In conversation with fans of the Forza games I find myself often
mentioning the free Forza Rewards program and its website to players
who are not aware of it. How they can be not aware of it still has
me scratching my head, since it is not only widely discussed on the
boards but has also been integrated into the most recent game in the
series - Forza Horizon 2 - but there you have it.
An offshoot of the conversations brought the whole status and standing question up and that got me thinking about the very well structured system of what amounts to bragging rights that are a focus of the games... And I am speaking of a recognition system that goes well beyond the Achievements that are part of each game.
One element that the folks at Turn 10 Game Studios and Microsoft Game Studios do very well is the tracking of stats that are related to your game play. This is something that may very well have started as an off-shoot that was enabled by the Xbox LIVE Achievements scheme, but it has grown into a very deep and unique focus of its own as a result.
The actual tracking process began years ago - in 2007 to be exact, which is the year that the first sequel to the Forza Motorsports series arrived, Forza Motorsports 2.
The Forza Rewards Platform
Between Turn 10, Microsoft Games, and Microsoft's LIVE Network, they have managed to create a very deep and interesting stat tracking system in the form of the Forza Rewards website and service, which is officially part of the LIVE network (it is hosted on servers that belong to Microsoft's LIVE Network).
A casual examination of my account on the Rewards Service reveals that of the 100+ friends and followers I have connected to my LIVE Gamertag, 37 have played a Forza game. That is not to say that all 37 are active gamers among what fans like to call the Forza Faithful - au contraire, a number that adds up to nearly three-quarters are what would be considered the most casual of Forza gamers.
Of the 37 Gamertags with at least some points earned in the Rewards Scheme, 13 of them are just Tier 1 (there are 7 Tiers so far), having less than 100 points collectively including all of the games in the series (which includes the primary Motorsports game series of Forza Motorsports 2 through 5, and the split-off special Horizon series, Forza Horizon and Horizon 2).
Twelve are Tier 2 with less than 600 points total, nine are Tier 3 with less than 2,500 points each, and one is Tier 4 (having 2,506) and another Tier 6 (having 8,013 points) - whereas I am Tier 7 with 9,490 points in total.
Points Awarded
The points scheme that is used is restricted to a set of specific activities - though which varies by specific game title - while the value for these activities tends to be a set part of the system. Looking at this from a title by title pov, the points scheme grows progressively more complicated with each new game in the two series' starting with a very basic approach for FM2.
It should be noted that the original Forza arrived prior to the creation of Xbox LIVE and the very popular Achievements scheme that is the foundation for it. That is why it is not included in the Forza Rewards system - as no data exists on the LIVE network that can included or tracked.
An overview of the points scheme looks like this:
Forza Motorsports 2 (500 Points Total)
Forza Motorsports 3 (1,000 Points Total)
Forza Motorsports 4 (2,000 Points Total)
Forza Motorsports 5 (3,000 Points Total)
Forza Horizon (2,000 Points Total)
Forza Horizon 2 (3,000 Points Total)
While the games tend to give significant weight to the aspects that include spending real money for in-game objects, they also give some weight to in-game activities like the number of days played, miles driven, and electives completed. Another area that gets significant weight is the Achievements in each game, so at least in theory the typical player can obtain quite a decent Rewards Score by simply playing the game.
That is particularly true when you consider that the Tier levels are strictly point based, and do not require the player to obtain specific levels of accomplishment in a given game. It doesn't hurt if you happen to be a serious fan of racing games - or own most of the games in the series...
An offshoot of the conversations brought the whole status and standing question up and that got me thinking about the very well structured system of what amounts to bragging rights that are a focus of the games... And I am speaking of a recognition system that goes well beyond the Achievements that are part of each game.
One element that the folks at Turn 10 Game Studios and Microsoft Game Studios do very well is the tracking of stats that are related to your game play. This is something that may very well have started as an off-shoot that was enabled by the Xbox LIVE Achievements scheme, but it has grown into a very deep and unique focus of its own as a result.
