When mentioning foundational 2d driving models one simply can't omit Marco Monster (2003) [1].
Also Physics for Game Developers (2001) had a hilarious chapter dedicated to car racing simulation. Most of the chapter is dedicated building the scene in a minute detail - for instance pointing out that the center of gravity of the car will change during the course due to fuel consumption - only to simplify and cancel out most things at the end to leave the reader with just a handful of variables.
GTA I and II had really fun car physics. Just driving around and evading police was fun, in a way the later 3d games in the series didn't quite capture for me
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matsemann
I'm sorry, I really want to like and understand this, but the diagrams are worthless and mostly incomprehensible.
I would've liked to understand more about why it works the way it does, how it achieved the correct feel etc, not just regurgitate whatever the code does.
I would've liked to know more about how the author achieved what they did, not a blog post anyone with an llm could've written.
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slowin
It still feels great to play! I love the history too, it's actually a great example of why prototyping "toys" is so important in product development. It allows you to play with isolated concepts without baggage or the expectation to make things production grade. Just getting straight to the point.
Great story, programming and mechanics.
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entropie
Can you please add a "parking simulator" mode? Iam not joking, my SO wants a simple way to train parking and I think that could work very well. Or maybe just let one draw obstacles.
joshu
no dynamics model (uses bicycle model) but i built a solver for parking
And shortly after I learned how expensive tyres were, I stopped doing handbrake turns.
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ionwake
To the creator, thank you. I spent many years almost 2 decades alter playing multiplayer gta2 with my good friend during late night sessions.
Thank you for a great little physics engine
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codeulike
Interesting that he namechecks Thrust from 1986, an absolutely amazing game for the BBC Model B, and I guess the first 'physics' game I ever encountered. The 'towing' physics were amazing.
StopTheMadness Pro users on iOS: exempt website, so you won’t keep selecting the text on the controls. May still highlight the “Speed Zoom on” line though.
JacobJack
GFA Basic !… So many memories are coming back to me.
andremendes
If you accelerate the Car, then switch the configuration from Car to Brick, the brick won't slow down.
Not sure whether is it intended but it feels wrong.
PatKerr
Hello. I am the Pat Kerr in question.
MisterMunchkin
Even that little simulation is really fun. I’d like to play a little 2D game with this mechanic.
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jryb
d doesn't turn right for me, but shift+d does. Arrow keys do work though.
iammjm
Really nice. GTA 1 & 2 were really amazing. I had a lot of good times with them.
hendry
Feels like the original, just need some thing to run over.
LumJerliu
Really nice game
Cadman021
I liked your idea. It was really cool.
gaghak2010
It's an interesting project, although not a physics expert I am so curious what the original version looked like!
TacticalCoder
> It began as a little wireframe demo written in GFA BASIC on my Atari ST home computer (and was later ported to C for use in the actual game).
The Atari ST is in the news today on HN! (there was a TFA about the Atari Falcon, which was a really big Atari ST).
>One weekend in late August 1996, I wrote a 2D physics simulation which later became the basis of the vehicle system in the eventually popular game "Grand Theft Auto" aka "GTA".
I don't mean to be... judgemental, but if you had the talent to go something like this, why devolve on the remake? One could think that a person with your level of skill would be one of the main vanguard for hand coding. Again, I don't want to be too judgemental, as I am not a great programmer and use assisted tools when planning and designing personal apps, but I am just curious.
When mentioning foundational 2d driving models one simply can't omit Marco Monster (2003) [1].
Also Physics for Game Developers (2001) had a hilarious chapter dedicated to car racing simulation. Most of the chapter is dedicated building the scene in a minute detail - for instance pointing out that the center of gravity of the car will change during the course due to fuel consumption - only to simplify and cancel out most things at the end to leave the reader with just a handful of variables.
[1] https://www.asawicki.info/Mirror/Car%20Physics%20for%20Games...
GTA I and II had really fun car physics. Just driving around and evading police was fun, in a way the later 3d games in the series didn't quite capture for me
I'm sorry, I really want to like and understand this, but the diagrams are worthless and mostly incomprehensible.
I would've liked to understand more about why it works the way it does, how it achieved the correct feel etc, not just regurgitate whatever the code does.
I would've liked to know more about how the author achieved what they did, not a blog post anyone with an llm could've written.
It still feels great to play! I love the history too, it's actually a great example of why prototyping "toys" is so important in product development. It allows you to play with isolated concepts without baggage or the expectation to make things production grade. Just getting straight to the point.
Great story, programming and mechanics.
Can you please add a "parking simulator" mode? Iam not joking, my SO wants a simple way to train parking and I think that could work very well. Or maybe just let one draw obstacles.
no dynamics model (uses bicycle model) but i built a solver for parking
http://truckslop.joshu.dev/
This is what taught me how to do handbrake turns.
And shortly after I learned how expensive tyres were, I stopped doing handbrake turns.
To the creator, thank you. I spent many years almost 2 decades alter playing multiplayer gta2 with my good friend during late night sessions.
Thank you for a great little physics engine
Interesting that he namechecks Thrust from 1986, an absolutely amazing game for the BBC Model B, and I guess the first 'physics' game I ever encountered. The 'towing' physics were amazing.
https://youtu.be/Dt44PEIWBRg?is=CbVTRyDfo8Nt56fH
Thrust was by Jeremy C. Smith who went on to work on Exile with Peter Irvin
This feels incredible to play, even with the simple graphics. Wow. Top class
Nostalgic!
It'd be amazing to hook is up with the engine sound simulator: https://github.com/ange-yaghi/engine-sim
no understeer? fronts are too grippy
StopTheMadness Pro users on iOS: exempt website, so you won’t keep selecting the text on the controls. May still highlight the “Speed Zoom on” line though.
GFA Basic !… So many memories are coming back to me.
If you accelerate the Car, then switch the configuration from Car to Brick, the brick won't slow down. Not sure whether is it intended but it feels wrong.
Hello. I am the Pat Kerr in question.
Even that little simulation is really fun. I’d like to play a little 2D game with this mechanic.
d doesn't turn right for me, but shift+d does. Arrow keys do work though.
Really nice. GTA 1 & 2 were really amazing. I had a lot of good times with them.
Feels like the original, just need some thing to run over.
Really nice game
I liked your idea. It was really cool.
It's an interesting project, although not a physics expert I am so curious what the original version looked like!
> It began as a little wireframe demo written in GFA BASIC on my Atari ST home computer (and was later ported to C for use in the actual game).
The Atari ST is in the news today on HN! (there was a TFA about the Atari Falcon, which was a really big Atari ST).
AI content.
>One weekend in late August 1996, I wrote a 2D physics simulation which later became the basis of the vehicle system in the eventually popular game "Grand Theft Auto" aka "GTA".
I don't mean to be... judgemental, but if you had the talent to go something like this, why devolve on the remake? One could think that a person with your level of skill would be one of the main vanguard for hand coding. Again, I don't want to be too judgemental, as I am not a great programmer and use assisted tools when planning and designing personal apps, but I am just curious.