F1 2018 How much AI are you using?

[NDG]

I am a new F1 game series player. First ever to try this genre. All I ever had from the past are iR, AC, RF2, Automobilista and a Dirt Rally 2 & 3. A few more older titles from PS1, PSP and SHIFT series.

I just thought to ask this question, because I don't know what to expect from this title and the group of people that play this. I use 100 for AC and 95 for RF2 so I fired up 95 for this one, and they are fast! At least for me, and I am no Brendon Leigh so... I've beaten them once at Monza, in the Williams FW25, a known rocket combination in real life. But aside from that, I can't beat them at any other track. I am yet to engage in starting a career, and I want to ask what is everyone using in career mode?

Also the classic cars, how are they classified? I see you can race multi class, with 3 class of cars. I am guessing the newest of the classic cars, which is the Red Bull car is potentially the fastest?

I will want to start career mode eventually, but what I don't like to happen is the AI being too fast and me ending up as the current Williams team, or too slow that I will beat Merc and Ferrari easily using the McLaren car. Ideas and suggestion?

PS. I find it amusing and confusing reading other threads here, and on the steam discussions, people having different issues, while I am running perfectly okay with mediocre hardware.

-Logitech G27
-i5-4690k
-R9-290
-Triple Screen 1080p but I use 720p for high frame rates
-Sim Dashboard

All running fine and dandy, you can ask me here if you have similar hardware!

 

[Justin]

Finding the right AI difficulty is one of the harder things in these games, as there's a number of factors that can change what feels right, especially in career mode. These include:

1: How the car you've picked corresponds to your driving style, and what, if any, setup changes you've made to make the car more to your liking (slow but consistent or fast but potentially unstable?)
2: Your natural pace at a circuit versus the AI pace. Some tracks you'll like more and go quicker at, others you'd rather knock your head against at than spend time at. The AI also seem to like some tracks more than others, something hopefully Codies can optimise in updates.
3: Weather conditions, particularly how good your pace is in the wet compared to dry conditions.
4: The state of your power unit components at a race weekend, and similarly the differences in your R&D development compared to other teams. A focus on aero and chassis instead of engine could mean better pace at some circuits compared to others, and vice versa.
5: Race distance choice and tyre strategies. Longer races probably allow you to go lower on AI as you can't feasibly go flat out and perfect every lap, which is definitely more of a possibility in lower race lengths. Even stuff like your preference of FFB strength can factor into this.
6: Usage of assists, differences in corner cut rule settings, etc.

So yeah, a little more complicated than finding your AI level in most sims!

The best way I feel is to play around with different AI settings in quick races in Grand Prix mode using settings and setups you would most likely use for their respective race in career mode. First of all see what your pace is compared to 100 AI at the track you feel like is your fastest. That setting seems to most closely match the real life times, for most tracks anyway. Anything above 100 has the AI cheat a little, and should only be used if you're really damn good at these games.

Do quick qualifying and race sessions and see where your one lap pace and your race pace are matched against your teammate. Check your times and then, raise or lower the difficulty on the basis that one second = 10 AI. So if you were generally 1.5 secs off your teammate, next test it out at 85, and so forth.

After a bit of trial and error, you will eventually stumble on a setting that works for you. Next try this same process on the track you absolutely hate most or struggle at most of the 21, and you should in theory come out to an AI setting lower than the first, but hopefully by not that much.

From there on, you simply work within that range and this becomes your new difficulty slider. Want a challenge where you at best match your teammate early on and over time, when you become naturally better at the game and install upgrades suited to your liking? Go for the highest AI setting. Want something a little easier that rewards you earlier on without being an absolute cakewalk? Go for the lower setting. A mix of both? Go somewhere in the middle. Running longer races and worried that your pace may slow as the race goes on? Go lower in the range. Feel like you can go max out attack in shorter races ? Go higher in the range. The smaller the range the easier these choices are, which is why a smaller range is desired.

You can also try the process in wet conditions to give you more info to work with in making a decision.

There are also differences in AI logic depending on your teammate, so take into account their real life performance and the AI quality will likely reflect that (Vettel and Hamilton generally being quicker than their teammates for example).

Some people find more success doing this in spec races using the classic cars where the AI seem more normalised, but that does assume you being as quick in them as you are in the 2018 cars, which is no guarantee.

