README SHO Competition AI.txt
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- README from SHO Competition AI (V14)
- Included here to make the AI tuning details openly accessible on the web
SHO COMPETITION AI GTR2 AI improvements for original content cars and tracks "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16, Holy Bible. Visit selah.ca/free-gift to learn more. Overview: 1. Introduction 2. Install/Uninstall 3. How To Play Against AI 4. Tips 5. Notes 6. Known Issues 7. Open Issues 8. Testing Notes 9. Plans 10. Releases 11. Development # # 1. Introduction # SHO Competition AI Video Demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCGGOEvH4YE SHO Competition AI is a GTR2 mod for original content cars and tracks that aims to improve the racing experience by creating greater racing immersion and realism by improving AI driver performance. *Please see "README SHO Competition AI.txt" as it contains helpful details on install/uninstall, tips, questions, known/open issues, testing notes, changes, and development notes. You might be reading this file right now: I've included this note here for easy copy&paste to places like Race Department download descriptions The main goals of this mod include: - [Fix Stock AI Flaws] Improving obvious AI flaws on-track such as early braking, slow cornering, bad starts/first corners/first laps, and unrealistic crashes or collisions that all result in race performances that don't accurately represent qualifying performances - [Improve Qualifying vs Race Performance] Furthermore, race performance should more closely reflect qualifying performance. With original GTR2 AI, you could start from the back of the field and win quite easily. Instead, the aim here is to ensure you have good, hard racing battles with opponents that qualified with similar laptimes. As such, if you qualify top 5 you might have a chance to win, but if you qualify top 10, it should be very difficult to win outright. That's just realistic. Again, the upside is good, hard battling with AI you are competitive against. - [Keep Unique AI Personalities] Maintain original AI personalities and relative performance levels as much as possible to keep AI varied and interesting and allow rivalries to form between player and closely matched AI Here is the latest version and changes (see Section 10 Release Notes for older versions): Version 14 (2022-06-20..2023-06-11) - [Tracks] Re-tuned Imola GP 2004 as it was too difficult to pass. - [Tracks] Re-tuned some tracks that had suspicious AIW RaceRatio < 1.0 values (probably due to mis-copy&paste from spreadsheet). Tracks tuned included: Barcelona GP 2003, Oschersleben 2003, Magny-Cours National, Anderstorp South - [Game] Aggression is now free for users to change according to preference in-game. This was the PLR AI Realism parameter. - [Talent] Reset Talent RCD RaceColdBrainMin back to original values and RaceColdBrainTime to 45 (seconds). This was to alleviate the issue where AI don't act like they have cold tires like you right off the start and just act like they're at 100% performance instantly. This also returns a little bit more personality back to the AI as retaining as much AI personality as possible is an important goal of this mod. - [README] Removed instructions to set tuned AI Realism (Aggression) value. No need to have a tuned value here anymore. Users can set their own Aggression according to their own preference. - [README] Fixed incorrect Composure value in the manual installation step 2b for Composure. Not a problem if you never used the manual install steps. - [MOD] Renamed MODS\SHO Competition AI\Release Notes.txt to Releases.txt What does SHO stand for? SHO is the first three letters of my username (Shovas) but also happens to be an acronym used by Ford, which stands for "Super High Output", so I feel is an appropriately fun acronym for a sim racing mod :) Why is it called "Competition"? The aim of my improvements is always to improve the experience for a competition context, like racing real humans or racing AI, as opposed to say just hotlapping. It's hard racing where you really have to have the best simulation to really raise the immersion and experience. That means my changes might feel better or worse for some depending on what you want but I'm always trying to be better in "competition", hence the name. Credits Thank you to GTR233, Von Dutch, GTR2 Reborn, SimBin, and others for assistance, input, reference, help, and inspiration in the making of this mod! License See MODS\SHO Competition AI\License.txt for full details. SHO Competition AI © 2020 by Shovas is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International. This license requires that users give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only. This license does not to third party materials included and used with permission: Third party materials reserve all rights. View the full license