A long manifest about games that use AIW

[Finno Zidjian]

Hello everyone!
Well... I'm a tired old man, on the verge of my 60s, and I don't have much patience with some things anymore... things I see that are confusing and few people care about those confusions...

I've been trying to illustrate the importance of an exclusive space for the AIW subject and few seem interested in actually organizing that space... today, I searched for information that could make me know which games use the AIW file in their schedules and got a list of simply 30 games:

• Assetto Corsa
• Automobilista
• DiRT Rally
• F1 Challenge '99-'02 (F1C)
• F1 2021
• GTR 2 - FIA GT Racing Game
• GTR Evolution
• Grand Prix Legends (GPL)
• iRacing
• NASCAR Racing 2003 Season
• Project CARS
• Race 07
• rFactor
• rFactor 2
• Richard Burns Rally
• SimBin Mega Bundle
• Stock Car Extreme
• Supercar Challenge
• The Crew
• TOCA Race Driver 3
• TrackMania
• VRC Pro
• WRC: FIA World Rally Championship
• WRC 9
• Wreckfest
• World of Speed
• X-Motor Racing
• rFactor Pro
• RIDE
• RIDE 4

I have no idea if really these games are actually AIW driven as I don't know them directly, the list was provided to me by ChatGPT which is pretty limited yet; I had to rip this list out of it almost on the basis of "either provide me or die" since initially it provided me with only 5 games... Anyway, it may be that there are fewer AIW-powered games and it may be that they are more... But I know that several of them are AIW-driven... Some of these games, for example RF, have several and several mods and could be considered other games even, but as they use the RF platform they are called mods, but dynamics of each mod should require a different AIW from each other... an F1 mod has an X behavior and a touring car a Y behavior and that may require a different AIW, of course. Is the behavior of an AIW for F1C the same as the behavior of the same AIW for the Automobilista? I don't know... but I don't think so... at least from F1C to Rf I feel differences...

Well, I've been studying the subject and find it difficult to find a content gathered in the same space ... And this is very confusing, because some useful information is stored in various places... for example, suddenly someone on a forum about Race 07 offers super valuable information that would serve for any other game, but someone who plays RF, still as an example, does not frequent the forum of Race 07 because they think the subjects are not pertinent to them... so that valuable information is lost from the players of that game (RF) and also from all the other 28 games listed above...

Anyway, if the AIW language is universal to the games listed; Ideally, it, the language, should be open to all who share the same interest!

Well, I'm new here, in fact, I attend the RD as a registered member only from January / 23 and have said in some posts that I only really signed up for RD to download a single program: the AIW editor. But I have observed several open questions on various subjects and sought to assist those looking for solutions, giving suggestions and solutions on these various subjects, including sharing some work, and I hope to share even more; everything connected to RF which is the game I play; So, one thing I want to say, I'm new here, but like I said, I'm a tired old man... I play, research, work with simulation games since 2003, especially with the games F1 2002, F1C and recently the RF... And I'm an observer of human behavior... I feel that some people's need for self-affirmation is intense in life... The vanity, the pride, the passion... in short, everything that involves the human being in the day to day always ends up being transferred to the virtual world ... The groups assemble and to get into them is always very complicated... I'm the newbie coming in here and meeting the vain, the proud, the shy ones who can't express themselves... anyway, even though I'm right about finding a space for a language (AIW) to find a way to aggregate everyone, I'm the newbie to ignore... Maybe someone from these groups who are formed around this language and who is not a newbie like me can really have the courage, present themselves and manifest themselves as a de facto leader and seek to meet a need that encompasses diverse players who seek information in a practical and concise way; what I know about AIW has always been a search just like an Indiana Jones, Facing the beasts in faraway places... Do we live in a cybernetic civilization or are we still savages, forming small groups isolated from each other around the campfire?

