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Dark Physics & Dark A.I. & Dark Dynamix / Thinking about buying Dark Physics

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Randomness 128
17
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Joined: 13th Feb 2007
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Posted: 10th May 2007 20:03
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I'm trying to decide between using Newton and Dark Physics.

Newton is free, but Dark Physics costs $59.99. Dark Physics only works with Windows XP, but Newton will work with other versions of Windows as well.

What I'd like to know is are the extra or better features of Dark Physics worth losing support for Windows 98, 2000 and ME and paying $60?

Also keep in mind that I don't have a physics card, so I can't use any features that require one.

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vorconan
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Posted: 10th May 2007 20:31
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Dark Physics is well worth it. I'm not sure about compatibility, I only know of XP and Vista. The only feature I cannot access without a Physics card is fluid effects, but all the rigid bodies, vehicles etc. work perfectly.
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Hoozer
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Location: Bremerhaven (Germany)
Posted: 10th May 2007 21:14 Edited at: 10th May 2007 21:44
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@ Randomness 128: I would say that it is a bit easier to use (at least I got this feeling) and it has great potential within, cause DP does not use all of the features that the AGEIA-SDK (on which it is based) offers and maybe by time these get also implemented by TGC!

On the other hand there are some probs with the character-controller, the vehicle-functions, the cloth-effect and the particles, but the most of them might get fixed in the next Update for DP!

In my eyes the AGEIA-SDK is the most powerfull physics-engine and if you don't want to use C++ and OpenGL/Direct3D (like me), because they are to complecated or what ever, then DP is the only chance to get your hand on the possibilities of the AGEIA-SDK!


Hoozer

AMD 64X2 4800+ (939); 2GB; GF 6800LE (@12PS, 6VS; 380 MHz, RAM: 434 MHz)
DP-Sw-Mode-Comp-Entry (updated to V. 1.3):
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=93582&b=5
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Randomness 128
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Posted: 10th May 2007 23:20
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I posted to the thread for my game and asked if anyone would have a problem if it would only work on Windows XP or Vista. That's the main thing I'm worried about.

But what kind of problems are there with the character-controller, the vehicle-functions, the cloth-effect and the particles?

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vorconan
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Posted: 11th May 2007 00:56
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I haven't come across the problems that Hoozer talked about and am also very curious.
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Agent Dink
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Posted: 11th May 2007 01:40
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Well, the character controllers are largely lacking in features. About the best you can do is to get a player walking around with a constant gravity. There's no real options beyond that, thats ok to some people, but not to everyone.

The vehicles do not for some strang reason support sliding. No matter how fast your going and turn, the car will grip the road, which can get very unrealistic.

The particles work fine, they are just lacking in options and most people wouldn't be able to use just DPs particles in their projects due to that lack of features.

I haven't experienced any problems with the cloth.

I have no signature...
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Randomness 128
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Posted: 11th May 2007 02:09 Edited at: 11th May 2007 02:11
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Quote: "Well, the character controllers are largely lacking in features. About the best you can do is to get a player walking around with a constant gravity. There's no real options beyond that, thats ok to some people, but not to everyone."


As long as the character controllers let you move at different speeds, jump, change the size of the object and position it manually that's enough. If not I have some ideas of other ways to do it.

Quote: "The vehicles do not for some strang reason support sliding. No matter how fast your going and turn, the car will grip the road, which can get very unrealistic."


I noticed that the vehicles in Newton slide too easily, making them way too hard to control. Not sliding at all would be better for a shooter.

Quote: "The particles work fine, they are just lacking in options and most people wouldn't be able to use just DPs particles in their projects due to that lack of features."


I have my own particle system working already so that's not important to me. And from what I could find Newton doesn't have any particles.


Do things move consistantly no matter what the frame rate is? Because I noticed that with Newton, they don't. They say the update command only works at the same speed at 100fps up, so I changed the value I gave it to make it think it was 5 times higher than usual, but it still didn't work right.

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Kanda
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Posted: 11th May 2007 03:34
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Quote: "I noticed that the vehicles in Newton slide too easily, making them way too hard to control. Not sliding at all would be better for a shooter."


Just a matter of changing the settings. I agree about what was said, Aegia-Dark Physics is wonderfull but the missing instructions for the vehicle controls are a problem and i am thinking about switching back ot newton if no update came up soon.
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Hoozer
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Posted: 11th May 2007 14:40
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I was talking about the things I was reading here for some time (character-controller, vehicle-functions) and about these two things there are a lot of postings in this forum, just do a search and you should find some infos about it! I actually never used them, but maybe in the future?

The things that people have seen as a problem with DP-particles and cloth are the following:

Particles can't be turned off and on in an easy way (it is just possible to try to use the emitter-rate, but it results in particles just spawning now and then or not immediatlely, when you want them to show)! Also it is possible to delete an eitter, but you would delete also all active particles (looks ugly, if smoke or whatever disappears from one second to the other)! (I tried it and found no satisfying way to turn them on and off, maybe I have overseen something? )

The thing with the cloth is that you can only create them, but you can't delete a cloth-object once it is created! (This would be helpfull, if you want to reset a scene, where you used a destrucable/tearable cloth-object or when the object get's stuck (it happens sometimes within my "PhysiX-Brick-Breakout"-Game)!)
Also the size of a cloth-object is restricted to 11*11 and scaling results in false positions (I might be wrong with this, but I'm pritty sure)! Some features like the "make cloth from object"-command is not included although it is shown inside the documentation!

Also have a look at the "Upgrade"-Thread, there are some things posted (also some previews about solved problems)!:
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=101926&b=30

More problems are named in the "EULA"-Thread!:
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=92726&b=30

At the end I have a link for some more infos about the AGEIA-SDK and the hardware, supported games, tests, interviews, videos,...:
http://personal.inet.fi/atk/kjh2348fs/ageia_physx.html


I hope that helps so far!

Hoozer

AMD 64X2 4800+ (939); 2GB; GF 6800LE (@12PS, 6VS; 380 MHz, RAM: 434 MHz)
DP-Sw-Mode-Comp-Entry (updated to V. 1.3):
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=93582&b=5
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Cash Curtis II
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Location: Corpus Christi Texas
Posted: 11th May 2007 17:09
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Dark Physics is so worth the money. As a rigid body simulator, it has no equal. Newton is nice, but can't compare to Dark Physics in this regard. I'm just talking about software mode, too.

Some of the additions to Dark Physics don't work like they should yet - character controller, vehicles, cloth, particles. They work, but certainly not to my liking. However, they will eventually get fixed, and will be good.

DP is definitely worth the money if you want physics in your game. Geisha House uses Dark Physics, and the changeover from Newton collision to Dark Physics+Sparky's DLL produced no slowdown. In fact, it fixed many issues I was having.


Come see the WIP!
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wh1sp3r
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Location: Czech republic
Posted: 23rd May 2007 00:37
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Hi, I have question ..
Will be in new release features like character, which can collide with dynamic objects (pushing) and better controling of character ?


PS: Real programmers aren't afraid of math!.
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wh1sp3r
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Posted: 5th Jun 2007 01:11
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hm?


PS: Real programmers aren't afraid of math!.
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