Dreams : create, share & play [PS4, PS5]

Stunning! Must try it in VR, I finally got the adapter for PS5 and have that working with Move controllers (bit annoying that you need a DS4 controller though for some stuff).

 

it has a san francisco rush vibe to it.

 

still no PS5 so at least I have time to play with Dreams, still work in progress, but suspension works

 

Rock Crawler demo is released

https://indreams.me/dream/mLHaJAjQJZx

 

As cool as this stuff is, the simple things I want to do are still mind-boggling hard thanks to the weirdest physics engine ever! If you connect Body B to Body A via a constraint (spring, string etc.) behaviour of that constraint is influenced not just by Body B's mass but also Body A's! The only way I've managed to get springy arms to work is with a hack. Attaching two connectors between two bodies changes their behaviour and creates a realistic spring motion. But it really shouldn't be this much work.

The good news is I've been on at Sony about using Move controllers and they've agreed to send me a camera adaptor so I can have another crack at it.

 

Have you tried asking the community?

 

Yep. TapGiles is always helpful among others. Even got MM to provide a solution for working puppet mouths inside Move controller puppets, pointing out the density of the two parts of a head is vital to get it to work correctly, but with no science to determine these - you're just supposed to trial and error 100 variables until something works, apparently. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ They also couldn't give an explanation of how physics in children work, so I can't get my head around a spring between objects in sub-layers.

The main issue seems to be that Dreams went a different route after it's 2016 showing and virtually puppetry was basically dropped. They've added features back in but the physics doesn't work within objects properly - springs just stretch forever without bouncing, etc. I'm probably the only guy in the world wanting to make a puppet with bouncy sprung arms, and it doesn't work, but it's not something that'll y be fixed. Considering this should be doable as easy as connecting a couple of balls with a spring, moving one with the Move controller, and having the other work, exactly as it is in edit mode, it's incredibly frustrating. Mostly because there are no answers or solutions.

 

I think I saw somewhere that you can build your own puppet on the skeleton with your own objects. If you create a standalone object and then import that, would that work?

 

I need to wait for my camera adaptor to try anything new. It may be that official 'puppets' have their own mechanics, but I'm not hopeful.

If you want to drive yourself nuts, look at the official 'make a talking head' tutorial in game with the head that opens/closes. Easy peasy to get the trigger to open/close the mouth. Yay! Then try and stick that in a Move tracked object so you can move it around like a puppet and talk...

 

I tried to do something with physics in Dreams, but it was all whacky and wobbly. I saw some vehicles made with physics (e.g. https://indreams.me/XmuzziiX) but it's not good (I mean it's great achievement in Dreams, but doesn't work/look good, imo).

speaking of physics... on the Rock Crawler, a few post above yours, nothing is based on Dreams physics, everything is not collidable.

 

It looks really responsive with immersive gunplay! better than many AAA games!

 

The physics works, but within its own rules that aren't immediately obvious. The most insane part is that behaviour in the editor while running is different to that in play! It is not WYSIWYG and I feel that's a serious shortcoming that takes a large step back from what was achieved with LBP.

 

No, it's just nice fakery. The engine, as is, doesn't allow reflections. It's just the old trick of mirrored geometry and a translucent floor.

 

We are already really happy with Opacity! Nice! Will make making really nice windows and such much easier than before. And of course this fake reflection is pretty good too.