Importantly, do not take into account any times from your teammate in career practice sessions. The AI times do not reflect the state of the track when their times are generated before qualifying (a long known Codies AI quirk), which starts out very green in P1 and eventually grips up by the end of P3. Ideally with the way practice programs are this year, you should get enough points out of the easier tasks to not worry if you can't complete ones that you struggle with, so you won't miss out much. Even then, doing the easier tasks in earlier in the weekend and leaving the ones you struggle with until P3 can help net you resource points. Changing the AI difficulty for practice is a bit of a crutch in the community, which is why a return of changing the difficulty any time you like is so highly requested, but with enough prep it shouldn't be too much of a factor.

 

[NDG]

@Justin
Hey! Thanks for the wall of text! No sarcasm, I like that! Very few people in any forums these days take the time to type that much to include as many info as possible.

I find my lack of pace (sometimes) is also my fault, when everybody else is using supersofts on short 25% races and I have softs. I think I still need to get my head around this title, since I'm not familiar with F1 2017, or previous ones. Navigating the menu is still a pain in the ass for me. I can't honestly understand why a simple mouse function is not available in a PC game released in 2018. I can't seem to make that more head banging! I said PC GAME! (IF anyone from codies is reading) I find it painful changing to the tyres I want, setting up the cars, etc... Again, due to painful menu navigation.

The simulation of other teams behavior is also hard to predict, I mean what strategies are they using, etc, tyres... I think I need to learn to think ahead of time, preparing for each and every session, regardless if it's FP1 only and up to the race itself.

Sample of puzzling situation;
Puzzled at first, and I went as low as 80% AI because Hamilton was beating me(Bottas) by 3 seconds in in FP1 at Melbourne, one of my favorite tracks! Then during qualy, I managed to beat the field by 1.1 seconds and got pole! Could be because we were on different tyres during FP1 and then both went Ultra Softs on Qualy... Anyways I don't think it's a bug, but rather a new user just lost in a new title.

Thanks for shedding some light, I will start a career this weekend, I think I know a thing or two now in this title.

 

[moogleslam]

I've been away from sim racing for maybe 4 years, so I'm either really rusty (actually, I know I'm really rusty), or this game is a lot harder than some of the earlier ones. 4, 5, 6 or so releases ago (F1 2012?), I could make the game as difficult as it could get, and I had a few races where I managed to lap every other car on the track.

In F1 2018, I'm currently at just 65 for the AI in a McLaren on career, and I've only finished 4th at best (which is actually going to make me increase the difficulty, because a McLaren shouldn't be finishing 4th this season!)

No assists and cockpit view.

 

[ArnieX78]

Hello !
so that´s a really good question - and I have some theory about this lap times and AI lap times

but - and I´m here talking about my feelings - I´m not sure if it´s true - so - a litle bit feedback would be helpfull about this "theory"

I think codemasters programmed an "embeded" round time on every single track - what I mean is: I´m a "hobby" go-cart driver (driven all types, 4 stroke, 2 stroke, some 24hour races and sprint races - I know this has nothing to do with the F1, it´s ridiculous, of course, and I think here are some real life racers) - but everybody who´s driving a "race" on a real track (even with a go-cart) knows that you can drive differend lines and have almost the same lap times -
and this is the thing, that I can experience in RFactor2, RaceRoom or Asseto Corsa - but never in F1 series. I think Codemasters has one ideal racingline on the track (e.g. the same thing with this track acclimatization in the career mode -) and if you outside of this "line" your times are going worse, it´s no matter how fast you really are.
that would also explain this strange times on some tracks - because I think AI is also using only this one line - you can see it in the replay - take a look - the AI cars are using in every round nearly exact the same line, but all AI cars - so the round times are generated by the computer according to the deviation of this codemasters "trackline" and has nothing to do how fast you are or the AI is.
so if you want to drive really fast, you have to hit the pre-defined points on the track - breakingpoints, acceleration point etc (to point again on this track acclimatization) of course, you can´t drive somehow on track and be fast - BUT I can drive some corners really fast in the 4th gear - and that´s what I feel (compared also with RFactor 2) - or with less speed in the 3th gear (on this imagine line) and you have better lap times ? HE?

