There was an announcement recently that the one of latest updates included "Fix for AI running into the back of other vehicles", which does indeed appear to have been effective. However, I'm regularly getting heavily side-swiped by the AI as I pass them or they pass me, resulting in me (and only me) being punted off the track in a race-ending (because I quit in frustration) heap. I'm not sure if this is just the AI making its way to its preferred line and not being aware of me, or if it's one of those annoying AI traits, such as when, after they spin, if you're trying to pass them, they often reverse across the track at full speed to block you - someone on here said they think it's the AI's "blocking" mechanism playing out in inappropriate situations, which makes sense. Anyway, the side-swipes have become something of a recurring theme and growing irritation. I'm not sure how to make videos of it to demonstrate but I'd be interested to know if others are having a similar frustration with it, or if there's anything that can be done to mitigate.
Sounds like the AI is changing lines, from fastest to block or back. If the fastest runs for example on the right side of the track and the block on the left side, you will maybe see a big swipe across the track.
From memory, my impression is that it's tended to happen as we approach corners, which is why I wondered if it could be examples of the AI blocking mechanics gone wrong. The two most recent examples yesterday were when I was slightly ahead, so if the AI was moving to block, it was completely inappropriate because it wasn't ahead of me. One was coming down the hill at Toban to the sharp right-hander at the bottom (T5?) - I was on the outside and slightly ahead of an AI car on the inside. I was holding my line (no squeezing the AI) and suddenly bang, it swerved to its left and smashed me off. It was Jason Plato in a BTCC car, so arguably a perfect representation of reality . A couple of races later at Guapore, on the short straight exiting T1 and approaching T2, again me on the outside and slightly ahead of an underlapping AI car on the inside. Again, I was holding my wide line (not squeezing the AI at all) and a sudden swerve to the left by the AI smashed me off. I think that was in the Tatuus F4. Pretty sure I've had it multiple times at Thruxton, including the initial section (from T1 to the complex) and also the heavy braking zone into the final chicane - various cars, including GT3s and BTCCs.
This can usually be fixed by adjusting the collision mesh in the vehicles you are driving. This is defined in a file xxxx_coll.dds in your GMT or MAP files in your car set. It may be set too narrow for your cars OR may not be defined at all in which case rfactor makes one up depending on your car shape.
I have noticed the AI seem MUCH more willing to drive to extremes of their corridors with later updates. I am having to go back to tracks and adjust corridors almost everywhere and actually bring them in further than what I think I should to stop the behavior. It is possible this is a symptom of the same problem where AI drives outside of their actual lanes.
