RaceRoom Racing Experience January Update Released

[Paul Jeffrey]

Sector3 Studios have today deployed a new update to RaceRoom Racing Experience, adding plenty of nice fixes and improvements to the in game AI.

Although we've had one or two hotfix updates already in the new calendar year, today marks the first major build release for RaceRoom Racing Experience in 2018, and the developers appear to have been hard at work over the festive season brining yet more improvements to the multiplayer experience and the all important game AI - rapidly developing into one of the finer examples of artificial intelligence in the sim racing marketplace.

Of course the most prominent news from the latest update will be the release of the Road America circuit (more details HERE), however one shouldn't be too quick to overlook the importance of some of the features in the change log below. Despite the intentions of Sector3 to take a more active approach to online competitions in the years ahead, the Swedish developers are doing a very impressive job of building what is turning out to be a rather impressive AI experience, improving considerably over previous editions back in early 2017 and before, making RaceRoom a very strong contender for one of the most robust single player experiences in sim racing today..


January 2018 Change Log:

• Multiplayer - Garage assignment should now result in a lot less spawning inside several other cars.
• Multiplayer - Fixed for a second time the gear selection that resets on starting grid after everyone is ready (aka “the Franconen bug”)
• Multiplayer - Fixed a case where a close finish between two players with latency (ping) higher than the gap between their cars would result in one of them not registering the race finish and allowed one more lap.
• AI - Further improved spatial awareness
• AI - AI cars now embark varying amount of fuel in practice and qualify sessions.
• AI - Improved their pitstop strategy decisions (starting fuel, number of stops)
• AI - AI drivers now have a random performance factor to avoid having always the same AI’s winning most championships.
• AI - Nordschleife Tourist AI cars finishing a lap now longer remain idle in the parking area.
• Thrustmaster - Updated API version / Added support for leds and automated the fetching of the wheel range
• Removed the Pitstop cancel button if the player is in the pitlane to prevent mistakes.
• Pit menu navigation - “Menu Up” and “Menu Down” commands no longer wrap vertically
• Further improved performance when changing values on the car setup screen.

Sound, Physics & AI:

• Porsche 911 GT3 R - External sounds improvements
• Porsche Cayman GT4 CS - Reduced lift off oversteer (engine braking)
• GTR3 Car class - BOP adjustments. Leaderboards were cleared.
• WTCC 16/17 - More stability in the rear, reduced braking power. Also reduced the domination of Citroen by AI.
• Audi TT cup - AI has been slowed down
• Ford GT1 - Gearbox is now properly marked as sequential
• Saleen S7R - Gearbox is now properly marked as sequential
• Formula RaceRoom 2 - Now has a maximum steerlock
• Zandvoort - AI strength adjusted

Art:

• Chevrolet Daytona Prototype - Fixed a very bright cockpit when looking at a certain LOD level of the car
• Porsche 991 GT3 Cup - Fixed missing labels / texture on the steering wheel

For more from the new Road America release, don't forget to check out our reveal article and exclusive gameplay footage HERE.

RaceRoom Racing Experience is available exclusively to PC on a free to play platform with additional content available at a further cost.

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Have you tried the new update yet? What are your impressions of the latest AI revisions? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Hiro Abe]

Just did a race at Imola in a Porsche and the AI smashed the crap out of me with car jams in chicanes that brought us all to a halt on every lap. I thought this crap only used to happen in PCARS1?

I find this very curious. I've complained about how the AI seemed to have no problem in rear-ending me, often times spinning me or bumping me off track. With the update, I have found this to be virtually eliminated. I did have one bump me from behind but it was my fault and it wasn't hard enough to spin me or push me off track. I'm absolutely loving the update to the AI!! I'm wondering how it can be such a different experience for you.

 

[Hiro Abe]

Oh, and btw - I have done a couple of GT3 races at Imola without incident. I ran a couple at Monza and the AI was pretty well behaved. In one of the races there was an opening lap incident at the first chicane but it didn't bottle neck everything and cleared up fairly quickly.

 

[Steve Bird]

Oh, and btw - I have done a couple of GT3 races at Imola without incident. I ran a couple at Monza and the AI was pretty well behaved. In one of the races there was an opening lap incident at the first chicane but it didn't bottle neck everything and cleared up fairly quickly.

Do you have it in adaptive AI or at a predetermined setting?

 

[UMC 22]

Do you have it in adaptive AI or at a predetermined setting?

That wouldn't affect the AI's ability to drive and avoid crashes, just their overall pace.

It's been shown elsewhere that although the AI can be a bit finicky (before this patch at least), their "mistakes" in ramming human drivers are just as often due to the way that human is driving as they are to poor AI programming. I'm not saying the AI is perfect by any means, but they can't predict human behaviour as well as another human can, nor can they be as prepared for the unexpected.

