Seasonal Beginner Level
Online A-Spec Challenge
FORDLASER LIGHTNING SHIELD
Whoosier Rule Applies.
Objective: Quickest Finish
Vehicle: Model S Signature Performance
Venue: Current Beginner Level Seasonal at Eiger Nordwand
Tunes/Assists: As allowed in the event
Leaderboard:
fordlaser: 4:13.779
ROCKET JOE: 4:14.262
Baron Blitz Red: 4:15.415
StirlingMoose: 4:17.027
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Seasonal Intermediate Level
Online A-Spec Challenge
MTM79 THUNDER TROPHY
Whoosier Rule Applies.
Objective: Quickest Finish
Vehicle: El Camino SS 396 '67
Venue: Current Intermediate Level Seasonals at Big Willow
Tunes/Assists: As allowed in the event.
Leaderboard:
lfm58: 6:58.676
RMan72: 7:04.181
Baron Blitz Red: 7:04.219
ROCKET JOE: 7:06.012
Seasonal Expert Level
Online A-Spec Challenge
WHOOSIERGIRL STORM CUP
Whoosier Rule Applies.
Objective: Quickest Finish
Vehicle: quattro S1 Rally car '86
Venue: Current Expert Level Seasonal at Toscana
Tunes/Assists: As allowed in the event.
Leaderboard:
lfm58: 5:42.258
ROCKET JOE: 5:48.544
Baron Blitz Red: 5:55.401
StirlingMoose: 5:55.917
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Imagine . . . for a moment . . . hovering in a helicopter a few hundred feet above Silverstone with a DS4 clutched in your hands.
On the track below you is a real race car - but no ordinary race car; this car is driven by four robots that operate the steering, transmission, brakes, and throttle. Six computers mounted in the rear of the car update the controls at up to 100 times a second taking commands from you as you handle the DS4 up in your chopper, remote-controlling the race car below you via a Racelogic VBOX Motorsport sensor while you receive speed data from an LCD display in the helo's cockpit.
And now you take the car for a spin - turning in a fast lap of 1:17.47, and hitting a top speed of 211kph. You average 122 kph.
All with your DS4 as you chase down this specially modified Nissan GT-R/C through Silverstone in your chopper.
Fantasy? Science-fiction? Fake news?
No. This is the real thing - precisely what GT Academy winner Jann Mardenborough did to celebrate the release of Gran Turismo Sport, and 20 years of Nissan involvement with the GT franchise.
Mardenborough says of the experience:
"Driving a full-size, remote-control GT-R to 131mph at Silverstone whilst chasing it down in an helicopter was an unforgettable experience." He went on to say that,
"The GT-R/C has brought my two worlds together - the virtual of gaming and the reality of motorsport - in a way I never thought possible."
This is at the core of Artificial Intelligence - things we never think are possible - and yet every year brings us some new aspect of this phenomenon in our lives.
In an era where infotainment is constantly attempting to use real people as the product (Facebook, Twitter, online gaming, etc) there is also the drive to create a means of socially interacting with Artificial Intelligence in providing a stable and reliable entertainment environment that is 'on-call' at any given time, and is assured to provide the kinds of interaction that will make the dependence on people (as a product) utterly unreliable (if not actually - in the not-too-distant future - redundant.)
Artificial Intelligence is here to stay.
One might say, "It's not possible!", yet in time to come the races will be run by robots (whether autonomous or humanly controlled) with the circus audience real people quite safely ensconced while viewing the shenanigans of these mechanical creatures.
Those of you who participated in here, and took part in many of our experiments throughout the last three years will understand this better, for you have surely experienced the varying behaviour of the GT6 AI - quirky, dastardly, irritating, surprising, hilarious and quite often displaying the kinds of annoying traits that make one want to fling a few helmets in the right direction.
It has been a two-way process; the more attention we pay these virtual playmates of ours, the more they want to play, as they keep coming up with new solutions in holding our attention, and the more their characters show through - from what country they come from, what cars they drive, and what racing tactics they show.
We've raced
Besson,
Osterhagen,
David,
Papp . . . and all of them have come alive in their own peculiar ways to entertain us. And - as AI often do - they very quickly pick up on our own peculiar racing styles, and come up with suitable interactions to keep us clutching our controllers and never letting go.
I was too busy myself IRL to participate fully in this last round of Seasonals, and only had the chance to race for a short while - just two races at Willow in the Camino trying to get close to the legendary
MTM79's final time benchmarked for the
Thunder Trophy.
Yet, just these two races brought home to me how intuitive the GT6 AI drivers are and how bafflingly they can do what makes us play and play all day:
The first race in a bare-bones Camino ( after months of being away from a virtual track) had me chasing
Romero all the way to the finish line, but losing by less than a second:
Now one would think - Aha! Just a wee bit quicker and I could win this race. So I threw off some weight and went back into the race.
Here (in the pic below) I am at the final lap of the second race - a whole 10 seconds quicker, with
Smith, from Brazil (in the other Camino,) in my sights as he (or she) is just completing their 4th lap.
Strangely enough
Romero, the American driving the GT40, and
Kelly in the Cobra, have picked up the kind of speed that is keeping them hot on my tail. Like WTF? How fast am I supposed to go to lose these buggers?
But the checkers are now within grabbing distance. Never mind my final timing, I'm pushing the Camino to the best of my ability and I was going to win. Or so I thought . . . in these seconds before the finish.
But . . . with the finish just seconds away
Romero seems to run out of room - I've given him a wide berth but he needs more:
In the next split second he whacks my rear quarter so hard I'm almost lifted off the track:
This doesn't help me at all:
I'm frantically trying to carry my momentum forward (while going backwards) yelling in rage as I try to cross the finish before
Romero. The 🤬 paparazzi is of course there to witness and spread my humiliation:
No dice. While I'm wailing and gnashing teeth, Kelly sweeps by too, leaving me in 3rd:
So there we are - a stunning example of how versatile this AI is in providing us (whatever our prowess at racing/driving) the kind of racing that thrills us. Compare with the race Romero gave
lfm58.
Obviously, they were taunting me now, egging me on to play more - but my time was up and I had to return to the real world still trembling with excitement.
Romero . . . I'll see you in the pits later, buddy.
_____________________
Thank you all for participating in this round - and yes, do keep those photos coming - pictures of AI shenanigans have always been welcome at the HUB. I will attempt to post new events for the present round of Seasonals soon. Till then - Enjoy your cars!
Harry.
👍
, I'd not use that weapon against you - I won't make new entries to this AI Hub competition 
Looks like I am going to have try harder. By the way, in what position did the Zonda start?
👍