here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ You don't have to ask permission for legitimate uses. You just have to give credit. I think this provides clarity and is a nice compromise that maintains modding freedom while protecting the people that made them from losing credit to their work and against people who would cut out authors from profit from copying it. Contact You can reach me, Shovas, on Race Department, European Endurance Center (EEC), F1 Classic, Trackaholics, Sim Racing Mirror Zone, eSport-Racing.de, Festbierbude.de, Koelschbierbude.de, or Altbierbude.de, or @shovas on Twitter, or my website Selah.ca. # # 2. Install/Uninstall # Notes: - Simulation mode in-game is assumed. - This mod assumes all other configuration params are set to default values where/when relevant. In other words, mixing with other AI mods or tweaks is not recommended and may not work well. Steps: 1. UserData PLR Edits 2. Talent RCD File Updates # Install 1. Edit UserData\User.PLR(*) and use the following parameter values - Make a backup of your PLR in case you want to uninstall Required: AI Brake Power Usage="0.99625" AI Brake Grip Usage="0.99437" AI Corner Grip Usage="0.96500" *Rationale for each param change can be found under the Notes section. 2a. Copy&Paste the \GameData\Talent\ folder into your GTR2 \GameData\ folder and allow it to overwrite the \Talent\ folder ...or... 2b Edit your GTR2 GameData\Talent *.RCD Files, load in Notepad++ or other editor, and make the following Regular Expression changes: - Find: RaceColdBrainMin\s*=\s*(-?[\d\.]+) - Replace: RaceColdBrainMin=1.00 // DEFAULT=\1 ^ Include trailing space - Find: RaceColdBrainTime\s*=\s*(-?[\d\.]+) - Replace: RaceColdBrainTime=0 // DEFAULT=\1 ^ Include trailing space - Find: Composure\s*=\s*(-?[\d\.]+) - Replace: Composure=0.12890625 // DEFAULT=\1 ^ Include trailing space 3. Copy&Paste the \GameData\Locations\ folder into your GTR2 \GameData\ folder and allow it to overwrite the \Locations\ folder - There's no real manual way to edit these files as each track is tuned with its own specific parameters (eg. RaceRatio) # Uninstall 1a. Replace your UserData\User.PLR file with your backup ...or... 1b. Edit these default values back into your PLR: AI Brake Power Usage="0.98000" AI Brake Grip Usage="0.97000" AI Corner Grip Usage="0.93000" AI Max Load="40000.00000" AI to AI Collision Rate="20" 2a. Extract MODS\SHO Competition AI\ORIGINALS\Original RCD Files.zip and Copy&Paste the \GameData\Talent\ folder into your GTR2 \GameData\ folder and allow it to overwrite the files ...or... 2b. Edit GameData\Talent *.RCD Files, load in Notepad++ or other editor, and make the following Regular Expression changes: - Find: RaceColdBrainMin\s*=\s*(-?[\d\.]+) // *DEFAULT=(-?[\d\.]+) - Replace: RaceColdBrainMin=\2 ^ Include trailing space - Find: RaceColdBrainTime\s*=\s*(-?[\d\.]+) // *DEFAULT=(-?[\d\.]+) - Replace: RaceColdBrainTime=\2 ^ Include trailing space - Find: Composure\s*=\s*(-?[\d\.]+) // *DEFAULT=(-?[\d\.]+) - Replace: Composure=\2 ^ Include trailing space 3. Extract MODS\SHO Competition AI\ORIGINALS\Original AIW Files.zip and Copy&Paste the \GameData\Locations\ folder into your GTR2 \GameData\ folder and allow it the \Locations\ folder - There's no real manual way to edit these files as each track is tuned with its own specific parameters (eg. RaceRatio) # # 3. How To Play Against AI # General: - Run all sessions with default setups to avoid 'gaming' the system with for example better tires or less fuel weight than AI (I'm not exactly sure what GTR2 is doing for session specific setups, though). ^ This guidance might change in the future as I discover how it affects AI behaviour - Always start new class/car/track combos at 100% and tune from there - Don't take chances with the AI you wouldn't take with a human. This will enhance your experience, improve immersion, and stop you 'gaming' the race by abusing AI short-comings Practice: - Get Race Ready: Run laps until you're at race-level comfort with the track (ie. run multiple, qualifying-speed, incident-free laps). If you end up going much faster in the race you won't get a competitive, close, hard racing AI experience this mod intends to achieve. Qualifying: - Don't Skip Sesssion: Time Accelerate Instead: Do not skip the session, use time acceleration, instead, to ensure all AI get a time in. Failure to do this may result in random grid positions because some AI have not got a qualifying time in. - Optimum Track Conditions: Go ahead and qualify immediately but be aware the track will not be warmed up or as rubbered in as it will be later in qualifying. You can often achieve better laptimes later in qualifying. Use time acceleration to go to 10-20 minutes left in qualifying and you'll have a well warmed up track that is rubbbered in and now you'll be able to achieve better laptimes. - Save Time Finding Good AI Level: If you're too fast or too slow (ie. not the position you want to