Been a looooooong time...

Okay, I've found myself growing tired of flight-simming. So I though I'd dive back into racing with Forza 4...I'm picking it up after work today. I haven't played a racing sim/game since Gran Tourismo 2, and I have a few questions...

I can't afford a wheel, so will the controller be that much of a burden?
Should I even bother with "realistic" settings because of this?

How hard is it to "level-up"? In Real-Life I've got an '09 Mustang (V6 only), and I'd like to drive the '05 GT version as soon as I can. How long will it take to acquire credits? I know this is kinda silly, but back when I played GT2, it actually helped me in real-life (was driving a '91 MR2 at the time). Playing the game helped me understand cornering/braking/accelerating better. And no, I didn't go around racing in traffic.


Any n00b tips/hints/suggestions?

I drive with no assists with the controller and have since forza 3, i have the MS wheel but it's pretty much junk compared to even a decent PC wheel. Leveling up in forza is like most games with levels, very fast at first then it gradually slows down.

I dont think there are any level limits on vehicles so you would just need to save up the credits to buy one which should only take 2-3 hours if you are an ok racer.

I like my MS wheel

I can't play Forza with a gamepad at all, but everyone else seems to be able to. I don't think you're going to have a hard time at all buying a Mustang.

No time at all, actually...just about 30 minutes of racing. So far I'm having a great time. I suck, but I'm having a great time being really bad.

After a few more nights of gameplay I noticed that the AI isn't too hot, either. Kinda fun to watch the leader spin off into the sand...

Another thing I REALLY like about this game is: it doesn't make me feel like a moron. Even if you finish last, it doesn't say "FAIL" or "YOU LOSE!!" ...just says congrats you finished, and gives you a little bit of money.

And nothing's locked! You can try out ALL the cars in Quick Race. VERY nice.

I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I thought I'd share...

Maybe I need to sell a few things (old games, books, a kidney) to get a wheel now.