good good splosions
August 21, 2016 7:50 AM Subscribe
BeamNG.drive is "a dynamic soft-body physics vehicle simulator capable of doing just about anything." Nick Robinson and Griffin McElroy are two guys who looked at that description and thought "...anything?" Welcome to CAR BOYS! (Currently there are only four episodes of this, but I hope and dream that there will be dozens or hundreds more.)
Jesus, I can barely catch up on one of Griffin's things before he pops out two more entire series.
(This is good!)
posted by danb at 8:06 AM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
(This is good!)
posted by danb at 8:06 AM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Confound those McElroy boys, they drive me to watch hours and hours of Youtube videos!
BTW, in other Griffin McElroy news, here's a charming local-news doc from 199X of an elementary school-aged Griffin (with dad Clint McElroy, aka Merle of Adventure Zone fame!) talking about ways to prevent violence in our schools.
posted by Strange Interlude at 8:35 AM on August 21, 2016 [3 favorites]
BTW, in other Griffin McElroy news, here's a charming local-news doc from 199X of an elementary school-aged Griffin (with dad Clint McElroy, aka Merle of Adventure Zone fame!) talking about ways to prevent violence in our schools.
posted by Strange Interlude at 8:35 AM on August 21, 2016 [3 favorites]
That was perhaps the best use of my time on a Sunday morning that I can think of.
posted by nubs at 8:39 AM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by nubs at 8:39 AM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
It's really good, but I stopped watching and immediately went on Steam and bought the game, and now I'm going to go crush some cars.
posted by Huck500 at 8:55 AM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Huck500 at 8:55 AM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
It really is worth sticking around to the end of the 4th video.
posted by nubs at 9:06 AM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by nubs at 9:06 AM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
The game developer's site.
His looks like a lot of fun. I'll have to upgrade my emulated system and give this a try some time.
posted by ardgedee at 9:07 AM on August 21, 2016
His looks like a lot of fun. I'll have to upgrade my emulated system and give this a try some time.
posted by ardgedee at 9:07 AM on August 21, 2016
The most recent just about killed me. But the L'Engle reference in the one before that drove me to tears as well.
posted by supercres at 9:50 AM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by supercres at 9:50 AM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
At this point I think I consume like eight hours of McElroy content a week, which is like 7% of my waking life.
No wonder they're getting a tv show.
posted by books for weapons at 10:10 AM on August 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
No wonder they're getting a tv show.
posted by books for weapons at 10:10 AM on August 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
I spend more time hearing the McElroys' voices than I do listening to my actual loved ones.
I would spend more time listening to my loved ones if they fired cinderblocks into a van more often.
posted by WidgetAlley at 10:21 AM on August 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
I would spend more time listening to my loved ones if they fired cinderblocks into a van more often.
posted by WidgetAlley at 10:21 AM on August 21, 2016 [5 favorites]
Now I want to buy a three-wheeled truck and customize it to be a Pigeon.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:21 AM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:21 AM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Huh.
It has the feel of watching a variety of global climate model runs, speeded up .....
So many, many ways to break it.
posted by hank at 10:42 AM on August 21, 2016
It has the feel of watching a variety of global climate model runs, speeded up .....
So many, many ways to break it.
posted by hank at 10:42 AM on August 21, 2016
I don't think I've felt that kind of joy over freeform simulated mayhem since a friend and I discovered Carmageddon as kids.
posted by indubitable at 10:47 AM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by indubitable at 10:47 AM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Did Carmegeddon have Sun Chips? Because that's the moment this went from "joy" to "transcendent".
posted by nubs at 11:02 AM on August 21, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by nubs at 11:02 AM on August 21, 2016 [9 favorites]
The end of #4 was one of those just amazing McElroy moments, like Amelie or Glass Shark or Abracafuckyou.
As someone barely familiar with Pokémon, Griffin's nuzlocke run has also been amazing so far.
posted by kmz at 11:18 AM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
As someone barely familiar with Pokémon, Griffin's nuzlocke run has also been amazing so far.
posted by kmz at 11:18 AM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is MAGICAL
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:28 AM on August 21, 2016
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:28 AM on August 21, 2016
I'm saving episode 4 for tomorrow, but yes, this is fantastic. If you like this but haven't listened to CoolGames Inc. (Nick and Griffin's game design podcast), definitely do that.