be) then note your time and run qualifying again with a different AI level using time acceleration. Compare your time against the AI and see if your time would lie where you like to qualify. Change the AI level if you're unsatisfied and repeat. You don't have to actually put in qualifying laps until you see you're at the right AI level. - AI Level Increments And Their Effect On Laptime (not exact, probably wonky): - 80-90: 0.5sec increments - 90-100: 0.25sec increments - 100-110: 0.2sec increments - 110-120: 0.1sec increments Race: - Wait For Green: Jumping the Green Flag is easy and can get you an unfair advantage. Wait for it and you should accelerate realistically with the AI instead of getting ahead of them. - Don't Pass Early: Do not try to pass too many people on the first corner or first lap. The AI is still wonky and gets jammed up on the first lap when everybody is all together so do yourself a favour and work with it. You'll be in the correct position, AI competitiveness-wise, after the first few corners or maybe the first lap, and you'll have a much better race. ^ Personally, I find it necessary not to pass at all the first lap, just maintain the position, to avoid 'gaming' the race and moving up too quickly to be realistic # # 4. Tips # - Be Race Ready: Practice until your are race ready for best race results. - Optimum Track Conditions: Time accelerate 10-20 minutes in Practice and Qualifying to allow the track to heat up and the AI to rubber in the track so that it's at its fastest when you start driving. - Avoid Qualifying First: You might have good results but, so far in developing this mod, I find you will probably stay ahead of the AI the entire race which means it won't be very fun. Try qualifying in the top 3 or top 5 and I think you'll have a much better race. This is something I hope the Open Issues will address in the future. - Aim For Close Qualifying Laptimes: Aim to compete with AI who are about 0.1-0.2sec faster than you. These AI should give you a good battle. Much faster and they will pull ahead and much slower and they will fall behind. # # 5. Notes # UserData PLR Notes: AI Power Calibration // Disallow game adjusting AI using various available parameters (power, gearing, fuel) in order to get a baseline so AI calculations can be done reliably. This may also be the param that causes AI to use less than full throttle for AI < 95. Need to confirm. AI Additional Fuel Mult // Adjust to make sense of AI Brake Power/Grip Usage and AI Corner Grip Usage AI Brake Power Usage // Increase/Decrease when AI brake too early/too late before corners AI Brake Grip Usage // Increase/Decrease when AI brake too early/too late before corners AI Corner Grip Usage // Increase/Decrease when AI are slower/faster around corners than they should be AI Max Load // Reportedly affects AI aggression in some way... AI to AI Collision Rate // Higher values increase AI situational awareness. In theory, they won't collide so much, but it doesn't seem to make it better when you increase it. Vehicle Specific AI Setups // Reduce testing variables by avoiding custom AI setups (0) AI Realism // Make the AI more aggressive, try to pass more. 0.70=Timid (Min), 0.85=Clean, 1.0=Real, 1.3=Angry, 2.0=Psychotic (Max). This value is preserved in saved sessions. So your PLR value will be overwritten by the saved value if you continue a saved session. Talent RCD Notes: Composure: - Can't find GTR2 description of this param so getting pointers from games in the gMotor engine lineage - rF1 Studio 397 (2010): "The lower the number, the higher the frequency of "intentional" mistakes (if AI Mistakes is > 0 in the playerfile). If AI Mistakes in the playerfile is set to 0.0, then the AI drivers never make mistakes. *cough* Well, mistakes that the programmer planned. "intentional" mistakes are things like, taking a turn too wide, or missing a breaking point. Increasing composure also decreases the time between bad driving zones. (also affected by the playerfile variable AI Limiter, see MinRacingSkill below)" ^ https://forum.studio-397.com/index.php?threads/rcd-talent-file.52996/ - AMS1 / Reiza (2016): "The lower the number, the higher the frequency of simulated driving mistakes from AI. It depends on 'AI Mistakes' parameter on your PLR file. Reiza uses 66-98 range. If in doubt, stick it with 90." ^ https://forum.reizastudios.com/threads/anyone-got-info-on-rcd-player-files.2941/ # # 6. Known Issues # These are issues which are known to exist in the current version of the mod but are believed to be unfixable due to various reasons, such as hard-wired AI implementation, etc. - AI Start Slowness: AI tend to be slower than you would expect off the green (start of the race). It helps to wait just a moment longer for them to get up to speed and then go for better race results. - AI First Corner Jam: AI tend to jam up in the first corner, slowing everything down more than you would expect in real