So, how do you manage...

[Luminis]

...to avoid the AI cars on tracks like the Nordschleife?

I mean, as much as I like the AI, but with a pack of 16 cars, it's seriously hard to not get caught in an accident of some fashion. I've seriously been having it with those AI cars on my 'Ring. Like, seriously. I've been attempting the 'ring endurance race for three hours now, and I never made it to lap 5 once.

I've tried my best to avoid the cars that were:

• Swerving across the track
• Braking insanely early
• Braking for for no appearent reason
• Sideswiping me
• Rear-ending me
• PIT maneuvering me
• Running me of the track
• Driving slow in general

I also did my best to avoid:

• Magnetic armcos
• Magnetic cars
• Broken suspension after being hit by an AI car in some way
• Rolling road blocks consisting of three to four AI cars

Going fast and pushing hard, I'll run into the AI way too soon and can hardly avoid them. Taking it slowly, I'm giving them a crapload of opporunities to ruin my race.

Seriously, I'm at my wits' end. For the first time, I can't beat an event - can't even finish it.

So, any advise guys?
I was using the works cconverted, tri-rotary swapped RX-7, one of the best and most controlable cars I own, by the way.

 

[Imari]

The first minute or so of the race is very important. I'm not a big fan of restarting races normally, but it helped heaps when I just restarted when something dumb happened in that first minute or so. Mostly because that's when the cars are the most bunched up, and the AI is likely to respond unpredicatably and take you out.

After that...I started treating the AI as a quick but inconsistent RL player. You need to be constantly aware of your position relative to them on the road, and not give them an opportunity to hit you. Drive diagonally behind them in the mirror blind spots so that sudden braking can't harm you. If you're not sure you can get past, don't try, you'll likely just end your race. When you do make a move, make it with force and get past as quick as you can so they can't mess you up by trying to block. Watch them coming up behind you and block early. If they do get a nose beside you, give them plenty of room. Better that they should get past and you retake the position than you get PIT maneuvered. Basically, drive really defensively.

If you can do that, and you can get to the point where you finish the race with only one or two major incidents, then you can start working to bring your speed up while keeping your defensive driving going. But you're almost never going to be driving at 100%, because any crash is probably going to put you out of contention. It's probably going to take you a few full races to get the flow of the whole thing and put everything together. Don't quit if you're near the end of the race and losing though, sometimes the AI does dumb stuff on the last lap and you can make up some places.

Other than that, I dunno. It's hard, but hard in a good way. Definitely doable. I was using GT1 cars to do that one I think, I don't remember which one but I think maybe the Maserati? It probably took me at least 3 or 4 hours to get a result.

Don't give up. The AI are dumb, but if you treat them the same way you'd treat noobs online it helps. Don't give them the opportunity to take you out. If you're really getting frustrated, don't be afraid to take to the grass to get past, just be aware that you're gambling that you're not going to hit a funny bump by doing so.

Good luck.

 

[boxox]

Dude, I have a broken wrist and I did these first go on hard/elite/full damage

Day race - used the Corvette GT3. Night race - used the Porsche GT3RSR. No setup/tuning on either car, but I found I liked the headlights on the RSR much better (they're lower colour temperature). The day race I just gunned as quick through as I could to first and blocked the field, the night race it was me and Milner's M3 ALMS waaaayyyy in front of the entire rest of the field. I let him lead until about halfway through lap 3 and then overtook him (wanted to be careful, GT3RSR wasn't catching him on straights at all). It's a 5 lap race at the ring - you will get chances to overtake if you're patient and don't get too silly. Just don't damage the car.

 

[akyp]

I just cut the track. Autolog be damned.

 

[Starfirebird]

I just stay very very patient.It's the only way i can get through the field.I'm constantly braking,going on throttle, off throttle and patiently waiting to make a pass.

 

[Luminis]

Thanks for the input, guys

The first minute or so of the race is very important. I'm not a big fan of restarting races normally, but it helped heaps when I just restarted when something dumb happened in that first minute or so. Mostly because that's when the cars are the most bunched up, and the AI is likely to respond unpredicatably and take you out.

I guess I'll try that. I usually kept going even if there was a major pileup during the first few turns, might not have been the best idea...

Dude, I have a broken wrist and I did these first go on hard/elite/full damage

Well, yeah, I'm on hard/elote/full damage, too. I've so far never encountered a problem with the AI. It's just the 'Ring that's giving me a headache.

It's a 5 lap race at the ring - you will get chances to overtake if you're patient and don't get too silly. Just don't damage the car.

I just stay very very patient.It's the only way i can get through the field.I'm constantly braking,going on throttle, off throttle and patiently waiting to make a pass.

Maybe I'm just too used to the five minute sprint races (or leading endurance races from lap two onwards to a secure win )

Luckily, my pace isn't a problem - I can outdo the AI justt fine, if I survive long enough. I'll give it another try today, should work out better, as I was pretty much burned out from 12 hours of school and work yesterday

Anyways, thanks for helping out. I might try a few different cars, though... Any recommendations for a GT3 car? The RX-7 is really close in terms of PI, so I was looking the R8 ALMS or maybe the Gallardo GT3...

 

[boxox]

I really like the Corvette GT3 and Porsche GT3RSR without tuning, and the Gallardo GT3 is great with some minor setup modification too. As I see it - the race is "beat tommy milner" - if you're taking something significantly faster or higher PI than the M3 ALMS you're really just making it a lot harder for yourself and filling the field with zondas and upgraded 918s, LFAs, whatever.

