Has Rockstar ever addressed the fact that the traffic deliberately cut

[slimeball supreme]

It's a bug in the system, rendering problem.

Basically, the traffic thinks you're gonna crash into it, so it drives to the side. It's retarded.

 

But it's the way it works.

[nkjellman]

Usually when someone decides to go into my lane and run into me head on, it ends with a sticky bomb being placed on their car, and you can guess the rest.

 

I also noticed that they were a little sexist when it came down to programming the AI. I feel like its more often that I get run into by a young girl who is bobbing her head to Non Stop Pop FM. lol

[BenStone]

Somebody ALWAYS drives around the corner right when I'm about to hit that ramp into the airport ("STUNT JUMP FAILED").

 

Also I noticed cross traffic is a lot more frequent and brutal on current gen. On PS3 I could pretty much run every light and not have to worry about a car pulling out in front of me. Unless I'm imagining things.

[BarryRiley]

THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who noticed this.

Really? Because this exact topic has been on the forum about 100 times

[kysrsoze]

TBH... I enjoy it. It makes for more of a challenge and you have to be on your toes. Sometimes the NPC's do something so stupid that I feel compelled to pull them out of their cars or riddle them with bullets... and I do.

[hugh750]

the traffic can be annoying since with some of them it looks like they are trying to commit insurance fraud!

[CaptSpalding]

This is why I drive on the sidewalk.

[JRC99]

How about when you're running across the street and the NPC in the FQ speeds up just to make sure he kills you?

It's funny because it's ALWAYS a f*cking FQ.

[Meeloh]

My issue with traffic is every time you attempt to drive around them (whether it be at a stop light, intersection, turn off or otherwise) they will go OUT OF THEIR f*ckING WAY to drive into your path of travel. For instance, driving through a light on the right side of a car suspected to be going straight because the arrow in their lane is pointing STRAIGHT ONLY, so you go around the right side of them then suddenly AI is all "I GO RIGHT NOW WITHOUT SIGNAL~ GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY ELSE!" It's that kind of sh*t that makes me think that some of it is deliberately programmed in.

[Jehannum]

THANK YOU! I thought I was the only one who noticed this. It was this way too in GTA IV. Especially on the Algonquin bridge. Mvthafvckas would purposely cut you off and drive into you on purpose.

 

It's gotten worse in GTA V. Especially when you're trying to keep your car crispy clean. Rockstar programmed it this way simply to troll players. It can get very annoying at times.

 

You're right about the Algonquin bridge on GTA IV. On one occasion every single car (about 100 in all) swerved into my lane just as I approached.

 

And in GTAO the giveaway is the trucks that usually travel at about 40 mph suddenly barreling across a junction at 100, miraculously timed to intersect with your trajectory.

 

They obviously programmed cop cars to do it - which is reasonable - but I think they put some of the same elements into civilian AI - not so reasonable.

 

Thanks to the time trials I'm sure we've all got better at avoiding the situation. Still bad though.

Edited December 23, 2015 by Jehannum

[Marvs]

If I saw someone barrelling down the road at 100mph waving an uzi out of the window, throwing sticky bombs and being chased by 6 police cars, 2 helicopters, 1 jet, 1 tank and an armoured personnel carrier... I'd probably make some erratic driving manoeuvres too!

[TarHeelJohn]

I had a real person almost wreck my car yesterday as he cut me off. Had I not slammed on my breaks, the back of his truck would have nailed me as he changed lanes. Turns out this idiot lived in my neighborhood, so I ended up unintentionally following him home. When I stopped to ask him why he felt the need to drive like a maniac on wet roads in heavy traffic and almost wreck my car... he pulled a gun out of his garage and told me he was in a hurry and I should drive faster in the left lane.

 

#RealLifeDrivers

[ancellim]

From NFS to GTA, all developers do this.

[BRAAAP_STUTUTU]

I had a real person almost wreck my car yesterday as he cut me off. Had I not slammed on my breaks, the back of his truck would have nailed me as he changed lanes. Turns out this idiot lived in my neighborhood, so I ended up unintentionally following him home. When I stopped to ask him why he felt the need to drive like a maniac on wet roads in heavy traffic and almost wreck my car... he pulled a gun out of his garage and told me he was in a hurry and I should drive faster in the left lane.

 

#RealLifeDrivers

He threathened you with a gun? did you call the police? a man like that shouldn't be allowed to drive...

