1. #1

    Strategy for making a driveable vehicle?

    I'm thinking about making a track with a custom (wheeled) vehicle. Something offroad, like an ATV or something.

    Steering, suspension and other complicated stuff will come later, but I was trying to just get the car moving using the sample assemblies in the editor (car, monster truck, rotating wheel). I couldn't really get them to work the way I wanted, though.

    My approach was to work with the properties of the axle rotation joints, and try to apply some rotational force (using the "angular motor" advanced settings). Is this the right approach? (That's how an actual car drives, after all, by the engine turning the wheels). What are reasonable values (target velocity and max force) to put in here? Too small of values didn't seem to move the truck at all. Too high ones seem to throw the truck into flinging seizures.

    I've seen some other people talk about using forces instead, but I played a track that appeared to use forces, and the truck ended up just flying all over the map crazily.
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  2. #2

    Re: Strategy for making a driveable vehicle?

    I haven't made a vehicle so I don't know what numbers you should use, unfortunately. But did you try adjusting the friction as well? Real cars rely on friction to move, n fact, this can be seen in the editor, as if you crank the friction down to zero while on a bike the accelerator won't make you move. The tires will just spin freely with nothing to push against) so if it's too low, not much would happen.
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  3. #3

    Re: Strategy for making a driveable vehicle?

    I didn't make any adjustments to any friction settings, I assumed the defaults would be reasonable. Plus, its not like the wheels are spinning freely against the ground, like they would against ice.

    Actually, I did get the truck moving once (very slowly, backwards). But I wasn't even sure if my settings were actually doing it, or if it was just drifting down the hill. Hence, my question here about recommended settings.
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  4. #4

    Re: Strategy for making a driveable vehicle?

    Check out some of my vehicles.
    GT. XxGATORMANIAxX
    Try the monster truck and the all of the dune buggys and if you like them and have any questions on how they work I'll be happy to answer. I also have a plane
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  5. #5

    Re: Strategy for making a driveable vehicle?

    search around in the forum and you'll find a couple of threads that deal with vehicles.

    check out nitro buggy! and unimog rally by me thats B0RG 1 OF 1 with a zero in borg.

    yes motors. yes to game variable data source set to controller buttons and multiplied by a 2 number operator. yes to suspension (gatormania uses point 2 points with springs and i use rotational joints with sliders so there are lots of ways to get working suspension)

    no to forces. (they are a lot easier to handle than motors though) i've yet to see a decent vehicle (obviously apart from fliers) that use forces instead of traction.

    the nitro buggy has more than 30 hinges in it but you can get away with about fifteen.
    it can get quite fiddly especially once youve done and you want to tweak it.

    your best bet is to ask specific questions. and to really study the example tracks. in particular the sphere example has a second example out to the right that shows you how to use a game variable data source and 2 number operator instead of the game button controls.

    good luck.
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  6. #6

    Re: Strategy for making a driveable vehicle?

    One thing to note:
    Use interpolated variable datasource for your motors force. If you just tie motor force to multiplied controller value, it can start spinning too fast and not move at all, unless of course you want to burn rubber, but that would need some additional logic
    Controlling the interpolation speed acts as the acceleration rate of your vehicle.
    Forces are OK for turboboost and similar stuff
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  7. #7

    Re: Strategy for making a driveable vehicle?

    thanks for the tips, interpolation sounds cool to (sounds like a major police bust to me ha)
    you won't beleive the fiddling i went through trying to get that right lol
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