start your engines

[Dabz]

I'm actually looking forward to having a go of this when its eventually done!

Dabz

[blinkok]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhbUAuz1tFM

[STEVIE G]

I remember reading that Sprint 2 used a vector flow diagram for AI pathfinding, rather than waypoints. Link below.

https://hackaday.com/2016/04/28/forty-year-old-arcade-game-reveals-secrets-of-robot-path-planning/

[RemiD]

I tried to create a racing game in the past, and for the AI, i cheated : i used waypoints recorded when the player drives (previous laps). it was convincing enough...

[Matty]

That's good RemiD.

Ai only needs to fool the player it can play the game.  It doesn't actually need to be intelligent.

[blinkok]

I remember reading that Sprint 2 used a vector flow diagram for AI pathfinding, rather than waypoints

That's amazing. Is that what you use?

[iWasAdam]

Ai only needs to fool the player it can play the game.  It doesn't actually need to be intelligent.

Excellent statement

In design and mechanics you have "it is irrelevant 'how' you did it, just that you did it"
Elegance, speed, optimisations can be added later...

[Steve Elliott]

I remember reading that Sprint 2 used a vector flow diagram for AI pathfinding, rather than waypoints. Link below.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Ai only needs to fool the player it can play the game.  It doesn't actually need to be intelligent.

Yep, very true.  Over engineering your code to cover every scenario is going to be slower and more complicated than it needs to be - just make it simple and efficient for this particular game.

[STEVIE G]

I remember reading that Sprint 2 used a vector flow diagram for AI pathfinding, rather than waypoints

That's amazing. Is that what you use?

Van Tourisimo has an automatic way point system, no manual placement, with speeds calculated based on bends previous and future to the section your in. It also calculated multiple racelines offset from the optimum for variety. The cars could swap between race lines at any point. Polymaniacs used pre calculated vector flow hybrid system with all sorts of weighting for obstacle avoidance.

I agree though - whatever gets the job done is best.

[iWasAdam]

the vector cloud concept is a simple way to get great results - no collision, but it's the fun factor you are wanting

been tweaking (twerking?) and slightly expanded the play area, so I could have crash borders. Also been sorting out collision and avoidance systems, plus secondary waypoints:


AI cars will now try their best to navigate around each other, avoid oil, crash.

Green and grey cars crashed!

[iWasAdam]

hmmm, where next?

[iWasAdam]

Now with classic mode:


Lowered the speed of the AI cars and increased your speed, and suddenly it's got the "flap me sideways' feel. 'Must have another go and beat the shit out of it'

[iWasAdam]

and some nice pixels...

[iWasAdam]

and for something slightly different:


This is the 2600 version.
Chunkier graphics, different gameplay, etc. Cars can go over the edges and reappear on the other side. But still the basic racing game.

Suddenly you can appreciate the skill of the original programmers with 1k of memory, no high level compilers, or resources, etc. 

[Xerra]

You should try doing some of this stuff with TRSE, Adam. Use some conditional compiling triggers and you could be putting these kind of games out on loads of different retro machines, not just the usual OSX/Win/Linux.