I know there is another thread going on about the AI and how their behavior on track ruins the experience of an otherwise excellent Sim.
I really would like for a Sector 3 employee to get back to us and let us know if they are going to address these issues.
I will try to briefly explain some of my gripes with the AI, but I want to stress this is only my experience. Others can add to it or disagree with me but this is why I dislike the R3E AI:
1) The AI slows down at the apex of some turns. There are even cases where they apply the brakes on what essentially are full speed straights with a kink that can be taken flat out. The AI will considerably slow down at the kink, often messing up the other AI behind them. At times I am either surprised by this and plow into the car ahead, or in a race I can use it to easily pass the AI car on the inside or the outside, taking the fun out of it. I often just brake along with the AI to keep things fair, but it seems silly to me. No car slows down at or after the Apex. If it's a device to limit the AI speed according to their level, let's find another way.
2) The AI will not avoid collisions at all. In many cases with an AI chasing, but well behind me, I may make a mistake and lose some speed. (The big parabolica at Salsburgring for example) The AI chasing me is far behind enough but starts gaining ground. Any race car driver will take that chance to pass, but the R3E AI instead behaves as if my car didn't exist. It keeps gaining ground, gets closer and closer and then instead of passing, it hits my car violently often sending both of us off track. No sane driver would do that. If nothing else because racecars are expensive. Many times, an AI will hit me and then each and every car behind us will continue hitting me and the other AI. In replays it looks like those cars are completely unaware there are obstacles ahead of them.
3) AI seems unable to drive in traffic. The Salsburgring chicane is a case in point, but in many other tracks the AI in front of me (I often try to start either at the back or in the middle of the pack) will get in each other's way and pile up at the entrance of the chicane. Cars coming behind the mess will in turn plow into them because they are driving as if there was a clear track in front of them. If I slow down my car to try to get around, I can be assured that some car behind me is going to hit me so hard as to virtually kill me had I been in a real car.
This is an extension of Point 2 above, but the issue is so endemic that even among the AI they are unable to try to avoid collisions.
4) The AI are unable to drive their cars properly. Once again at Salsburgring it is almost the norm to see AI cars going fully sideways and slow down or create a crash with the cars behind them. Why? I understand that a good AI should recreate RL drivers, but then these people are idiots. You can't drive a Group 5 cars and smash the throttle in 2nd gear. If you are turning your car will go sideways and slowdown. There are times where at the entrance of high speed turns it looks like a bunch of drunk are racing. Cars will go sideways, slow down, hit each other and so forth.
5) The AI seems oblivious to my skill when using adaptive AI. Almost every time I do a race with a new combo of car/track, I end up going much faster than the AI. Yesterday I did a race G5 at Sonoma where I qualified in pole by 2 seconds. I continued racing and by the time the 15 minute race was up I was almost 20 seconds ahead of 2nd place. I raced again later with the same combo and it was better, but still I could smoke the field without much effort. I would much prefer an AI that can recognize when they are slower than me by 2 seconds or more per lap and actually get a little faster. In a race it would be nice if they at least tried to catch up once they are 7 or more second behind and losing ground. How difficult would that be? Racing by yourself is really boring, yet when I manage to race in a group, I almost always get hit and sent mowing the lawn by some AI opponent that obviously does not pay for bodywork or wheel axles.
In conclusion, let me reiterate that this SIM made giant leaps in becoming one of the best experiences among modern sims. The sound is tremendous, the cars and tracks very well done and the driving is really good too. The AI remains a bane. Sometime, even most of the time, they drive well and present a credible challenge, but it only takes a small tap on the back or an AI braking hard at the exit of a turn instead of pushing on the gas like anyone else would do to ruin the whole thing.
I am getting really tired to drive on my rearview mirrors and having to avoid cars coming from behind that hit me as if I weren't there to begin with.
Can you guys do something about it?
EDIT:
I forgot another infuriating aspect of the AI. Try out braking an AI before a chicane or any tight corner. 9 times of of 10 you can be assured that the same car you have just passed will hit you and turn you around. It simply doesn't pay to race the AI with a natural racing strategy. You have to find a way to pass them that does not leave them any opportunity to crash into your car.
