As in the real world, "How fast do you want to go?" is still answered with, "How much money do you have?" Players earn credits as they race and Greenawalt says you can amass 80,000 credits after about one hour of play. Credits can be used to buy new cars, fix damage to existing cars and modify cars for enhanced performance. Like in the real world, Forza tuners can add performance to their rides one mod at a time or go for a packaged array of mods.
"Forza 3 has 50 percent more upgrade options than FM2. But there has also been what could be called a philosophical change in how we have built the upgrade system," Greenawalt says.
"In FM2 you spent money on your car and your car was faster, and that was that. But in the real world if you start hanging the wrong parts on and don't match your setup properly you will go backward. Well, we have added so many parts in FM3 that we have created a gray area. We needed something for novices who would want more power in their car and throw turbos at it then burn through their clutch, not have the brakes to support it, etc. It would be faster but not quicker on the track. So we put an auto upgrader called Quick Upgrade that automatically suggest parts that will provide balance and be successful."
Using the Quick Upgrade menu lets players select the level of modification based on a target class. So an EVO X can target a Mustang and Camaro (B500), Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 and Audi A8 (A600), Saleen S7 and Maserati MC12 (S700) or GT2 class Ferrari and 911 race cars (R3800).
The modification scheme can include body tuning with bumpers, fascias, wings and spoilers. Players can go far beyond that by painting their car custom colors and adding one-off graphic treatments.
"Forza Motorsport 3 allows everyday people to explore the advanced capabilities of these cars in an automotive sandbox or play set," Greenawalt says. "I think of it like a chemistry set that you can mix and match different things. If you don't have the time, money or inclination or even the will to be that risky in the real world, you can go for it in this game and get the most realistic results possible with today's gaming technology. The level of feedback and feel you get running the cars is truly awesome."