Well, I really think that those responsible for the RD, its creator or creators, directors, I don't know, should speak out about it and open dialogues with all the communities, after all, he or they are the leaders of this here... Are they players too? If they are, they should at least understand some of what I'm expressing here. I'm sure that if RD owners open a unique link to everything that involves AIW, we users and players will know for ourselves how to organize the content that covers the subject; that is, we only need a button (link) and space inside that button, the rest will adjust as all RD links are adjusted... This is a great opportunity for RD to continue being what it is: the site that best aggregates simulation games! I'm absolutely sure that if someone decides to open an exclusive site about AIW will eventually grow enough to then start hosting also games, forums, downloads and etc... anyway, an unnecessary competitor to the RD...

I do ask for a broad manifestation of those who understand exactly what I mean about the need to have here in the RD a space that aggregates all the discussions (forums) about AIW, all the tutorials, whether written or in videos, storage and provision of AIW for downloads directed to the various games and mods and their specific clues in their various versions...

Anyway, I'm not the leader, I'm the newbie... I'm just trying to help with something that I think is very, very important: giving access to everyone who needs that access! Not only for existing games, but also for upcoming ones that are likely to use the same AIW language... I don't want to be a leader of anything, I don't want to participate in small groups (bullying newbies, the ignorant and shy? Or simply ignoring them...) Anyway, I think of the kids who are interested in simulation games and still do not have the ability to develop a program in AIW and take a clue that she wants so much, but her mod is not compatible with the AIW that came along with the track... Can't we organize things to help these kids? I mean, I'm quoting an example that covers many, many people looking for many of the games cited... Even adults get lost, just like I myself have been, and honestly, I still get a lot...

Well, it's not the first time I've spoken out about it, but it's the last; I've done it a few times and it's worn me down a lot, mainly because I'm ignored and, even with the overwhelming likelihood of being ignored again, I don't stop expressing what I think I have to express; I'm not one of the shy ones and I slap my face in this latest manifesto: there is a huge demand to develop the AIW language and there is a need to gather everything I said in a single space! If someone from the "group" or the owners of the RD themselves don't understand what I meant, patience... But I have a clear conscience, for I know that my manifesto is correct.

The timid, who look so much and do not manifest themselves, should manifest themselves... those who participate in these small groups should understand that we live today in a globalization and stop being vain and proud and open their fields of action more; These are people who know a lot, but they gather here and there and leave a huge mess scattered around... Critics should come up with solutions rather than just criticize... anyway, if English is a language considered universal, something I do not speak, I need a translator to express me to you and often this translator does not translate exactly what I say in my language (I even apologize for that), AIW is the universal language of simulators, at least of several of them, So I think this deserves more attention!

Finally, I apologize for the long manifest and for something that has offended someone; It is not my intention to offend anyone.

Cheers, peace and hugs to all!

 

[Marcel Offermans]

I doubt that you offended anyone but you did confuse me. What exactly is the point you are trying to make? Yes, a lot of games that are somehow based on the gmotor engine from ISI use AIW files but the AI behavior is not just about the data in those files but also about the code dealing with AI players (as well as things like talent files).

 

[Finno Zidjian]

I doubt that you offended anyone but you did confuse me. What exactly is the point you are trying to make? Yes, a lot of games that are somehow based on the gmotor engine from ISI use AIW files but the AI behavior is not just about the data in those files but also about the code dealing with AI players (as well as things like talent files).

Hi, Marcel!

Thank you for the answer and the questions!

Man, I've been posting, here and there, some things about the importance of having a place in the RD that is unique so that everything related to AIW is in one place, as I said above and also in other posts.

I understand that you may have been confused, because, of course, other files such as the ones you cited also have their importance in the final performance of the vehicles, without a doubt; in the case of the Rf still has the PLR and HDV, but also has the TBC (tires) and parêmeter files settings of GEARS and Enginers, in addition to the ones you cited RCD (Talent) and still has the SVM and I think that's it... I mean, this complex set of files is going to generate all the performance of the car, okay? But when I talk about AIW, I'm talking about the layout with which the cars will develop their best performance configured in all the other files cited. And I'm talking about the performance that AIs will have in any circuit through paths, strokes, well done... that is, the AI may be at its best possible configuration in all the files cited, but if it finds a clue with a poorly constructed AIW there will be problems for those who play offline...

