Creating Talent Files

[Speednut357]

After a bunch more testing and changing values, I think I finally get it. Here are some notes I made to try and remember when changing or creating Talent files.


PLR File

AI Limiter= set this to zero to remove the AI having optimal/sub-optimal cycle (going slow from time to time.)

AI Mistakes= set this to one to have the AI make mistakes sometimes, set to above one to increase the frequency of errors.


Talent file

Composure=

This is the number of mistakes an AI makes. A lower number means more errors. (This is not the same as Race 07, where the AI will literally drive off the road, It is more like late braking, cornering too wide)

Aggression=

The higher this number is, the less Space the AI will give while following or passing. This number is multiplied by the aggression slider in the UI (in the game). If the In-game slider is at zero, then is this value nullified?



AIW File

AIRange=

This number limits the speed range of the AI. However, setting it to 0.1 will mean the AI speed range is narrowed to 10%, AT THE TOP OF THE RANGE. Meaning you are making the AI all good and fast. How low you put the speed value in the Talent file doesn't matter. It will still be in the top 10%. Better to make this value wider and use the Speed value in the talent file. This way, you get a broader range to play with.


Still a work in progress. Thank you for the help,

 

[jgf]

Ah, you are now hopelessly addicted, lol. Tweaking AI is an ongoing project; each new mod, each new car, each new track, requires attention to keep everything balanced. But you can get very good AI, and see why the devs didn't do this to start with.

 

[roninho]

I've spend quite some tim

I wouldn't be too concerned about the talent files. While driving against the AI they work OK, but that is the only time. I used data to build average speeds based on the lap times against pole sitters etc, but the problem was when you skipped any session, then the talend files were ignored anyway.

Just use the names in the VEH files to show who you are racing against.

I only race offline and to be honest for me it is quite an immersion killer without a talent file. When it's supposed to be a realistic mod from a certain class/year (like F1 '96) and Irvine is beating schumacher half the races.

I'm also surprised that modders who spend all this time to recreate a season with 10+ different cars and 20+ differente liveries don't spend half an hour to make a decent talent file for your mod.

Anyway, a couple of tips to make the talent files work:
* The driver names need to match exactly as is in the veh files

* Talent file name and name in the file (2nd line i think) should be the same

* This is essential: The talent file name & the name in the file should match the list of opponents you are racing in rfactor. Often this is simply the name of the mod, like f1_1996 for f1 1996 mods but mods also have different entry lists of opponents for different races. So for example the f1 '96 mod has a list with all the drivers named 'f1_1996' but also additional entry list for each GP of the '96 season and they even made entry lists split for Qualifying and the actual race (removing the dnq's from the race). However that means that if you select the brazilian qualifying car selection that you need to have a taletn file called 'f1_96_bra_q.rcd'' (or whatever the name of the entry list is in rfactor).

 

[Speednut357]

I've spend quite some tim

I only race offline and to be honest for me it is quite an immersion killer without a talent file. When it's supposed to be a realistic mod from a certain class/year (like F1 '96) and Irvine is beating schumacher half the races.

I'm also surprised that modders who spend all this time to recreate a season with 10+ different cars and 20+ differente liveries don't spend half an hour to make a decent talent file for your mod.

Anyway, a couple of tips to make the talent files work:
* The driver names need to match exactly as is in the veh files

* Talent file name and name in the file (2nd line i think) should be the same

* This is essential: The talent file name & the name in the file should match the list of opponents you are racing in rfactor. Often this is simply the name of the mod, like f1_1996 for f1 1996 mods but mods also have different entry lists of opponents for different races. So for example the f1 '96 mod has a list with all the drivers named 'f1_1996' but also additional entry list for each GP of the '96 season and they even made entry lists split for Qualifying and the actual race (removing the dnq's from the race). However that means that if you select the brazilian qualifying car selection that you need to have a taletn file called 'f1_96_bra_q.rcd'' (or whatever the name of the entry list is in rfactor).

Most mod creators built their works for online gameplay and didn't think about people like us, playing their mods up to 15 years later for some great offline races.

You make a good point about making sure the names are identical. It seems simple, but when juggling several hundred files, it becomes very easy to get things mixed up. And the game does not indicate that it did not load a Talent file.

F1 96 did what? different starting lists and talent files for qualifying. I have to work that one out. What mod must I download and look at how the rfm is written?

 

[Speednut357]

Found this exciting app. It is intended for GTR2 but seems to be working in Race 07 just fine. The main feature is it can set a range for each value and save changes into all files. I am pretty sure I saw a Talent file converter last week. A combination of the two may save a lot of time. I need a faster method of retrieving the driver names from the veh files.

 

[jgf]

There is also Tom's Talent Scout and Tom's Engine Shop, both quite useful.

Be very careful using the Driver Shop or Talent Scout; make sure to point them only to the folder containing the files you want to edit or you will edit every talent file in the game. The duplicate name search will help prevent having more than one talent file per driver.

 

[roninho]

Most mod creators built their works for online gameplay and didn't think about people like us, playing their mods up to 15 years later for some great offline races.

You make a good point about making sure the names are identical. It seems simple, but when juggling several hundred files, it becomes very easy to get things mixed up. And the game does not indicate that it did not load a Talent file.

F1 96 did what? different starting lists and talent files for qualifying. I have to work that one out. What mod must I download and look at how the rfm is written?

The one in the steam workshop, search for 1996, it is the mod v1.77.