I have a feature suggestion considering the thread about AI controls: https://www.lfs.net/forum/post/2114646

It would be a nice complementary feature if we could cast ray(s) using InSim packets into touchable surfaces in the game to measure distance and/or test for a hit from a point and a vector. Programmers could use this data for machine learning algorithms, simulating parking sensors, or simulating emergency braking.

Programmer Info, LYT format, NOTE3: "The ground check is performed with a test ray starting from 2 meters above Zbyte"

When we reset our vehicle, casting operation apparently skips the vehicles underneath and hits the ground instead. Either track surface or layout object. This being called a "ground check" tells me that it excludes vehicles. Whereas, for example, tyre physics do take into account vehicle hitboxes as well.

If it is not tedious to implement, it would be nice to have an option to specify what kind of surfaces the ray can intersect with: track, layout, vehicle, etc. For example, an emergency braking system might only trigger on vehicles (radar, metal surfaces), while parking sensors would trigger on any surface (sonar, sound waves would reflect off of any surface).

I'll eventually go with the CNN approach.
Harder but definitely cooler way to get orientation around the environment.

Quote from MizzMaster :

I have a feature suggestion considering the thread about AI controls...

And, why exactly is this necessary in a racing simulation?

Quote from Pukyy :

And, why exactly is this necessary in a racing simulation?

Definitely not necessary, but "it would be nice.". Although the game is being branded as a racing simulator, one must realise that there is a great amount of players interested in the cruise/freeroam part of the game. Simply take a look at the server list.

My personal opinion is that features like this let the community come up with new tools, which makes the game more entertaining. More fun > more playtime > more activity > more people possibly buying the game because their friends are playing, etc. I don't know what kind of perspective you guys have, but I don't think these additions would damage the racing aspect or the community of the game. If I tried to join races with my little to no skill when I first started, I would get punished for my incompetence. For starters, cruise servers are a safe haven compared to racing servers, where people can at least learn to drive and get going. Not everyone is born a driver.

I believe such features would help the racing community grow as well in the long run.

Quote from MizzMaster :

Definitely not necessary, but "it would be nice.". Although the game is being...

It does impact the racing side of the game, as the updates that we find necessary are taking a longer time because of the focus on the cruise side of the game. I think most of the community would like Scawen to focus on tyre physics, graphics update and similar, and not parking sensors

Quote from Pukyy :

...as the updates that we find necessary are taking a longer time because of the focus on the cruise side of the game...

Total speculation and in fact complete rubbish.

People are free to suggest what they want and I will choose what I do and how to manage my time.

If other people will be deciding what I do I might as well go and get a job as a programmer and earn 5 times the salary.

I'd be grateful if community members wouldn't try to be self appointed LFS project managers.

I did one afternoon's work and a morning fixing it, on something that people have been waiting for, for longer than people have been waiting for tyre physics. This had no bearing at all on the completion of the tyre physics. Please avoid making up rubbish and allow people to make sensible suggestions if they wish to.

Quote from Pukyy :

It does impact the racing side of the game, as the updates that we find...

It's crazy to me how many people avoid the discussion that cruising and free roam is still by far the most popular thing in LFS nowadays besides the weekly racing events. It's highly disregarding and creates useless disparity between the communities which have built and kept this game alive. A ray system would benefit the racing community as well. Given that now we have the possibility to build custom AI's, it would be highly beneficial for all play-styles, as it can relay the focus of better AI building towards the community, and alleviate this subject from the developer(s) themselves.