I really would like for a Sector 3 employee to get back to us and let us know if they are going to address these issues.
I will try to briefly explain some of my gripes with the AI, but I want to stress this is only my experience. Others can add to it or disagree with me but this is why I dislike the R3E AI:
1) The AI slows down at the apex of some turns. There are even cases where they apply the brakes on what essentially are full speed straights with a kink that can be taken flat out. The AI will considerably slow down at the kink, often messing up the other AI behind them. At times I am either surprised by this and plow into the car ahead, or in a race I can use it to easily pass the AI car on the inside or the outside, taking the fun out of it. I often just brake along with the AI to keep things fair, but it seems silly to me. No car slows down at or after the Apex. If it's a device to limit the AI speed according to their level, let's find another way.
2) The AI will not avoid collisions at all. In many cases with an AI chasing, but well behind me, I may make a mistake and lose some speed. (The big parabolica at Salsburgring for example) The AI chasing me is far behind enough but starts gaining ground. Any race car driver will take that chance to pass, but the R3E AI instead behaves as if my car didn't exist. It keeps gaining ground, gets closer and closer and then instead of passing, it hits my car violently often sending both of us off track. No sane driver would do that. If nothing else because racecars are expensive. Many times, an AI will hit me and then each and every car behind us will continue hitting me and the other AI. In replays it looks like those cars are completely unaware there are obstacles ahead of them.
3) AI seems unable to drive in traffic. The Salsburgring chicane is a case in point, but in many other tracks the AI in front of me (I often try to start either at the back or in the middle of the pack) will get in each other's way and pile up at the entrance of the chicane. Cars coming behind the mess will in turn plow into them because they are driving as if there was a clear track in front of them. If I slow down my car to try to get around, I can be assured that some car behind me is going to hit me so hard as to virtually kill me had I been in a real car.
This is an extension of Point 2 above, but the issue is so endemic that even among the AI they are unable to try to avoid collisions.
4) The AI are unable to drive their cars properly. Once again at Salsburgring it is almost the norm to see AI cars going fully sideways and slow down or create a crash with the cars behind them. Why? I understand that a good AI should recreate RL drivers, but then these people are idiots. You can't drive a Group 5 cars and smash the throttle in 2nd gear. If you are turning your car will go sideways and slowdown. There are times where at the entrance of high speed turns it looks like a bunch of drunk are racing. Cars will go sideways, slow down, hit each other and so forth.
5) The AI seems oblivious to my skill when using adaptive AI. Almost every time I do a race with a new combo of car/track, I end up going much faster than the AI. Yesterday I did a race G5 at Sonoma where I qualified in pole by 2 seconds. I continued racing and by the time the 15 minute race was up I was almost 20 seconds ahead of 2nd place. I raced again later with the same combo and it was better, but still I could smoke the field without much effort. I would much prefer an AI that can recognize when they are slower than me by 2 seconds or more per lap and actually get a little faster. In a race it would be nice if they at least tried to catch up once they are 7 or more second behind and losing ground. How difficult would that be? Racing by yourself is really boring, yet when I manage to race in a group, I almost always get hit and sent mowing the lawn by some AI opponent that obviously does not pay for bodywork or wheel axles.
In conclusion, let me reiterate that this SIM made giant leaps in becoming one of the best experiences among modern sims. The sound is tremendous, the cars and tracks very well done and the driving is really good too. The AI remains a bane. Sometime, even most of the time, they drive well and present a credible challenge, but it only takes a small tap on the back or an AI braking hard at the exit of a turn instead of pushing on the gas like anyone else would do to ruin the whole thing.
I am getting really tired to drive on my rearview mirrors and having to avoid cars coming from behind that hit me as if I weren't there to begin with.
Can you guys do something about it?
EDIT:
I forgot another infuriating aspect of the AI. Try out braking an AI before a chicane or any tight corner. 9 times of of 10 you can be assured that the same car you have just passed will hit you and turn you around. It simply doesn't pay to race the AI with a natural racing strategy. You have to find a way to pass them that does not leave them any opportunity to crash into your car.
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Gotta love it.
