Legacy GM What commands don't work in a 'physics world' room?

[Focksbot]

I'm trying to weigh up whether it's worth having physics in my game - but a lot of the existing movement commands don't work in a room set up as a 'physics world'. Speed and direction, for instance, seem to have no function.

What work is involved in replacing the current coding with physics-style coding? Is it just a case of changing speed and direction with force applied, or is there more to it?

 

[Binsk]

If you need realistic physics use the physics world. If you need any other kind of physics then write your own.

If you opt to use the physics world then I suggest you research how it works in the manual before starting. You will need a basic understanding of how real world physics work.

 

[FrostyCat]

I'm sick of telling rookies unsure about the physics system to leave it off, to that point that I wrote an article for it out of sheer desperation.

If you have to ask if it's worth having the physics system on, the answer is usually a no.

If you can't tell a force from an impulse or have no clue what F=ma is, the answer is almost certainly a no.

If you are asking this because HeartBeast taught you to have it on, the answer always a no.

 

[Focksbot]

If you need realistic physics use the physics world. If you need any other kind of physics then write your own.

If you opt to use the physics world then I suggest you research how it works in the manual before starting. You will need a basic understanding of how real world physics work.

As to whether I need realistic physics - yes, the game simulates realistic physics. I've just been doing it thus far by applying appropriate speed and direction based on angles and force. I've just set up a rag doll using the physics engine, and I'm trying to work out whether it's less work to reprogram every other object in the game or to instead set up a ragdoll system that works without the physics world.

I've made some head way in the manual but it's difficult to work out from that what non-physics functions will and won't work inside the physics world. Simple changes to the x and y position still seem to function normally, for instance.

I'm sick of telling rookies unsure about the physics system to leave it off, to that point that I wrote an article for it out of sheer desperation.

If you have to ask if it's worth having the physics system on, the answer is usually a no.

If you can't tell a force from an impulse or have no clue what F=ma is, the answer is almost certainly a no.

If you are asking this because HeartBeast taught you to have it on, the answer always a no.

Thanks for the article. I can handle movement outside of the physics engine fine - it just seemed like using it was a useful shortcut to having a ragdoll character. Having played quite a few games when the characters switch to ragdolls at the point of death, I was hoping I might be able to drop one in without switching to physics world rules, but that seems not to be the case.

(PS. I haven't studied physics for about 20 years, but F=ma is pretty basic stuff ;-) )

 

[Death]

In the physics world you use only physics commands to manipulate your objects/particle etc. Now you don't move by x, you move by forces/impulses. So the answers is ONLY the physics commands /collisions/ forces should be used. If you change physics variable in mid-simulation NOT using the physics world, you will likely screw up the simulation (physics world) running. So go all out physics or stay with the "normal" commands, mix and match will likely blow it for your game (depending on what kind of game it is) and the bugs will be hard to find...