Originally Posted by: turtleCZ 
Originally Posted by: TheWarmWind76 
It's bad enough the drivatars cheat but the way they cheat makes it impossible to carry any randos.
I shouldn't ask... but, how AI cheats? They are just faster than lower difficulties. No cheating.
I have been very careful to exclude Cross Country from my argument that Drivatars don't "cheat" as defined having total unfair advantage over player for very reason, that CC difficulty isn't consistent with Dirt, Road or Street racing events.
Passing through objects, or flying, ignoring all physical limitations (didn't see that one on this CC Trial though) is definitively having unfair advantage over player. There's also rubber band issue in single player (has also been relevant on some Trials) where Drivatars get additional speed boost after passing outside of player vision range. That is most notable on circuit type races.
Originally Posted by: Jezza14 
It depends what you mean by cheated though. I agree with you that the fact that the AI phases through objects if they are a certain distance in front or behind you is very poor game design. That is a real flaw as it can, particularly for lightweight cars like the buggies, mean that they do impossible times. It’s not really an issue on Courses 1 and 2 for this trial though.
I’m slightly less fussed if they are doing relatively realistic times in an unrealistic manner. Generally, in this trial, assuming I can catch them near the start of the last race to stop them getting a big advantage on the straight section with loads of debris, they seem to be setting tough times but ones which don’t seem impossible for someone of moderate skill to manage with a little practice.
It's poor game design and it's very difficult to build a case to see that as not cheating especially when rubber band doesn't compensate for player advantage at all.
Definition is important here. Horizon AI cheats all the time, but excluding some isolated cases that can be classified as bugs, it cheats for players favour as much tries to pose challenge. Rubber band compensates for player car PI (but some other features as well, I don't know formula for that) but also things that Drivatars AI can't do, weight transfer, power gliding, alternate racing line, etc. except for CC where it appears to have advantages but very little of compensation excluding poor cornering (that probably isn't intended as compensation). It appears that haybales can really slow Drivatars down, unlike other objects, but in CC, they have really weird ability to catch up even from that.
While it's a all abstraction, Drivatars trying to attaining whatever time targets, there's limit where abstraction can get too far and just doesn't contribute to great Horizon experience, I'd dare to say for what most players are looking for, CC is broken. There's useful window of opportunity at the moment to gather statistics by comparing data, say if there's overlap with group that invest Horizon points to wheelspins and those who invest lot's of time for this sort of Trial. Perhaps to make something that works for next game, I hope but...
Silliest thing is that they could just add another optional playlist challenge, maybe once a moth. Dirt racing, or Street Scene Road wet, actually Unbeatable Drivatars and Drivatar vs. Player team PI matching set to Off. Would contribute a lot of players getting better with finding right braking points, better corner exits, becoming better tuners and in general better players. None of this CC garbage is needed to make that happen.