FH5, Series 29, Week 4

Two treasure hunts this week. I went fast in a Lancia Delta and got clean racing skills in a Jaguar Project 7.

The weekly was in the Ferrari 512S. Again, no upgrades required.

Eventlab (1). SS£-FCG – Outlaw Canyon. Nicely built map, but little more than a twisted circle. Annoying.

Eventlab (2). Rally Finland. Apart from the checkpoint bug at the end, this was a good idea. A one-third good SWS. Completing this got me the GTA Spano, a car which I’ve barely ever driven in Horizon 4. You get the idea.

Eventlab (3). The Round Table 1960s [TA]. I tried with the Mini Traveller. Attractively built circuit, but too bumpy, which made it rather like one of those HW races with the speed bumps – but worse.

Eventlab (4). Desert Raceway. I picked the Dodge Viper SR10 ACR (or whatever it’s called; the 2008 model) for a 2nd-and-3rd-gear race. I just managed to avoid an accident at the crossover on the first lap. Having a sharp corner about 50m from the start is a dumb idea. Don’t. Too many of those in FH4.

I took a picture. I got a stupid phrase. We need relevant phrases such as, “Of course I can’t turn corners. I’m only 12.”

It took me a three attempts to complete the danger sign because the car, the Ferrari F40 Competizione, kept failing, flipping one time and landing on the roof of the house another. I got a one-third excellent SWS. I one-shotted the speed zone and got a one-third excellent SWS.

I did the seasonal, Teamwork, Dreamwork, in the MB SLK. Nothing worth mentioning. The car was a sound performer.

I survived the Eliminator long enough. Got clothing. I’ll definitely be the best-dressed driver in the game now.

We had to do a Horizon Open. I got in on the second race and managed to complete the task. I thought this was a Horizon Tour, but must’ve misread the tile.

I one-shotted the HW speed zone by a country mile and got a two-thirds excellent SWS.

And then it was on to the seasonal, Hot on your Tail. Oh dear. It was one of those seasonals when I choose a car, the 2017 Ford Focus RS, and find that the drivatars run off into the distance. In the first race, when I got to the plunge, I watched a drivatar fly past me that was probably doing well over 300kmh. I switched to the 2022 VW Golf, but still struggled to get to the lead apart from the Nexus circuit where I surged ahead. The races had to include the much-hated Nexus Speed Sprint where I took the lead at the hairpin by using the drivatars as brakes. Reward: more garage filler.

I don’t know how I managed to one-shot the drift zone in the Porsche Mission R in Sierra Nueva, but I did.

I used the Alpine A110 for Sprinting Ahead. Not much scope for upgrading, but the car had the best PWR, and the car turned out to be a decent choice.

The Trial. Another “Oh dear” moment. 2016 Cayman GT4, which is one of my favourite cars in the game. I came 4th in Línea Costera and we got a team win. 2nd round the Horizon Festival Circuit, but the team lost. Lost?! We’d been on a win. That meant that we had to do the loathsome Reservorio. Ugh. Well, as we were approaching Mulegé, an idiot drivatar put me into a wall, which sent me to the back of the field, and just as I was catching up, I missed a checkpoint. I quit to give the rest of the team a chance.

I tried again. 3rd in Línea Costera. I almost caught the drivatar, but there wasn’t enough race. My teammates were rubbish because their dictionaries said “Cornering (n) – the act of driving straight into a wall at high speed to turn left or right”. We got a team win, and I got a very good wheel spin from going up a level. And then round the Horizon Festival Circuit, I was doing quite well when I missed the checkpoint at the hairpin. I managed to redeem myself with a recovery drive and we got the win for a 1995 Audi Avant RS2. More garage filler.

And that’s the end of the series. Although we had some good cars return, they should’ve been in the game from the start. No more neon lights, please. They’re tacky. One treasure hunt and two Eventlab events are quite enough, although three seasonals have always seemed to be a bit of a grind (excluding the expansions). Overall, not one of the better series

Series 30

I’ve seen the leak. If you like touring(/mostly everyday) cars, you’ll love it. Another Hoonigan Mustang as well? I already have two of each sort, and there are other cars in the game which have never been seen again. I wonder what the incidental prizes in Series 30 will be. Probably more antique American bangers. If there really is a Chinese DLC pack, I wonder what will be in it. I assume that it’s not just a prize for second place in some China-based contest for a Spring Festival xbox.