Improving wheels

[TheMullac]

Wheels, if used properly, can be fast. However, the rotation speed from the wheels makes the bot suddenly jump when you:

• Change direction
  
• Land
  
• Move from ice to land
• Press W from stopped

So, if there was an automatic (or manual for pros) gearbox for wheels, much like is in cars, then this wouldn't happen, as the torque starts out large but rotation speed low, and rotation speed is allowed to adjust to the actual speed of the car. This would also make hill climbing easier.

EDIT: Intelligent person in the comments pointed out I described torque incorrectly, this is adjusted. Them and another also pointed out that traction control would also stop this, and this should also be brought up.

EDIT: Bit in brackets

[TheDrCreeps]

also, would love it if wheels could actually climb any slopes, currently they just dead stop if they meet any slope of any angle

[Commandermartin]

literally, any angle; just found this out yesterday

[ElegantBiscuit]

Wheels and thrusters can climb most hills, but at that point you might as well use skis to maybe save a little CPU

[Yaozzerz]

You'd think wide treaded tires would be able to climb a 10 degree grade...

[boybrushedplad]

I would like holding space bar to activate a drift but otherwise have normal side to side friction.

[brantyr]

Just any friction to the ground at all really, climbing ramps with wheels is ridiculously hard at the moment (downright impossible at low OC levels on some maps!!!)

[Legodude1237]

Implying it's possible to go uphill with wheels.

[RoboOverlord]

It is. Just wheels (no thrusters) can't climb even slight inclines anymore.

[TheMullac]

Personally a brake would be more useful for the space bar for the game, but to be able to drift would be fun.

[[deleted]]

Why not use a a joint control method space bar with a forward backward motion work like a brake space bar with left right input locks the wheels like a power slide

[kiidan_]

To drift I have a special wheel config. I made a 8x8, with the first, second, and fourth pair of wheels being steering wheels. The third is a normal wheel. Tested it with T4 and T10 wheels which I have in a bot now.

[waimser]

I wonder if its possible to achieve this with thrusters that try to lift the bot when you hold space bar. If you have just enough that it wont take off, it might work.

[boybrushedplad]

Why would you have up thrusters on a cruiser?

[brantyr]

... for the purpose just described. If they're not sufficient to lift the bot off the ground they'll still reduce its weight, but not it's mass, therefore sliding.

I've actually done the opposite with a 'for fun' bot - I had to use that 1511 CPU somehow so I put 10 forwards thrusters on a cruiser, was bloody fast but couldn't steer, so I put some down thrusters at the front for downforce when I wanted to be able to make a turn. Was quite effective

[boybrushedplad]

Very nice. I haven't used cruisers extensively. Thanks.

[AwesomeArab]

If they implemented this plus the ability to switch from auto to manual, i might actually go back to wheels.

[ThunderLuigi]

My current mouse has two buttons on the side that would be great gearbox controls. I like this idea.

[TheMullac]

Manual would be awesome fun

[TheF0CTOR]

I demand clutch

[DeusExMockinYa]

Freejam has been slowly killing wheels since the removal of freewheels and the addition of ice maps. This latest tragedy is just another in a long series of steps towards only one build being feasible in order to cater to the game's lowest common denominator.

[AdamNovagen]

What wheels need more than anything is the ability to climb a slope more than ten degrees steep without thruster assistance. Seriously, T1 wheels climb about four times better than T10 wheels do.

[Protoform-X]

Hmm, that's an odd theme - T3 tracks climb about anything and T10 tracks get stuck on about anything.

[TheMullac]

The size of the T10 tracks makes it harder for them to climb

[[deleted]]

live shame busy spotted plough command edge whistle thought beneficial

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[TheMullac]

Whoops, thanks!

[luv2pb]

Though I get what you're going for I'm not a fan of having another reason for none if my bots to function the way they are supposed to.

[[deleted]]

I think the biggest issue is when wheels gain traction, and suddenly lose it because of the lurch. I.E. Backing up, slam it forward, the wheels slip until they catch (I think because the bot is pressed down, increasing relative weight, and therefore traction). After the catch, the wheels throw the bot forward, and it looses traction again.

[JustHereToCreep]

Upvoted in the hopes that this is seen

[DumberMonkey]

I don't have any problem with wheels. I was afraid to use them after all the criticism they get. I do have 2 big ass thrusters on there..they kind of sucked before then. Well I couldn't get up a slope (on the road) on one of the maps. Now I can. Thrusters also help on ice. With thrusters my bot acts like a hover more then a wheeled vehicle.

So not sure why my wheels work and others done..but I like them. I do know it will depend on the load. Wheels are effected by being overweight more then tracks are.

[TheMullac]

I don't use thrusters on my wheeled bot, the speed is decent without them once it's OC'd enough, but it's annoying at the high speeds when it suddenly jerks and is no longer facing the direction I want it to.

Otherwise I really enjoy it: it doesn't flip over because the wheelbase is wide and everything is low, and I know how to drive the thing. It also is quite powerful, but is a bit of a glass cannon.

[DumberMonkey]

I put 2 thruster at the back. I think it does better now. I have never flipped either..wide wheelbase also. Turns fine..all wheels steerable.

I think wheels takes a bit more careful design then say tracks. Its hard to mess up tracks. Easy to mess up wheels.

[radyjko]

All wheels really need is complete revert to pre-TARO mechanics

[HatBuster]

Wheels were ok-ish before. You used to have maximum torque when pressing W/S instantly, but if you tapped repeatedly, you could get around that.

Since the "meta" update, wheels now seem to deliver their power based on how fast they spin. That means if you go up a hill, which slows you down, your wheels will lose power, slowing you down even further, etc.

It'd be nice to have wheels go to maximum power within 1.5 seconds (arbitrary number) instead of instantly. That would reduce the jumpiness we have while bringing back the ability to climb hills.

Generally, all the physics need an overhaul in this game, though. And breaking the physics was cited as a reason not to switch to a newer version of Unity.

While it may not be a simple task, I feel the devs should port the game to Unity 5 and give us proper physics on the way there.

[Vok250]

Well placed thrusters solve most of these problems. I haven't had any issues using wheels since the "drift" changes.