papy_ai.ini hidden values

[ai_line_mod]

I recently learned about the debug values that can be added to the papy ini file which are HUGE, especially for track creation and tweaking. Are there other values that are known that can be added to the papy ini?

[debug]
tire_wear_calibration_enable = 1
update_mechanical_problems = 1

 

[J.R. Franklin]

So tell us about all of these debug values you found and what exactly does each one do.

 

[Zak103tv]

I recently learned about the debug values that can be added to the papy ini file which are HUGE, especially for track creation and tweaking. Are there other values that are known that can be added to the papy ini?

very interesting

 

[ai_line_mod]

So tell us about all of these debug values you found and what exactly does each one do.

tire_wear_calibration_enable tells you the status of their tires and fuel when the AI pits, along with the reason (eg changing 2 right tires, 1 can of fuel). Most importantly it tells you the number of laps remaining for those values (eg 13.5 gallons left, which the ai can run 40 laps on).

update_mechanical_problems tells you when an ai has a mechanical issue, what it is, and how much "damage" it caused the ai.

I think most folks add these values to the papy ai so they can throw yellows when spectating a race (it adds a chat button to the UI). However, for me, it's useful for dialing in ai tire and fuel use, and also it opens the door to possibly other papy_ai values that could be of enormous help, if anyone knows any!

 

[Zak103tv]

tire_wear_calibration_enable tells you the status of their tires and fuel when the AI pits, along with the reason (eg changing 2 right tires, 1 can of fuel). Most importantly it tells you the number of laps remaining for those values (eg 13.5 gallons left, which the ai can run 40 laps on).

update_mechanical_problems tells you when an ai has a mechanical issue, what it is, and how much "damage" it caused the ai.

I think most folks add these values to the papy ai so they can throw yellows when spectating a race (it adds a chat button to the UI). However, for me, it's useful for dialing in ai tire and fuel use, and also it opens the door to possibly other papy_ai values that could be of enormous help, if anyone knows any!

this is fantastic

 

[Zak103tv]

[debug]
tire_wear_calibration_enable = 1
update_mechanical_problems = 1

so i can just copy the text above anywhere in a track ini and it will work? or is there more to it?

 

[ai_line_mod]

[debug]
tire_wear_calibration_enable = 1
update_mechanical_problems = 1

so i can just copy the text above anywhere in a track ini and it will work? or is there more to it?

into the papy_ai.ini

 

[Zak103tv]

into the papy_ai.ini

alright, do i just paste it at the bottum of the document or just anywhere

 

[ai_line_mod]

alright, do i just paste it at the bottum of the document or just anywhere

I put it at the top, to keep it in "alphabetical" order. However, I'm interested in MORE debug values if anyone has any!!

 

[Zak103tv]

idk if it helps but i found this https://sites.google.com/site/myvracelog/nascar-2003/nascar-2003-editing-ai

 

[Zak103tv]

https://frankbroughton.us/blog/archives/69 also that

 

[ai_line_mod]

After culling through the executable, I don't see other papy_ai values that pop out to me. There is one more for "driver" and maybe one or two for "physics." There's possibly one for "strategy," which seems to be possibly what the game uses to calculate the pit strategy values. It's unclear if these can be determined in the ini. There seems to be some entries for a section called "magic" but I haven't been able to get them to do anything by adding them to the papy ini. They are (possibly incorrect formatting?):

[magic]
disable_random_modifiers =
display_lone_qualifying =
parameter_table_magic_number =

If anyone knows about these, or other debug values, or any other values that the papy ini might take, please let me know.

 

[ai_line_mod]

So tell us about all of these debug values you found and what exactly does each one do.

Also, if you're someone like me, it helps you work on the executable. For example, I believe I've fixed the bug where AI get stuck pitting repeatedly on pit road until the end of the race or until they "retire" (run out of fuel).

 

[Timmy Tom]

I'm curious, how were you able to do that?

 

[Guitarzan]

Have you figured out had to have more than four models?

 

[ai_line_mod]

I'm curious, how were you able to do that?

I found that the infinite pit sequence occurs occasionally when AI bail on pits with the pacecar approaching (AIPIT HALT message). Looking in the exe for where that message is produced tells me where the game is making that calculation. I'm still working on it, but I can avoid the issue entirely if I skip a series of "jumps" (assembly for likely things like if, while, for, etc. statements), however I'm looking more closely at a series of compares and tests to see if changing some of those values gets better results. Right now for example it seems like the AI are TOO eager to pit if they get any damage. Before, they would decide if the damage was enough before pitting. So, it's a wip.

 

[ai_line_mod]

Have you figured out had to have more than four models?

I've seen where the game looks for the four existing models, but I haven't looked into it. I'm more interested in fixing bugs and other annoyances before "adding" any features or modernizing the game.

 

[Mystical]

Yes those are known values for awhile now. It also allows you to use chat in offline mode which you can give laps back to AI, black flag them, random cautions, etc etc, essentially online admin options (minus banning/kicking drivers)

I made a UI mod to move the offline chat button over as well when you have the papy ai lines enabled: https://adracingdesigns.com/downloads-ui-misc-offline-chat-button-adjustment/

 

[fortine_oo]

Also, if you're someone like me, it helps you work on the executable. For example, I believe I've fixed the bug where AI get stuck pitting repeatedly on pit road until the end of the race or until they "retire" (run out of fuel).

Keeping ai from incurring pit penalties is accomplished by proper track.ini values, ptf subsurface designations, and pit lp's locations.


Pitroad, Pitstalls, and Pit lp's HOW TO

 

[Cynon]

I recently learned about the debug values that can be added to the papy ini file which are HUGE, especially for track creation and tweaking. Are there other values that are known that can be added to the papy ini?

Oh yeah, I've been using those lines for ... quite some time.

There's also these; I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be in papy_ai, and I don't know what the default values or limitations are, and if I did know at one point, I forgot. Most of this stuff in this thread has been known about for awhile, but seeing it written down somewhere is helpful.

[ strategy ]

lose_lap_to_caution_risk_factor = 0.0 ; I disabled this one.
caution_pitting_cost_base = 17.5
caution_pitting_cost_increase_per_lap = 15.0
caution_pitting_cost_per_extra_stop = 70.0 ; I honestly have no idea why I set this to 70.
fuel_risk_factor = 3.0
fuel_stupidity_factor = 3.5
tire_wear_risk_factor = 0.5
tire_wear_stupidity_factor = 1.5

Sidenote; if any lps for any tracks I release look a little bit on the conservative side, it's because I tend to run with AI brake wear on -- and with that set to around 0.2-0.6 ... and fam, that creates all sorts of chaos pretty fast. I did not do this for Zanarkand, but for almost every other track I've made or tested, yeah.