MICROSOFT Forza Horizon User Manual

Forza Horizon Reviewers’ Guide

Table of Contents

Introduction...........................................................................................................................

Action Racing........................................................................................................................

Competition Meets Culture...............................................................................................

Forza DNA.............................................................................................................................

Forza Horizon – Where Cars Belong...............................................................................

Forza Physics + Open World = Forza Horizon.............................................................

The Horizon Festival............................................................................................................

Showcase Events and More – Racing in Forza Horizon..............................................

Popularity and Driving With Style – How To Become Popular....................................

The Centennial State – Forza Horizon’s Colorado.......................................................

Turn on the Radio...............................................................................................................

Kinect GPS............................................................................................................................

Multiplayer............................................................................................................................

Accessories and Additional Experiences.......................................................................

Product Fact Sheet.............................................................................................................

For More...............................................................................................................................

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Introduction

Welcome to Forza Horizon! In this guide, you’ll find a brief and informative look at the world of
Forza Horizon, complete with everything you need to know to get up and exploring the open roads
of Colorado.

Forza Horizon was developed by Playground Games in association with Turn 10 Studios.
Playground Games brings a great deal of racing game experience to the Forza series, and the
studio is comprised of some of the game industry’s most creative development talent, including
talented developers from respected racing studios such as Codemasters, Bizarre Creations, Black
Rock Studios, and more. Based in the U.K., Playground Games has worked to bring a new vision of
the Forza franchise with Forza Horizon; the result is a game that combines the faithful authenticity
that Forza fans expect with raw, white-knuckle racing and an open world full of action and surprises.

As the creators of the critically acclaimed Forza Motorsport series for Xbox, Turn 10 Studios has
built a reputation as the creators of authentic, immersive, and innovative racing games. The studio’s
last game, 2011’s Forza Motorsport 4, was a multiple winner of “2011’s Racing Game of the Year”
awards from international press, and ranks as one of the highest-rated racing games of all time.

At its heart, Forza Horizon has been created with the following goals in mind:

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Action Racing

Lighting up the asphalt in a prime specimen of American
Muscle. Tearing around the freeways of the Montano Plains
in a Lamborghini Aventador. Crashing through picnic tables
while behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X
GSR. However you choose to drive, the world of Forza
Horizon is your automotive playground, as you race, crash,
and cruise around a world built for the best cars around.

Everything you do in Forza Horizon revolves around driving with style--drifting around corners,
narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic, or catching air off a ridge are just a few examples. The more stylishly
you drive, the better the chances are you’ll be noticed and make your way up the ranks of the Horizon
Festival.

Competition Meets Culture

Here’s something that could only exist in
videogames: a raging car and music festival where
speed limits aren’t just discouraged, they’re actively
ignored! That’s what the Horizon Festival—your
setting in Forza Horizon—is all about. Featuring
music from today’s leading artists across a spectrum
of genres, the Horizon Festival is the visual and

musical heart of Forza Horizon. The Horizon Festival is also your functional hub in the game. It’s here
that you’ll buy and sell cars, customize the cars you already own, get online to take on the community,
shop the marketplace, and more.

Forza DNA

Hop in the car of your choice in Forza Horizon. From the moment you hit the gas, you’ll know
you’re driving a Forza game. Every car in Forza Horizon is built from the same physics system that
underpins the award-winning Forza Motorsport games. Each car has its own handling and feel,
and each car requires a slightly different touch to coax the most from it. In Forza Horizon, every
car has a personality—it’s up to you to find out which of the game’s cars agree with your
personality and preferred driving style.
As with every Forza game, the car is the star in Forza Horizon. To that end, Forza Horizon has
been built with a focus on quality, depth, innovation, authenticity, and the support of a growing
and passionate community of car lovers.
Forza Horizon represents a new expression of the Forza franchise. It’s about exploring some of the
world’s best driving roads in the car of your dreams. It’s about new races, unique challenges, and
surprises around every turn. It’s about music and style and pure unadulterated fun, set in a world
that is fueled by a passion for everything automotive.
This is Forza Horizon—where cars belong. Let’s get started!

