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You could just as well use a grid search algorithm for this. After all, you basicly have a function of so many variables that returns a real number (lap time), and you want to minimize this function.

After doing a grid search, and saving your data, you could try some multi-variable calculus curve fitting and get a pretty good idea of where the local/global minima are likely to be. This way, you don't just have a unique solution, a single example of a fast car, but rather a theory in the form of an equation which can be empirically tested at many points to determine if your model is correct. Then you can tweak the model/equation based on empirical results, and do some simple multi-variable calculus to fit the real-world optimized solution.

One thing genetic algorithms are useful for is ever-chaning environments, where there is no unique solution and there are trade-offs between robustness in general and optimization for the momentary environment. In this case the GA allows you to continuously evolve as you go through various environments so that you (hopefully) end up with both good performance and excellent robustness, and possibly also find and record various different specialized species for different environments. Games of chance, such as poker or multiplayer xpuyopuyo against imperfect opponents is one example of this.

GA's are also useful when the design can not be reduced to a fixed number of real number variables, but rather is open-ended in terms of complexity.

try XScorch or Atomic Tanks

There is one for GTK called xscorch. Also, there is a Scorch 2000 that can be run within browser using Java runtime.

Eh hemm, some are knockoffs of old DOS games ;-)

On a whim I did a Google search for a more recent version (kinda like what these two great guys did with Xscorch). Someone seems to have liked it enough to make a GNU version, although there's not a lot there yet.

-B

Bah. I play Xscorch..

Which weapon on Counter Strike do you prefer?

Tribes2, man. I've dueled Shrikes with a bomber.

What is your home machine?

Which one? I'll go open the rack and let you know...

Ah yes, that addicive like heroin game was ported to Free Unixes not once but twice (at least):

xpuyo, although the author is ashamed of the quality of this version.
and
xpuyopuyo, which is quite nice. This one even has some AIs that will occasionally give beginners some challenge. Actually some of the AIs in here are annoyingly hard. The internet play on this one is quite good to boot.

Down that path lies madness. On the other hand, the road to hell is paved with melting snowballs.

There is also a game called xscorch. Website at http://chaos2.org/xscorch/ (currently appears to be down). While not 3D, this one has network play in development.

"...games tend to be hybrid organisms -- half software program, half artistic work."

This is true--and unfortunate. Think of all the computer games you've played in your life. Rank them in order of "playability" (judged by how often you replayed). Now look at the top ten: How many of them had good (or even ANY) artwork? Of those that did have good artwork, for how many of them did the artwork contribute to the playability?

For me, the answer is 1 and 0. The only game I've liked enough to keep playing AND that had decent art was Civilization--and some would argue that the art sucked. In any case, the art itself had almost no contribution towards the playability.

Right now I'm hooked on xscorch . The art is pitiful. The game is addictive.

Clearly, YMMV--I'm not saying everyone is like me. But I exist (and I know I'm not the only one). Why is this market not being exploited? Make some good fun games that cost half as much (fire the art staff) as the art-filled wonders that crowd the shelves.
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