life. It helps to be less aggressive and let them get sorted out through the first few corners for better race results. - AI First Lap Slowness: AI tend to be slower for half or more of the first lap. It helps to let them get sorted out for half the lap and then start to push after they speed up for better race results. - Mixed-Class Wide Class Spread: In mixed-class races, per-class qualifying laptimes are spread out wider than they should be. Optimal would be < 2sec, preferably 1sec, which is the case in Single-Class races, but in mixed-class it seems to be about 4sec for 10 GT AI (20 AI total), 6sec for 15 GT AI (40 AI total), 7sec for 20 GT AI (60 AI total). For best results, use more AI rather than less. For example, prefer 40+ AI to 20 or less in mixed-class racing so there's enough of each class. Still, it's a known issue and can't be totally resolved as far as I can see, at this time. # 6.1 GTR2-specific Known Issues - [GTR2] Broken AI (pitlap speed around entire track) at Hockenheim GP 2004 - [GTR2] Broken AI (pitlap speed around entire track) at Hockenheim National - [GTR2] Broken AI (pitlap speed around entire track) at Hockenheim Short # # 7. Open Issues # N/A # # 8. Testing Notes # Common Testing Parameters: - 10am PRAC, 9am QUAL, 1pm RACE, AI 100, 30 AI, Rainfall None (20C^) Main Tests: - GT 2003: Specials GT's 2003, Chrysler Viper GTS-R, Zuhai GP 2004, AI 100 [PB: , SB: , Q: , P: , F: ] - GT 2004: Specials GT's 2004, Ferrari 575, Valencia GP 2004, AI 100 [PB: , SB: , Q: , P: , F: ] - NGT 2003: Specials NGT's 2003, Porsche GT3-RS, Imola GP 2004, AI 100 [PB: , SB: , Q: , P: , F: ] - NGT 2004: Specials NGT's 2004, Porsche GT3 RSR, Oschersleben GP 2004, AI 100 [PB: , SB: , Q: , P: , F: ] Other Tests: - G3 2003: BMW Z3 at Imola GP 2004 [PB: , SB: , Q: , P: , F: ] - G3 2004: Viper Competition Coupe at Brno GP 2004 [PB: , SB: , Q: , P: , F: ] - GT3 Cup 2003: Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at Donington GP 2004 [PB: , SB: , Q: , P: , F: ] - NGT 2003: Specials NGT's 2004, Ferrari 360 Modena, Anderstorp GP 2003 [PB: , SB: , Q: , P: , F: ] Bad: - G2 2004: Specials G2 2004, BMW M3 GTR, Estoril GP 2004 [PB: ...] / Bad experience as each car is not BoP adjusted (balance of power) - G2: BMW M3 GTR at Hockenheim GP 2004 [PB 1:40.468] / Bad experience as each car is not BoP adjusted (balance of power) - G2 2003: Specials G2 2003, Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, Barcelona GP 2003 [PB: 1:41.454] / Bad BoP between cars, cars too stratisfied Broken: - Hockenheim GP 2004/National/Short: AI drive around track at pitlane speed all the time Notes: - Ferrari 550 seemed over powered. Can outpace anyone on straights and can go through corners faster. Rules For Optimizing Location AIW Race Pace (ie. RaceRatio) - Goal: Tune AI speed to reflect relative performance as compared to qualifying. So, for example, an AI who qualified ahead of you should be difficult to pass. - Goal: It is okay to pass AI after Lap 1. Don't tune to the point you can't pass anybody, that's no fun. You want to allow some passing but only what's realistic. I would say +/- 5 positions movement would be realistic. - Goal: Aim for a race pace where the user can pass ~5 AI after 10min in a 20min race. This isn't necessarily realistic but it does provide time and pace for good, hard battles. - Do NOT pass first lap. Maintain position. - Push at full race pace immediately on Lap 2 - Show no mercy: Take a gap if it's safe. For example, if an AI routinely takes a corner wide then go for the inside if you know you can do it safely. - Don't pass under yellow as I think AI won't pass under yellow (besides passing the crashed AI(s)) - Around Lap 3 the AI seem to slow down a bit and they get competitive appropriate to their qualifying times (ie. you can keep up and try for passes) - After Lap 6 you should have a pretty good idea of field competitiveness - Aim to pass 1-5 AI in the first half of a 20 minute race (at least 1 for fun factor but no need to pass more if you're keeping up with a pack - that's the fun itself) - Aim to pass up to 5 (but preferably less) AI in the last half of a 20 minute race - Increase RaceRatio if you can pass > 5 AI within 10 minutes of a 20 minute race - Decrease RaceRatio if you can't even maintain your qualifying position (ignore "hero" AI that jump ahead in Lap 1, they abuse the AI like a human). - It's okay if you pass a number of AI but come up on an AI that just outpaces you and there's no way to catch up. That's realistic. - It's normal if you find yourself with no one around you after a while. This happens in real races where you pass who you can and then those ahead are faster than you and get farther ahead while those behind you are slower and fall farther behind. # # 9. Plans # See MODS\SHO Competition AI\Plans.txt # # 10. Releases # See MODS\SHO Competition AI\Releases.txt # # 11. Development # See MODS\SHO Competition AI\Development.txt