I don't know what game you play and I don't know if you play more online or offline, but when I'm drawing attention to AIW, I say, from many, many experiences, that I've had a lot of them bad... Come on... in an online game AIW doesn't matter that much... it doesn't matter that we have such a well-honed AIW because it's simply intelligent humans who play... who know where to brake, where to accelerate, how to make the best take in a corner and etc ... but in an offline game, the AIs depend on good programming, because if they are not well programmed they end up making several mistakes that end up with the quality of a simulated race... I've caught many (many!!) circuits very well done in aesthetic quality, but with AIW horrible!! AI that slows down straight (on every lap because they are programmed and they do what they are programmed to do); AI that loses traction in the middle of the curve; AI that does not pull at the exit of the curve; AI that deliberately goes against the walls; AI that brakes too early before the turns; AI that rolls over because it rises at a very high rmbl; anyway, there are numerous problems generated by bad AIW programming... well, there are people who like this type of racing and even call it "more realistic"... I totally disagree because if I'm in a simulator, I want a challenge where I can overcome the difficulties... and if I have the AIs hitting, rollover, wasting time with corners where they could be faster, of course I'll have an enabler who won't put me to the test... that is, I will win the simulated because the cars crashed and I did not ... so that's what I draw attention to about the importance of what AIW is for players who want to have a good offline simulator in order to improve their performances! I've said in another post that AIW is the soul of a circuit; without a good AIW programming there is no beautiful circuit that is worth it, it would just be a decoration, a bibelot! The AIW is what gives life to AI, and that's the magic of games that have this kind of programming in their files...

Well, like I said I don't know which game you play, but in F1C and RF I always encountered problems, from things that seemed to be minimal, to very serious things, but on all tracks I always end up improving the performance of the AIW through a better configured AIW configuration, even if it is a circuit until well programmed, I end up thinking even a single curve where the AIs waste unnecessary time and I, changing that minimal point, see a huge difference in the final performance of the AI... anyway, there are several players who already know how to do this, but many do not know ... find it difficult to learn something, because the tutorials are scattered in several places and even there are players (children and adults) who do not even want to learn any of it... They want to play and suddenly, for example, they have a track in hand that they like very much and that has a schedule where the cars beat everyone at the start... well... What's the option of that? Or they find another AIW, but they don't know where to find it because there's no specific place to look... (Also, someone, somewhere, must have already fixed the track I refer to above and could post that fix to help other players... but they don't know where... there's nowhere to go...) Or they learn how to do it, but the tutorials are disorganized and it's hard to find exactly what he needs, you know? That's what I'm aiming for... have a space where the AIW theme is unique because it's an all-encompassing theme... the programmers could post several AIW of all the games, all the mods, there is a difference yes in a programming of an F1 mod to a Touring car, for example... Let's assume that the constructor of a certain track only races F1, then he will program the AIW for F1... a kid takes the track of this builder, but his mod is that of Touring cars... the track doesn't work right... cars crash, overturn or whatever... The child is discouraged because he looked for a solution and did not find... she tries to learn how to set up AIW, but the difficulty of working in the AIW editor is real and she can't find a complete tutorial... What's going to happen to that child? Finally... One less player in the future... That is, what I'm trying to do is add something around something that would take simulation games to a much higher quality level. Apparently, by logic, is that the percentage of players who play offline is much higher than that of those who practice online games... so, in this case, AIWs are key to quality in your simulations! The ideal, of course, is for each player to learn how to set up their own AIW for each track and the specific mod they practice, but the truth is that many have difficulties and others do not want this... but maybe they want someone else to do it... and there are those who do and would like to have a space to post their fantastic works, but there is no such space...

Well... I think maybe it cleared up your confusion... or made him even more confused... If it stayed, don't worry, feel free to pursue a conversation on the subject, okay?!

