Official General AI Comments & Discussion Topic

I guess that programming an AI is really tough work. But there are/were racing games out there with AI having better skills when it comes to overtaking. To be fair, these are mostly games which just concentrate on a single class of cars like Geoff Cramond's GP series or even the F1 of Codemasters (which I do not like for certain reasons, but the AI is quite ok).
AI in AMS 2 has much improved since first release, but needs tweaking according the behaviour towards each others, because it tends to form huge trains on track.

 

Version: V.1.3.4.0
Car: Formula V10 Gen 2
Track: Kansai Classic
AI Strength: 98%
AI Aggression: 40%
Corner (if issue is corner specific): First and second sector
Weather when the issue was observed: Dry
Player Tyre: Dry
Type of session when the issue was observed (practice / quali / race): All

AI is much too slow here compared to other tracks, several seconds off the player's pace due to being very slow in the first and second sectors.

 

Version: V.1.3.4.0
Car: F-Vintage Gen 1 and 2
Track: Monza 1971
AI Strength: 99%
AI Aggression: 66%
Weather when the issue was observed: Dry
Type of session when the issue was observed: Race (standing start)

AI drivers seem to be able to accelerate very, very quickly from the grid. Once the race is on, there are no issues coming out of slower corners alongside them, but I'm not sure I'd be able match their start even with traction control on.

Edit: Appears to be track-specific rather than class-specific.

 

Version: 1.3.4.0
Car: Formula USA Gen 2 (CART 98)
Track: Road America
AI Strength: various (w/ custom AI)
AI Aggression: 50 (w/custom AI)
Weather: Dry
Session: 25 lap race

Okay, the CART AI at Road America are still unbelievably bad. I've done good races here with the F-Classic V2, V10 Gen 1, and F-309 cars and had good experiences. But with the F-USA cars:

a) AT AI 98 I qualified 3rd. Higher than I usually like to be (i.e. suggesting that the AI was too low), but I ran the race. I was literally getting run over by the AI. I tried moving back in the field and dialing it back to 96. Same result. Same result at 94 even further back. At AI 92 I was at the point where I could run about 17th out of 26th for a while at least (see below). In short, the AI quali pace and the AI race pace are on completely different planets.

b) The AI are insanely aggressive. During these various race attempts, I experienced:
--PIT maneuvers in the short straight after turn 1
--being run straight in the back of in multiple corners
--cars going on the grass to get inside of you to spin you out in the carousel
--cars turning into me no matter how far alongside them I am into Canada corner. Under no circumstances will then allow a clean pass here.

I never made it to lap 10 in any of these race attempts due to getting wrecked by the AI.

c) The player has to deal with tire heat and tire wear which impacts pace during the race. The AI experience the opposite. As a run goes on they get more grip, go faster, and get more aggressive.

This attempt to do a race here was the worst AI experience I've had in AMS in many, many months.

 

Overtaking the AI at the tight chicane just before sector 3 at Oulton causes them to hit the barrier/structure on the left a lot. Overtake on the right, the AI moves to the left and hits it. The AI cars then bounce back onto the track.

I was driving a Porsche Cup 4.0. AI at 105 and aggression at 85.

 

This has likely to do with the tyre overheating problem. Even with hards the typical high 40 C temperatures at Road America cause almost immediate 100 C temps, at which point the car becomes very dodgy to drive whereas the AI suffer no such issues.

Oddly the Gen 1 only has slicks and no softs/hards, which still overheat but seem less susceptible to the problem. The divebombing is still there mind you...

 

Version: 1984 build
Car: F-Retro Gen 1 and 2
Track: Spielberg 1974 and 1977
AI Strength: 99%
AI Aggression: 66%
Weather when the issue was observed: Dry
Type of session when the issue was observed: Practice, Quali and Race

AI is quite slow going uphill through the Dr Tiroch Kurve. You can easily pass two or three cars on the outside.

 

Version: 1984 build
Car: F-Retro Gen 1 and 2
Track: Imola 1972
AI Strength: 99%
AI Aggression: 66%
Weather when the issue was observed: Dry
Type of session when the issue was observed: Practice, Quali and Race

AI either brakes or lifts too much going through the soft bends just before Tosa and just before Rivazza.

 

Version: V.1.3.5.1
Car: Formula Retro Gen. 1 (same results with Formula Vintage Gen. 2)
Track: Silverstone 1975 no chicane
AI Strength: 105%
AI Aggression: 50%
Corner (if issue is corner specific): Woodcote
Session Distance: 10 laps
Weather when the issue was observed: dry
Player Tyre: dry
Type of session when the issue was observed (practice / quali / race): race

I really like the revisited AI line through Woodcote, but with the two cars I tested the AI is quite slow out of the corner now. As far as I remember this was better before the update.

 

Version: V.1.3.5.1
Car: Formula Retro Gen. 1
Track: Interlagos 1970s
AI Strength: 105%
AI Aggression: 50%
Session Distance: 8 laps
Weather when the issue was observed: dry
Player Tyre: dry
Type of session when the issue was observed (practice / quali / race): race

There's a couple of fast corners/corner exits where the AI is quite slow. Most noticeably at the exit of Curva 2 and the exit of Curva do Sol, but also through Curva 1 and Subida dos Boxes.

 

Version: V.1.3.5.1
Car: P3
Track: Salvador Street
AI Strength: 99 (default AI)
AI Aggression: 50
Session Distance: 17 laps
Weather when the issue was observed: dry
Player Tyre: dry
Type of session when the issue was observed (practice / quali / race): race

In the last 1.5 laps, 6 of the 20 cars simply pulled over and retired. No crash, and all damage was turned off.