 

On topic:yea i experience this alot,for whatever reason the NPC's decide to change lanes just as you're about to speed past them,some even change lanes into you from the oppossite dirction,they really should've made the NPCs not change lanes when somebody approaches,they're trying to make them situationally aware but fail miserably

[Jimrod]

I had a real person almost wreck my car yesterday as he cut me off. Had I not slammed on my breaks, the back of his truck would have nailed me as he changed lanes. Turns out this idiot lived in my neighborhood, so I ended up unintentionally following him home. When I stopped to ask him why he felt the need to drive like a maniac on wet roads in heavy traffic and almost wreck my car... he pulled a gun out of his garage and told me he was in a hurry and I should drive faster in the left lane.

 

#RealLifeDrivers

 

This is the benefit of living in Europe, it's much easier to have an argument without getting shot.

[Furry_Monkey]

Cops will swerve in front of you to stay in front of you and slow you down, but that's very simple logic and (as I'm sure we all know) very easy to fool in order to get past them. Also, the cars that pull out magically when you're chasing someone down in a mission - more very simple logic. If you drive a different route and catch up with the target vehicle later, that same car will still pull out but you just won't be there to see it.

 

Stuff like that is small fry and simple. This idea that there are psychic cars on the roads though is just preposterous. Until a computer can analyse human behaviour the same way a human brain can, then we won't be seeing NPCs doing anything "on purpose". What we're seeing is lazy programming. I've explained this before, but I'll say it again for those that haven't seen it.

 

Create a road race - a very simple one. Just make it go from the top of the city to the bottom, down a straight road, with a start point at the top and an end point at the bottom. (don't put any mid-way checkpoints in - they're not needed and will actually spoil this test.) Then, do the race with traffic on but stop and respawn back to the start before you finish it. Do it again, respawning before you finish, again. Keep doing this. After 10 minutes you'll be avoiding every single car at every single junction almost all the time (there will be times when you can't avoid it, if there are several cars in your lane, for instance). From this you will see how scripted and strict the vehicle actions are, and how simple it is to predict what is going to happen.

 

Doing this in a race gives you the chance to see the simplicity of the traffic without any other factors involved, such as other players causing knock-on effects. In free roam the traffic you see will be reacting to everything around it, including the traffic that is reacting to another player 4 blocks away that's shooting at cops. Your traffic will freak out because of the other traffic freaking out, and it will appear that it's erratic for no reason, when in fact it does have a reason - you're just not aware of it.

 

Once you do something like the above test you will see how basic the traffic actually is, and how random it is when people are accusing it of doing something "on purpose". It's not. Humans just like to ascribe human qualities to things they experience. That's what's happening here.

Edited December 23, 2015 by Furry_Monkey

[xRRx Panicz]

Crazy traffic in gta is it best feature.

[Anton_Rotten]

They seem to always cut me off while I'm cruising on my bike.

[.Vooodu.]

It IS NOT programmed to pull in front of you.

 

 

You would think that someone who spends as much time on bikes as you do would have a better grasp on the fact that the AI traffic IS programmed to pull out in front of players.

 

 

I myself use bikes for everything.. From stunts.. to combat in free roam. And i can easily say that it does.

 

 

 

Every day when i play this game when using a bike and going as fast as i can. I always see traffic pull out in front of me. This is not REAL traffic.. its programmed that way.

 

For example.. cross traffic:

 

Im speeding along on my bike and hit a cross section. A vehicle pulls out in front going really fast. Being on a bike i can easily stop... and the traffic adjusts its speed along with me. Basically matching my speed from 100 mph to 10 mph in seconds instead of just driving by normally. Which is basically proof that it adjusts to cause the players problems when they drive.

 

 

In order for players to really understand how traffic works i suggest using a street bike and riding like a complete nut. The game spawns AI traffic get to into players way. If you spaz out on a bike and never commit to a direct path for more then a few seconds. The traffic spawns seems to break and it spawns less traffic because the game can't figure out where you are going.

 

Also the COP AI when chasing is also more proof that the game knows how to figure out your direct line of sight and pathing. And just sends cops in directly at you.

Edited December 23, 2015 by HulioG

[CarnageRacing00]

It is programmed, google Angry Drivers Mod.

There is a "targeting value", when it's on max, all drivers go "hurr, must drive into the player"

That value is about when drivers get angry and chase you down.

 

The reason traffic does what it does is because:

A) it tries to predict your path and often fails. Imagine if your car had a 50ft ghost pole sticking off the nose. NPCs see that pole and react before your car is near them. A lot of times they're trying to get out of your way, but by the time they make their maneuver, you're already adjusting to their position so it ends up a crash.

 

B) if there gun fire, any gun fire, anywhere, it "scares" NPCs. If you're being chased by AI gangsters, for example, their bullet impacts on your car, next to your car and ahead of your car scare the NPC traffic and cause them to do the sh*t that they do.

