Really loving the game so far. Can't wait for the updates. If we do get multiplayer (or working bots) then it will be amazing running demolition derbies, but since this game has realistic damage, it would lead to very quick matches with cars being totaled after a single collision. What if we could reduce all damage by a certain factor, and disable wheel obstruction to make cars last a bit longer?
Well derby cars aren't much stronger than standard cars, they only last longer because they are reinforced around the doors and front and the drivers are careful of the wheels and engine areas. We can just do all this in beamng. Gabester is likely working on something like this that will reinforce the standard cars for upcoming derby updates.
I second what Veyron said, additionally the derby cars are often on mud and/or confined to a smaller "track" which decreases potential speed and overall damage after a single hit.
From my testing against the AI (broken now, sorry, fixing) in the various derby arenas in BeamNG DRIVE maps you never get going fast enough to cause much serious mechanical damage, so often the cars can keep going for quite a while.
Along the same lines, it seems as though body panels sometimes "peel" off (even at slower speeds) slightly more than I would expect. In your testing does this seem to be the case (I am only simulating what I can against immobile spawned cars)? I believe I saw in a previous thread that welding doors shut will likely be implemented, so hopefully that will remedy what I'm seeing. Additionally, how about fastening the hood down with wire or all thread? I know you guys have heard it a million times, but everything you're doing with this game is incredible, hats off to the whole team.
Yes, it's possible to edit the existing parts to make the attachments stronger, or add an extra part with the name "Hood Reinforcement" or the like, containing a bunch more strong beams holding the hood to the car. You'd then need to add a "slots" section to the hood part, with a slot for this hood reinforcement.
