It seems clicking "AI Setup" in the Tuning section is an on/off thing. Since it doesn't give any kind of confirmation, the average person (read: me) will click it many times, thinking it didn't do anything, thereby turning it on and off without knowing. Clicking it once, it works as it should. The correct tuning options were present with the AI on track. Clicking it many times, as I think most will do, could make them to believe it's not working because they've turned it off without knowing.
Couldn't replicate this, at least with build845. In my case it doensn't matter how often you push the button it works now always. But there is an other problem, you can't choose a different configuration than AI. One example: You choose "Oval configuration" and klick "AI setup", go on track and everithing is fine, you and the AI drivers are with "Oval config". Than leave track, go to car -> tuning and this time you choose "Road config" ("spinning car" shows the correct config now) and DON'T klick on "AI setup" only "Back". Car in right window now show oval configuration, klick "OK", go to "Race" and you didn't get the choosen "Road config" but the first one where you klick on "AI setup".
It's not a toggle. But yes, it should have some kind of UI confirmation of what is happening. This thread prompted a conversation with another programmer here & I think I'm going to need to change a couple things because I was operating under a couple of false assumptions. What the button was meant to fix: We released a car with a few different upgrade configurations meant to run on certain track types. Inside that vehicle component we included a file with a list of tracks along with the appropriate corresponding upgrade type. If you go to one of these listed tracks with this car it will load that particular upgrade package (regardless of what you have selected from the tuning page). But the list didn't included every track that we ever released, nor is it possible for a vehicle component to include tracks that aren't created yet... So instead of having to update the vehicle component every time somebody releases a new track, I thought I'd add a button to set the vehicle upgrade type for a track and save that information outside the vehicle component. My first mistake was labeling it "AI SETUP"....it's not just AI that are now bound by this upgrade restriction....it's supposed to be everybody. Why is the player forced to use the upgrade as well? Think of restrictor plate races. This is the mechanism we use to ensure that everybody is running the legal "upgrade". So I need to do a few things: 1) add some kind of UI feedback so you know the button was pushed. 2) change the name from "AI SETUP" to something like "FORCE SETUP" 3) undo my code that lets user created "AI SETUP"s override upgrades dictated in the component (so that for example, individual clients couldn't drop the restrictor plate requirement when racing superspeedways.) 4) I can't get to it right away, I have other things on my plate, but it would be nice if the upgrade tree offered some feedback when there is a required track specific upgrade. Thanks for for information guys!
Big thank's for this explanation also from my side! I did some additional testing, and i can use a different config than the AI on a specific track, as long i dont klick on "AI Setup". While i use this button the aktual car-config is saved for this track, and has to be used by AI and the player. However i can still change car-config by klick "AI Setup" again, but i can't use a different one than AI on this specific track. What i found a bit misleading, and i have to add it happens only with tracks i already used the "AI Setup" function, i can select a car-config like it's used to be in build798 and before, but it's been ignored now, until i hit "AI Setup" again of course. Edit: @MikeZ Totaly understand your thoughts about equal car-config of player and AI because of regulations, but i think there still should be the abillity to do something irregulary crazy, for example drive a unrestricted 900bhp Stock Car over a superspeedway against restricted AI cars (have to add).
The simpler approach is just to have the AI mirror whatever set-up package the user selects. We can assume the user will pick the oval package when on an oval and road and street course when using one of those. If for some arcane reason they want to pick the wrong package, then the AI should still always be set to match. You are making it more complicated than is necessary (and all the issues you raised are real and will plague this for the rest of time as new tracks come out unless a different approach is taken).
Cheers Mike. Personally for me I have always liked the idea of a robust query builder to be apart of the rF2 UI. I believe all aspects of the game should be able to be tied to together using a hierarchy and user should have the ability to save multiple query configurations to get the best experience from rF2. For example: Configuration 1:- -> Select location(s) -> Assign vehicle(s) to individual selected location(s) and define user vehicle(s) & define AI vehicle(s) and assign AI opponent ratio % -> Assign race settings and session(s) to selected location(s) -> Assign a default vehicle setup(s) & upgrade(s) to a user define vehicle(s) and assigned race session(s) -> Assign individual AI setup(s) & upgrade(s) to selected AI vehicle(s) and selected location(s) -> Assign individual AI strengths to selected AI vehicle(s) and selected location(s) -> Assign individual controller settings to user defined vehicle(s) or selected location(s) -> Assign individual display and audio settings to individual selected location(s) -> Name & Save configuration -> Go Racing One can dream I guess..
