Drivatar in Forza Horizon 2 has been tweaked so much it’s not the same old Drivatar fans have become accustomed to in Forza Motorsport 5. This is more like Drivatar 2.0.
As it was demonstrated to us at E3 by Martin Connor, Lead Game Designer from Playground Games the Drivatar in Forza Horizon 2 takes it to the next level by learning your routes, your hangout spots, and your favorite stretches of road. On the base of things this could be a great idea but once I saw it in action I was convinced. Imagine playing your friends online and they beat you and you sort of get upset and rage quit the match. Alright, no harm done but you want to get them back. You drive around a bit and find them then proceed to challenge their drivatar following them and seeing the route they take so the next time you race them online you will be prepared for whatever they throw at you.
I want to keep in mind it wasn’t demonstrated how sophisticated the AI would be for Drivatar but assuming it is around that level we should be in for a great challenge with friends. Coupled with the ability to create car clubs of up to 1000 players/drivers the social aspect of Forza Horizon 2 is staggering.
This can revolutionize the way we play driving games online and not just for the Forza franchise. If this idea was implemented in for instance, the Need For Speed series with Auto-Log it could change racing games forever.
We will have more on Forza Horizon 2 including a preview in the days to come.