Hey all, I've recently decided to take up the challenge of making a semi decent racing game, - top down, 2D styles - but i've come across a few problems thinking about the bet way to go about it. I've done a few crude and crappy ones before (they never got very far), but I want to make the mechanics / physics of this one pretty good. I've searched google till i'm blue in the face () for things about car mechanics, physics, acceleration etc etc, and it seems to return a load of junk. What i'm essentially after, is just some info about car acceleration & the affects of being in a certain gear at a certain time (forces, mechanics etc) - sure I can simulate it, but pretty crudely the way i've been doing it, so I want the 'real' way - and the mechanics of a car steering system (as in how it *really* works, and the best way to simulate it). Info about what causes a car to skid (and the formula(e) behind it) is also appreciated. Remember, this is top down, 2D, so I can probably cut several corners. Damn, I wish i'd paid more attention in physics classes in school . I'm sure others of you have succeeded in achieving something similar to this before, so any advice or tips are an added bonus. Cheers all, Insomnia Edited by - Insomnia on April 20, 2001 7:57:47 PM

I happen to have the very thing you are looking for... I haven''t used it myself, but I''ve had it around...

ftp://temp:temp@habeb.homeip.net/d%20drive%20%20(misc%20stuff)/programming%20stuff/tutorials/phor.pdf

sorry the above link is so crazy...

Afastrunner
AKA Camelboy

I believe "Need for Speed" would be a good game to purchase for some background.

From what I''ve seen, in the editor, you can basically configure *all* aspects of a car, and see how they affect it. It uses almost real-world physics, so I''m guessing that would be a good base to research off of.

Also, Need for Speed editing sites as well should have similar information.

There''s a lot of physics that goes into a car. Really, I don''t think too many people mind if you just have dummy "Acceleration, top speed, turning, traction, etc." statistics, but if you wanna go through the trouble...

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The Goblin (madgob@aol.com)
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"Before critisizing somebody, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do critisize them, not only will you be a mile away, but you''ll also have their shoes!"

afastrunner: thanks for that file man, I wasn''t expecting anything near that comprehensive , thanks alot . Goblin, i''ll think about the NFS idea, doubt i''ll find it around these days though anyway... and to the AP, cheer up .

Cheers all

Insomnia