[Nutduster]

 

No, it's just sh*t. It IS NOT programmed to pull in front of you. Please, anyone with a degree in computer programming and experience building AI systems, along with specific knowledge of deterministic logic programming feel free to discuss it with me. No-one here has even the vaguest concept of how hard it would be to make it do something that we humans consider so simple.

 

Okay - here's a test for you. Make a 30 minute video of you driving through traffic, doing your best to just drive normally. This will obviously include crashes and times when you avoided them. Now, watch that video and keep a tally of every single time you see a car "pull out on purpose". That will give you a reasonable approximation of how often if happens, yeah? Then, watch the same video again and count every single vehicle that does *not* "pull out on purpose". It will shadow the tiny number of accidents you had, vastly.

 

I have explained in the past what is going on, but I've been inadequate in my explanations, purely because this is something I have a certain amount of knowledge about and talked as if everyone else has the same knowledge. That's my fault, and I apologise. Unfortunately, I'd have to type reams and reams of information that would edge people's knowledge slowly towards understanding this concept, in order to explain myself clearly.

 

Basically, I know for a fact that it's not doing what is suggested, but you'll all talk about it as if it does.

 

Watch out guys.. we have a badass over here.

 

 

You don't need any knowledge of computers to tell that the traffic isn't pulling infront of you on purpose. The pathing of the AI acts weird when they near intersections. They make split second decisions and switch lanes when nearing a turn. Players just so happen to be going fast enough that it seems like the AI is switching lanes into the player all the time.

 

 

I think that nails it, for the most part. The majority of traffic weirdness is because of two things, the first being this: the AI's worst programming is at intersections where they do things abruptly and with no regard for what players are doing. They have no peripheral vision and don't check their mirrors, basically; they'll drive into the intersection even if they "should" see you coming and stop, and they'll change lanes for no reason and not gradually, because that's how they do everything. They don't turn properly, either; it's like they're trying to follow a right angle instead of a gentle curve. So you often can't tell they're turning until they yank the wheel hard left or right.

 

The other common variable is that the AI is wildly unpredictable when spooked. Shooting and explosions and cops make them act like maniacs - doing all the same erratic things but much faster, and also no longer stopping for other cars (or you), staying on their side of the road, etc. Once that happens, you need to keep your distance from any NPC car, or suffer the consequences. Having driven in this game for 2+ years, I've gotten decent at knowing where I can drive safely, and when to avoid a potential problem. The worst crashes I have anymore are during high speed chases in missions - all the traffic starts freaking out because of the chaos. It's like the entire city knows there's violence happening and they're all driving home at maximum speed to check on the missus.

 

The one other thing that I think most people are missing is this: they're not "programmed to pull out in front of you," but they ARE programmed to spawn when you are near (a block or so away) and to then pull out at their normal slow, meandering speed. The game is always reacting to your movement around the map and spawning in traffic in a little area that encircles you as you move. It just happens that when you're driving fast and a car just spawned one block ahead, then started pulling out a second later, you are very likely to intersect with it exactly. I don't believe this is intentional difficulty added in, it's just a byproduct of the NPC spawn system and the oblivious AI. Rockstar also very obviously uses a trick to hide their spawning, which is that cars often spawn on streets perpendicular to the one you're on, where buildings and the camera angle will hide their spontaneous appearance from view and keep the game immersive (anyone who farmed gold Dubstas back in the day can attest to this). So what happens when you spawn a car just next to the road the player is driving madly down, and program said car to pull out onto the road (or drive across it) as soon as it's able to, without regard for player actions? You crash into it.

Edited December 23, 2015 by Nutduster

[Furry_Monkey]

^^ Spot on.

[.Vooodu.]

Ya but some traffic is programmed to hit you tho.

 

Cross traffic is the perfect example...like i mentioned.

 

 

The traffic does not even see you. It spawns to MATCH your speed to cause problems. And if you slow down.. it also slows down to match your speed. And if you use a street bike and stop on a dime this effect is laughable to say the least. As if some fat bitch in a SUV is gonna go from 100 mph to 5 mphs in half a second.. Like they are using super brakes.

 

That is just one example of how the traffic is progammed to cause problems.

 

 

Sure traffic is not always trying to cause problems and smashes. But it is programmed to make sure that some traffic sure does cause problems. Cause it spawns in like that..

Infact even in the R* editor I catch the game spawning traffic from thin air.. to match my speed which is a direct path to my direct path.

Edited December 23, 2015 by HulioG

[DS_NEO]

You guys were speeding, running red lights and in general driving dangerously.Oh look a NPC crashed into you, So what was that NPC trying to do? They were trying to AVOID crashing into you!

[All Those Chickens]

OP is right about traffic purposely driving into you. I was driving to the customs and didn't want to bump my car, then at an intersection an AI vehicle literally sped up just to drive into me. I kid you not.

