I was wondering what everyone does most with the awesome physics of BeamNG? Are you the type of person who wrecks cars and does crash tests more or drive them around roads or races them at Hirochi Raceway? I personally crash the vehicles more often and enjoy the twisted metal and hubcaps flying off Although that is great, I also like to drive them around or race them and try not to crash. Tell us down below what you do most!
I drive them around. I try to be realistic with what I do. Generally, if I crash, it is only in a plane with a car inside the cargo bay.
Just like most, there has been an evolution in how I play this game since 2013. Seriously, look at the community screenshots in 2013, and then now. Before I was all about crashing. I only ever drove in order to propel the vehicle into a stationary object/other vehicle, and I was always about finding the most creative way to cave in the front end of an economy car. Now I most spend my game time driving at Hirochi raceway, or messing with graphics settings. I really enjoy the parts selector and being able to modify beyond what other games could do. Just today I was seeing if the Covet could become a drift car. It can, it needs sport wheels in the front, steelies in the back, sport tuning, race suspension and weight reduction to the rear. This evolution may or may not be a byproduct of how I understand the deformation works. I generally know what circumstances will lead to a "good" crash, that is to say generally head on into a large flat object; in comparison, a "bad" crash is like trading paint with trees, with usually results in a lot of clipping, unrealistic stretching or the car getting stuck inside something. Although when I'm taking economy cars to their limit on the track it's always entertaining to see the aftermath of catastrophic understeer into a wall at 180KpH. "it's not just about the crashes, but the behaviour of the vehicle itself"
Actually the more I think about it I have been driving around more and modifying cars with the parts selector. Also when you do drive or race and try not to crash, when you do it makes it more realistic because who crashes on purpose in real life? Besides Crash testing to improve safety for cars.
I probably spend most of my time just cruising in simple economy cars around ECA. Otherwise sometimes I just randomly will crash around on certain maps. I also spend quite a bit of my time crash testing vehicles and comparing them. Lately I seem to be doing rollover testing mostly. I can't wait for B25's rollover sled. I also like setting up side collisions at intersections, and crashing all varieties of the vehicles there are, and seeing what car would be safer, or which one will get less damage, etc. For example, how much damage will a Sunburst get if side-swiping a Pessima vs. a Grand Marshall, or a 200BX, etc. It's lots of fun. Otherwise, for my whole life I've always dreamed of a driving game with soft-body physics, and the ability to drive wherever my car will possible go, with varieties of maps, mainly more remote roads where I can cruise about, instead of racetracks only, etc. Another thing I wanted that game to have, is cars of all varieties. Not just supercars/race cars like lots of older driving cars seem to have. BeamNG.drive is that game it seems. That must be why I spend most of my time cruising with "normal" cars you would see on the road everyday. Otherwise though, crashing accidently in this game is by far the most rewarding thing in this game.
It's going to be a couple of years before BeamNG becomes the true game it's creators intend it to be. As new features and functions are introduced new things can be done but at this point in time the main function of the game is still wrecking cars. The scenarios have given us the ability to actually drive with a purpose and AVOID wrecking. Personally I want BeamNG Drive to be Forza in the sim department and Burnout in the arcade department.
Trying to drive fast, crashing because of my controller's inaccuracy. (At least that's what I blame it on.)
I try to drift around with a 4WD Race 200BX but fail and literally smash the car into thousands of pieces. Other things I like doing in BeamNG include running things over with the BTR.
Most of the time I take whatever vehicle or map I find appealing, drive and explore. Then I eventually do something unplanned that looks cool, wonder why it did that and experiment until I find something else what attire my curiosity. And repeat again and again.
I like pushing cars to their limits, depending what they were intended to do. If I crash, I pushed too hard.
I do both. I will revise that. I do car crash simulation, say an elderly man is driving his Barstow and some teenager in a carbon-ed out 200BX slams into the passenger side of the Barstow.
Sometimes I just drive around east coast or off road at jungle rock, and sometimes I do crashes with propane tanks. Generally I'd say off-roading is my favorite occupation.
I like driving just for fun like a normal real-life driver, but there's always that occasional moment when you want to drive 100mph into a tree in slow motion.