Around the World and Back

MUST READ RULESET:

1. Aggressive blocking: There will be times when you're the slower car, but somehow ended up out in front. Defending your position is perfectly fine, but aggressively blocking faster cars is not appreciated. Making a single defensive maneuver is appropriate, such as scooting low to take up the inside line heading into a turn. Suddenly veering in front of a car passing you is not. Best case scenario is someone ends up driving off-track to avoid a collision. Worst case scenario creates an accident involving you, the car behind you, and anyone else following that couldn't swerve out of the way fast enough.

2. Rear-end collisions: Yeah, they happen to the best of us. You're blazing down the straight, catching up to the leader, when the next turn sneaks up on you. Brakes lock up, tires squeal, and the next thing you know you've punted someone off the track. In this situation, it's best for you to pull to the side a bit to get out of the way of traffic, and let the car you've hit back in front. Unfortunately, this may cost you multiple positions, but that's all the more reason to be sure you're careful when following another car.

3. Cutting corners: This one is a little trickier. The easiest situation to address is when you're following another car, but somehow completely mess up the corner and cut right through the grass or tarmac off-track. If this little shortcut put you in front of the other driver, it's best to slow down and let them retake the position. Another situation might involve you out in front, and you take a shortcut to extend your advantage. Letting someone back in front each time this happens might not be the best solution. If it becomes a regular problem, we may message you about it, and eventually stop inviting you to casual races altogether. If it appears shortcutting is an intentional strategy used in an official competition, you may be disqualified.

4. Quarter-panel tap: This will usually happen as you're trying to pass a car on the inside, and as a result of lost grip you tap the inside quarter-panel of the leading car. The car in front will often lose grip, start sliding, and lose speed, which allows you to pass, or they'll completely lose control and fly off the track. In either situation, in an obvious bump you should slow to allow the tapped car to retake the position. Bumping cars out of the way to pass is not real racing, unless you're driving in NASCAR.

5. Leaderboard cars and AWD upgrades: Despite what it says in the recruitment page, MSM does have a tolerance for the leaderboard cars and AWD upgrades, but really these should only be taken by drivers who are struggling to close the gap with faster drivers or are still learning the ropes in driving technique and assists. Think of these as training wheels. Eventually, they have to come off, and so eventually you should be able to shed these cars to expand into everything else Forza has to offer. Anyway, we'll have so many showdowns and spec races not using these cars, you'll be out of practice once we do.

That's it for now. We may expend this information as time goes by. As the saying goes, you can't win the race in the first turn, but you can lose it there. Try to be courteous on the track. When in doubt, ask yourself "What would Stirling Moss do?"


I just want to touch base again on a point mentioned above: aggressive blocking. We have a wide range of skills on our team, and so occasionally a driver will put down lap times a second or two quicker than another. I'm not trying to say these slower cars should go out of their way to make space the faster competitors to pass them by with a wave and a wink. There is a right and a wrong way to defend your position, though.

In the example I experienced, which involved a non-MSM driver, I was in third place and trailing the two lead cars by about 2 seconds. Within a lap and a half I was able to close within a pretty close distance to witness some ruthless driving. The 2nd place driver exited the turn a bit faster than the lead driver, and so positioned himself to pass low on the straightaway. Just as the 2nd place driver got close enough to pass, the 1st place driver jerked his car in front, causing the 2nd place driver to get hard on his brakes. The aggressive maneuver caused the lead driver to lose grip a bit and so slowed him down, allowing me to catch up.

On the very next turn the 2nd place driver attempted another pass, only to have the lead driver repeat the same sudden block and slow both cars. I pounced on the opportunity and managed to pass both vehicles easily, giving me a fortunate victory.

Like all skills, learning to drive defensibly and safely, while still having fun and being competitive, takes practice. It might seem weird, but don't be afraid to ask questions. I try to be as open and honest about racing as I can be. Being a middle-of-the-road driver has given me a perspective from both ends of this scenario.

Also, I'd like to add, perhaps, the most important thing to consider: no matter WHAT happens, don't lose your cool. There have been times where someone gets knocked off the road and the driver doing the knocking thought it was a clean pass. On observing the replay, it appears to be a clean pass, but yet the crashed driver feels getting hit, and, indeed, is spun out of control.

This is most likely due to network lag - we've probably all experienced moments where cars seem to move suddenly, float in the air, etc.

The point is that sometimes technical issues can cause bad things to happen in Forza - don't jump to conclusions. Look at the review, discuss it with your team leader, etc. It is a game, no need to lose your cool, even IF it turns out that someone's being a total jerk. Most likely it was an honest mistake or, as I've attempted to illustrate, a technical issue.

So... To let the Lobby Host's know... When we start races, we need to let the leader of the race know when it's time for YELLOW FLAG. When someone spins out caused by another vehicle, or gets hit by another vehicle (collision), or crashed into another vehicle, you need to say Yellow Flag. When Yellow Flag takes place, the leader of the race MUST act as Safety Car, and they need to drive at about 60 MPH until those people (who have caused such accident or spin outs) catch up. Then once they have caught up and crossed the finish line, then you may proceed with the rest of the race. Only time when Yellow Flag takes place is if Two or more vehicles in a collision/accident.
Do not let this get away otherwise it will not be a fair race against everyone. By signing up for the tournament, you agree to all of the following rules.