A new blog from the developers of Forza Motorsport reveals how the AI and the overall direction of the game is going. The Forza Monthly blog delivers a deep on a new advanced AI and how the tire physics will work in the game. The direction of Forza Motorsport will focus more on the modern racing world. Players can expect modern cars on modern circuits, which has been a bit of a blemish on its competition. Couple that with a large tire physics leap from the previous titles in the series, the realism looks to get amplified with the latest game.
Turn 10 Studios states in the blog that there is a 48x improvement in fire fidelity results that will reward the player based on how the car accelerates, corners and brakes. Previous titles only had a single point of tire contact that moved at 60 cycles per second. This created a problem for curbs and rumble strips along with the potential of tires briefly losing contact with the ground. All of these factors do result in inconsistencies with driving as this allows for an unrealistic loss of traction. The new physics bring eight points of contact to the track surface that runs at 360 cycles per second. This allows for more confident grip and realistic behavior especially on uneven surfaces.
There will also be different tire compounds in the game with production cars having the option for street, performance, race or drag slips along with wet tires. The race tire option gets broken down into soft, medium and hard. Soft will provide the most grip, but lack the longevity as it is ideal for qualifying. The hard lacks the grip, but allows for longer usage. There will also be a vintage tire used for classic cars, so this allows a wide variety of handling models for the nearly 500 cars at launch. In the blog, it was confirmed that drag and drift events will be available at a later date and not at launch.
There are two components to the new advanced AI in Forza motorsport. The simulated AI controller, which controls the throttle, brake and steering inputs, and the other being the driving line. In order to create AI opponents that are as fast as human drivers without any assistance or rubber banding, the team needed to dig deep. A reduction of aggressive driving behavior was needed and the implementation of machine learning for the Drivatar system will all help couple together a better AI. It will pull in the cars, drivers and customizations, but not replicate their driving.
The new AI controller provides a master skill of every possible car and track combination with upgrades and weather conditions included. Improved optimal driving lines with breaking points and entry-exit speeds will have players truly challenged. To accomplish this, the AI drove each track 26,000 times to achieve the fastest line. The AI will use a lot more track and will maximize track limits. The AI won’t be perfect as it will be prone to mistakes and are not scripted. These will be more natural that include late braking or going off the track. The AI can be scaled in the game with the highest level considered “unbeatable”. you may read the full bloghere.
