rFactor 2 hotfix released with major AI updates

We’ve got a new rFactor 2 hotfix to note, published as the Q2 Build Update Released 20/7/23. The release is mainly focused on AI improvements. Build numbers listed are 11731633 for the game and 11731638 for the server.

What changed

Features

New hotfix release centered on AI improvements.
Build: 11731633.
Server: 11731638.

Cars

Fixed cars rolling over.
Added AI behavior to better handle understeer and oversteer.
AI now only leave the track if pushed off, instead of entering the grass to preserve safety distance.
Fixed an issue where AI could refuse to pit if another car had already requested a stop, which could leave them out of fuel in qualifying.
Fixed AI shaking, getting confused while overtaking, falling back, or crashing.
Fixed cars running off the racing line or into walls for a few seconds after a spin.
AI no longer misread player deceleration or direction changes as acceleration, reducing rear-end contact with the player.
Fixed waypoint lap distance inaccuracies that could disable AI braking, especially near pits.
Improved obstacle evasion around out-of-control cars.
Added an AI emergency state so they can overdrive the car if needed to avoid walls or obstacles.
Improved safety car physics in wet conditions.
Fixed AI instantly moving off line and spinning when other cars were nearby; they now change lines more efficiently.
Known issue: AI can still occasionally fail to move off the racing line if they meet an obstacle mid-corner.

Fixes

Fixed various AI limit issues.
AI no longer ignore walls when trying to overtake.
Fixed AI sometimes not braking enough for pit boxes.
Added a ModDev warning when pit boxes have no waypoints and are inaccessible to AI.
AI no longer lift in corners under blue flags; they remain predictable and follow multiclass rules.
Various AI pedal input fixes and improved draft behavior.
“Finish Session” and “Next Session” now properly simulate the remainder of the session; skipping qualifying should still produce a reasonable grid.

Tracks

AI will not deliberately leave the track to overtake.
AI no longer move off the racing line into the middle of the track under blue flags, which had caused traffic jams.

Physics

Fixed AI attempting overtakes when they could not leave their line without crashing.

For league ops, we should rerun any AI-assisted race control, multiclass, safety car, and qualifying-skip workflows before the next event.

From the changelog

Structured change list parsed from the official notes.

features

Hello everyone, we have a new hotfix release. This release focuses mainly on AI improvements.
Build: 11731633
Server: 11731638
Change log:

cars

* Fixed cars rolling over
* Introduced behaviour to deal with understeer and oversteer
- AI only leave the track if they get pushed off, rather than going into the grass to keep their safety distance to other cars
* Fixed an issue where cars would refuse to pit because other cars already requested a pit stop, causing them to run out of fuel in Qualifying
* Fixed AI randomly starting to shake and getting confused when overtaking another car, falling back or crashing
* Fixed cars running off the racing line and sometimes even into walls for a few seconds after spinning
* AI no longer incorrectly interpret player car’s deceleration and change of direction as acceleration - This fixes AI cars rear ending the player
* Fixed waypoint lapdist inaccuracies completely disabling AI braking, causing cars to run flat out into walls especially in or near the pits
* Fixed various issues with obstacle evasion, improving AI behaviour around cars out of control. Known issue: AI still occasionally fail to move off the racing line if they encounter an obstacle on the racing line mid-corner
* Added emergency state for AI allowing them to overdrive the car if necessary to avoid hitting walls or obstacles
* Improved safety car physics in wet conditions
* Fixed AI moving off their lines instantly, causing them to spin frequently if other cars are around - This fixes their behaviour to change lines just enough to get to where they need to be as efficiently as possible

fixes

* Fixed various issues related to AI limits:
- AI no longer ignore walls to attempt an overtake
* Fixed AI sometimes not braking enough for their pit boxes
* Added a warning to moddev when pit boxes don’t have waypoints, making them inaccessible to AI
* In addition to the previous fix, AI no longer lift off in corners when shown the blue flag - They will not fight back and stay predictable, following multiclass rules
* Various fixes and improvements for AI pedal inputs, including improved draft behaviour
* Fixed “Finish Session” and “Next Session” to actually finish the session, simulating the rest of it. When the player chooses to skip Qualifying, this will still ensure a reasonable starting grid

tracks

- AI won’t deliberately leave the track anymore to overtake
* AI no longer move off the racing line into the middle of the track when shown blue flags, which caused traffic jams

physics

* Fixed AI attempting to overtake when the laws of physics would not allow them to leave their line without crashing