 

I think it got worse too since the game came out. I used to be able to drive without much of a trouble, now it's just a game of bumper cars without the barriers-- actually, the barriers are many more AI vehicles.

[HaRdSTyLe_83]

I used to think maybe it was just a coincidence that the car in front of me decided to switch lanes at the last second. But then I started seeing instances of cars crossing over into the oncoming lane of traffic or driving onto the sidewalk just to do it. Has Rockstar ever admitted to programming the traffic to do this deliberately and offered any reasoning for it? It's definitely one of the worst (if not the worst) aspects of the game design.

 

my problem is just with the intersections

sometimes its just feels that they adjust the speed to hit on purpose

 

if i break they break to, if i accelerate they do it to

Edited December 23, 2015 by HaRdSTyLe_83

[.Vooodu.]

You guys were speeding, running red lights and in general driving dangerously.Oh look a NPC crashed into you, So what was that NPC trying to do? They were trying to AVOID crashing into you!

 

 

Ya those NPC tho.

 

 

Funny thing is, if you look behind you when driving it can cause the NPC in front to magically vanish. Just as they magically vanish in the rear if you keep looking forward.

[Nutduster]

Ya but some traffic is programmed to hit you tho.

 

Cross traffic is the perfect example...like i mentioned.

 

 

The traffic does not even see you. It spawns to MATCH your speed to cause problems. And if you slow down.. it also slows down to match your speed. And if you use a street bike and stop on a dime this effect is laughable to say the least. As if some fat bitch in a SUV is gonna go from 100 mph to 5 mphs in half a second.. Like they are using super brakes.

 

Rubber banding is used in their AI in places for assorted reasons, but I don't think "causing problems" is one of them. Also, I think a lot of times cross traffic slows or stops because the AI is actually trying to act like a real driver, and perhaps failing. They do have some peripheral vision, but it's miniscule and inconsistent. You can see this if you drive through a red light at a regular speed (40-60 MPH or so); a car going through will slow down, stop, and honk at you. Then you can pass in front of them. This works somewhat well with most NPC cars at lower speeds. But if you're going normal GTA player speeds (i.e. I'M GONNA WIN THIS SPEED CHALLENGE! speeds), they don't react until it's too late. Basically they stop when you have already reacted to their trajectory and no longer WANT them to stop. And if you try to swing around in front of them instead - beat them to the side - they don't perceive you as an impending collision at all, and just keep going.

 

Your best bet with any cross traffic is to slow (slightly) and try to always go behind them. If you're trying to go in front they'll t-bone you. If you're relying on them to keep going the same speed and get out of your way, you'll often t-bone them.

Edited December 23, 2015 by Nutduster

[.Vooodu.]

 

Ya but some traffic is programmed to hit you tho.

 

Cross traffic is the perfect example...like i mentioned.

 

 

The traffic does not even see you. It spawns to MATCH your speed to cause problems. And if you slow down.. it also slows down to match your speed. And if you use a street bike and stop on a dime this effect is laughable to say the least. As if some fat bitch in a SUV is gonna go from 100 mph to 5 mphs in half a second.. Like they are using super brakes.

 

Rubber banding is used in their AI in places for assorted reasons, but I don't think "causing problems" is one of them. Also, I think a lot of times cross traffic slows or stops because the AI is actually trying to act like a real driver, and failing.

 

Hey you can think what ever you want.

 

I've been playing this game non stop since release. I can easily say its programmed to hit you because i see it happen every day for hours on end.. Not that theres anything wrong with it... but the cross section thing is just the actual proof of it. Its so obvious sometimes.

 

As someone said. when we drive we have a cone/line that shoots out infront of us. This is where the game sends everything we see and traffic spawns. This is what cops dive bomb on chases. This is what causes traffic to perfectly time themselves to get in our way.

 

But to be honest i think its fair because its pretty much what people see in real life anyways. But its obviously programmed to be like that and is not really real.

 

 

You wanna see traffic behave differently.. Take a cab. They are so nice... when the AI is driving with each other...lol

Edited December 23, 2015 by HulioG

[~TKP~]

Is there no-one who listens to reason on this thread? PPL are trying to explain in depth how the programming of AI vehicles operate and it's being ignored for the 'I know better' syndrome that seems to inflict most of the GTA community.

They don't intentionally aim for you, outside factors coming from the other players in the session or NPC's in-game are the reason for the irratic behaviour of AI. Yes it seems like they are slowing down or speeding up to 'GET you' sometimes but that is another part of the program kicking in it's 2 bits worth on your personal view of LS.

 

I know feck all about programming but I can see the repeating patterns playing out on-screen and can easily identify the majority of the prompts that make an AI car pull into my lane stupidly.