Improved AI Nodes

  • Download count 3297
  • Pageviews 4554
  • Unique foldername
  • Skin for
  • Track Mod for France
  • Based on
  • Release date 2023-09-20
  • Version from 2023-10-27
  • Version
  • RVW-ID 38113
  • Category
  • Score
    95/100 (12 votes)
  • Unconventional car?
  • Construction
  • Engine
  • Transmission
  • Top speed mph
  • Total weight kg
  • Acceleration m/s²
  • Construction
  • Track difficulty
  • Track length m
  • Reverse version available?
  • Time trial times available?
  • Practice mode star available?
  • Online multiplayer compatible? No

    Please see below for installation details

    "Improved AI Nodes" is designed to increase the difficulty of CPUs by refining the racing line and fixing key areas that cause cars to crash/spin out. Only AI nodes are touched. CPU performance is also dependent on the level of AI parameter optimization, so the overall challenge depends on what cars are the opponents. These new nodes should provide a moderate challenge for even experienced players. Improved nodes are not fully compatible with multiplayer and will tag the track as "CHT"; therefore, please disable this installation before racing online.

    If anybody would like to make modifications to my stock track edits, feel free to do so. Please just notify me of your intent on RVW or through Discord. For custom tracks I have modified, please ask their respective creators for permission.

     

    Original Tracks

    It has taken me approximately three months, but I have finished editing the nodes for all vanilla tracks in the game. Admittedly, these are not perfect nodes given the immense variety in cars from slow to fast, quirky to mundane. Some tracks are simply harder to make "faster" than others due to the use of pickups and the CPU's tendency to place hazards at certain locations. One would need to design nodes specific to car rating to optimize performance at the expense of compatibility.

     

    G_J Tracks

    A total of 6 tracks created by G_J and I_Spy have been edited - Fairground 1 and 2, Home 1 and 2, and Hospital 1 and 2. Unlike with some of my older releases, more effort has been put into making multiple pathing options for the CPU where appropriate. Rooftops 1 is not included due to difficulty obtaining consistent performance across multiple car ratings. I feel it is appropriate to leave Downtown 1 and 2 alone due to (1) their newness and (2) the overall quality of the nodes thanks to the efforts of Kipy.

    This installation contains no backup files.

    ...

    Installation:

    Manual installation recommended for better organization and quick activation/deactivation. See preview images for instructions.

    Installing with the RVGL Launcher will download to your "local" pack folder.

    ...

    Acknowledgements:

    • Rodik has given me permission to revise the nodes for Rooftops.
    • G_J has given me permission to modify the AI nodes in their track releases.

    ...

    Changelog:

    Original Tracks

    • v1.0 - initial release
    • v1.1 - nhood2, muse1, wild_west1 updated. roof added.
    • v1.2 - market 1, market 2, ship 1, ship 2, muse 1 updated. Backup files included in the download. Single download

    G_J Tracks

    • v1.0 - initial release, includes changes for fair 1, fair 2, home 1, home 2, hospital 1, hospital 2

19 comments on “Improved AI Nodes

  1. @Correction

    Hey there. I mainly calibrated nodes to “high performing” vanilla AI (ie Toyeca) which means under performers will still have issues. The intent was to 1) fix problematic stock nodes 2) increase pace consistency for a majority of vehicles tested 3) make the top AI racers faster and 4) increase variation in possible routes.

    Due to the simplicity of the AI settings and the lack of AI tweaking on most cars, actual performance will vary widely. There technically are more routes cars can take, but in practice you may notice oddities like certain cars always or never taking shortcuts, etc depending on their individual AI parameters.

    Pace improvements will be most noticeable without pickups due to the nature of the game.

    2
  2. A good visible difference to the old coordinates is at the corner before the red car:
    Over the pavement goes a new path between lantern and wall edge.
    But in a short test no car uses this way.

    If you switch to MAKEITGOOD mode you can see the different lines.

    1
  3. Thanks, so just unpack into root folder and it unpacks and overwrites automatically just like pretty much any other download. In that case I should have the improved nodes tracks. But did not see a difference. How much harder does this mod make the races? Or is there a way to 100% tell the nodes have been updated? Like do cars take shortcuts at higher odds etc.? I think I noticed them going through the alleyway in nhood1, but that’s narrow and winding, with cars that take that route falling behind, leaving less of a competition.

    I assumed the new nodes give more competition and make it harder to win, not more varied routes taken regardless of route difficulty. That is, if the update applied correctly. But then I did not see them going through the alleyway before. A bit confused still.

    1
  4. Best would be to rename the existing file “nhood1.fan” into something like “nhood1x.fan”.
    After that you put the new file “nhood1.fan” into that nhood1 folder.