 

Version: V.1.3.5.2
Car: Brazilian Stock 2021
Track: Galeão
AI Strength: 100 (custom AI)
AI Aggression: 50
Session Distance: 10 laps with compulsory pit-stop
Weather when the issue was observed: dry
Player Tyre: dry
Type of session when the issue was observed (practice / quali / race): race

3 of 30 AI cars were disqualified for not making their compulsory pit-stop. Having check the replay for all 3, there didn't appear to be any reason for them failing to make a pit-stop (ie. they weren't blocked and didn't crash when attempting to pit, they just didn't attempt to pit).

 

2 years after release, it would be nice to finally have flag rules for the AI.

When they are about to be lapped, they fight you like hell, blocking the street instead of let player pass.
The same on their in-/outlap in qualifying.

 

Version: V.1.3.5.2
Car: Formula Ultimate Gen2
Track: Imola
AI Strength: 100 (custom AI)
AI Aggression: 50 (customAI)
Session Distance: 17 laps 4 x tyres & fuel
Weather when the issue was observed: dry
Player Tyre: dry
Type of session when the issue was observed (practice / quali / race): all

Two things

• AI Disengage DRS if the car they are passing blocks them, and doesn't reapply to try to pass again, they get 'stuck' behind.
  
• while AI gain from some acceleration with DRS, AI max top speed with DRS & without DRS is the same, leading in attacking car often unable to complete pass

I've tested a few different custom grid driver values with f-ultimate gen2 with some great results and am finding if the aggression is high but defence is low for this class, it helps for better ai passing. But this is the problem that still persists regardless whether aggression/defence is high or low.

I also personally feel DRS isnt anywhere near as strong as its real life counterpart its based on either. by the end of the activation zone you wold think to gain between 8-12kmph more speed roughly(I'm no mechanic, the internet and tv pundits told me all I know dont kill me), which would include a higher top speed would it not? AI seem to hit a certain speed using DRS and not go further, which can also stop the AI from completing the pass. So basically they only go passed the defending car so far until they both reach top speed, with it finishing whichever DRS straight they are on, likely side by side into the corner. I've attached a link to show an example of when the AI did manage to pass, but how it takes them the whole start finish straight at imola to pass using DRS.

First clip is how the AI stops DRS then doesnt start using it again.

The second is an example of how little gain they do get and how they both reach the same top speed and stay side by side, regardelss of DRS being enabled on the attacking car. Often cars wont be able to pass

Both are AI cars

Hope this helps/is insighful to someone!

 

The AI just does not know how to overtake. They do not have a manoeuvre on the inside line by outbraking and cutting off an opponent, because they have no feeling for the distance to other cars and instead of passing, they just ram the rear tyres of car in front (and close their DRS again by doing so). They also act as if the car on the outside would have some kind of right of way.

 

you're right, and though I am seeing more passing such as outbraking you mention since the last major AI update, it only really works between imbalanced valued AI skilled drivers (in both skill & AI mistakes) racing each other but as you mention, still too much ramming if the AI trying to pass has a much higher skill value than the defending AI.

Whats helped mask that and enable more passing when I've been messing around with values on custom grids is the AI making mistakes that take them off the racing line, allowing other AI avoid and pass, which is great and a fantastic leap forward from where it was, but yeah it definitely does need some kind of overtaking trigger (don't really know what I'm talking about technically, I don't code, but you get the jist) or an awareness to use another part of the tarmac to try to pass on. Specifically on straights. Personally feel with my custom grid the AI do pass ok on slower parts of the track when I set the defending value very low on each driver and the aggression high

 

Version: V.1.3.5.2
Car: F-Retro Gen1
Track: Kyalami 1976
AI Type: Default
AI Strength: 99%
AI Aggression: 66%
Weather when the issue was observed: Dry
Type of session when the issue was observed: Race (standing start)

AI drivers generally have a poor start. Starting in the middle of the pack I can easily pass a whole bunch before the first corner.

From there on it seems fairly well balanced.

 

Version: V.1.3.5.2
Car: F-V10-Gen 2
Track: Montreal
AI Strength: 88
AI Aggression: 50 (custom AI)
Weather when the issue was observed: Dry
Type of session when the issue was observed: Race

Three issues:
a) AI can jump the sausage curbs at the Chicane (turns 13/14)
b) If the AI think the player is going too slow through said chicane (because the player can't jump the curbs), they will make no attempt to slow down but will simply ram the player out of the way
c) In part because of (A), AI are mis-calibrated at this track. I've been running with AI around 100 with these cars which has kept me in the front half of the race. Dialing it down to 88 here only allowed me to barely hang on to the top 20, while still mostly being the way.

 

Version: V.1.3.6.0 (release candidate)
Car: Brazilian Stock 1999
Track: Various
AI Strength: 100 (both custom AI and default)
AI Aggression: 50
Session Distance: 10 laps with compulsory pit-stop
Weather when the issue was observed: dry
Player Tyre: dry
Type of session when the issue was observed (practice / quali / race): race

AI in this car are very slow. As an example, at Oulton Park Classic, they are doing 1:42-1:44 laps and I'm doing 1:37s (I'm not fast). Similar story at Ibarra.

They were a bit better at Goiania but still noticeably slow at most corners (all except the last 2).

They seem to be slow going into, and through, most corners. Please don't fix it by making them stupidly fast on the throttle again - they generally accelerate at a reasonable speed now.

Incidentally, these cars are now blast to drive.

 

Version: V.1.3.5.2
Car: All
Track: All
AI Strength: 90
AI Aggression: 75
Weather when the issue was observed: Dry
Type of session when the issue was observed: Race + Quali + Training

I noticed that you can't abort the AI Pit-Stop from your teammate if requested once. Also if you abort the pit request he drives straight into the pit.