MTM2.com

I have a problem that may stump some people...

I only recently downloaded and installed MTM2 on my computer (I did originally have the demo version). Everything worked fine, and racing on the professional setting was challenging on the standard tracks. The computer opponents took smart detours and shortcuts on that setting.

HOWEVER:

Some time after installing the usual extras (fixmore4.pod, new trucks & tracks), I replayed the original tracks and the AI was almost non-existent. The trucks ran wide on many turns, missing or colliding with checkpoints, and sometimes all 7 computer opponents will run into the same object, with 7 helicopters called! This alongside the occasional aimless wandering through the scenery. They also have the capacity to miss checkpoints and not realize or travel *through* the checkpoint side barrier (but I can't).

Did one of my add-ons cause this? After all, the game was working fine only a few days ago.

Points to note:
1. After removal of the add-ons, the AI problem was still there, whether fixmore4.pod was installed or not.

2. Reinstall number 1: After backing up my add-on trucks & tracks, I reinstalled MTM2. I didn't restart the computer, and the AI problem remained.

3. Reinstall number 2: Uninstalled ALL files, ran disk cleanup to remove temporary files, removed all traces of demo version, restarted machine, reinstalled from scratch, apparently successful, but AI problem still remains.

4. Added fixmore4.pod again, no success.

5. This problem occurred previously with my demo version also, but in this case, no add-ons were involved.

Is it possible to restore/edit the AI functionality in the core game/tracks? Does anyone have any idea what may be causing the problem? I appreciate the multiplayer aspect but I wouldn't mind playing against the computer (again).

Is there any file on the computer that may have been modified by MTM2 that remained so after reinstalling?

???

I will note some computer lap times and post them here shortly.

usually computer performance causes this. MTM2 is glitchy above 30 frames per second. The game was only designed to run at 10-30fps.

If you need some garage settings for stock tracks

http://mtm2.com/~tracks/settings.cgi

I don't think FPS has anything to do with this. At least not in MTM2.

I dunno, AI trucks act so randomly in stock tracks that is not easy to describe a difference.

it does, the decision on where to go is decided on each frame, the more frames, the more decisions, and the more adjustments.

Why do you think you can get stuck on the face of your truck?

If you manage to hammer your framerate, for even a moment, you will suddenly right yourself. Simply because the game was never designed for such high framerates.

I agree with Slayer's evaluation of the cause (although I don't know if I'd say MTM2 wasn't "designed" for high frame rates, as that makes it seem intentional, and I believe it's more of an accidental bug or oversight by TRI that they didn't recognise on the hardware at the time.)

Something in the time delta between framerates seems to affect the decisions made by the AI trucks. As the framerate increases and the time between frames decreases, the steering inputs of the AI trucks also diminish, to the point that they run wide everywhere on corners, drive slowly and miss CPs.

I saw this most clearly when I had to turn Vertical Sync off in my global graphics driver settings on my Pentium4 computer with Geforce 6800 graphics card. The Vertical Sync (or Vsync) synchronises the framerate of a game with the refresh rate of the monitor, which is typically about 75 frames per second. With it turned off, on such powerful hardware, the game was running at about 150fps. The AI trucks pretty much didn't steer at all, so they just coast off at every corner. With it on and locking the game to 75fps, they do a bit better, but as Slayer notes they do better still if the framerate is even lower (they can steer more aggressively).

For cool260z - it's hard to say, but something must have changed on your computer to make the game run a lot faster. (Tip: while playing, type in F-R-A-M-E to activate an in-game framerate display.) Unless there's been a hardware change you've not told us of, then the obvious one I think of is the Vsync, which you can turn on or off in the control panel software of your NVIDIA or ATi graphics card (MTM2 doesn't modify it, but you may have?).

(Sorry for the novel, but this behaviour of the game does fascinate me somewhat )

it is an interesting side effect.

What I have done previously is set my monitor down to 45hz interlaced. and then turn on Vsync.

These days though, nVidia drivers are so bad I am lucky to break 10fps now.

Thanks heaps guys, esp Drive2Survive

After looking at my nVidia settings, I did make a change that I did not know would affect the game negatively. I had moved a slider bar from quality to performance, probably in my attempts to correct serious lag problems when the computer opponents were using add-on trucks. After resetting to quality, the problem has disappeared. Frame rate now is around 52-58.

Come to think of it, this may not be the only older game I have used that is affected by higher frame rates...