by ZachC

 

A few days ago I heard something that really cracked me up… at first. As I talked about it with BigD26 we both went from finding it funny to considering it a rather pathetic attempt by some to justify their lack of ability. What set me off was hearing that buggies without shine go faster, and that the Hippie Buggy is the fastest buggy on the track. This is actually a variation on an old myth that yellow buggies go faster.

Let’s analyze this for a moment. The 2 seat buggy is a model created by There. They only made one 2 seat buggy model. Attached to it are certain physics. Those physics are what determines how fast it goes, it’s “weight”, how it handles, and its collisions. There are no variables that can be adjusted by a developer. I’ve talked with staff many times over the years and they all confirm this. All buggies are based on the same model with no variations. I even begged them to create a different set of physics so I could make buggies that go faster! I offered to pay for this! No way was it going to happen. Period. End of conversation. I did get the opportunity to work with Sonblock in creating the JinxPlorer, a one seat buggy with big wheels. He varied the physics on it to make it go faster etc. finally settling on a compromise that helped it stay on the ground and yet go faster than a “normal” one seater. The problem was if it went too fast the front end lifted and the buggy flipped over backwards. In other words, when he changed a setting it created problems with other settings. Each time he changed a setting, he had to resubmit. The physics are a permanent part of the model. Bottom line: all buggies are based on the same model and they all have the same physics settings.

The next rationalization for a buggy without shine being faster is that there are more pixels and that means the computer takes a fraction of a second longer to render. This would result in the flat paint buggy being quicker since the buggy in motion has to be rendered countless times as it’s driven. That’s just stupid if you stop and think about it. The model is “skinned” by using a template to add the textures. Each template is the same. There’s no difference in size. If you make it flat or shiny there are EXACTLY the same number of pixels on it even if it’s all white. The computer doesn’t see complex lighting effects or colors. The computer sees pixels and puts them on the model. It doesn’t stop and analyze whether or not those pixels represent “shine” or not. It just puts them where they belong on the model as it moves around the track. This has been tested in world by driving a buggy on “water” to get its top speed. No matter what standard two seat buggy you test, the top speed will be the same.

Just as nonsensical is the myth that the tread on a buggy makes a difference in how it handles. The story is that a buggy with no tread goes faster and handles better. OK, let’s back up and figure this out. The tread is painted on the model. In other words, it’s pixels. Look at the image of a buggy with no texture… there’s no tread on the tires. It’s just a flat surface waiting for pixels to be applied. Once again, your computer doesn’t care what the pixels look like; it just places them on the model. The same number of pixels go on the tires whether they’re simple or complex. The model itself is what interacts with the terrain, not the texture. Any perceived differences are psychological.

The Bottom line is: if you actually like the Hippie Buggy, that’s one thing. Driving it because you don’t have the money to buy another buggy is understandable too. Not everyone has the tbux to go out and buy a JND; BUT… to rationalize driving it, or any flat painted buggy, by saying it goes faster is just wrong. I’m sure that those who can’t do anything but throw flat paint on a buggy template would prefer that you go on believing this stuff, but it just isn’t true, which is what makes it a MYTH.

Since I mentioned JND, let’s look at one of Jinxed_Karma’s recent buggies, the JND eMotion – Giddyup. I’ve already reviewed another of his eMotion series, but considering the discussion about buggies with shine I thought it would be appropriate to focus on this one today. Why? Because it lists for 11,850t compared to flat shop buggies that sell for 13,500t. This shows You CAN have quality shine for an inexpensive price, and they go just as fast!

Another buggy with shine is the TT-Pyscho by Tinkbell. Tinkbell is getting more and more creative all the time. Her innovative designs are pushing the envelope of what can be done with this model and I always look forward to seeing what she’ll do next. The Pyscho lists for 16,900t in auction.

 Tumble_Weed  has a new buggy in auctions. It’s the TumBlin Buggy designed by Dalriada using the basic template by Mullachops. It was done for the TumBlin neighborhood and is priced at 16,420t.

Finally we have the new animated bike by MikeCesar. The MC ShipBike 012R Limited was created by modifying the original Yoshibike S3 Model. Mike promises more to come. This one is limited to 10 and priced at 25,200t.

That’s it for this week. I hope you can now go out and drive your favorite buggy without worrying it might be slower than someone else’s.