Thanks for the race guys. Despite a lack of pace i still enjoyed the race and I know there were a lot of complaints against the AI but in all honesty I had quite a lot of fun with them
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Once I was in the lobby I sat waiting for the session to start only to realise after a while that it had already started so by the time I got in there were only 5 minutes of practice left
. Quali I just went out to try to build some rhythm for the race and never got below the 1:02's which was disappointing having hit the 1:00's in my one practice last night. So back of the grid for me with a field full of AI ahead to negotiate.
Started pretty well and found my way past 3 or 4 of them and then past Eric as he went off to the left on the run down to turn 2. Over the next few laps I followed closely behind a few more before picking my way past and up into around 6th place. Had a real struggle to get past the next one, did it once but then made a little mistake and he was back past and then Michael was up with me and squeezed through before Eric also closed up and got through after turn 1 when I went too deep trying to make sure I gave him room on the inside. I kept close for a while but then with the left front starting to struggle I decided to ease off to ensure the tyres lasted to the end. The car behind me harried me for a lot of laps but I held him at bay before I then enjoyed a bit of a tussle with Nic once he got past the AI behind me but just managed to keep a tight enough line to hold onto my place.
Lack of seat time always tells for me and my pace was someway off especially as the race went on. I hadn't done more than a ten lap stint prior to the race and the default setup with just a few tyre pressure tweaks didn't really cut it but it was still a lot of fun out there. Looking forward to the next one
I quite enjoyed that race too, despite being knocked around a bit in the opening few laps. Turn out I had more trouble with the A.I. too, but nothing that was either blatant (they race hard, granted) or done recklessly. They seemed to only react to either my playing rough with them or pull moves that I have seen from humans countless times. In fact, without them, the race would have been boring. The A.I are generally predictable and very manageable if you are not overly aggressive with them (just like real drivers). Peter, I believe these A.I. are not only the best out there, except for maybe F1, but beyond what I expected in little quirks, like seemingly taking revenge if you knock one around, being fairly consistent in their lines and racing you clean (as much as a computer can these days), and...not being immune to mistakes, whether that be to your advantage or detriment. Sorry to hear you do not want to run with them, Nic, but I respect it. It's your experience that counts, and I hope you can find a good one somewhere. However, running less than six simply turns a "race" into a glorified qualifying session, advantaging the faster drivers. Even six is pushing it, when you have very good A.I. to
lean on.
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The first lap was adventurous, as the 86 BMW pushed me (no, *moved* me) aside after cutting a corner in order to do so. O.K. then, I have a memory too. lol. Same lap, the 52 Mustang ran me wide in the last corner (debatable, but bold move, nice! lol), spun and I was T-boned by the 91 Aston. We were both in the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought the worst, but no flashing lights, and off I went. My own stupid mistake on lap three ran me wide at turn 1 1/2 and the rest is history. Lonely running for a while, but generally it was very polite A.I. from there. So I decided to pit. Now THAT brought the adventure back. lol.
Good lap times in general for me, I think, because I was able to run with the leaders, so that was something. Then a clean dice with Eric ended up going back and forth until I spun and he took advantage. Nice one, Eric.
After that it was fun to notice the A.I. making the same dumb mistakes I did, such as running into a corner too deep, etc. Unfortunately, I was already well behind.
After that more A.I., who I cannot tell from humans. They raced fair, and held their line when possible, but in no way made it easy for me to pass unless I forced myself past a bit too firmly. Since F1 2013, I take all the name-tags off the cars so I don't know. I just don't like the tags imposing on my SIM world. Please note: While this is not for everyone,
ALL drivers should have a look back (at the very least) button mapped and, preferably, look right and left. Being considerate to other drivers and A.I. requires being aware of where they are, and this does not just mean looking back (which is useful in the most critical of times), but knowing where they are as they try to pass you or you try to pass them. Real racing is not a tunnel vision experience. That's why people have three monitors as an *upgrade*.
Here is my race from twitch:
