Dave created the Oval Converter to provide conversions for some of the
tracks for which it isn't possible to do AI. That's why David called it
a "VROC Special", since the only way you can really race with other cars
on these tracks is to race with another human in multiplayer mode.
The problem is that GPL's AI doesn't handle steep banking well. As the
download goes up, the AI tend to get erratic and crash a lot. As a
result, it's almost impossible to create usable AI files for steeply
banked tracks like Darlington and Talladega, and even relatively
moderately banked ones like Michigan.
You'll notice that even on the original Papyrus tracks for GPL, in
places where the banking gets steep (the last turn at Mexico and Abbey
at Silverstone, for example) the AI tend to go slower than human
drivers. I suspect that Papyrus had to slow down the AI in these places
a bit to keep them on the track.
After a lot of experimenting with setups, I believe that the problem is
related to spring rates and ride heights. I think (I don't know this
for sure) that the AI cars operate on a fixed spring rate and ride
height. In other words, I believe their setups don't vary from track to
track. They just use a generic setup for all tracks. This works fine
when download is within the range experienced on most road courses, but
when it gets too high, the AI cars bottom. They then become
uncontrollable, and tend to crash.
OTOH, I suspect that someone could create AI files for Pikes Peak,
because its banking is fairly gentle. Dave added this track to the Oval
Converter relatively late in the process, because several of his testers
felt that it would be a good place on which to race, and it would add
variety.
The AI's behavior is largely controlled by the .lp files. Certain
parameters in the track.ini files do affect their speeds (see my GPL FAQ
for details). I believe the stall parameters merely determine where the
cars (both AI and players) pit.
I don't know how to create AI files, but there is a site somewhere with
information about the content of these files. If someone has the desire
to create an AI utility, it's certainly doable. The basic technique is
to convert the velocity and position information from a replay file, but
obviously there's a lot more to it than that.
Note that it is possible to create AI for banked tracks that have
shallower banking (such as Homestead, Loudon, and Phoenix in the Demo
Converter), so if/when Dave releases a Full Converter, I suspect we can
look forward to some more ovals which do have AI that we can race with
offline.
Alison
Alison
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http://eaglewoman.maximumspeed.com
