Automobilista 2 May 2024 Development Update - The Road to V1.6 Pt1

Not to discount what seems like a great product, but programming AI for ovals on slippery surfaces (and one model of vehicle) is child's play compared to what is required in AMS 2. The issues with AI are inevitably concentrated in areas where there are high closing speeds among the vehicles and where lightning quick reactions are needed. Dry, hard surfaces exacerbate this. Sharp corners on road or street courses exacerbate this. Vehicles with extraordinary performance (simple equivalent, high g-forces in any direction, but especially including braking) exacerbate this. Multi-class racing exacerbates this.

 

Actually it's activated as per this post by gian, in which he replied to both you and me funnily
Information for Customizing AI drivers in AMS2
I haven't tested it yet, though.

*Edit
Dunno why that link doesn't work, not too savvy with the forum functions, but the post is on the last page of the thread.

 

Something the 3 games have in common that I noticed is that they are all focused on one discipline. Could it be that implementing good AI is easier for a single discipline?

 

I also don't think 1.6 will do any better is that respect, everyone expects 1.6 to solve "their peculiar problems", I don't keep the lights on. But, for sure, it's going to represent an improvement.
I just did a race with F3@Cleveland and I do remember how it was before and after v1.5 - a big change (for the better).

I cannot record smoothly, so I can't show what I meant about AI's car rotation (in that particular example, it was very obvious to me - it's not like that all the time, but it's visible when compared).

BTW, do you use triples? If so, how far are monitors (from your eyes)?
Maybe, just maybe, this can be one part of the problem as we cannot change that distance in AMS2 (it's a bug, since the parameter is there to be changed).

 

I think the weird car rotation is caused by the weird slip angle when you try to gently apply some trail braking, the rear of the car starts gliding, and then nose pointing into the turn, forcing you to do some rally techniques like counter-steering or pushing the gas to plant the rear. Terrible.

It is normal to do counter-steering with road cars when you have asked too much to the tyres and you try to regain control of the car. Not all the time.

This evening I was feeling very frustrated because of that. While I was playing with GT4 cars.
Then I decided to put fake ABS and TC (sim racing blasphemy ) to the Stock 2024 to transform it into a sort of 1.6 GT4.
It feels absolutely fantastic. No weird rotation, no feeling of hoovering. I think if felt as good if not better than the usual cars in RF2 or ACC. Of course it is more boring than a Stock Car, as the GT cars are expected to be, but it feels really natural. Giving me hopes that 1.6 is going to be big. I cant wait to see how the 1.6 magic is going to change light cars with little or no aero, like the Formula Trainer, Inter and Caterhams.

I think I am gong to give AMS2 a bit of a brake until the game gets the update. I might play a bit with the Stock 2024, or maybe with the MINI in racecraft online. But I think Im done with 1.5

Today I had a great time rediscovering an old sim from a certain Italian developer , I love the Lotus 2-11 in that game. And the Radical SR3 professional mod is super fun to drive. I would love to see those cars in AMS2 soon.

 

I don't disagree with how the AI can look awkward when spectating them or if they rotate from the center. What I disagree is that the player car rotates from the center as well, I use a 32" flat monitor and play from some 3 or so feet away.

Many cars in the game can have a too forgiving/easy to recover slip angle, but the cars don't rotate from the center, they just kinda oversteer on corner entry and its quite easy to control that with counter steering and some throttle work, but at least I can feel that it's the rear that's letting go and where the car is rotating from, not that the car is pivoting from a center point.

Those slip angles will be more sensitive, you can feel it now with the SC24, but all racing cars are basically drifting in the limit of tire adhesion in real life, from a rally car ( were obviously it's clearly visible) to a Formula 1 car were it's incredibly subtle, and that feeling is still there in the beta, the big difference is that when you do lose it, it's incredibly difficult to recover, much like it is in real life.

 

All I know is that lately after visiting this forum, I am getting more and more annoyed that iRacing prevented WoO coming to PC I'm sure once 1.6 drops, that will be forgotten quickly enough

 

Sorry but there does not exist an "Easy" AI to program, because you need talented people and a lot of time too in order to dial AI no matter if it is one class or 200 cars as of currently in AMS2.
And to show how it is not "child's play", here is what the devs of "Nascar 21 Ignition" thought was acceptable in a game with basically just ONE AI car to program.

Then again the AMS2 oval AI does stuff like this:

 

I thought starting the semester in college will make me forget about the 1.6v update and just surprise myself during fall break, but no, I keep checking the memes and discussions everyday. I think I have some form of addiction guys.

 

He didn't say "easy", he was making a comparison. No AI development is child's play, it's an exaggeration to show that there is a huge difference in what is required.

 

All I can add to the MP v SP debate is this one statement. SP is absolutely superior to MP, as it is only in SP that you can pause a race to go for a pee, try that in MP.

 

I am addicted to this forum, specially this very thread. I probably come here 50 times a day.

I better look for help.

 

Feature request - possibility for anyone to pause an online race if they need to go pee.

 

Nice test. Hope you are right, you could be right!
AMS2 seems to be always sliding (not in straights, of course)... as soon as one axel stops sliding the other is still/or starts sliding. Perhaps that what makes for "center rotation" sensation.
rF2 has an "exagerate yaw" setting that was not neutral in default configuration and many people call the sim the "yaw simulator". They were right but some hardcore rF2 fans didn't agree at all .

I have 3x27" and I'm about half that distance (50cm/1.7feet). The feeling got to be different from what you experience if everything stays de same.

I hope Reiza checks why that setting is not working (it's really "just a zoom"). I do have much better car feeling if I "zoom in" moving my seat forward but that puts me wrong inside the cockpit, which in turn makes for other cognitive disalignments. That setting allows for zoom in/out without changing FOV and seat position inside the car.

 

For the true simulation experience they should just piss themselves like a real race car driver.
Before I start any race I like to pre piss my pants to add to the immersion.

 

managed it in a pit stop with time to spare

 

How long it took to repair the car damage?

 

Some cars have quite slow fuel and tire changes