 

[Hiro Abe]

That wouldn't affect the AI's ability to drive and avoid crashes, just their overall pace.

It's been shown elsewhere that although the AI can be a bit finicky (before this patch at least), their "mistakes" in ramming human drivers are just as often due to the way that human is driving as they are to poor AI programming. I'm not saying the AI is perfect by any means, but they can't predict human behaviour as well as another human can, nor can they be as prepared for the unexpected.

I would argue that it wasn't 50/50 and that I think it is hard to argue there needed to be an adjustment. Thankfully, there has been and I, as stated, am absolutely loving it! Have had some awesome tight racing mid-pack with the AI and they are definitely reacting to my braking into turns and either braking harder to avoid me or changing their line.

o you have it in adaptive AI or at a predetermined setting?

For the record - I always use adaptive.

 

[dave kirk]

I try to race the FX-17 at spa but on the first 2 laps there is one corner where they shunt me from behind nearly every race, and it doesn't matter what AI level are set to

 

[natedogg1867]

I try to race the FX-17 at spa but on the first 2 laps there is one corner where they shunt me from behind nearly every race, and it doesn't matter what AI level are set to

Might be possible to get it looked at if you listed the exact corner and your race settings.

Going off vague info isnt going to see improvements where you would like to see them

 

[Lars Hansen]

Might be possible to get it looked at if you listed the exact corner and your race settings.

Going off vague info isnt going to see improvements where you would like to see them

Probably Pouhon, the AI is very unforgiving in that particular one.
Not so much a question of the AI per se, it's just that if you come barrelling through Pouhon and a slower car appears on the line, there's not a whole helluva lot you can do without spinning yourself off.
One problem with racing the FRX (and the P1s for that matter) is the closing speeds.
When you're running this close to other cars at 300kph the margin for error is exactly zero. Maybe a little less.
I tried doing the FRX at Spa, and I can sorta, kinda make it work. But one mistake, and you'd better pray there's no-one around you.

@natedogg1867 One thing you might want to look at though, is the race- vs. qualy-pace of the FRX. At Spa (AI 103) they qualified in the low 1:44s, and raced in the high 1:47s.
I mean, qualy-fuel and probably softer compounds as well, but still.
3,5 seconds difference is a fair bit.

 

[Steve Worrell]

That wouldn't affect the AI's ability to drive and avoid crashes, just their overall pace.

It's been shown elsewhere that although the AI can be a bit finicky (before this patch at least), their "mistakes" in ramming human drivers are just as often due to the way that human is driving as they are to poor AI programming. I'm not saying the AI is perfect by any means, but they can't predict human behaviour as well as another human can, nor can they be as prepared for the unexpected.

I think it might affect it. When I use aai I always find one or two corners where AI go really slow and bunch up. That is until I have done a session or two and it then smooths out.

Does that make sense?

 

[dave kirk]

Probably Pouhon, the AI is very unforgiving in that particular one.
Not so much a question of the AI per se, it's just that if you come barrelling through Pouhon and a slower car appears on the line, there's not a whole helluva lot you can do without spinning yourself off.
One problem with racing the FRX (and the P1s for that matter) is the closing speeds.
When you're running this close to other cars at 300kph the margin for error is exactly zero. Maybe a little less.
I tried doing the FRX at Spa, and I can sorta, kinda make it work. But one mistake, and you'd better pray there's no-one around you.

@natedogg1867 One thing you might want to look at though, is the race- vs. qualy-pace of the FRX. At Spa (AI 103) they qualified in the low 1:44s, and raced in the high 1:47s.
I mean, qualy-fuel and probably softer compounds as well, but still.
3,5 seconds difference is a fair bit.

Thanks for the reply, I never qualify though, I just run some practice to work out the best AI level, usually between 105% - 115% depending on car/track, then I just race with random grid position. It is the corner after long left hander at the bottom of the hill, The problem is the AI are slowwwww as hell on the first lap, no matter what grid position I start I make up quite a few places on first lap, but when I get to this corner if i brake in my usual position they usually shunt me, only way to avoid it is to brake really late and run a compromised line, once the first lap or so has passed and the field is spaced out it isn't a problem.
On a plus note, GT3 AI runs great, been doing races around Sepang, love it

 

[dave kirk]

I think it might affect it. When I use aai I always find one or two corners where AI go really slow and bunch up. That is until I have done a session or two and it then smooths out.

Does that make sense?

Oh yeah, there are corners on every track where the AI are just slow, typically very slow corners

 

[Lars Hansen]

I think it might affect it. When I use aai I always find one or two corners where AI go really slow and bunch up. That is until I have done a session or two and it then smooths out.

Does that make sense?

