What dictates AI strength in RF2?

[NDG]

The title is the question. I'm running 3 open wheel cars, USF2000, FormulaTwo2012 and FormulaRenault3.5...

I'd cancel out the FR3.5 as it's so hard to drive and beyond my talents. So in the Formula 2 and USF2000, I can beat the AI at tracks like Monza, Canada and Silverstone. But I am 2 to 4 seconds off pace on tracks like the new laser scanned Sebring, Bathurst and Interlagos. So what gives? I'm using the default 95 AI strength and I also tweak the set ups to my liking.

These tracks I know very well and does have wins and/or good results in iRacing in SOF races 2k and up iRatings. But in RF2, it seems I am all over the place, and the lack of speed AI have in some tracks puzzles me, And they are aliens at some tracks. Does RF2 AI utilize different set ups? Is their strength dictated by tracks or by cars?

 

[Ace King]

(The AI strength is dictated by several factors)

1) Track's AI fastline (AIW) and Blocking line plus proper Cut-Track corridors.
2) Car mod's AI settings - Some modders don't even consider or care about these settings
3) Modder's race skill ability who made the AI fastline and blocking line
4) Car mod used to make the fastline - AI will be at their best strength when these car and track combinations are used in your race.

NOTE:
A) Original default tracks and default car mods will usually give you the very best AI because they are very well done but remember that this will still depend on which car mod you use.

Default tracks will sometimes have incorporated several fastlines in it's AIW for some of the popular default car mods. This allows a great AI when using these different car mods!

B) There are some third-party tracks and car mods where the AI were poorly made but there are a few tracks and car mods where the AI was done very well.

 

[Emery]

Does RF2 AI utilize different set ups? Is their strength dictated by tracks or by cars?

You can assign the AI different setups and sometimes the AI uses different setups based on the track, though usually that only applies to oval vs. road setups.

AI Difficulty is determined by both the car and the track, then modified by the AI Difficulty slider. Yes, there is a variance... just use the AI Difficulty slider to match your skills. Don't even try to think it will be consistent because you'll have different people of different skills & philosophies making the content.

 

[NDG]

Thanks to both of you for the answers... Actually, I have the same issue with AC... I easily win at Nordschleife when driving the Ferrari 488 But easily becomes a backmarker when I change car to Mclaren MP4-12C... I am mid pack in the BMW... Anyways, it's probably the same issue or factors like in RF2. It's a been a dilemma lately after I lost available time racing in online servers in SRS. They don't run RF2 anymore and the racing times are no longer doable for me. So I resorted to racing the AI and It's been a long time since I fired them up. I am more "trained" in racing with people in iRacing and SRS.

I just feel like I am cheating if I adjust the sliders so I can beat them. But I also feel it's impossible to beat them at some tracks. Anyways, shouldn't last that long now, I will eventually race online again when the time comes. Thank you both again! I'll just make do of what I have right now(talent). The alien AI at some tracks may even help me improve and make me better, if not faster driver if I try and try until I can beat them. (wishful thinking)

One thing for sure though, I will never ever move that slider down just to beat them. Cheers!

 

[NDG]

More questions if I may... What if a car for example was created but a new track never before seen in the SIM is introduced, how will the AI perform? Or both car and tracks have enough data to cope? or did I miss something that AI fastline is track based?

Is it safe to assume that a popular F1 track, Suzuka for example, possibly used an F1 car to establish the fastline? And if I run a GT3 car on that track, the GT3 car will still use the F1 racing line even though it's no longer optimal for that car?

 

[Ace King]

More questions if I may... What if a car for example was created but a new track never before seen in the SIM is introduced, how will the AI perform? Or both car and tracks have enough data to cope? or did I miss something that AI fastline is track based?

Is it safe to assume that a popular F1 track, Suzuka for example, possibly used an F1 car to establish the fastline? And if I run a GT3 car on that track, the GT3 car will still use the F1 racing line even though it's no longer optimal for that car?

The AI Fastline (aiw) is track based and all car mods which are either old or new will always use this fastline.

The modder might have used a F1 car to make Suzuka's AI fastline and if he did then a F1 car will benefit much better because the fastline and braking points will be more accurate for a F1 car to use.

What i experienced with some fast tracks where a F1 car was known to be used in making the AI fastline: Using a GT3 class the cars tend to brake too late going into some turns which causes the AI to run off the track since they are following the brakeing points from the F1 car used to make the line and a GT3's downforce and grip levels are not as good.

 

[Emery]

I just feel like I am cheating if I adjust the sliders so I can beat them

Not beat them, just drop it 1%-2% so that you're competitive mid-pack.

 

[NDG]

Okay! Thanks again both of yah! I'm on my way home now and will try again to race them at Sebring! I'm 4 secs off pace there... LOL Cheers mates! That clears a lot of my questions..

 

[Emery]

Sebring tip: player is faster than AI in Sunset Bend, the final corner.

 

[Ace King]

Sebring tip: player is faster than AI in Sunset Bend, the final corner.

Different Classes like F1, or LMP vs GT3 might work better as it could be Class dependent thus showing the Class used in making the AIW (fastline).

Possibly a easy fix with some aiw fine-tuning at Sunset Bend then hopefully Studio-397 would improve this area and release in a future update though this might need a more time consuming approach by making additional fastlines for a few popular classes to use.

