SimpleGhost
22013
11
5
Hey there! The whole thing was made mostly by accident while I was trying to create a cable that visually disconnects from a giant structure. I tried animating it at first, but eventually decided to go with good ol’ janky Unity physics.
Once that worked, I realized it wouldn’t be too much trouble to connect it to my object interaction system. So I played around with it, and after a couple of spectacular explosions (didn’t know cables could do that), the cables are now stable, you can even tie simple knots or tangle them around the environment.
The cables are basically chains of invisible spheres connected with joints, kind of like a physics-powered bead necklace. I can control how many "beads" there are, their size, and how far apart they are. An 8-sided pipe-mesh is redrawn every frame between the invisible spheres, so it looks like a real cable instead of just floating balls.
Now I just have to figure out some funny puzzles where these cables could be used!! If you have any ideas, let me know! ^^
I'm a solo dev and I'm currently working on two physics-based puzzle games, where I plan on using this tech.
If my little projects look like something you could enjoy, you can drop them a Wishlist on Steam. <3
SECTOR ZERO: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2352050/SECTOR_ZERO/
ARTIFICIAL: https://store.steampowered.com/app/904510/ARTIFICIAL/
Antininny
knot bad
SimpleGhost
Knot gonna lie... that made me chuckle :D
wurstkaesescenario
Dying Light 2 has that too
SimpleGhost
I believe that is not really a physics rope in DL2. Just some sort of algo that "bends: a line on predetermined object edges and it counts the overall line length and stops you once you reach max length.
Last of Us did it very well though!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irGOv1KjEow
aducksayswhat
Oblivion from 2005 has that in the jail cell you start in
SimpleGhost
That’s a really good example. I believe they used exactly the same technique. The CPUs weren’t as powerful back then, though, so they couldn’t make those chains very long or use them extensively in puzzles or other environmental interactions. It was mostly a gimmick. Physics interactions were quite performance-heavy. Still, it was a very cool and mind-blowing gimmick! Oblivion is one of my favorite games! ^^
TheUnnamedPoet
Occupy Mars has something similar with their electrical lines and liquid/gas tubes... No where near as smooth as this though. Good work.
SimpleGhost
Thank you! I definitely have to check that game out, I’ve heard good things about it.
TheUnnamedPoet
It's a fun little survival game if you like things that are fairly slow paced. Good time, lots of fun, but their cable physics have nothing on yours. Buttery smooth.