Running adaptive doesn't affect the AI overall. All adaptive does is pick an AI level to run at. If the adaptive picks e.g. level 105, it's exactly the same as running a fixed 105 AI, there's no difference.
But there are corners that the AI doesn't do terribly well, chicanes and hairpins especially. So something like La Source can be a bit of a circus, especially when there's traffic around.
It does get better once the grid gets spread out a bit, but the AI will still be pretty slow through hairpins.
When someone like me can outrun 120% AI at Norisring, it's a pretty good indicator of the AI not liking hairpins.

I never qualify though, I just run some practice to work out the best AI level, usually between 105% - 115% depending on car/track, then I just race with random grid position.

That's probably part of your problem, the not qualifying bit.
While the AI does more or less group drivers together in roughly the right place without qualifying, you still end up with slower drivers in odd places.
So until the AI gets all those overtakes sorted, and the grid shakes itself out, you'll have some odd tempos as it tries to overtake.
It's usually worth doing qualy, and this goes for all sims, not just R3E.

It is the corner after long left hander at the bottom of the hill, The problem is the AI are slowwwww as hell on the first lap, no matter what grid position I start I make up quite a few places on first lap, but when I get to this corner if i brake in my usual position they usually shunt me, only way to avoid it is to brake really late and run a compromised line, once the first lap or so has passed and the field is spaced out it isn't a problem

Oh okay, so the first corner of the Le Fagne complex.
Yep, I had problems in that one as well. Until I took a closer look at the line the AI used. It's actually faster.
Granted, for all I know you might be running that deeper line already, in which case the point is rather moot.

But one thing that racing the AI and racing MP has in common is that Lap 1 will always be a little hectic. If, for example, you have an AI behind you as you brake, and he has another AI right behind him, he might not want to stomp on the brakes in case he gets run over.
And the faster the cars get, the more pronounced the problem becomes, if for no other reason than sheer reaction-times.

 

[Andy_J]

Except when the work has been put in by the developer to create better reacting AI. One example Geoff Crammonds GP series especially GP4. The AI in that are hard to tell from human drivers except they don't run into you because of some stupid move or divebomb. They are brilliantly programmed, they actually race you, they avoid you and they defend. I was having a go at a quick race around Brazil last night in GP4 and it still amazes me how good the AI are in that game.

So it can be done but only when it is really wanted or needed. And it was needed because GP4 was aimed at offline users except for the brilliant hotseat and some LAN implementation so it had to have good well programmed AI and we will probably never see the likes of it again due to multiplayer importance.

 

[DND]

... Geoff Crammonds GP series especially GP4...

I have a GP4 CD I tried getting to run on my Windows 10 machine and have had no luck. Can you share your configuration and how to get that sim to work?
I tried running in Admin and also Compatibility Mode but no luck

 

[Steve Worrell]

I have a GP4 CD I tried getting to run on my Windows 10 machine and have had no luck. Can you share your configuration and how to get that sim to work?
I tried running in Admin and also Compatibility Mode but no luck

Can someone locate Geoff Crammond and get him back to work please. I'm begging .

 

[DND]

Can someone locate Geoff Crammond and get him back to work please. I'm begging .

No kidding, right?

I did find this after I posted. Is this still valid or is there an alternate that works as well?

• Install the game. Not in program files, but rather C:/Games/GP4 (or alike), else you might get write protection issues when modding
• Install the official 1.02 patch
• Replace gp4.exe with the no_cd.exe
• Set compability of the gp4.exe to WinXP SP3

edit: apologies for off topic subject

 

[kedy89]

No kidding, right?

I did find this after I posted. Is this still valid or is there an alternate that works as well?

• Install the game. Not in program files, but rather C:/Games/GP4 (or alike), else you might get write protection issues when modding
• Install the official 1.02 patch
• Replace gp4.exe with the no_cd.exe
• Set compability of the gp4.exe to WinXP SP3

edit: apologies for off topic subject

Should work that way

 

[Andy_J]

I have a GP4 CD I tried getting to run on my Windows 10 machine and have had no luck. Can you share your configuration and how to get that sim to work?
I tried running in Admin and also Compatibility Mode but no luck

I'm sorry I can't help you. I am a faithful Windows 7 user and I have no problems with any old sim or game. It's one of the reasons I stuck with it. I'm sure someone has it working somewhere.

 

[Hal Burns]

Yet again they asked actual WTCC drivers to rag around in the sim and they fed back to the devs that the game did not offer enough stability at the rear..... we are finally getting close to sims actually making race cars act like in real life.... we will all see that race cars slipping all over the place like its on ice with plastic wheels is not sim....

Daring to make racing cars grip can then arm the nut jobs with claims of "arcade" or "dumming down"

Finally got around to racing some WTCC again..feels very good, more stable, but still tricky. Nice update, I think.