BeamNG.drive is a downloadable car simulator set in the open world. It’s been created based on the proprietary physics engine and it is its showcase. The devs behind the game are the BeamNG Studio and it is their first title. BeamNG.drive was released on May 29, 2015, and is currently in early access. This game only works on computers running Windows.
How to Download BeamNG.drive
You can download the game from Steam.
A Racing Sandbox
BeamNG.drive is basically a huge sandbox which offers the players infinite possibilities. The game hasn’t got a clearly defined plot, and with the help of an advanced editor, the content of the game can be created by the players themselves. We have a large and spacious world that we can play in and race. There are no licensed car models in the game, but the creators took care to prepare a fairly large pool of fictitious vehicles. In addition, we may download the card created and shared by other players. The engine does impressive work as far as the collision effects on the car body are concerned. The cars are fully susceptible to damage. The core of the game is to simulate all sorts of collisions and to observe with pleasure how the vehicles are destroyed. The game is a simulator, so we will not experience an arcade action.
With the built-in editor, the players can freely add their content to the game. This tool allows us to create our own maps, vehicles, missions, or challenges. BeamNG.drive is also constantly developed by the creators themselves, the evidenced being by the fact that it is still not a final product, but only an early alpha release made available for the gamers.
The Graphics and the Car Damage Model
What distinguishes this title from other games is definitely the graphics engine. The creators took care to make the destruction physics as much real as possible. Thus the destruction model has been realized in an unprecedented way. The metal that is bent in an impressive way and the cards parts falling off in all directions bring to mind the films of the crash tests of modern cars. All damage is calculated in real time, which may be a burden even for the most powerful graphics cards. Because of that, the focus of BeamNG.drive is mostly on the physics, while the graphics are not considered that important. The obsolete Torque3D isn’t a beast as far as the details and graphical effects are concerned. Nevertheless, the graphics are not unpleasant to the eye.
It’s quite hard to compare BeamNG.drive to any other title. Similar gameplay was offered in FlatOut, but the attention to detail was on a much lower level. BeamNG.drive resembles also Rigs of Rods, but still, there are significant differences between the two games. The recent updates of BeamBG.drive have added more vehicles, such as planes and motorcycles. This suggests a bright future for the game and is an obvious signal that developers still want to make the game better. The title is currently a vehicle simulator with the best model of damage on the market.
