gardner@prls.UUCP (09/18/87)
This may not be the right forum for this, but... I'm concerned about the number of computer games/simulations lately that incorporate incorrect physics. I'd like to see a "Stomp out Bad Physics" movement to help programmers get it right. As an example let me mention Dark Castle and StuntCopter. Now, I don't do any of this to embarrass the programmer/developer/publisher of these (or any) packages. These both happen to be excellent programs that are a lot of fun. But I worry about what they are teaching the people (children, esp.) who use them about physics. The understanding many people have of the physical world is already pretty bad. And the fact that these programs show these problems is further evidence that even intelligent, capable people can have misconceptions about the world. If this could be remedied I believe the technological achievements of the mankind could be even more remarkable... So, now the examples: Dark Castle: When swinging across the ropes (in the dungeon) the way to successfully jump from rope to rope is to jump when you are at the top of your swing. Jumping too soon or too late causes you to miss the second rope. Now, admittedly, timing is a big issue in doing this in real life, but the fact remains that at the top of your swing you no longer have any forward momentum. If you let go of the rope at the top of your swing you will therefore fall straight down and not go forward at all. I had a hard time figuring out how to jump the ropes successfully in Dark Castle because I kept feeling like I should be trying to jump forward to catch the next rope so I was always jumping too soon. (The animation clearly shows a jump rather than a 'reach'.) StuntCopter: This problem is much more bothersome. Here the goal is to fly a helicopter over a moving cart, drop a man from the copter and have him land in the cart. The problem is in the trajectory of the man after he lets go of the helicopter. In the game he always falls straight down from the helicopter regardless of the helicopter's speed or motion. In real life (assuming no wind) the man's forward velocity as he falls should be exactly the same as it was the moment he let go of the helicopter. In other words, if the helicopter is flying exactly over the cart, moving at the same speed as the cart, then the man should land in the cart when he lets go, regardless of the speed at which he falls. If there is a wind then the wind velocity should be added to his initial velocity, so if the helicopter is flying into the wind he doesn't go as far, if it's flying with the wind then he goes farther. (Wind resistance is actually somewhat more complicated than this, but this gives you the idea.) Sorry to flood the nets with this gibberish, but I feel very strongly about the issue and I think it's the programmers/developers/publishers that need the message the most since they're the ones providing the games/simulations. Actually it's kinda nice that the software is good enough that things like this are noticeable! Keep up the good work, but "Stomp out Bad Physics"! Robert Gardner P.S. If anyone knows of a (more) appropriate forum for this message please cross-post it and/or let me know so I can see if it gets any reaction. Thank you.
oster@dewey.soe.berkeley.edu (David Phillip Oster) (09/19/87)
Hear, hear! I too think that there is no reason to use bad physics in computer games (except as an occasional joke) and every reason not to. Just so long as you don't force me to put a disclaimer on Stars, a small dialog at the bottom of the screen that says: +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Warning: this is not an realistic simulation of space travel. Do Not | | try to go into hyperspace at home. | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ (The program "Orion" actually has a similar disclaimer.) I always thought the "realistic" scenes in marble madness (or billiards) would be good ways to teach kids about ballistics and momentum, and Newton's laws.
olson@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (olson) (09/20/87)
In article <6277@prls.UUCP> gardner@prls.UUCP (Robert Gardner) writes: >I'm concerned about the number of computer games/simulations lately >that incorporate incorrect physics. I'd like to see a "Stomp out >Bad Physics" movement to help programmers get it right. > [ ... examples of bad physics in games given ...] Here, here!!!! I'm joining the "Stomp out Bad Physics" movement. (As a physicist what else can I do.;-)) I volunteer, to critic the physics of your game scenarios, to the best of my abilities. Todd Olson ARPA: olson@lasspvax.tn.cornell.edu ---or--- olson@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu UUCP: {ihnp4,allegra,...}!cornell!lasspvax!olson US Mail: Dept Physics, Clark Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-2501
hallett@macbeth.steinmetz (Jeff R Hallett) (09/28/87)
Organization: In article <2402@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> olson@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (olson) writes: >In article <6277@prls.UUCP> gardner@prls.UUCP (Robert Gardner) writes: >>I'm concerned about the number of computer games/simulations lately >>that incorporate incorrect physics. I'd like to see a "Stomp out >>Bad Physics" movement to help programmers get it right. >> > [ ... examples of bad physics in games given ...] > >Here, here!!!! >I'm joining the "Stomp out Bad Physics" movement. (As a physicist what >else can I do.;-)) I volunteer, to critic the physics of your game scenarios, >to the best of my abilities. Oh poo poo! Who cares? I play a game to have fun, not learn physics. Maybe its that deviation from the real world that makes the game challenging. I will agree that some physically unrealistic games could mislead small children (StuntCopter - I love this game! - for one). Maybe they should have a disclaimer: +-----------------------------------+ | This game deviates from the known | | laws of the universe. The author | | cannot assume blame for anyone's | | F in Physics 101. Play at your | | own risk. | +-----------------------------------+ Jeff ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many" -- Kirk (STIII) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~