Rigs of Rods

[Pentoman]

Not sure if I posted about this or anyone else has, but you should check out "rigs of rods". It's a free to download game where you operate a variety of heavy trucks, articulated lorries, cranes, recovery trucks, that sort of thing. To me this sounded interesting in an autistic kind of way, and it's more of a 'tech demo' really. The 'tech' being that the game is written in an entirely new way that doesn't merely model physics like every driving type game out there, but it fully simulates them, including the entire chassis of the vehicles in the game, the suspension movement and so on. It makes for an ultra-real feeling experience. The reason for filling it with trucks is that they bend and flex in real life, which they also do in this little nugget of an application. To the geeks that get excited by really realistic and just utterly genuine feeling physics it's a bit of a life changer this. For example, crash through a pothole and each end of the chassis and the cab etc all shake out of time with each other just like a real lorry.

Or if you want you can get a crane equipped flatbed Volvo, hoist a 5 ton weight up high, then drive aroud with it up there. It will handle exactly as you expect, the weight will pull the truck around from up high, the chassis will flex and bend and eventually it'll all topple over. It's fun to see how quick you can drive the roads like this. If you're still reading this then it means you are really interested so I implore, go here http://www.rigsofrods.com/

The graphics aren't bad either, and the sound super realistic with hydraulic whooshes and revs changing on operating the hydraulics.

There's vids on youtube if you want to see what I mean.

[gazza_3]

Downloading it now looks alot of fun thanks for the heads up. Cant wait to get myself behind a big rig!

[Mekon]

some great vids on youtube - downloading now.

[Altrezia]

downloaded, going to try it after work. Cheers!

[Marc W]

Looks really good, I'll be trying it after work.

[Mekon]

had a look at lunchtime. A laugh. Think freeware version of Hard Drivin with spaceframe physics. You won't find many conventional vehicles, and when you do, they break the illusion (eg the f40 and the challenger are awful). Some of the offroad buggies are great.

[Pentoman]

There's an interesting rave review/talk of it from some University professor on the tube or google video. That's where I learnt why it's interesting/different - because it simulates a chassis rather than modelling it. It does look incredibly lifelike.

With some polish and some creativity you could make an incredible game out of it. It requires a lot of processor though.

Has anyone found the planes/boats???

[Marc W]

I had a go with the Large four engined plane parked on the runway of one of the islands. The engine controls seemed a bit "sticky" but managed to get airborne.

For something with such basic graphics it does seem very sluggish. I had to turn down a lot of the detail to get it to run at a ususable speed and it's not exactly detailed to start with. My pc isn't that bad as I can run Rfactor at nearly full detail with no problems.

Seems quite good fun although the island I tired felt a bit empty. I had a go with a crane but I couldn't find anything to pick up with it.

Edited by Marc W on Friday 29th February 18:51

[Mekon]

My favourite cars is the Fast and the furious Dodge charger, as it's very controllable. Also, if you give it full throttle in neutral then dump it into drive, you can break the chassis. I did the checkpoint race on the island in 102 second. The Elf crawler is lots of fun too.

[Pentoman]

make sure the correct option is chosen on the CPU page in the configuration if you have a dual core PC

Also the vegetation seems to use a lot of cpu

[a boardman]

thanks for this is really enjoying driving my truck around.

[Mekon]

Download the f350 and the baja track. Much more fun than the baja truck, as you have to manage it's weakness. Easy to bend the chassis, but still jumpable.

[NickyB]

I have put hours into this game this weekend! I went round the whole 'Trail' course very slowly in a 4x4.. love it!

[gazza_3]

Damm ruined my copy by installing a add-on map, ah well just have to start again. Anyone know how in gods earth you make that big tracked crane move atall. I was going to use in a fake rescue mission i made up but had to resort to that 16 wheeled thing which set about snapping in half whilst lifting a 500 tonne boy (those things in the sea sp?)

[Pentoman]

Hmm couldn't work out the big crane either....

Like the big lots-of-wheels crane however.

[gazza_3]

Pentoman said:

Hmm couldn't work out the big crane either....

Like the big lots-of-wheels crane however.

I do to and with the rear wheeled steering you get a large amount of oversteer if your a bit to vigorous with the speeding an steering fairly easy to role though