8 hours ago, Scouting Ninja said:
8 hours ago, JoeJ said:
This almost degrades people working at physics, which is harder than graphics. Personally i think it is
Why? The art that you see on your screen in a game is the work of a 3D artist that had to spend 3-4 years learning art, A animator who spend 3-4 years learning animation and a graphics programmer who spend 3-4 years learning visual programming.
I believe most physics programmers also spend 3-4 years learning how to code physics. So why would you ever believe that comparing a dedicated professional to another degrades them?
Maybe i've used the term 'degrade' just to start a long standing argumentation leading to nowhere ![:D :D](https://uploads.gamedev.net/emoticons/medium.biggrin.webp)
What i mean is that solving for forces in multibody constrained dynamics is a much harder problem, than testing for visibility in graphics. Notice: Rendering a frame in a game does not require a single solve. (This changes if we start using realtime GI, but we're not there yet, and even then the problem is very easy to solve, just hard to solve fast enough. In Physics it is not just a performance issue.)
8 hours ago, Scouting Ninja said:
8 hours ago, JoeJ said:
physics need to be correct because otherwise they won't work or you can't do much with them.
This is not true at all. ![:) :)](https://uploads.gamedev.net/emoticons/medium.smile.webp)
We use dumbed down versions of physics all the time. The newton cradle simulation problem is a good example of this. Computers just don't have the power to simulate accurate physics.
Windows in games aren't liquids, we don't track internal forces, we don't even use accurate collisions shapes. ![:) :)](https://uploads.gamedev.net/emoticons/medium.smile.webp)
It is true. When you say list some games utilizing physics, i answer Half Life 2, Portal, Limbo, Penumbra, racing simulations.
All of them try to do proper simulations based on correct equations of motion. This can't be faked in a way we can fake graphics by precalculated GI. You can do some fakes in physics like shock propagation, but this only exchanges limitations from one side to another.
Collision shapes are always accurate. Using a different representation for graphics does not make physics inaccurate, wrong or faked. Actually it's the graphics that is faked, if you want so.
I don't know what you mean with internal forces or liquids.
Don't try to teach me about ragdolls. We've gone through this already ![;) ;)](https://uploads.gamedev.net/emoticons/medium.wink.webp)
8 hours ago, Scouting Ninja said:
Games rarely use physics as part of calculations, it's too unpredictable and can lead to a very unbalanced game. Damage for example is calculated long before the "hit" is checked. That way you can let weapons decide.
I agree with a lot of what you say @JoeJ , but in most games physics is cheated for the purpose of gameplay.
I'm well aware we use a lot of illusions in our games, and calculating hitpoints is / can be game design not simulation.
But physics simulations is not faking stuff until it looks right most of the time. It has to work in any case because it is the USER that is unpredictable, not the MATH. This is one reason why we use simulations, because a simulation targets to work even if the user performs actions in the game we did not intend him to do.
I do not say games have to be realistic, it is still possible to use external forces on top of an accurate simulation, or to tune physical properties to serve game design.
But in my opinion an accurate and working physics simulation of a game world is a better starting point, and improvements in this field will lead to innovation in games. This is subjective, and contrary to your view of faking lots of things and using proper math only in certain situations when desired. But i am aware this is subjective and personal, while you seem not to be. Representing you personal view as general truth because you think that's 'state of the art' / that's 'how games do it because it's good enough' can have a negative influence to the view and progress of others, mainly newbies. This is what i criticize, not anything technical.