The Car Physics...

[Lock n' Stock]

Am I the only one who doesn't find driving cars in SA to be all that fun? The mechanics feel like a step-backwards from III and VC with how slow your turns are and the fact that running a person over can slow your car down. Driving off-road is fun, but other than that, SA has my least favourite driving physics out of any 3D GTA game, though driving off-road vehicles and motorcycles is fun for the most part. It's just cars I'm not fond of.

[lil weasel]

If the driving was anything like the real world the game wouldn't be playable.

Riding a motorcycle across curbs, railroad tracks, into lamp posts, et cetera, are nearly impossible in the real world.

Driving a bus into a group of four Ballas, and having the response reminding me of a whale breeching.

The trade of realism vs. playability...

[Ewok626]

Don't forget that you can increase your driving skill if you haven't already.

[Saint.]

you can't be serious mate

[lil weasel]

Now there is something. Skill based not on how you avoid collisions, but on the Distance Driven... !

The first time I played (PS2) I got my first Driving skill boost at the same time I hit a lamp post.

[Aintgottime2bleed]

I think the driving is good except a couple vehicles but thats with evry game.

[B Dawg]

They're a step forward compared to it's predecessors. Also, being slowed down by hitting peds, wasn't that in past GTAs as well? I know the stupid car damage was, but not so sure about the slowdown.

 

Overall driving is better than GTA V tho.

[j7n]

I noticed cars losing speed upon collisions with peds in Vice City more than in SA, when I practiced hitting Haitans to get them as my least favorite gang. I would make a guess that the strength of the impact was greater in VC.

 

In SA cars seem to have more varied suspension softness / bounciness and brake strength. VC cars handled like stiff boxes in comparison. Cars like Voodoo acquired non-locking brakes in SA, and the Ranger and other off-roads, became more bouncy. Common musclecars that are by no means off-roads were also bouncy. But maybe I'm thinking mostly of the plain, repetitive tire squeal that was emitted upon every touch of the VC steering keys.

 

I fondly remember the starting Oceanic in VC because it felt heavy, and could coast longer without the engine 'sounding'. Again probably more to do with the sound than actual weight/brakes of the car. But the ease of handling of the Oceanic/Idaho was one of the reasons I stayed in VC after playing SA.

 

Bike handling wasn't ideal in either game. In VC the character fell off upon the lightest bump, and in SA he never fell off.

[Mukaparska]

I agree. I mean, there's nothing wrong with controls, but cars feel somehow "soft" and cars feel too much the same.

[Lock n' Stock]

I noticed cars losing speed upon collisions with peds in Vice City more than in SA, when I practiced hitting Haitans to get them as my least favorite gang. I would make a guess that the strength of the impact was greater in VC.

 

Bike handling wasn't ideal in either game. In VC the character fell off upon the lightest bump, and in SA he never fell off.

I don't know, if you were to hit a similar amount of people in SA, the slowdown would be greater than in VC I think. Based on my experience (I own the PS2 versions of both games), I've not encountered a single slowdown when running over just one pedestrian in GTA III and VC, though doing it in SA seems to slow the car down in some manner. Regarding bike handling, it got intensely annoying whenever Tommy would fall of his bike from a small collision with something, yet in SA you need a rather big crash to fling CJ off the bike. I would have preferred something in between.

They're a step forward compared to it's predecessors. Also, being slowed down by hitting peds, wasn't that in past GTAs as well? I know the stupid car damage was, but not so sure about the slowdown.

 

Overall driving is better than GTA V tho.

Maybe GTA III and VC did have some slowdown upon hitting pedestrians if there was to say, a group of them at once. However, it feels much greater in SA.

 

V has perfect handling for me, except for motorcycles (which can barely drift) and helicopters (which are too wobbly).

Edited November 24, 2013 by xXGst0395Xx

[TonyMontanaCDL]

It's a lot better in the physics from IV where it feels like driving in real life and if you try to floor a curb you spin out uncontrollably, or fly through the wind shield when slamming into something.

[Cherokee3]

In 3D era cars feels like made of plastic somehow, lacked momentum. Also games simulated no deformation, i mean if one set car god mode on in IV trainer, albeit no deformation when hitting objects, cars still felt like made of metal, absorbed much of kinetic energy as if there is some serious deformation in chassis. But in 3D era cars just emit a "pia" sound then bounce off the surface. Generally in 3D era I like gta 3's handling the best. A little bouncy but not lazy compared to vc. It has some "tension". I don't know how to properly describe it in English.

 

IV has good "sense of striking" when running people over. Peds are helplessly overpowered by hefty machines and involuntary sent under only to be crushed. Shooting in SA is great compared to earlier games. I don't know if it's a glitch or is designed to have pinpoint shooting when using a mouse in pc version of IV.

 

In saints row, cars lacked suspension after sr2, but retained some momentum. But the problem is that the peds and environmental objects in turn had no momentum. Feels kinda "i've got power but only punches on water".

 

Anyway, I was surprised that in SA handling.cfg had nearly the same format as handling.dat in gta IV. Is it possible to simulate IV handling in SA or SA handling in IV? Thanks