Count me among the many who spend more time listening and watching more McElroy stuff than I do interacting with anyone or anything.
posted by minsies at 12:39 PM on August 21, 2016
Count me among the many who spend more time listening and watching more McElroy stuff than I do interacting with anyone or anything.
posted by minsies at 12:39 PM on August 21, 2016
If you like BeamNG, worth looking for gems in the last three years of YBR's youtube channel. That guy has crashed just about everything into everything else.
posted by anthill at 12:53 PM on August 21, 2016
posted by anthill at 12:53 PM on August 21, 2016
I was really enjoying this, and then the Sun Chips showed up, and I started laughing so hard I thought I was going to pass out.
posted by hobgadling at 12:54 PM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by hobgadling at 12:54 PM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Nick sounds like cortex, but with correct vowels. I would totally watch a MetaFilter vidcast of cortex and jessamyn playing this game.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:56 PM on August 21, 2016
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:56 PM on August 21, 2016
Also, if you aren't following The Adventure Zone, then what are you even doing with your life. Like... every arc I think it's the best and then the next one is even better. And now Griffin has been adding dope music and the latest episode left me gasping at the end.
And Monster Factory and Griffin's Amiibo Corner (now super classy in its second season) are just killing it too.
I'm pretty sure at this point 80% of what I consume is McElroy content and 75% of the rest can be traced to them too. (I'm sure I would have gotten to Hamilton and Bojack eventually but I was an early adopter thanks to McElroy connections.)
posted by kmz at 1:07 PM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
And Monster Factory and Griffin's Amiibo Corner (now super classy in its second season) are just killing it too.
I'm pretty sure at this point 80% of what I consume is McElroy content and 75% of the rest can be traced to them too. (I'm sure I would have gotten to Hamilton and Bojack eventually but I was an early adopter thanks to McElroy connections.)
posted by kmz at 1:07 PM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
This is amazing. That last video, I stuck it on thinking I'd just watch the first five minutes. I thought I had only watched the first five minutes, and then they found the Sunchips, it ended and I realised that I'd been sat there mesmerised for 18 minutes.
This is one of the most entertaining things ever made.
posted by howfar at 1:57 PM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
This is one of the most entertaining things ever made.
posted by howfar at 1:57 PM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
I remember in the early 2000's when physics engines were just getting good and everyone seemed hyped on games like this. There was a mod for Unreal Tournament 2003/2004 where you basically killed a player model in various ways just to watch the physics engine do its thing. I love stuff like this.
posted by gucci mane at 3:18 PM on August 21, 2016
posted by gucci mane at 3:18 PM on August 21, 2016
That had me dying, they have to do a dozen more because I doubt I can run this thing on my laptop. I have fond memories of causing pileups in IndyCar Racing by doing an immediate U-turn and racing around the track backwards towards the pack, and that was what, over 20 years ago? Half the fun of Colin McRae Rally was turning your car into a smoking cage with one working wheel. We have the technology, more high-fidelity comedic mayhem toys pls.
posted by lucidium at 4:24 PM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by lucidium at 4:24 PM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
yeah gucci mane, I remember when Half Life 2 came out I was all HOLY SHIT, NO WAY, LOOK AT THEM RAGDOLL!, getting kicks out of throwing things around with the gravity gun and watching the environment take damage.
posted by indubitable at 4:51 PM on August 21, 2016
posted by indubitable at 4:51 PM on August 21, 2016
so, this steam thing, it works on linux? because this is a game i would play for hours.
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 6:11 PM on August 21, 2016
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 6:11 PM on August 21, 2016
Steam does, but beamNG.drive is Windows-only for the time being.
posted by LogicalDash at 7:47 PM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by LogicalDash at 7:47 PM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's like the auto equivalent of Stair Dismount. This is what we need more of in gaming.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 9:35 PM on August 21, 2016
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 9:35 PM on August 21, 2016
I shudder to imagine writing a comparable thing with simulated people instead of simulated vehicles.
I'm pretty sure Arthur C. Clarke predicted that sort of thing would become popular.
posted by hank at 10:32 PM on August 21, 2016
I'm pretty sure Arthur C. Clarke predicted that sort of thing would become popular.
posted by hank at 10:32 PM on August 21, 2016
Almost woke up everybody in my house laughing at these. I'm in tears.
posted by rouftop at 11:02 PM on August 21, 2016
posted by rouftop at 11:02 PM on August 21, 2016
Holy shit that 4th episode. Oh my god.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:20 PM on August 21, 2016
posted by eyeballkid at 11:20 PM on August 21, 2016
I shudder to imagine writing a comparable thing with simulated people instead of simulated vehicles.