As Imari said, the first bit of the race is critical - from memory you start the 1st heat at something like 14th position, and if you're not at least in about 8-6th place by the end of the first lap you've probably missed too many chances. It's important not to get stuck behind the real backmarkers (8+) because eventually they will blow your shot at reaching 1st even in a ~35min race. Second race, no real worries here, you get put at the front of the grid if you finished first.

For night racing I've found it really is a lot easier to let someone else take the lead and hang in 2nd or 3rd until you really need to get a move on (I was perfectly prepared to let milner lead the whole thing but the RSR's default 6th gear ratio was a bit too long to get him at dottinger, and since he'd come 2nd the first race it would have been a draw if anything went wrong trying to get him at the end of lap 5). So much easier if you've got someone elses brake lights and heatlights to go by, especially if you're not racing with the line on. If you're really having trouble it might be worth making sure to take out cars that have a chance of winning - so if you got 2nd/3rd, make sure the cars who got 1st/2nd in the first race run into some mysterious mechanical failure on race 2

 

[Imari]

If you wanted to be dirty, you could go find a really short race, lose at it half a dozen times so that the AI downgrades itself to your new "terrible" level, then go back to the Ring. You'd probably destroy it then, but it wouldn't be a challenge and I wouldn't recommend it unless you're considering stopping playing altogether out of frustration. The feeling when you do actually master the race is very good.

 

[jamiebird]

Go for a slower car - D or C class. The AI drives the slower cars better it seems and accidents are easier to avoid. You can recover quicker and still catch up with the leaders. [forget that last comment if your racing against the boss!]

To be honest I am finding Shift2 a much more realistic and engrossing racer in the slower end cars - once you get into the A class bracket things go manic and unpredictable (which has its place of course!)

 

[///M-Spec]

I haven't played this event yet, but I've found that the safest way around the AI in general is in the braking zone. They will weave around like their steering angle is determined by a random number generator every where on the track but once they're on the brakes, they are fairly predicable. (most of the time)

When you get a run on one, ignore the urge to pass him on the straights. We all know that he may get a wild hair and try to knock you off. Just bide your time.

Plan your passing areas ahead of time. Flugplatz, Aermberg, Bergwerk, etc... sharp turns with preceding big straight sections. Don't even try in places like Wipperman-S unless its super obvious you'll take him.

We should have a thread devoted to AI horror stories...

I'd give anything for a mod where you hit a button and Jean Reno pops out of your sunroof with a rocket launcher and takes out one of those little bastards like in Ronin.


M

 

[Jamesways]

For this series I used a low A Class Corvette Z06- handling upgrades, body kit, no engine upgrades. It has a PI slightly lower than Milner, but like others have said, it keeps the AI PI lower. And it handles really well with a bit of tuning, plenty of grip on the corners and faster than the AI on the straights. You can usually get by all of the AI pretty quick and then the races become you vs. Milner. And it's intense, but fun, 4+ laps of just you and him.

I've heard the Time Attack Scion is good for this too. I tried Mad Mike's RX7, other supercars, and several of the GT3 cars. The GT3 Vette is nice too, but you get some fast AI in there then. The Falken Porsche is another you might want to try, like Boxox said Milner had the advantage in the straights, but you can get him in the turns.

I seriously thought a simple Z06 was the most manageable option.

With these Ring races, it seem the higher the PI/faster the car, the crazier the AI gets. They pull more risky, desperate moves, and lose control easier as a result.

 

[Luminis]

Okay guys, thanks again for the input, I finally did it. Here's how I went about it:

1) Bought the Alpina B6 GT3.
2) Added Terronim-12's tune, which I found at Renown Tuning (gotta thank him later).
3) Noticed how incredibly stable and easy to maneuver that cars is.
4) Drove insanely agressive through the first few turns and was in fourth position when I left Arenberg.
5) Drove even more agressive and passed the guy in first somewhere down the Fuchsröhre.
6) Took an unmolested win, leading from lap one onwards.

The lesson I learned?

Defensive, deshmensive, if there's no AI car left in front you, there's nobody to take you out.

We should have a thread devoted to AI horror stories...

Sounds good to me. The AI drivers should all be named M. Rossi (Forza 3 reference...)

 

[iLex]

Im not going to disagree with any of the above, but I still prefer the suicidal humans over the suicidal robots of another big driving game I'm not going to name here because I will get punished for comparing the two games.


And Luminis, I always forget to tell you: That video in your sig is amazing. You might want to send that to SMS/EA as an idea for some DLC

 

[Luminis]

And Luminis, I always forget to tell you: That video in your sig is amazing. You might want to send that to SMS/EA as an idea for some DLC

Why, thank you

On the other point you made: I do so, too. I actually love Shift 2's Ai, most of the time. When they're spread across the track far enough or there's enough room to avoid accident.
They're just hard to deal with on a track like the 'Ring. Then again, the robots you mentioned were no better... Took you out as well, but weren't fast enough to put up a challenge aside from serving as moving obstacles

 

[FLX1981]

Yeeeeeah classic DTM! In case y' all guys wondering: "Roland lass laufa!" is a greet to Roland Asch, one of the pilots, in swabian dialect, means: "Come on Roland hit it, full throttle!"

And "Verdammt lang her" from the song means "a long time ago" which is unfortunately an adequate description of when DTM stopped being so absolutely incredible...

 

[Luminis]

Yeah, those truely were the 'golden years'. Too bad they're gone and will probably never come back. Safety issues alone would prevent that kind of awesomness from being done today.

Back then, the drivers needed balls of steel, really. Not to discredit any of the modern drivers or anything, but I think that someone like Tommy Millner (so this post isn't completely off-topic ) would probably suffer a heart attack if he was to drive in a race like that