How to disable rubber banding

[GJ77 0]

Go to "AI" folder and delete (or move or rename) catchup.xml

Done.

Makes a huge difference to SP. No idea what will happen if you try this in MP.

Edit: oh bugger, there is a problem. Career progress is not saved! *sigh* back to the drawing board

[mikevoltz1 0]

Too bad I'm on Console. I love getting the pole at Brands Hatch by 2 tenths, then having Nathan McKane run a lap 3 seconds quicker during the race. 

[eyeball002 0]

There were rubberbanding in GAS? Never knew that.

I'll try it out. Thanks in advance.

[V8R3L3NTL3SS1 0]

There's no rubberbanding if you think there is your just slow . You shouldn't have to mess with anything to beat the ai.

[Kaerar 0]

V8R3L3NTL3SS1 said:

There's no rubberbanding if you think there is your just slow . You shouldn't have to mess with anything to beat the ai.

Keep up these lovely uninformed fanboy posts. It's so reminiscent of GRID 2 fanboy's.

[GJ77 0]

eyeball002 said:

There were rubberbanding in GAS? Never knew that.

I'll try it out. Thanks in advance.

Yeah, it's not horrific but it's there, both ways (they catch up to you, but also slow down when ahead so you catch up to them).

[TheKazzyMac 0]

GJ77 said:

eyeball002 said:

There were rubberbanding in GAS? Never knew that.

I'll try it out. Thanks in advance.

Yeah, it's not horrific but it's there, both ways (they catch up to you, but also slow down when ahead so you catch up to them).

Didn't actually know it was possible to stop the catchup though, I'll try this out later on.

If it makes them accelerate at proper speeds then I'll be a happy monkey for certain and if they do the same sorts of times without catchup as -with- it? then that'll just be the icing on the cake.

[GJ77 0]

There is a problem! It doesn't save career progress. See my edit to the OP.

This is annoying. In previous games the catchup.xml file (which hold the params for rubber banding in all CM racing games) could be converted to text using BinXML and then edited, but this doesn't work in GAS, so I took the extreme step of deleting it but that seems to have activated some sort of anti-piracy measure in the game. I'm going to try creating an empty catchup.xml file and see if that works.

[Kaerar 0]

Wouldn't escaping the code work by putting // in front of Line 2 using Notepad++

[GJ77 0]

@Kaerar It's in some sort of binary format, not text, and BinXML refuses to work on this particular file. But I'll try what you said and see if it works.

@Loore of all the files to cram your damn copy protection into why this one??? ><

[GJ77 0]

@Kaerar nope, CTD.

[GJ77 0]

Damn, seems like the game is doing a checksum or similar on this file. Changing just one character trips the anti-piracy BS.

[TheKazzyMac 0]

Well, so long as it works I can deal with 'turning off' saving if I want to have a bit of a play-around in Custom Cup.

[GJ77 0]

TheKazzyMac said:

Well, so long as it works I can deal with 'turning off' saving if I want to have a bit of a play-around in Custom Cup.

Yeah, that appears to be what we're limited to.

It does work. I play on Very Hard, 5x Race Distance. What I've seen with this change:

No more crazy lap times from Ravenwest (or anyone else).

Starting at the back of the pack it takes me 6-10 laps to reach the front instead of 1-2 laps.

If someone spins out they don't nitro back up to the pack.

Pack gets more spread out over the course of the race.

[TheKazzyMac 0]

It takes 10 laps to get from 16th to 1st? damn. That's how it should have been to begin with.

What sorts of lap times are the AI doing on average, comparing with catchup on and off? from what I remembered they'd get into the 1.29's on Istanbul Intermediate circuit (my best lap is 1.28.8 in a Cruze.) Are they still setting the same sorts of lap times? Do they still have the 'unfair acceleration' advantage or do they accelerate at the proper pace of the player cars?

I don't care if they end up slower overall, so long as they follow the same physics as my car. I'd happily enjoy a 20-lap 'start from 12th' race where it'd take me the whole race to fight to 4th even if I'd easily win from 1st.

[GJ77 0]

I raced Istanbul Intermediate twice in a Razer Focus Cat C TC (1 engine upgrade, low tuning capability) and got the fastest lap both races though I don't remember the times. Also raced Sepang (a short layout, can't remember the name) in the same car, got fastest lap in first race with around 1:30, second race did a sub-1:30 lap but Nathan beat it by a tenth.

[eyeball002 0]

Removing rubberbanding definitely makes each races more challenging now that you can't catch up with the pack as easily. Anyway, recommended if you think AIs are too easy for you.

For me, normal rubberbandy AIs are hard enough. I hope I could weave through very hard AI like it's nothing.

[GJ77 0]

Actually I don't think this "mod" makes the game harder, actually it was a bit easier overall, but it makes it feel like you and the AI are on more of an even footing. It takes longer to get to 3rd from 16th but it's actually easier to then get from 3rd to 1st.

[GJ77 0]

@TheKazzyMac‌ 

I think I got those circuits confused in my post - it was Istanbul where I did a sub-1:30 and Nathan beat it by a tenth.

[Lordax 0]

I've been to some tracks where if I PIT a Ravenwest, he ends up with a lap time 5 seconds faster than me, effectively ruining my chance at getting XP for the faster lap. Also tanks to the stoopid team mate you get it's hard to finish ahead those guys like ever. 

[mikevoltz1 0]

I ran a race a Touring Race on Hard at Sepang, Qualified Pole 1.456 seconds quicker than Nathan McKane (Ravenwest).  Yet in the race Aaron Westley (Ravenwest) Got the Xtra Bonus Point for running 3 seconds quicker during the race. That's the largest Example of Rubberbanding I have seen.

[GJ77 0]

mikevoltz1 said:

I ran a race a Touring Race on Hard at Sepang, Qualified Pole 1.456 seconds quicker than Nathan McKane (Ravenwest).  Yet in the race Aaron Westley (Ravenwest) Got the Xtra Bonus Point for running 3 seconds quicker during the race. That's the largest Example of Rubberbanding I have seen.

You ran that race with catchup.xml deleted?

[mikevoltz1 0]

No.. I can't delete it. I'm on Console  :( 

[EffOne 1]

Rubber banding has no place in any racing game. This really isn't in GRID Autosport, is it?

[FOSTBITTEN 0]

Does the rubber-banding work the opposite way like if you are going slower & then like towards the end of the race. You take off and start going faster, will it make you unusually fast?