Forza Horizon 6 has received a lot of positive reviews since its release. Recently, the game also launched its Series 2.
However, some players are giving the game negative reviews not because the gameplay isn't fun enough or the cars aren't cool enough, but because of the increasingly blatant malicious collisions and cheating behavior.
This has sparked much discussion among players. How do these two behaviors harm the player experience? Why do players hate them so much? I will explain in detail below.
Malicious Collisions
First and foremost, what is most angering players is the malicious collision behavior in races in FH 6.
Some players intentionally collide with other players' cars, preventing them from winning, which severely undermines the fairness of the game. These players are jokingly referred to as "rammers".
Videos of players complaining about being intentionally knocked off the track are ubiquitous on the game's player tires.
So, why does this phenomenon persist despite repeated attempts to stop it?
The central problem is that this malicious behavior appears to be "rewarding". Commentators point out that some players who gain an advantage by clashing with their opponents have risen to the top of in-game leaderboards.
What is further frustrating players is the developer's response. Currently, the official response to this behavior is mainly to "suspend official account based on reports from players".
According to FH 6 terms of service, malicious bumping violates the terms. Players can record a video of themselves being subjected to malicious bumping and send it to customer service, which may result in the other player's account being suspended. However, this system is actually full of loopholes.
One player shared their experience: they were maliciously harassed by same person throughout the entire match. In the final corner, they impulsively retaliated, but the opposing player recorded the attack and reported it, ultimately resulting in their account being suspended.
They believe the system is easily exploited, because it's difficult to remain calm after being provoked throughout the match, and if the other player seizes on the moment of retaliation to report you, you become the "perpetrator".
Cheating
Besides the rammer issue, FH 6's cheating problem is equally serious. Players have lamented on forums that the game's leaderboards are riddled with cheated or exploit-manipulated scores.
Cheating methods are diverse and easily accessible. "Cheat mod menus" for FH 6 have already appeared online, with some cheat tools even granting players unlimited Forza Horizon 6 Credits and unlocking all vehicles.
However, players using such cheat tools are usually very easily detected and banned by system. What system finds harder to detect are some autopilot-related and speed-enhancing cheat tools.
For example, a player posted a video of a cheater in community. The video showed a speed-based cheat, allowing the player to drive like a rocket, easily overtaking other vehicles.
These cheaters often deliberately start from back of pack to lower the guard of other players, but when they need to overtake, they instantly accelerate to overtake.
AI Out of Control
In FH 6 Series 2, some players found that their AI opponents suddenly became very "dirty".
They would suddenly change lanes in corners, ramming into players and even pushing them off the track, behaving in a manner identical to rammer players.
Other players pointed out that AI's physics parameters were also extremely unreasonable; they could enter and exit corners at much faster speeds and remained uncontrolled even with later braking points, raising suspicions that AI was gaining an unfair advantage over the rules.
One possibility is that AI analyzed and learned from players' behavior data in the game, but failed to properly identify which data to use, resulting in it learning and imitating malicious behaviors as well.
This would not only ruin single-player experience but also have a serious impact: if AI in single-player mode is teaching players how to cheat, how can we expect other players to consciously follow the rules?
Solution
First, regarding the annoying issue of rammers intentionally crashing into other players, what's more effective than reporting them? Some players, after brainstorming, suggested introducing a Sportsmanship Rating (SR) and Driver Rating (DR) system.
Sportsmanship Rating (SR) and Driver Rating (DR) systems actually originate from another racing game - Gran Turismo 7.
In GT 7, the system dynamically adjusts a player's SR and DR based on their driving behavior during races. Rammers who frequently crash into other players will have their ratings lowered.
When matchmaking online, the system will try to group players with similar ratings together. This way, rammers will be trapped in a low-score pool, tormenting each other.
Secondly, regarding cheating, developers should develop more sensitive cheat detection mechanisms, rather than simply detecting a sudden surge in credits and vehicles.
For example, regarding speed cheating: in the game, a car's maximum speed is determined by its performance and model. Therefore, if a car suddenly exceeds its speed limit, it can be preliminarily identified as cheating.
Thirdly, regarding AI, information screening is necessary. AI should learn from and imitate the behavior of fair and impartial players, rather than learning malicious behavior along with it.
Another approach is to implement a detection system for AI. If AI engages in rammering or similar behaviors, the system should be able to detect and stop it immediately.
These are some issues that have been heavily discussed among Forza Horizon 6 Series 2 players recently. Each of these issues significantly damages the player experience and the developer's reputation. We hope the developers will come up with more effective and targeted solutions as soon as possible.
