Forza Motorsport Update 8 To Focus On Safety Ratings and Matchmaking

Forza Motorsport did not have the best start, but recent updates have begun to change the fortunes of the track racer. The newest update announced for the game continues the trend of fixing past mistakes, with the focus being on driver safety ratings and an improved matchmaking system.

Here's what's coming in Forza Motorsport Update 8.

Safe racing

Forza Motorsport’s launch was possibly not what fans of the series had in mind. A reduced track list, combined with a car progression system that forced players to grind their way up the grid put a lot of players off.

Recent updates have reversed a lot of these drawbacks, with the addition of the Nurburgring and overhaul of the car progression system proving popular with players. The car list has also been bolstered since launch, but there’s still room for improvement, which is what the next update, Update 8, aims to do.

Announced today, the next major patch for Forza Motorsport aims to improve driver safety ratings. The number of races used to calculate ratings has been doubled from 10 to 20. This will balance the average better, providing a more accurate rating.

This also means a racer with one bad race won’t be as impacted as much overall, even though it comes with the cost of taking longer to improve your safety rating.

As well as this, the weighting placed on collisions that determine safety rating has been increased, meaning collisions will affect safety rating more than before.

Players completing their first race after Update 8 has landed will see their safety rating shift dramatically as the new average is taken, however, this will overall create a more balanced system for determining a player’s safety rating.

Improved matchmaking

With drivers’ safety ratings set to shift massively in Update 8, a new matchmaking system is also being implemented. This sees the algorithm changed to narrow the margins of safety ratings when placing players in lobbies.

Racers with an ‘S’ safety rating will no longer be placed in a lobby with ‘D’ and ‘E’ rated drivers. This makes it fairer for better-rated drivers to enjoy their racing experience without fear of being rammed off-track without warning.

Have an opinion on this article? We'd love to hear it!

Join the conversation

The Forza Race Regulations are also being reworked to mitigate the changes made to both matchmaking and the safety rating system. The two areas being prioritized are rear-ended racers being incorrectly assigned penalties, and players being penalized for low-velocity sideswipes.

This will then evolve into addressing penalties for low-velocity impacts, small track cuts resulting in huge penalties, and inconsistent penalties being applied for the same offenses. This will improve the overall race experience, with players no longer being unfairly penalized for minor offenses.

Drivatar tweaks

Following on from previous adjustments, Update 8 will continue to improve Drivatar behavior. The race start and approach to Turn 1 were the previous main focuses, with the AI now expected to act more predictably when starting a race.

Attention has now turned to unnecessary braking by the Drivatars, causing collisions that could easily be avoided. This will affect AI overtakes on straights and into corners, as well as when cars are two-wide.

This tweak is the second of many that will change the AI behavior. Future updates will address the AI slowing after being overtaken, along with other overtaking improvements in various race classes.

What do you think about the changes coming in Forza Motorsport’s Update 8? Let us know in the comments below!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the latest racing game news and deals straight to your inbox!

Have an opinion on this article? We'd love to hear it!

Join the conversation