    Inside the nhood1 folder are more files which are also named nhood1 because the game looks into the levels folder and reads all these settings data which are named exactly the same.
    If you have Windows you should switch ON the “file name extensions” to see the file functions after the point at each file name.

    2
  5. @Correction,
    no, not at all,
    “The track.fan” is an example. You need to replace the .fan files for each track with the ones you find in improved AI nodes.

    2
  6. @Correction

    If you unpack this normally the AI nodes should be plug and play with no renaming involved, I’ve just checked the foldering and naming and see nothing wrong…

    (Granted you need the “original tracks” zip for your usage case, but point still holds)

    1
  7. Okay so I went into the nhood1 folder and renamed “nhood1.fan” into “the track.fan”. The cars instantly went off the track and started bumping into walls. This can’t be right. Did I misunderstand something?

    0
  8. A bit of help please. I downloaded Original-Tracks.zip and extracted it into the root RVGL folder, overwriting the contents of the “Levels” folder. Is there anything else I need to do? I do not have RVGL Launcher, just regular RVGL, also I do not believe I have a default.txt or anything else in the Packs folder. I find the instructions a bit confusing. Thanks for any help.

    P.S. Just extracting I tried Toys in the Hood 1 but did not notice any difference, the opponents do not take shortcuts, etc. Does not seem to be harder. I feel like I am missing something.

    0
  9. Question – Could you potentially take a look at Airport tracks? Specifically, Airport 1 by Xarc? There’s many areas where a lot of cars in different ratings seem to just spin out. These problems as much as I love the track make me consider removing it from my game, but I still would recommend it to so many people just for the overall quality alone.

    0
  10. You may think that you just improved AI nodes, but for me it feels like you made new tracks! The reason for this is that I only play singleplayer and many of these tracks were boring to play because it was so easy to win. But with these improved AI nodes the AI is really competitive and hard to beat, and when something is challenging, that is fun! I used to play just some of the original tracks, but because of you my sir, now I play every track! There are more really good tracks with bad AI and thats a shame, but I hope you will find time and will to correct the AI and make them competitive because some of the tracks deserve it. (I will make a list of tracks which deserve better AI)

    Thank you for your hard work sir, because of your hard work people like me are having more fun playing this game!
    I hope you will continue improving AI nodes for us, the singleplayer people. 😁

    Tracks that, in my opinion, should have better AI:
    1. Isola Verde Redux
    2. Ranch
    3. Holiday Camp California Edition
    4. Go Play Outside
    5. The Great Silence
    6. Autumn Overpass
    7. Genghis Kastle
    8. Wildland
    9. Santorini
    10. Route 77
    11. Metro-Volt
    12. Casino RV
    13. The Felling Yard
    14. Room 12×16
    15. Subway

    I know this is a lot of work, but I am really sad that tracks with so interensting racing lines and visuals dont have good AI nodes.

    I hope that you can find time to do the AI for, at least, the first two tracks on the list, Isola Verde Redux and Ranch.
    And thank you again. :)

    2
  11. Personally I recommend playing with Arcade collision and Catchup on. It allows for much more close-packed racing than simulation since Re-volt’s AI system is very basic (cars follow the track racing line as best as they could, no situational awareness).

    2
  12. This Track Mod is pretty nice, it also simulate how playing on multiplayer feels like. At first, you may think that this Track Mod will make the gameplay decent but as soon as you install in on your RVGL files this is where it gets real fuckin’ intense. I mean even tho most of the AI at the rear positions of the start crashes as soon as they moves (as usual), the ones infront are litterady uncatchable, they’re litteral god damn rally drivers. Like i litterady can’t be in first position, it’s nearly impossible for me to be it. But to be honest it’s mostly because i need to get better at playing Re-Volt, it’s been a while since i haven’t played Re-Volt. Also if you’re new on Re-Volt and you want to get better at the game you really should install this on your RVGL. It’s less boring and more challenging.

    2
  13. Yes, I’ve been working on them now after getting permision from Xarc. I will be releasing them as a batch like with G_J/I_Spy’s tracks, so it will take a while. I plan to continue to add other tracks from other creators over time.

    3
  14. Suggestion for adding some of the Xarc’s tracks if you got their permission? (Junkyard tracks, Airport tracks, Game Room tracks and few others)

    0
  15. Maybe rooftops. I will need to check with rodik about it first.

    I pushed the original PC tracks as a pack first due to time constraints in the future; I am unsure if I will have time and energy to make rooftops, and I wanted to release a cumulative pack before I get busier.

    3
  16. I was waiting for you to finish all the tracks so I could play your “Improved AI Nodes” with their cups.
    This pack comes at the right time (-:
    Maybe you should provide a backup folder for the original .fan files in your download.
    Great & Nice work!

    2

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