+1 The entire UI needs to be reworked from the ground-up in terms of which options are available and where. Right now it seems almost random. Having all options available or one-click away on all screens would be the ultimate, with a logical process for selecting which options remain on or off until changed by the user; and which options go with the user versus the vehicle class versus the specific vehicle versus the track versus universal. Forcing a track reload due to certain user selections is preferable to backing out of menus and wandering around aimlessly trying to remember, e.g., which level of menu/screen adjusts the weather for the track (since it is not on the screen where you apply your track selection).
But back to the topic: Does anyone here think there is any situation where we would want the AI to use the "wrong" set-up package--wrong being not the one we are using? Unless I am missing something, this whole AI Set-up issue should be buried. The AI use the same as the user. However, it may be worth trying to automate the user's selection of set-up package. Why would I want to have to pick the set-up package when only a moron would try to drive an oval car on a road course or vice versa? So it should either be triggered automatically by a track type categorization (which would be required and cause all existing and future tracks to support that flag), or, it should be a set-once-and-forget option that becomes part of the car and track selection process. Embedding it in the track could be useful because there would be other situations where the same automation would be appreciated, like asphalt versus gravel versus mud versus snow rallies. The default is automatic because again, if someone wants to use tarmac tires on a snow rally, they should be the ones who have to wade through a menu to figure out how to change that, not inconvenience the 99.9% who want to use the sensible setting. But every track would have to be altered I presume, which could orphan many existing abandoned modder tracks. The set-once-and-forget option could be useful IF the entire UI was redesigned to support the type of structure Coanda describes above. Much more techie, but ultimately allowing greater control by the user. But unless the UI will remember the settings, it becomes a tedious nightmare to remember and reset myriad settings every time you just want to hop in a car and track combo that you may have last used a few weeks ago. The settings should be the same as what you previously used unless you specifically want to change them. And some sort of save profile is essential if there are so many choices. This doesn't orphan any tracks and permits new options like rally tire choice to be added more easily as we go, but we've waiting how long for even the tiniest improvement to the current mess of a UI?
Thank you Marc for the support Let me add that it would be neat to have this type of option in addition and not to be the sole way of driving the UI. Some people would obviously find this tedious. Currently I find the UI a little all over the place and lacking some functionally. Some additional functionality can be driven through underlying files however not all and not every user is aware of them. There are also some tidy UI mods however they just mimic the current functionality in a sexier way. Why close doors when they do not be.. What somewhat bugs me more are the little things. Why do I have troll through the ever growing ALL_TRACKS_AND_CARS_10 file to figure out what particular vehicle number I drove a month or so back as this vehicle had my altered seat, mirrors & steering settings. A little option to assign my favourite vehicles to my garage would be rather handy. How would this work if you had multiple opponents and were trying force upgrade packages for each opponent? I havn't tested this, can this be done today with the new AI button? Can I force the DW12 to run Oval, the F3.5 to run Low DF whilst I drive the Marussia? I think this is where it will get tricky for upgrades like roll centre adjustments etc.. How would the track maker embed all these combinations plus what would happen when a new mod is released with a new upgrade option. I'm all for automation however I still would like the control as I am sure it will screw it up at some stage.
My thought was related only to the DW12 that has different set-up packages, like rally cars do for their different type of set-ups (with the same basic car). Would I ever want my AI opponents to use the wrong tire and ride height package in a rally? Only if I was a pathetic cheater and thought it might be fun for me to race with snow tires in the snow while the AI was stuck using slicks. Would I ever want to race the Indy cars while they had a mismatched set-up package? Can't think of any examples of this? If you are talking about down-force options, I think those are different. That's a personal choice of the driver or team for strategic reasons. It isn't a mandatory selection that would get you kicked out of the race if you tried to not go with the proper selection. It gets very complicated how to implement a range of downforce options for AI. I am sure you wil think of something In the meantime, it should also automatically apply the user's selection to the AI as a default.
Oh right I'm with you now I do use the FavoriteAndFixedSetups.gal file (as I am not a pathetic cheat ) however I have some issues with the AI not selected the right tyre option.
Yes, i think this simple solution is also the best. My example with the unrestricted SC dirving against restricted AI might be funny to try a few laps, but actually it doesen't make much sense.
I may have misunderstood some of this issue, so apologies if this post seems daft... I haven't tried the unstable yet, I'm downloading now, but my connection is pants, so it will be a while before I can test. But what about for the different downforce packages on the Formula Renault 3.5? Are they forced to use specific packages for a given track IRL? Weren't the roll centre adjustments in the upgrades menu for the older car too? Also, although not especially important... what about the interior trim/wheel options on the Panoz? As I understand it the AI are going to be forced to use whatever the upgrade options the user selects.
I am suggesting that. Unless ISI responds here or we see it in the release notes, I wouldn't assume it is happening.
