Misc SHO Competition AI V14

[Shovas]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

A note about an included spreadsheet I use to systematically tune parameters

In the past few releases, if you've looked under \MODS\SHO Competition AI\ you would've found a spreadsheet, "SHO Competition AI Tuning.xlsx".

This is the spreadsheet where I've been putting my tuning for UserData PLR, Talent RCD, Location AIW, Car HDC, and presumably other file parameters in the future.

This is how I go about tuning, usually starting from default values, and I'll increase and decrease the value using a bisection search, which, put over-simply, attempts to hone in a...

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[Shovas]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Release] SHO Competition AI V8

• Continued tuning Location AIW "RaceRatio" to improve AI performance so that their Race performance is more closely related to their Qualifying performance. Previously, AI who qualified better than you acted much worse in a race, resulting in passing too many and not providing good hard battles.
  • All locations are now represented but I still need to tune all track variations. For example, I might have tuned the 2003 version but not the 2004 version, or vice versa, and I...

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[Shovas]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Release] SHO Competition AI V9

Version 9:

• Continued tuning Location AIW "RaceRatio" to improve AI performance so that their Race performance is more closely related to their Qualifying performance. Previously, AI who qualified better than you acted much worse in a race, resulting in passing too many and not providing good hard battles.
  • All locations are represented but not all track variations such as some track years, or National, Short, etc. variations. I'm now working my way through those...

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[Shovas]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Release] SHO Competition AI V10

Version 10:

• Continued tuning Location AIW "RaceRatio" to improve AI performance so that their Race performance is more closely related to their Qualifying performance. Previously, AI who qualified better than you acted much worse in a race, resulting in passing too many and not providing good hard battles.
  • All locations are represented but not all track variations such as some track years, or National, Short, etc. variations. I'm now working my way through those...

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[Shovas]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Release] SHO Competition AI V11

Version 11:

• Continued tuning Location AIW "RaceRatio" to improve AI performance so that their Race performance is more closely related to their Qualifying performance. Previously, AI who qualified better than you acted much worse in a race, resulting in passing too many and not providing good hard battles.
  • All locations are represented but not all track variations such as some track years, or National, Short, etc. variations. I'm now working my way through those...

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[Shovas]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Release] SHO Competition AI V12

Version 12:

- All tracks have now been tuned for more accurate race performance from AI relative to their Qualifying laptimes. It will be MUCH more difficult to keep up and to overtake in order to be more realistic. There is a "fun factor" balance in this tuning. I wasn't 100% realistic, it's still nice to pass a few but it was designed so that you'll eventually hit a wall in passing where AI are just too fast for you, as it is in real-life unless you qualified first.

- Continued tuning...

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[Shovas]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Note] Added a video of a race to demonstrate AI

I uploaded a video and added it to the description to illustrate AI behaviour with the mod. There's only so much persuasion in text

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[Shovas]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Note] Very promising experimenting with Talent RCD Composure

I have always disliked the behaviour of AI to drive faster (more confident) when ahead of you versus drive slower (less confident) when behind you (or, more correctly, once passed). This results in cars behind you falling way too far behind and you can lose that rear pressure that can make real racing so intense.

I finally got around to experimenting with the Talent RCD Composure parameter and it's looking very promising for solving this exact issue.

I wasn't even sure which parameter...

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[Speednut357]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Note] Very promising experimenting with Talent RCD Composure



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I am seeing what you describe in Race07 too. The Ai seems to give up for a short period straight after passing them. They also occasionally slow down in a corner, almost stopping, I presumed the programming was losing its way and needed to reset, but this setting sounds more feasible. I will give this a test.

 

[Shovas]

I am seeing what you describe in Race07 too. The Ai seems to give up for a short period straight after passing them.

Yep that's Composure as far as I can tell and definitely all these old SimBin games are pretty much the same and would be affected similarly.

They also occasionally slow down in a corner, almost stopping, I presumed the programming was losing its way and needed to reset, but this setting sounds more feasible. I will give this a test.

I think this issue is more the AI Brake Power/Grip and AI Corner Grip params rather than Composure. I've had good luck tuning out early/late braking and slow cornering with those params.

 

[fatal4you]

Hey @Shovas just wanted to say thanks for the amazing work you put into making the AI better. Thanks a lot mate and god bless.

 

[Shovas]

Hey @Shovas just wanted to say thanks for the amazing work you put into making the AI better. Thanks a lot mate and god bless.

Thank you, I appreciate that! Still working on more improvements but finding some kinks.

 

[Shovas]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Note] Composure affects performance. Bleh.

My experiments with Composure were spot on and really improved the experience of AI keeping up the pressure from behind.

But I realize now that, in comparison to default Composure, the AI are now more confident, more of the time, and so on average faster: That means it changed AI performance levels not just confidence, and that means having to retune RaceRatio all over again.

I'm still trying to figure out if there's a single calculation that could be applied to all RaceRatio's (like half...

