. The foliage just doesn't look very good, and it may be just me but pop in seemed way more noticeable. Not to mention the loss of detail here and there.

On the other hand, they did a really good job making the game feel smooth at 30fps. Very stable and with incredible use of motion blur (which also appears to be gone in performance mode).

Personally, I'm going with quality mode on this one. Still, it's great to have a choice. The developers did an awesome job here.

That's the big thing I think that makes performance not work as well for me. The motion blur in quality is second to none. I know in 60 it's not needed to hide a lower framerate, but I think it adds to the experience. I'd love to have it on.

Oracle · Sep 13, 2018

Looks good, but twice during the intro race the road disappeared, causing my car to stop then once it rendered I could accelerate.

Common issue ?

bcatwilly · Sep 13, 2018

This demo was pretty much the only thing that got me to take a break from finishing Spider-Man before I put my PS4 back on the shelf to play Shadow of the Tomb Raider on my Xbox One X this weekend. Man I am hyped to play this game at launch after playing the demo some last night, amazing graphics and just fun times driving around.

Forza Horizon 4 demo is now live. Xbox and PC

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