Right here goes, firstly I don't expect most/all of the following to be implemented into RF2 but it would be good if gradually (through future patches) the AI gets a good look....also not to mention I have no clue what the RF2 AI is like so the following maybe irrelevant but you get the idea!
More in-game options:
In rF1 its all well and good having multiple files to adjust but for the casual gamer that's no good, they want to be able to jump into a race without spending hours (and yes Ive spent hours!) tweaking the AI here there and everywhere, the main in-game options should be:
- Compulsory Pit Stops = This forces the AI to Pit, maybe make it a slider bar so you can have as many pit stops as required/whether its fuel + tires or Fuel only etc This prevents the need to whack up Fuel Usage/Tire Wear to big amounts just to get the AI to pit which I see as a downside.
- Aggression, Speed, Strength, Difficulty & Mistakes Sliders = Offers more scope to get the AI just right (again without the need of editing the talent files, this can be left to the hardcore editor types!)
- Use Players Setup = Again a simple tick-box would suffice (add to this the best AI drivers get more from the setup than the worst according to Talent Files so not every AI is identical)
- Ability to select an AI driver to partner you in an Endurance event = Select from a list of drivers, again referring to maybe their Talent Files to find a decent match to yourself, this prevents getting a bog standard AI driver who (in my experience in rF) is rubbish!
- Slider bar or something to tell the AI when to pit in a given stint during an Endurance Race = Instead of them running the fuel dry or tires to maximum worn you can tell them when to come in. Could also have an in-game button to order them into the pits should you notice a decent time to take over from them.
In Race advancements:
- More awareness Blue Flags
- More awareness of on coming traffic (especially when rejoining the track)
- Better collision detection = this is in relation to the AI driving up your rear end and not braking in time. Also to the AI when alongside you they lean into you half a car length down and magically force their way in front of you.
- More realistic Mistakes
AI Learning:
If this is still present in RF2 I'd like to see a tick-box before a test session to select which AI to use, so if you have a MOD with various car types you can select one from each type and they can all go out at once. This prevents having to ADD AI then REMOVE AI over and over again. Again this helps with the speed up of play for the casual gamer who wants to race them on a track he/she has just downloaded. It also goes without saying they need to learn the track in all weather conditions
Maye have the AI use the Players Ghost Car lap to use for their correct line.
The AI in Rf1 was good but could've been better, sure its difficult to get AI working with all MODs, but even the stock AI with stock cars/tracks it could've done with abit of loving. Certainly a base AI section for Modders is a must IMO, this would help them get the AI to work with their cars instead of the Player having to delve through the ini/talent files in order to get the AI working just right......which can help dramatically but its a huge amount of time depending on the MOD. Personally I've had some of my best AI races in V8Factor but that's after spending hours tweaking bits here and there and even then its not perfect but it is alot better than it was....and certainly alot of fun!
I do hope, if anything, that we the community can help make AI racing better, remembering that not everyone likes to race online or may even want to race online. I love both and hope RF2s AI is heading in the right direction for those days I just wanna jump into the game and have a run around without having to wait in Matchmaker for a session to end only to find I've not got the latest version blah blah blah
On-line racing maybe the now & the future....but AI Racing is there for everyone all of the time!
(P.S. that's most but not all of what I'm thinking, pretty sure Ive missed a few things!)
