Racing games in which the AI doesn't cheat?

[migo]

I don't think I've played a single racing game where I don't get the impression the AI is cheating in some fashion or other. Usually it's stuff like the other cars/karts/ships always following a perfect path and never falling off the course, to blatantly accelerating to catch up and pass you (Super Mario Kart). I was just reading a review of Forza 2, and it seems even a sim like that does it, I don't quite mind following a perfect path, you'd expect a professional driver to do it, but the reviewer commented that the AI cars didn't follow the same rules as the player car.

So, any racing game where AI opponents are handled like any multiplayer game, except the AI sends inputs to the cars rather than just guiding the car along a path?

 

[Jenova65]

They are all a bunch of cheating artificial b*stards.... That, or I just suck at racing games ;-)

 

[hyperhammy]

This is a really weird question. I played forza 3 and I didn't think the AI cheated.

 

[Da_Schwartz]

Ummm....uhhh...hmmmm..wait..ummm.... ... ... ... nope. I got wait! no..nvm i got nothing. -_-

 

[tomtom94]

F1 06. Yes, it's a simulation of a particular racing series, but the AI is always fair (unless it rains, which you can turn off)
I suppose if you can count it you could try the SSX series as well.

And while Mario Kart Wii may have a couple of flaws, cheating AI isn't really one I've noticed.


I was going to say Lego Racers until I realised the boss characters are almost always faster than you.

 

[phenity]

Every single Need For Speed Game has this. Artificial challenge due to cheating AI. The only series of racing games where I haven't felt this way is Burnout, I think.

 

[MakeLoveNotWar]

Can't say I have either, which sucks because I'd like a fair race for once :|

 

[Dexiro]

The problem doesn't lie in the way the AI controls the car, it's just that racing games use elastic AI to keep the action centered on the player.

The idea is that the player won't end up miles behind or miles infront of everyone. If you're first place the people behind you will go faster to try and catch up, if you're behind they'll go a little slower.

Another way that some games do this is changing the power-ups you obtain depending on your position. People that are last place will always get the best power-ups while you get pretty basic ones while first place.

I honestly can't think of any games that don't do either of those. Wipeout HD seems pretty honest with the AI from what i've seen. On low difficulties the AI will behave normally, but on higher difficulties the AI blatantly cheats, the game doesn't even try to hide it.

 

[zehydra]

Lol what do you mean by cheat?

 

[Thunderhorse31]

If you're a good enough driver in Forza 3 you can actually force the AI to make mistakes, though most of the time they keep a decent line and consistently high speed. It can be annoyingly difficult, but I wouldn't call it cheating.

I mean c'mon, it's a racing sim, in most races drivers generally keep to the same line and drive within the same few mph/kph consistently, it's up to you to do it slightly better. In a real race, there are no blowouts.

 

[Meggiepants]

I would say go for a simulation game. I can't honestly say that I have ever been pissed off at the AI in a game like Gran Turismo. Mostly because if I lose a race, it's obvious that I made a mistake somewhere.

The problem with Sim Racing games that try their best to simulate a real racing experience, is they can be pretty punishing on the front end, and a tad too easy on the back end. Once you've figured out which car you can handle the best, it becomes a bit tedious to complete the game.

This has been my experience anyway.

They are all a bunch of cheating artificial b*stards.... That, or I just suck at racing games ;-)

Nothing feels more refreshing than yelling, "You cheat!!" at the T.V. when you lose a race/fight/level.

 

[ShadowKatt]

The only game I ever had this problem was RC Pro-Am for the NES. Every once in a while the orange car would accelerate to 4x the speed of all other cars on the track. You either had to shoot it every time it tried to pass you(And it could outrun missiles, so you had to catch it from the side) or never catch it again.

That was blatant cheating, and utter bullshit. Once it took off the best you could ever get was silver.

 

[Jenova65]

I would say go for a simulation game. I can't honestly say that I have ever been pissed off at the AI in a game like Gran Turismo. Mostly because if I lose a race, it's obvious that I made a mistake somewhere.

The problem with Sim Racing games that try their best to simulate a real racing experience, is they can be pretty punishing on the front end, and a tad too easy on the back end. Once you've figured out which car you can handle the best, it becomes a bit tedious to complete the game.

This has been my experience anyway.

They are all a bunch of cheating artificial b*stards.... That, or I just suck at racing games ;-)

Nothing feels more refreshing than yelling, "You cheat!!" at the T.V. when you lose a race/fight/level.

Tell me! ''Urgh, honey.............. the game cheated on me again''
''Of course it did dear'' Lol! xxx

 

[CaptainKoala]

All need for speed games cheat. You crash once in a 2 hour race where you had the lead the whole time, and everybody and their dog passes you and you get last place.

 

[Kailat777]

Yeah, in general racing games use an elastic (or 'rubber band', depending on the terminology you've heard) AI so that you can't get a commanding lead on the computer. Supposedly it works in reverse as well, but the loss in speed the computer takes may well be offset by the fact that it makes no mistakes.

Luckily, racing games don't tend to blatantly cheat anymore like, say, Mario Kart on the SNES, wherein Mario and Luigi can turn invincible whenever they want.

 

[TylerC]

I'd say GRID is fair, you'll see people in the lead crash and end up finishing in the middle of the pack, as well as multi-car crashes when turns get tight.

 

[migo]

The problem doesn't lie in the way the AI controls the car, it's just that racing games use elastic AI to keep the action centered on the player.

The idea is that the player won't end up miles behind or miles infront of everyone. If you're first place the people behind you will go faster to try and catch up, if you're behind they'll go a little slower.

Another way that some games do this is changing the power-ups you obtain depending on your position. People that are last place will always get the best power-ups while you get pretty basic ones while first place.

I honestly can't think of any games that don't do either of those. Wipeout HD seems pretty honest with the AI from what i've seen. On low difficulties the AI will behave normally, but on higher difficulties the AI blatantly cheats, the game doesn't even try to hide it.

If this were actually how it works I wouldn't have a problem with it. The problem is I've never played a game that works like this. What always happens is the cars always speed up to keep pace with you if you're in front, and if you're behind after one or two mistakes you might as well just restart the track because you'll never get out of last place.

 

[4484448444844484]

GRID and the other Codemasters games seem fair to me.

 

[migo]

If you're a good enough driver in Forza 3 you can actually force the AI to make mistakes, though most of the time they keep a decent line and consistently high speed. It can be annoyingly difficult, but I wouldn't call it cheating.

I mean c'mon, it's a racing sim, in most races drivers generally keep to the same line and drive within the same few mph/kph consistently, it's up to you to do it slightly better. In a real race, there are no blowouts.

Honestly, I actually don't have a huge issue with it in SIMs, particularly GT2, but what came up with Forza 2 in the review is that the AI drivers don't follow the same physics - the stuff they do is realistically possible, but the way the car does it isn't. It's not a blatant CHEAT, but it still is a little bit of one.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Lol what do you mean by cheat?

Rubber banding, as in when you're leading your foes suddenly gain an uber speed boost and catch up with you, their speed stretching way beyond what their cars normally could. It's awfully blatant in BurnOut and at least several Need for Speed games.

I haven't noticed it much in the Need for Speed: Shift demo though, neither in WipEout.