In 2011, some Rigs of Rods developers gathered to improve upon the open-source software with a new product. On 28 May 2012, BeamNG released a YouTube video titled "Revolutionary soft-body physics in CryEngine3". Originally, BeamNG.drive was to be based on CryEngine 3, but its use in a driving game uncovered numerous bugs, leading development to be rolled over to Torque. BeamNG's website, beamng.com, was opened on 8 May 2012 to deliver news of their development of the simulator. The game was placed on an open vote on Steam Greenlight on 12 February 2014 and was greenlit eight days later. On 29 May 2015, the game was released to Steam Early Access. On 15 June 2018, BeamNG announced a partnership with Camshaft Software, with the addition of an exporter feature to Automation, Camshaft's car company tycoon game. This allows players to export vehicles made within Automation as fully driveable vehicles in BeamNG.drive.
Gameplay
BeamNG.drive features various gameplay modes and scenarios such as campaigns and a time trial mode. Campaigns are collections of small scenarios pertaining to specific themes, whereas in time trials, the player selects a vehicle, a level, a route, and competes against their own best time. Players can also free roam in which players can explore and experiment with levels, allowing them to operate, place and manipulate objects and vehicles within the level, but also change environmental properties such as gravity and wind. Players can utilize various objects ranging from road barriers to weapons to inflict damage on their vehicles. The game implements soft-body physics to control both vehicle dynamics and collisions between objects and vehicles.
Physics
BeamNG.drive uses a real-time soft-body physics structure to simulate its vehicles. Algorithms have been written for the physics equations to be carried out. It relies heavily on coding in Lua, and uses packets of local data using the Lua network system while the game is running. The game's engine constantly calculates physics equations and problems in real-time during gameplay. Vehicles in the game consist of a soft-body node-beam structure similar to those in Rigs of Rods. The physics engine simulates a network of interconnected nodes and beams, which combine to form an invisible skeleton of a vehicle with realistic weights and masses. In terms of soft-body physics, vehicles realistically flex and deform as stresses to the skeleton, such as impacts from collisions, are applied.. Aside from body deformation, different effects also occurred in several degrees of damage; such as degraded engine, detached doors and shattered windows. If a vehicle is severely damaged, the engine may fail, rendering the vehicle unusable. In addition, tires can also be blown out and fuel tanks may explode after an excessive amount of collisions.
Reception
Jack Stewart of BBC mentioned that BeamNG.drive "has received interest from the film industry to model vehicle stunts, so that they can be prototyped and tested exhaustively – but cheaply – before a stunt driver smashes up a car on set." Polygon's Nick Robinson lauded the game's simulated physics and user-created content support, leading him to create a 38-episode video series for Polygon, "Car Boys", in which he and Griffin McElroy spotlighted new BeamNG.drive content each week.