The actual tracking process began years ago - in 2007 to be exact, which is the year that the first sequel to the Forza Motorsports series arrived, Forza Motorsports 2.
 |
| The points earned in each game add up to your Tier level... |
The Forza Rewards Platform
Between Turn 10, Microsoft Games, and Microsoft's LIVE Network, they have managed to create a very deep and interesting stat tracking system in the form of the Forza Rewards website and service, which is officially part of the LIVE network (it is hosted on servers that belong to Microsoft's LIVE Network).
A casual examination of my account on the Rewards Service reveals that of the 100+ friends and followers I have connected to my LIVE Gamertag, 37 have played a Forza game. That is not to say that all 37 are active gamers among what fans like to call the Forza Faithful - au contraire, a number that adds up to nearly three-quarters are what would be considered the most casual of Forza gamers.
Of the 37 Gamertags with at least some points earned in the Rewards Scheme, 13 of them are just Tier 1 (there are 7 Tiers so far), having less than 100 points collectively including all of the games in the series (which includes the primary Motorsports game series of Forza Motorsports 2 through 5, and the split-off special Horizon series, Forza Horizon and Horizon 2).
Twelve are Tier 2 with less than 600 points total, nine are Tier 3 with less than 2,500 points each, and one is Tier 4 (having 2,506) and another Tier 6 (having 8,013 points) - whereas I am Tier 7 with 9,490 points in total.
Points Awarded
The points scheme that is used is restricted to a set of specific activities - though which varies by specific game title - while the value for these activities tends to be a set part of the system. Looking at this from a title by title pov, the points scheme grows progressively more complicated with each new game in the two series' starting with a very basic approach for FM2.
It should be noted that the original Forza arrived prior to the creation of Xbox LIVE and the very popular Achievements scheme that is the foundation for it. That is why it is not included in the Forza Rewards system - as no data exists on the LIVE network that can included or tracked.
 |
| Starting with Horizon 2 the Rewards Program is built into the game - taking the form of the Horizon Hub. |
An overview of the points scheme looks like this:
Forza Motorsports 2 (500 Points Total)
- Achievements (500 Points)
Forza Motorsports 3 (1,000 Points Total)
- Achievements (300 Points)
- Cars Owned (200 Points)
- Driver Level (100 Points)
- Paid DLC Owned (100 Points)
- Days Played (200 Points)
- Miles Driven (100 Points)
Forza Motorsports 4 (2,000 Points Total)
- Achievements (350 Points)
- Cars Owned (250 Points)
- Driver Level (250 Points)
- Paid DLC Owned (250 Points)
- Days Played (300 Points)
- Miles Driven (250 Points)
- Perfect Passes (50 Points)
- Tokens Purchased (300 Points)
Forza Motorsports 5 (3,000 Points Total)
- Achievements (500 Points)
- Cars Owned (250 Points)
- Driver Level (250 Points)
- Paid DLC Owned (350 Points)
- Tokens Purchased (350 Points)
- Badges and Titles Unlocked (400 Points)
- Days Played (500 Points)
- Miles Driven (350 Points)
- Perfect Passes (50 Points)
Forza Horizon (2,000 Points Total)
- 1000 Club Challenges (200 Points)
- Achievements (400 Points)
- Cars Owned (150 Points)
- Days Played (400 Points)
- Miles Driven (250 Points)
- Paid DLC Owned (250 Points)
- Perfect Passes (50 Points)
- Tokens Purchased (300 Points)
Forza Horizon 2 (3,000 Points Total)
- Achievements (500 Points)
- Cars Owned (250 Points)
- Driver Level (350 Points)
- Paid DLC Owned (150 Points)
- Roads Discovered (200 Points)
- Bucket List Items (400 Points)
- Days Played (500 Points)
- Miles Driven (350 Points)
- Perks Unlocked (250 Points)
- Ultimate Passes (50 Points)
While the games tend to give significant weight to the aspects that include spending real money for in-game objects, they also give some weight to in-game activities like the number of days played, miles driven, and electives completed. Another area that gets significant weight is the Achievements in each game, so at least in theory the typical player can obtain quite a decent Rewards Score by simply playing the game.
That is particularly true when you consider that the Tier levels are strictly point based, and do not require the player to obtain specific levels of accomplishment in a given game. It doesn't hurt if you happen to be a serious fan of racing games - or own most of the games in the series...
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