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Forza Horizon – Where Cars Belong

In the opening moments of Forza Horizon, you’ll
meet Darius Flynt, the current top driver at the
Horizon Festival. Flynt is the guy you’ll need to
beat to obtain automotive supremacy in Forza
Horizon. Along the way, you’ll take on a crowded
field of star drivers in your bid to prove yourself

as the best the Horizon Festival has to offer.
But before any of that, you’ll race Flynt on the open roads of Colorado in the opening sequence of
the game. In automotive terms, Flynt is armed to the teeth, driving his mint condition Ferrari 599.
Don’t worry, though, you’re behind the wheel of no slouch – the 2013 Viper GTS. Take to the roads of
Colorado and see how you fare against the current king of the Horizon Festival!
Once the opening race against Darius Flynt is complete, it’s time to hop behind the wheel of a car
that’s only slightly more modest than your Viper – the 1995 Volkswagen Corrado VR6. It’s in this
modest tail-happy ride that you’ll be met with your first Forza Horizon goal – to get to the Horizon
Festival itself… and fast! As the DJ on your car radio explains – the next ten drivers to make it to the
gates of the Horizon Festival will earn a free entry as a competitive driver. It’s time to straighten out
some Colorado curves and let your lead foot down – the Horizon Festival is calling!

Forza Physics + Open World = Forza
Horizon

If you’ve played a Forza Motorsport game
before, you will feel right at home in Forza
Horizon. The same authentic physics that
powered the Forza Motorsport series are in play
here in Horizon. As a result, every car should feel
like it has unique handling characteristics and
capabilities—a personality—all its own. If you’ve

never played a Forza game before, you’ll be able to choose from a spectrum of driving assist and
difficulty options to precisely dial in the driving experience you want to have. Experts can turn on
simulation steering and switch off the TCS and ABS – while beginners can turn all assists on and let
the familiar Forza “green line” show them the best way to manage Colorado’s trickier corners. It’s up
to you.
While the cars in Horizon are designed to be authentic recreations of their real-life counterparts,
driving them in Horizon has a flair and feel all its own. After all, Forza Horizon is an open-world
game, and you are free to roam wherever you like. Bust through picnic tables, become a
fence-worker’s worst nightmare, or treat the Forza “green line” as nothing more than a suggestion –
whatever it takes to make sure yours is the lead car across the finish line is allowed in Forza Horizon.

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The Horizon Festival

Horizon Festival – This is the headquarters of Forza Horizon. Home to the hottest summer music festival
around, the Horizon Festival also serves as the hub of your automotive experience in the game. Day or
night, you’ll find plenty to do here including:

• Autoshow – This is where you can buy and sell cars from Forza Horizon’s massive collection of car
manufacturers.

• Dak’s Garage – Upgrades are the name of the game at Dak’s Garage. You can choose to
automatically upgrade your car, or improve the individual parts yourself. Dak’s is also where you can
switch between any of the cars in your collection, and collect barn find cars that Dak has restored for
you.

• Paintshop – No car is truly yours until it’s seen time in the paintshop. Horizon’s decal and vinyl system
is based on the same renowned customization system from the previous Forza Motorsport games,
and it’s only limited by your imagination. You can also access the design storefront here, where you
can search from a massive base of liveries and creations designed by the Forza community. In Forza,
unless you’ve painted a car with a custom livery, it’s not really yours. We’re kidding of course, but
taking advantage of the livery editor in Forza Horizon really is one of the best ways to make your car
your own.

• Marketplace – This is your one-stop shop for Forza Horizon add-on content.

• Race Central – This is where you pick up the new wristbands you’ve earned as you progress through

Forza Horizon. In addition, you can access all Rivals events here – including new monthly Rivals events
added on a regular basis by the Forza community team.

• Car Club – Here’s where you can create or join a Forza Horizon Car Club. As a member of a club, you
can share cars from your garage with your fellow club members, compete against your friends, or test
your mettle against other Car Clubs.

You’ve made it and you’re in! Welcome to the Horizon Festival – a gathering of cars, culture, and style.
Not long after your arrival, you’ll meet Alice Hart; she’s your contact at the Horizon Festival, and she’ll act
as your guide as you progress through your Festival career. She’s always good for tips on things like new
events to try, money-making tips, and more, so pay attention to what she has to say.
You’ll also meet Dak Stewart – he’s the head mechanic over at Dak’s Garage, which is your hub for
everything car-related in Forza Horizon. Here, you can upgrade your car (either automatically, or by
choosing the parts yourself ), select between your saved upgrade setups, collect barn finds, and switch
between the various cars you own.
With the introductions out of the way, it’s time to get in some racing. The “Horizon Heats” event is your
first official race event and, in order to prove your way into the Horizon Festival (and earn your first
Horizon wristband), you’ll need to finish in the top three.

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