thats the way, I think, how the Codemasters is coding the AI - did you ever see some nervous oversteering cars like in the RFactor 2 ? AI is driving as would all driving helps are enabled - and this is (if you not driving online races) killing all the immersion done by perfect graphics and the "living world" around.
I think the only way how Codemasters is creating this differend lap times by the AI are the differences on the cars itself (a Mercedes is coded faster than a Toro Rosso, that´s clear it is in the real life also), but has nothing to do with the driver "sitting" in the car (of course, probably some adapted values also, I don´t know)
please correct me If I´m talking bull.... and as I said - that are only me personally feelings on the F1 Series - and, I hope, these are not true - because that´s everytime the reason why I give up the F1 Series from Codemasters after few rounds.
What a pity, because there are some really cool features in F1 2018 - absolutly stunnig graphics (with many details), good atmosphere, cool new features (DRS managment etc.)
I´m not a F1 car driver but I think the feedback of the car is much better than in F1 2017 (e.g Force Feedback and the feedback at all)
EDIT: just try a race weekend again - AI is anyway driving constantly the whole time (to much)
AI 95, all helps off - fanatec wheel, 3 x 27" sorround - high end machine no fps lost, but 1,5s behind the AI, except some tracks like SPA, Austria, Monaco...but It could be something with my steering wheel settings - trying again , never give up !!

 

[Williams Forever]

I've been away from sim racing for maybe 4 years, so I'm either really rusty (actually, I know I'm really rusty), or this game is a lot harder than some of the earlier ones. 4, 5, 6 or so releases ago (F1 2012?), I could make the game as difficult as it could get, and I had a few races where I managed to lap every other car on the track.

In F1 2018, I'm currently at just 65 for the AI in a McLaren on career, and I've only finished 4th at best (which is actually going to make me increase the difficulty, because a McLaren shouldn't be finishing 4th this season!)

No assists and cockpit view.

Hi All
I am new to this game, but I need help. I do a time trial at Melbourne in the Williams and do a time of 1.24.53, time was midday and sunny. When I go to career mode same track same car and setup my time is 1.32.11 and AI are aprox 6 seconds ahead I have AI set on 100. Please can you advise.

Thank you in advance.

Ian

 

[moogleslam]

You can't compare Time Trial to Career. In Time Trial your car is fully upgraded, your tires never wear, and you have optimal temps and grip for the entire lap. Additionally, Williams is much slower than the Mercedes. The time discrepancy you described makes perfect sense. You need to reduce the AI level a LOT if you want to be competitive.

 

[Rodriggo]

I started at 100% (cockpit) with Haas but I couldn't even get within 2-3 seconds of 20th in the qualifying program in a midfield car. Other than track acclimatization I couldn't pass any practice programs. Race pace was consistently 3-5 seconds off and I'm not a pro but I know I'm not that bad. I'm experienced, on a good wheel with no assist, hitting the points and apexes all over the track...no idea why I was SO off.

Ended up getting fired from Haas after Paul Ricard, moved to Toro Rosso and lowered the AI to 75 and was putting a 17/18th place car in the top 5 in qualifying.

Moved the AI back up to the lowest "Master" setting which I think is 85. Had me qualifying within 13-17th which I felt was accurate, been there ever since enjoying myself slowly moving up. If I manage a championship at 85 I guess I'll move it up slightly but 100 is alien speed....maybe for maxed out cars?

 

[Williams Forever]

I started at 100% (cockpit) with Haas but I couldn't even get within 2-3 seconds of 20th in the qualifying program in a midfield car. Other than track acclimatization I couldn't pass any practice programs. Race pace was consistently 3-5 seconds off and I'm not a pro but I know I'm not that bad. I'm experienced, on a good wheel with no assist, hitting the points and apexes all over the track...no idea why I was SO off.

Ended up getting fired from Haas after Paul Ricard, moved to Toro Rosso and lowered the AI to 75 and was putting a 17/18th place car in the top 5 in qualifying.

Moved the AI back up to the lowest "Master" setting which I think is 85. Had me qualifying within 13-17th which I felt was accurate, been there ever since enjoying myself slowly moving up. If I manage a championship at 85 I guess I'll move it up slightly but 100 is alien speed....maybe for maxed out cars?

HI, That is the very same thing to me. I will do what you have done. Thank you for your help.