You may remember the Dismount games from a few years ago.
posted by Dysk at 2:20 AM on August 22, 2016
You may remember the Dismount games from a few years ago.
posted by Dysk at 2:20 AM on August 22, 2016
I just loved those vids! Loved them so much I bought the game
This is the first computer game I've ever bought. No kidding, I just never got into them. But this one looks like hours upon hours of fun.
posted by james33 at 4:42 AM on August 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is the first computer game I've ever bought. No kidding, I just never got into them. But this one looks like hours upon hours of fun.
posted by james33 at 4:42 AM on August 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
I would like to marry this video series. I'm sure Chuck Tingle can find a way to make this work.
posted by LMGM at 6:06 AM on August 22, 2016
posted by LMGM at 6:06 AM on August 22, 2016
If you like this but haven't listened to CoolGames Inc. (Nick and Griffin's game design podcast), definitely do that.
It should be emphasized for the unfamiliar that it's a "game design" podcast in the same sense that Griffin's Amiibo Corner is a "review series." They've started doing little animated clips of some of the better bits on Polygon's youtube, if you'd like a 2 min or so teaser. My favorite bits of the podcast tend to be when they get distracted by some other current event in the gaming world though. Like when they had trouble for weeks going a whole episode without bringing up Pokemon Go and what a bad game they think it is.
Car Boys is a SCREAM though. Griffin had tweeted before it went up that something happened in episode 4 that made him laugh until he felt sick and watching it with that dangling over it might have run the risk of lessening the effect, but no. I was laughing with tears streaming out of my eyes for a good 20 minutes after the episode ended the first time I watched it while youtube autoplayed some other random thing.
posted by sparkletone at 9:15 AM on August 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
It should be emphasized for the unfamiliar that it's a "game design" podcast in the same sense that Griffin's Amiibo Corner is a "review series." They've started doing little animated clips of some of the better bits on Polygon's youtube, if you'd like a 2 min or so teaser. My favorite bits of the podcast tend to be when they get distracted by some other current event in the gaming world though. Like when they had trouble for weeks going a whole episode without bringing up Pokemon Go and what a bad game they think it is.
Car Boys is a SCREAM though. Griffin had tweeted before it went up that something happened in episode 4 that made him laugh until he felt sick and watching it with that dangling over it might have run the risk of lessening the effect, but no. I was laughing with tears streaming out of my eyes for a good 20 minutes after the episode ended the first time I watched it while youtube autoplayed some other random thing.
posted by sparkletone at 9:15 AM on August 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
GOOD STUFF.
Reminds me of an underrated game I loved as a kid -- 1998's Viper Racing. As a racer it was mediocre, but the physics simulation and cheats were endless fun, like an early version of this stuff. There was one key you could tap to lift the front bumper -- allegedly for wheelies -- but which you could spam over and over again to flip the car ass-over-teakettle or do insane jumps off cliffsides. Every impact crumpled the vehicle more and more until it was unrecognizable, like Chigurh's candy wrapper with four wheels attached. You could also add a cheat to launch clumps of tires like cannonballs out the front of your chassis, destroying any AI cars that passed you by. There was even an option to transmogrify the car into a bizarre polygonal biplane with huge rectangular wings -- letting you swoop and soar with freaky physics right before plowing your nose into the ground (and then using the wheelie button to reanimate your wreckage to go dancing across the landscape). So much fun.
posted by Rhaomi at 2:26 PM on August 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
Reminds me of an underrated game I loved as a kid -- 1998's Viper Racing. As a racer it was mediocre, but the physics simulation and cheats were endless fun, like an early version of this stuff. There was one key you could tap to lift the front bumper -- allegedly for wheelies -- but which you could spam over and over again to flip the car ass-over-teakettle or do insane jumps off cliffsides. Every impact crumpled the vehicle more and more until it was unrecognizable, like Chigurh's candy wrapper with four wheels attached. You could also add a cheat to launch clumps of tires like cannonballs out the front of your chassis, destroying any AI cars that passed you by. There was even an option to transmogrify the car into a bizarre polygonal biplane with huge rectangular wings -- letting you swoop and soar with freaky physics right before plowing your nose into the ground (and then using the wheelie button to reanimate your wreckage to go dancing across the landscape). So much fun.