Hugs

 

[Marcel Offermans]

I think your assumption that you can just take an AIW file for a track from game A and use it in game B is false. The rest of your argument, to create a single place (forum, download area?) to discuss and share such files therefore also won't work. Discussing such files for specific (moddable) games is fine and I think RD has plenty of places already to do that. That said, if you feel there is a need to do what you propose, there are nowadays plenty of ways to start doing that yourself, so I won't stop you!

 

[Finno Zidjian]

I think your assumption that you can just take an AIW file for a track from game A and use it in game B is false. The rest of your argument, to create a single place (forum, download area?) to discuss and share such files therefore also won't work. Discussing such files for specific (moddable) games is fine and I think RD has plenty of places already to do that. That said, if you feel there is a need to do what you propose, there are nowadays plenty of ways to start doing that yourself, so I won't stop you!

Okay, Marcel, now you're the one who got me confused as to "that you can just take an AIW file for a track from game A and use it in game B is false."? I'm exactly saying that the ideal is to make a specific AIW for game A and another AIW specific for game B... How come all of a sudden, I'm throwing out a false sentence?

But as for the rest, you're completely right; The demand to invest in such a project is very laborious and requires in fact time and maybe even money, as well as more than a single person to manage it with quality...

As I said in the initial post and even in the others, I consider having such a space an ideal thing, but I know the difficulty and I understand that most players either do not understand what I mean (as I think you are not understanding very well ...) or even ignore the importance of the subject (as most who do not try to understand and do not question, nor does he argue; at least you're trying and thank you for that!) But don't worry about the fate of the matter (I don't really want to dwell it any further) and even my own fate... When I wrote this long manifesto, I said it would be the last time I would talk about this subject, because in fact it had been ignored before and the probability that it would be again was enormous... well, he also said that I wasn't the leader of anything and that I didn't have the slightest pretense of being... (if there was a natural union of people around the subject, there would be chances of creating something, but...) Finally, as I also said in the long manifesto: I have a clear conscience, because I know that my manifesto is correct.

Thanks for participating, and if you want anything else, feel free to let me know

Hugs

 

[Marcel Offermans]

as I think you are not understanding very well ...

You're probably right, I don't know much about simracing. I wish you all the best.

 

[jgf]

The issue is that the AIW file is only one of several that control AI performance. It merely delineates the line the default cars for that sim will use on that track, and is optimized for that type of car. For example, GTR2 depicts the 2003/2004 season of FIA GT racing, its AIW files are optimized for those cars on those tracks; but if you install an F1 mod in GTR2 you are now asking F1 cars to drive a GT line, it will work but not well. You can see you would need several different AIW files for each track to get optimum performance from GT, F1, LMP, etc. When you download a track and install it you may not know what type cars the creator of that track used to set the AIW lines, so it may or may not be correct for the cars you are running.

Now this is further complicated by other files which control AI performance - the plr file has entries controlling the AI globally; this has the same drawbacks as the AIW file - what is best for GT may not be best for F1; talent files have great effect on cornering ability, at least these can be tailored to individual mods/cars; there are entries in the physics files (hdv/hdc etc.) that affect AI use of those cars.

All of this interacts to control the AI. And while these various sims use the same file formats and parameters, the final values vary greatly. Even with one mod for one sim, one player may want very aggressive AI while another prefers more "gentlemanly" racing so will have different settings.

A good reference is the "VonDutch AI Tutorial" (in the libraries here), written for GTR2 but the principles are valid for all sims using the same engine. It only touches on AIW but goes into detail on plr, talent, and physics.

One thing that threw me with the AIW file is that, unlike many other sims' AI, this has very little to do with the speed of the AI. It just specifies a wet line, a dry line, and boundaries; the AI will choose the line appropriate to the weather conditions, and will run as fast as the car physics will allow while staying within the boundaries (you can slow the field at a particular spot by narrowing the boundaries there, but this may not be realistic for the track since it also narrows the path the AI will run there).

Given that HD space is inexpensive today, and these older sims do not occupy much space (comparatively), it is easier to have different installs of one sim, each optimized for a specific type of series, than to constantly juggle AI files.