 

[MPortnoy]

I always race against AI and what I can suggest is run a couple trial and error practice sessions first to find the ideal AI strength. Do a few laps with clear track ahead and also following the AI to ensure your pace is similar to them and you classify mid pack. It might take you a few tries to get it right.

Once you find the right AI strength, run a full weekend. Practice, Quali, Race and use the fast forward function if needed instead of skipping sessions.

And there's a very useful feature in the game. Once you find the right AI strength for that particular car series and track combo, you can save it in either the car or track selection menu (click the "X" below the track/car preview picture) so you can remember the strength to use next time.

 

[wajdi]

I have been an online racer in the last 11 years, but lately I don’t have much time to race online, because if you want to be competitive endurance racer you need many hours of practice so I race vs AI doing week end races with 20min of practice, 15 of qualification and 15 laps of race. I set the AI up to 110 in all the races and 30% the aggression and it’s really wonderful to race against the AI in rfactor2 and you need to drive at your best to beat it.

 

[Ace King]

I set the AI up to 110 in all the races and 30% the aggression and it’s really wonderful to race against the AI in rfactor2 and you need to drive at your best to beat it.

rFactor2's AI are no doubt the best so if you need to increase the AI strength to 110% it's probably the fault of either third party tracks with a poorly optimized AIW or the car mod's internal AI settings were also not optimized but it's a good thing we have the options to adjust the AI strength and aggression to compensate for all conditions including human skill levels!

 

[Emery]

rFactor2's AI are no doubt the best so if you need to increase the AI strength to 110% it's probably the fault of either third party tracks with a poorly optimized AIW or the car mod's internal AI settings were also not optimized but it's a good thing we have the options to adjust the AI strength and aggression to compensate for all conditions including human skill levels!

Uh, no, there really are people who can drive at that level (or higher) with the official content. If I've practiced enough with the content, I'm usually in the 103-106 range... to place that in terms of a wider audience, in the Worlds Fastest Gamer contest, 36%-38% of entrants were faster than me.

To your other point, yes, sliders to accomodate different skills are a good thing. AC's artificial capping of performance at 100 was an obvious mistake, especially where some official AC tracks have poorly performing AI (e.g. the vintage tracks).

 

[wajdi]

Yea, in official contents the AI is much hard to beat than third party mods. In the new Sebring when setting the AI to 110% they are doing 1:58 with the Porsche and the best that I can do is 1:59,4 and the hardest thing that with this Lap time I usually start in the middle of the grid, but I like it because I can make more overtakes..lol

 

[jimortality]

What does AI limit do in the settings?

 

[NDG]

I wonder how iRacing AI performs when it comes. I am thinking if they will ask, or already have replays of the kinds of Kronke and other aliens then pick the fast lines from him. Then go down by iRatings. Another big update again if they will do per car fast lines and multitude of iRatings slider. That's the only accurate way I can think of making proper AIs.

Anyways, I have the same issue with AC being easy to beat at some cars and unbeatable on some others. Some mods being direct converts from RF2 makes me think they use the same method, only AC have 100% limit and another slider I don't understand at all is the variation slider and what it does. And I don't touch the things I don't know the functions...

 

[MPortnoy]

What does AI limit do in the settings?

Setting it closer to zero will spread out the field more naturally (more noticeable in longer races), while setting it higher will keep the field packed and running closer together.
I also read Emery saying not long ago that zero will have no impact on talent files, so it's better to set it at 1% or 2% but maybe he can confirm.
I don't get the desired effects from talent files I've created on my own but I've always used 0% as limiter. I'll start using 1% and test if it changes anything.

 

[Ace King]

Uh, no, there really are people who can drive at that level (or higher) with the official content. If I've practiced enough with the content, I'm usually in the 103-106 range... to place that in terms of a wider audience, in the Worlds Fastest Gamer contest, 36%-38% of entrants were faster than me..

I'am very fast with GT3 at my optimized tracks like Road America, Long Beach, and Watkins Glen. I optimized their AIW specially for a GT3's fastline, blocking lines and braking points thus turning them into aliens with no chance in hell for me or my friends to beat them at 100% strength so i need to set the AI strength between 93 to 95% to have any fighting chance to pull off a win. lol

Note: I race the AI like i'am racing a human driver thus always give the same respect and pleased if i can manage a win fairly. I watched a few videos showing wins against the AI but thier passing technics are not fair nor desirable and is exactly like you experience on many open servers. (probably the same drivers-lol)

 

[NDG]

Well, guess what... All this time I have RF2 installed, I never played around with the settings... Particularly the assists page. I turned it all off. First results were bad as I cannot drive the car properly... Cutting things short, I ended up using medium traction control and everything set to off.. Instantly, my 4 secs deficit is now only 1.2 seconds on the formulatwo car. I kept changing cars and on the formula ISI 2012, I can actually beat the stock AI at Sebring by 0.2 seconds..

My conclusion is, I will never find the right AI settings to match my speed as all is different and all over the place. I have to test things before I can race, and it all takes time, wasting time actually. I think I'll just leave everything as is for now and just race without caring for good results or winning. If I can race a car or two, regardless of position then that should be enough to satisfy me.

Cheers all!