posted by Rhaomi at 2:26 PM on August 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
That ending, out of NOWHERE.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 7:34 PM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 7:34 PM on August 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
The ending to the latest episode is just fucking _magical_.
posted by kmz at 9:18 AM on August 26, 2016
posted by kmz at 9:18 AM on August 26, 2016
WHAT EVEN HAPPENED THERE (apparently the Boys themselves don't even know).
posted by sparkletone at 12:28 PM on August 26, 2016
posted by sparkletone at 12:28 PM on August 26, 2016
They messed up Busto 2.0, and revenge happened. That's my theory.
posted by nubs at 1:06 PM on August 26, 2016
posted by nubs at 1:06 PM on August 26, 2016
The repeated use of Clair de Lune almost killed me.
posted by books for weapons at 1:52 PM on August 26, 2016
posted by books for weapons at 1:52 PM on August 26, 2016
that is just beautiful
flaming debris all arcing out of the sky like meteors
posted by indubitable at 2:57 PM on August 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
flaming debris all arcing out of the sky like meteors
posted by indubitable at 2:57 PM on August 26, 2016 [3 favorites]
Aaagh Thursday can't come fast enough
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:49 PM on August 30, 2016
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:49 PM on August 30, 2016
Perhaps a new Monster Factory will help pass the time...
posted by sparkletone at 6:10 PM on August 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by sparkletone at 6:10 PM on August 30, 2016 [2 favorites]
Having watched it now: I am scared in ways I didn't know were possible.
posted by sparkletone at 2:29 AM on September 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by sparkletone at 2:29 AM on September 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm kind of appreciating how subtly Car Boys is becoming a horror story.
posted by nubs at 4:10 AM on September 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by nubs at 4:10 AM on September 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
There's some incredible fanart for Car Boys already, but this is my favorite.
posted by kmz at 7:12 AM on September 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by kmz at 7:12 AM on September 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
On this week's Cool Games Inc, the good, soft boys (eventually) design what I hope Beam.NG's sequel will be.
posted by sparkletone at 1:19 PM on September 2, 2016
posted by sparkletone at 1:19 PM on September 2, 2016
There's some incredible fanart for Car Boys already, but this is my favorite.
Ok but have you seen this?
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:06 AM on September 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
Ok but have you seen this?
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:06 AM on September 4, 2016 [3 favorites]
Earlier today, Nick (jokingly?) compared the new Car Boys to Sympathy For Lady Vengeance. So. Buckle up, I guess.
posted by sparkletone at 4:19 PM on September 8, 2016
posted by sparkletone at 4:19 PM on September 8, 2016
I am in awe of what they have awakened.
Busto fhtagn!
posted by nubs at 9:04 PM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
Busto fhtagn!
posted by nubs at 9:04 PM on September 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
Less harrowing than the installment before it and yet vastly more beautiful. Also: Holy shit would I love to read something from the developers talking about what on earth is going with some of this stuff.
posted by sparkletone at 8:32 AM on September 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by sparkletone at 8:32 AM on September 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
I love how we've progressed, episode by episode, from "how can we smash up these cars in a cool way" to "how does one kill a god"
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:28 AM on September 9, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:28 AM on September 9, 2016 [3 favorites]
Just wait until they do an Adventure Zone tie-in.
posted by nubs at 10:28 AM on September 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by nubs at 10:28 AM on September 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
New episode in which the Car Boys discover they can control gravity itself.
Whole new worlds of floating and then smashing and then floating and then smashing smashing smashing! have been born.
Minimal existential horror.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:27 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Whole new worlds of floating and then smashing and then floating and then smashing smashing smashing! have been born.
Minimal existential horror.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:27 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
This series is better exercise than doing sit ups. I didn't think they'd be able to keep up the high after last week's pure art, but two minutes in my neck already hurts from choke-laughing.
posted by lucidium at 3:33 PM on September 15, 2016
posted by lucidium at 3:33 PM on September 15, 2016
Beautiful, truly beautiful. And despite what Nick sort of implied on twitter, very low on existential horror. Still laughed my head off though. What good, good boys.
posted by sparkletone at 5:28 PM on September 15, 2016
posted by sparkletone at 5:28 PM on September 15, 2016
What I'm worried about on the existential horror front is Busto 2.0 and the gravity controls coming together.
posted by nubs at 6:20 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by nubs at 6:20 PM on September 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by showbiz_liz at 7:51 AM on August 21, 2016