My first time putting AIW in track using BTB: anyone got any tips?

Alex Kyriak · Apr 14, 2010

OK so I put in my first fastline using AIW editor in BTB Pro V.8.

For the most part the AI cars seem very quick round the circuit. However, there are a few of the high speed corners where I can drive the corner faster than the AI and I'm not sure why. Was wondering if anyone has tips / good methods / good technique....?

1. How do I know the AI cars are pushing to the max? Ie. how do I know I 've drawn the "fastest" fastline?
2. How does it work? How does AI relate to the curve I draw?
3. Do the cars actually drive the line or do they drive between the points?
4. When I put in the fastline, there are loads of control points. I've seemed to have ended up removing most of them and creating very smooth curves. How many points are "right"? Does it matter?
5. When I drive I use the edge kerbs. How do I get the AI cars to do the same?

Thanks for any help

Simon Dove · Apr 15, 2010

Here's a couple of tips that might help you.
1) Make sure your ripple strips are set as drivable and uncheck collide
2) Make your fast path as smooth as possible. AI doesn't like abrupt movement in the line. The slightest sharp angle can make them brake or slow

chub_pearson · Apr 15, 2010

Hi there,

I haven't used BTB for the AI, but here's what I reckon from experience of the rFactor AIW Editor:

1. As PlickBadger says, the fastest fastline is always the smoothest one
2. I believe the computer scans the upcoming waypoints in the track as the AI goes along - any deviation from the regular path the AI is on could turn out to be a corner so the AI will slow a little. If it turns out to be a corner the AI will continue to slow, however if it is a slight kink in the fast line they will then accelerate again, making them a little slow in the turn. [Back to No 1 above

]
3. They follow the line whenever possible, but will go off it if confronted with any 'obstacle', a slower car car for example
4. I think the control points in BTB are only there to position the line, it will be recalculated in rFactor format from the line itself when you export the track. rFactor has a waypoint [control point] every few yards all around the track. So, no, I don't think it matters how many you have.
5. You'll have to manually adjust the corridors to include the kerbs. Anything outside the corridors is out of bounds for the AI.

I hope this helps

Alex Kyriak · Apr 15, 2010

Chub and Badger - thanks alot for your pointers and tips - much appreciated.

Still having problems getting the AI to drive smoothly through some fast corners. Not sure what's causing it, the fastline seems smooth enough. Not used the corridors yet.

Are there any handles associated with these control points? Like there are for the track nodes? Sometimes it gets a bit fiddly without these.

Another thing, I have changed a corner slightly, I have tweaked the fastline to suite the newly changed corner, but the AI seem to follow the previous fastline - even though I have selected "clear all" in the export dialogue and ticked to re-export the AIW. Any ideas?

Alex Kyriak · Apr 15, 2010

Quote: [Another thing, I have changed a corner slightly, I have tweaked the fastline to suite the newly changed corner, but the AI seem to follow the previous fastline - even though I have selected "clear all" in the export dialogue and ticked to re-export the AIW. Any ideas? ]

Think I might have got to the bottom of this one. The centreline is not following the centre of the track when I change the track layout slightly. .... also, I've just realised corridors only relate to centreline, not the fastline. So the corridors were making the AI drive in certain areas of the track and therefore unable to follow the fastline becuase the centreline is not updating to the track. How do I put it back to centre?!