Puddle Physics

First please let me say thank you for a wonderful game and trouble free for me role out, much improved over FM5 release…well done!!

I’m finding that the physics of puddles is not accurate and it’s kind of bugging the heck out of me! Please understand I love racing in the rain, the lack of grip and getting to throw my tail about and when running by myself puddles are awesome and a challenge!

In real world though when a car goes through a puddle the water is dispersed and takes a few seconds for the water to return so resistance for the next car in line should be less and even much less chance of hydroplaning right?

Anyway just an observation not a big gripe and wondering if anyone else has noticed this?

Please define “not accurate”.

In real life I never drive through a puddle at high speeds (above 70mph) so I don’t know but the visuals, the sounds, and car reaction all SEEM believable to me . . . At low speeds I would agree than the car’s weight pushes down on the wheel and subsequently on the road so the water would be pushed away.

Hydroplaning occurs when the speed of the wheel on the puddle of water + lack of weight forces the wheel to lose contact with the road, leading to near zero traction.

In real life, even at 70mph driving through a puddle is pretty darn scary . . .

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They did well do include it and still keep it on 60FPS.

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Sorry, the in-game scenario is I’m racing in the rain (Sebring) and I’m nose to tail with a like car in front of me, the first car hits the puddle and does not hydroplane but when I hit the puddle I hydroplane and spun out, that’s why I’m questioning the programming physics of the puddles.

The 1st car will have hydroplaned as well but can see the puddle coming, lift off and make sure the wheels are straight so as not to spin out when grip returns. You hit it blind and may be doing none of the above.

But in real life the first car would have made the puddle disappear as it splashed through it and the second car would not have hit a puddle.

I don’t think the Xbox could handle th ecalculations required to accomplish what you’re asking for.

I don’t have an issue with the puddle physics, I realize this is a $60 video game, I was just making the point the op is trying to make.

He was talking an in-game example, in reality some water would be displaced by the car in front not all, it will flow back, and depending on the source (eg water flowing over the track) and how heavily it is raining it can be replenished quickly.

I like the rain, but if they had managed to calculate how much water that was displaced, and also calculate how fast water coming back to that exact puddle with depth, width, amount of rain, speed and weight of cars in addition to what point of entry car has to puddle, I would be mighty impressed. Next gen consoles maybe:-)

I see Danger and I was thinking the same…

i’ve driven through puddles at high speed. on road and off. yeah i know, i’m dumb like that.

anyway, they got the physics mostly right. following another car doesn’t reduce your risk of hydroplaning. not one bit. (take that from a florida driver who drives in the rain nearly every day over summer in a rwd v8 muscle car)… at the very most, if it’s a deep puddle, more than a couple inches, then yes it will take a couple seconds for the water to repool, and the difference is that the puddle won’t snatch on your car as hard but that’s it. and seeing as all the puddles on forza aren’t nearly that deep, that effect shouldn’t be there and isn’t.

the only inaccuracy i can honestly mention about the wet physics is the wet dirt physics. it’s ice in the game and it’s a bit over exagerrated. wet grass acts sort of that way, but wet dirt doesn’t. unless it’s clay… in the game it looks like sand, and sand is actually very sticky when it’s wet. so in my opinion based on my experience the wet dirt is entirely too slick. but since i shouldn’t really be on the dirt anyway… my grievance is negated.

I’ve worked in game-dev for a while now… (too long) and to simulate all the puddles and fluids in a respectable time frame and sync them across 24 networked units, would be a serious undertaking. I doubt the current generation of consoles (hell, maybe even a network of decent PCs) could handle this.

Still… “It would be cool”. :o)

edit: maybe the power of “the cloud” could / might do it? THAT would be cool.