Tag: iracing artificial intelligence

iRacing 2020 Season 1 Oval Release Notes Highlights with Commentary

~ Jeff Kendrick ~ Leave a comment

iRacing’s 2020 Season 1 build is packed with new features, including an AI soft launch, new track, version 7 tires on more cars, plus a lot more. Here are some highlights:

  • The Skip Barber Formula 2000 (aka the Skippy) has been rebuilt from the ground up. (Yes it’s a road car but a very popular one).
  • Lernerville Speedway (Bad news for the wall riders).
  • NTMv7 Tires added to additional vehicles
  • AI Races – soft launch
  • New Damage Model added to Dallara F3
  • Incident and Penalty Updates (Bad news for the chowder heads).
  • iRacing BETA Interface enhancement

iRacing Beta Interface

Overall

  • Major quality updates on the iRacing beta interface haven been completed. The top menu bar has been compressed. The sidebar menu is collapsible.
  • A light theme has been added, and is now the default theme for the interface. [Editorial Comment: Many years of extensive studies have proven beyond any doubt that it is easier to read text on a monitor (and on paper) when the text is dark and the background is very light. It’s a good move to switch the interface to a light theme, yet give members a choice if they want to ruin their eyes on that black background].
  • Connectivity has been improved.
  • Cookies are now properly created and used.

AI Racing Soft Launch

  • AI racing is available through the iRacing beta interface. This soft launch is a public beta test of iRacing AI. Members will be able to provide feedback to iRacing staff. If you want to try iRacing AI, open the beta interface, click ‘Go Racing,’ then ‘AI Races.’
  • You can jump in and run a single race or create your own season. You can create a customized roster of up to 60 competitors. Randomly generated rosters are available for a quick start.
  • AI is currently only available on the Porsche 911 GT3 and seven road courses.

Hosted Racing

  • Lap count is now shown on the race summary page.
  • You can now add admins to your hosted races in the beta user interface.
  • Do not count caution laps. With this option enabled, laps completed under caution will not be counted. This can only be enabled if automatic full course yellows are also enabled. This will also apply to heat races.
  • Create a race has been reworked for speed and stability.

Unfortunately, iRacing has failed again to fix the GWC bug in heat racing events. This is disappointing.

The iRacing Simulation

Windows 7 SP1

Microsoft will end support for Windows 7 on January 14, 2020 and iRacing will no longer support accessing the member site or running the simulation on Windows 7.

Version Seven Tires

The new tire model will be available on the following oval vehicles:

  • Legends Ford ’34 Coup (ALL)
  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Chevrolet Silverado
  • NASCAR Gander Outdoors Toyota Tundra
  • NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 – 2018
  • NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Ford Mustang
  • NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Toyota Camry
  • NASCAR Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado – 2013
  • Street Stock
  • [Archive] NASCAR Cup Chevrolet SS
  • [Archive] NASCAR Cup Ford Fusion
  • [Archive] NASCAR Nationwide Chevrolet Impala – 2011
  • [Archive] NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevrolet Impala COT – 2013

Incidents

  • Drivers can be penalized for exceeding a set number of racing incidents. Incident information can now be viewed in the F1 black box.
  • All penalties on dirt ovals will be applied post-race.

Cautions

Full course cautions where caution laps do not count has been added to the iRacing simulation.

According to iRacing, the field ordering is determined at the instant the caution flag is thrown. There is no racing back to the caution. The ‘goal’ is the roll back scoring to the last completed green flag lap. I’m not sure if this is merely a ‘goal’ or if it has already been implemented in this build. Further: The leader and all the other cars are reordered according to their most recent order crossing the start/finish line. It starts to sound complicated, but those who have been to many short track races understand exactly how this works.

Cars

Dirt Sprint Cars (all)

The aerodynamic downforce and front tire tread patterns have been adjusted.

Legends Ford ’34 Coupe

  • These cars now roll on new tire model version seven.
  • The shocks have been updated to more recent specifications.
  • The setups have been updated. [Old setups probably won’t work with these cars].

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra

  • These trucks now roll on new tire model version seven.
  • Hood and nose damage have been adjusted.
  • Aerodynamics have been adjusted.
  • The setups have been updated. [Old setups probably won’t work with these trucks].

NASCAR K&N Pro Chevrolet Impala

  • Version seven tire parameters have been adjusted.
  • Nose and hood damage has been adjusted.
  • Aerodynamics have been adjusted.
  • The setups have been updated.

NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 – 2018, Ford Mustang, and Toyota Camry

  • These cars now roll on new tire model version seven.
  • Nose and hood damage has been adjusted.
  • Aerodynamics have been adjusted.
  • The setups have been updated.

Street Stock

  • These cars now roll on new tire model version seven.
  • The setups have been updated.

Tracks

Lernerville Speedway

Lernerville Speedway is now available. This is one of the most popular dirt ovals in America and is loved by many racers and fans. Lernerville Speedway is a four tenths mile clay oval in Saver, Pennsylvania. The track first opened in 1967.

iRacing Confirms AI Soft Launch in 2020 Season 1 Build

~ Jeff Kendrick ~ Leave a comment

iRacing staff has confirmed that a limited, beta version of iRacing AI will be included in the 2020 Season 1 build to be released on Tuesday, December 3. The build will include just one car and seven tracks.

Beginning tomorrow, iRacers will be able to beta test iRacing AI against computer controlled, highly adjustable drivers in two different ways – in championship seasons or in single race events. iRacing’s Artificial Intelligence will be a work in progress for some time. The introductory soft launch in the 2020 Season 1 release will be open to all iRacing members, and will feature the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car and seven road courses, yet to be named. iRacing plans to launch AI for NASCAR Cup cars and more tracks in the future.

iRacing members will be able to create their own rosters of highly customizable drivers with differing skill levels, aggressiveness, reflexes, pitting ability, etc.

iRacing is touting their computer drives as “the most intelligent AI you’ve ever faced.” Individual AI drivers are adjustable as well as the overall skill spread of the AI field.

Full release notes are coming later. Be sure to check back here for the oval release notes and OSR commentary.

iRacing AI and Damage Model Update

~ Jeff Kendrick ~ Leave a comment
iRacing President Tony Gardner
iRacing President Tony Gardner

There was a brief progress update on iRacing’s artificial intelligence and damage modeling posted today in the official iRacing Forums. iRacing president and CFO Tony Gardner had this to say:

AI will not be in this build [2019 Season 2] but we realistically expect it will release this year. We want it to be robust and be proud of it when we release it. Just so much to refine when addressing all the things that happen on track, close racing, starts, pits, race control etc. All those details are what makes it good or not. We are making great progress. There are some very nice options on skill settings, building seasons etc.

Same thing with the damage model. It will not be in this build but we expect this year we will release it. Likely in the back half of the year. We expect it to be better than our current damage model in every way. We will make a separate update post about it today in the forums.

This is disappointing news for those of us who have been looking forward to racing against AI. I don’t think AI will ever supersede racing against real world competitors, but it will be a great practice tool and should have many uses. So we continue to wait until later this year.

On the other hand, the glimmer of hope that we can take away from this post is that there is a better chance that we will see the New Tire Model version 7, aka NTMv7,  roll out on some cars in this build.

iRacing Development Update from Tony Gardner

~ Jeff Kendrick ~ Leave a comment

Tony Gardner posted another iRacing development update this afternoon for those who are curious about what is next in regard to development. I’ll include some of the highlights here.

  • New graphical and physical damage model. This should be released this year but no promises. Let’s hope the crashes get at least a little more realistic, especially in the winged sprint cars.
  • Dynamic time of day including moving clouds and day to night transitions. iRacing is working night and day on day to night transitions. Goal for release: this year.
  • New tire model version. This is a big one! If you whined and cried when iRacing made changes to the Dirt Late Model physics, you better get a new box of Kleenex, snowflake. Let’s hope this includes the dirt cars which still desperately need some kind of change to the tire. Dave Kaemmer will have more information on the new tire model in a few weeks. Goal for release: this year.
  • Continued work on the new interface. It needs a lot of work.
  • SHOCKER: iRacing is working on AI. Gardner says that they are “very far down the road with it.” As you can imagine, this opens a lot of doors. Practicing in an actual race with AI cars before you enter an official race is one of those doors. A more fun and relaxed format is another. The current plan is to offer one-off AI races as well as a career mode in which you can build your own series and schedule. There will be an AI difficulty adjustment. Nothing will ever replace racing against real drivers, but I think this will be great, especially for new members. Even if you don’t want to race AI, the development has helped iRacing with their netcode and prediction code issues and all members will benefit from that. Goal for release: this year.
  • Multiple new tracks for all forms of racing. One oval track [surely Pocono Raceway] is being completely reworked. Dozens of cars are also in the works.

Good stuff here from Tony Gardner. It’s always nice to hear about what is in development at iRacing, and some general release time frame.