I have LFS for quite some time now, but out of the major sims it's the one I use the least. One of the reasons is the AI driving unrealistically.

While I never raced LFS online, I have terrible things about the public servers. Apparently even worse than Race 07 or rFactor. One reason could be that if the AI drive that bad, new online racers may think that's the way you are supposed to race. This wouldn't be unheard of.
Not long ago, in a league race I came upon a lapped driver while I was in second place and when I tried to pass him on the straight he blocked me, so I went around and he blocked me again. He did that for the entire front straight and the following turns until I dive bombed him and he wrecked while I was able to continue racing.

Later in the forum he called me out for not saying "Sorry". I almost eat him alive. But it turned out he was unaware of the blocking policy and he thought what he did was OK.

Nevertheless, it goes to show that if stuff like that happens in a league, public servers must be hell and if the AI of a game rewards horrible behavior the drivers will learn to drive in that fashion.

If anything, I would like the AI of any sim to try top avoid collisions as much as possible. RL racers do that at all times because they either have to pay for it or deal with those that do.

But yes, I was told that the LFS AI were particularly bad and indeed they are.

See? I told you they had a bad attitude. I probably didn't notice they were giving me the finger because I was driving tin tops

Anyway, believe me, I realize how hard it is to program realistic AI. I am a programmer myself and I have no idea where I would even start to code behaviors like that.

The idea of reducing the skill level seems like a good one, I'll try it later (although today is going to be a big racing day for me at iRacing, maybe tomorrow), but I still think that at the very least they could be coded to try avoid contact with other cars. If nothing else make it random, allowing contact every 5 times or something. That behavior shouldn't be hard because the program knows where every vehicle is and even cheap flash games have that kind of behavior programmed into them with 3 or 4 lines of code (or the opposite one for that matter).

Even i their attempt of avoiding the other cars were clumsy, I think it would mimic better the way a real driver would behave. As it is, in the sim or real race world, no driver would plow into another car that way.

Even with the SR at iRacing we do get the aggressive types once in a while but even they don't quite try to play bumper car like the AIs here and in other games. One thing is to dive bomb into a turn, quite another is to aim for the car with the purpose of rolling it over out of the track.

Anyway, originally I was asking because GTR (or race on, I don't remember) does have a slider to temper the aggressiveness of the AI without really affecting their skill level. I was hoping LFS would have something like that as well.

I could play GTR, but I think the physics are better in LFS and from what I understand, the online racing is certainly better. The few times I raced GTR online it was a massive crashfest and no one found it even a bit disturbing.

Actually, I didn't buy it for the AI racing, but it's one of the reasons. Not so much because it's that much fun or because it's an advanced AI but because they are there. Meaning that with the AI on track you have to find alternate lines, different breaking pits, etc. As much as I try to practice that in hot lapping, there is nothing like having another car in front of you while entering a turn.

I guess to me they are more movable barriers than real racing.

Of course nothing beat racing with other folks online, ad I am looking forward to that in LFS, but as practice the AI are good enough for me. I just wish they did not have a death wish or were totally blind.

I mean, how hard can it be to program
if { car in the middle of the road
where: speed <= 5mph
Then steer the darn wheel }

But GTR/Race on/Race 07 they are just as dumb, so maybe it is hard to program them.

Well, yes, I figured it was cheap enough and there was no point going on with the demo for $40. I usually spend as much before I even get out of bed

I played the faster cars last night and they are pretty nice, Different physics but pretty accurate. As far as finding servers, one race a week would be enough for me, plus an odd race here and there. I get enough races on iRacing already. I just would like a change of page every once in a while.

Actually, one reason I bought LFS is the ability to race with AI drivers, just to get a bit more seat time with other drivers around. In iRacing wedon't get much of that and when you go racing it's often hard to negotiate traffic.

However, the AI racers are very aggressive. I spun out last night and I think every single AI hit my car in succession.

In another instance, most of the cars passed me cleanly (spun out again) except for a black car that absolutely was bent on driving me off the road, and did.

Is there a way to turn down the aggressiveness of the AI? I search but I couldn't find it. maybe in the files somehwere?

I don't mind them being aggressive, but I mind it when the plow into me in a turn and spin me out. I swear they are much worse than the rookies in iRacing at the no SR races.

Thanks guys. I'll see you around.

I am considering buyig LFS, but before I do (or rather spend any time googling around) how is the online racing for LFS?

I have NKpro and I love the Sim, but it seems to be consistently empty except for league racing.

Also, are the online races a crashfest or is there a chance to actually race with mature drivers that do not play demolotion derby as in other sims.

My main sim is iRacing, but I'd like to have an alternative every once in a while. LFS seems very nicely done after playing to the demo.

Thanks.

EDIT: by the way, what about mods, especially in the form of Tracks to race on. The tracks in the demo are nice, but like everyone else I love racing Silverstone, Laguna, Road America, Monza, etc. Are there any tracks available? It's not going to affect my decision, but I am just curious.

Last edited by conticreative, Fri, 5 Nov 2010 06:05.