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[Racer63]

I found your work on AI quite recently and was eagerly reading all your notes and experiments. Awesome job for GTR2 and a big thank you for your comminment to this sim, still one of the best to this day.

I'll have to do some testing with non original tracks and some not so common multiclass mods (historicals) and see the result.

 

[Shovas]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Release] SHO Competition AI V13-test1

Version 13-test1:

• [Test Release] This is a test release as testing each track really slows things down. I've modified all track's but haven't tested them all. Hoping if there are still issues that people will point them out.
• [Talent RCD Composure] Increased Composure to ensure AI don't loose too much confidence for too long after being passed. This was resulting in AI falling far too far behind and not providing a good enough race level pressure from behind for the player. AI...

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[fatal4you]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Release] SHO Competition AI V13-test1



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Cool, I'll give it a try.

 

[fatal4you]

Shovas updated SHO Competition AI with a new update entry:

[Release] SHO Competition AI V13-test1



Read the rest of this update entry...

Here's my feedback after 3 Races (6 laps each) in Hockenheim 2004 (AI 120%, aggressiveness fair, no qualifying) with the Porsche 993 gt3 rs.

Pro:
- Cars follow much more closely, gap is 0.3 to 0.7~ish for a couple of laps => I think that's realistic
- Therefore they are there to take advantage when you're making a mistake => also good
- The AI had noticeable less accidents in turn 1 => also good, in V12 they had lost the rear sometimes because of the curb in turn 1.

Neutral:
- I got pushed of the track in the breaking zone. Not sure what I should think about that, on the one hand it's realistic that it would happen, but do I want to experience it? Can they made a bit more careful?

Con:
- I won a race and set the fastest lap. Last place however set the second fastest time and the whole fastest lap order looked random, that was better in V12 (in my memory).

 

[Shovas]

Thank you for all the feedback, I really appreciate that!

Here's my feedback after 3 Races (6 laps each) in Hockenheim 2004 (AI 120%, aggressiveness fair, no qualifying) with the Porsche 993 gt3 rs.

Pro:
- Cars follow much more closely, gap is 0.3 to 0.7~ish for a couple of laps => I think that's realistic
- Therefore they are there to take advantage when you're making a mistake => also good
- The AI had noticeable less accidents in turn 1 => also good, in V12 they had lost the rear sometimes because of the curb in turn 1.

Good to hear. Yes, I hope the Composure change improved something about their abilities, even in T1/L1, although I would've been happy if it was just L2+ since it takes them a while to sort themselves out in L1 and I haven't really been able to solve that completely.

Neutral:
- I got pushed of the track in the breaking zone. Not sure what I should think about that, on the one hand it's realistic that it would happen, but do I want to experience it? Can they made a bit more careful?

Did the car push from behind or was it alongside on the inside?

I think I understand the scenario. I've had similar instances and even done it to AI running on the outside a couple of times But it's been very rare for me.

I think what also may help is the way I behave around the AI. I try not to do anything daring that I wouldn't try with a human. I'll even back out of a corner if I have an AI on the inside and I don't have the grip, as I know I'll go off-track. I'll sometimes back out of an inside pass, as well, as I know it would basically be a dive-bomb.

Con:
- I won a race and set the fastest lap. Last place however set the second fastest time and the whole fastest lap order looked random, that was better in V12 (in my memory).

I've noticed this. I've been able to avoid changing individual Talent's personalities or performance so seeing them belt out record laps is a odd, I agree. I don't think it's something I've changed although I might be wrong.

I'm sure there's a way to tune them somehow to deal with this, though. It just takes getting into each Talent's RCD file.

I'll add it to the plans to remind myself to look into it.

Thanks, again!

 

[fatal4you]

"Did the car push from behind or was it alongside on the inside?"

It was in turn 2 in Hockenheim, I was going a bit left on the curb to make the turning circle wider and the car behind me pushed me a little bit in the back from behind. Is there a setting to make the AI a little bit more daring if it is that close? In that situation if the AI would be a human it would have dived into the corner for an overtake.

But overall it is good, I liked V12 and V13 is even a little bit better.

 

[Shovas]

"Did the car push from behind or was it alongside on the inside?"

It was in turn 2 in Hockenheim, I was going a bit left on the curb to make the turning circle wider and the car behind me pushed me a little bit in the back from behind. Is there a setting to make the AI a little bit more daring if it is that close? In that situation if the AI would be a human it would have dived into the corner for an overtake.

But overall it is good, I liked V12 and V13 is even a little bit better.

You want them more daring? Try increasing AI Realism in the PLR (Aggression) if you're using my PLR values. It also depends on Talent RCD AI personality, though. There are some params in there you might tweak. I haven't quite gotten to that point yet, though.

I have found that for AI who are close to you or better they will find a way around you and might just go for that dive. If they're faster than you they should put up an entertaining fight from behind. Maybe just not obvious moves like dives but then that kind of maneuver might be hard-wired into GTR2.