Triple Action Biplanes "Physics"?

[01tracker]

I'm trying to mimic some of the "physics" (I know, loosely speaking, given the era the game is from) of Triple Action's Biplanes.   But having a little trouble.  Can anyone describe how they think (or know) the game actually works?  I was thinking something like a "forward speed" variable that increases over time to a maximum when flying level, but increases to a limit when diving, decreases to up until 0 then goes negative (in a stall) when falling... But not sure how to implement that regarding the horizontal and vertical velocity of the plane.  Or if anyone can direct me to a more general "theory" of how it works somewhere that would be great too. Thanks!

[mr_me]

I don't think speed goes negative.  But at some point lift disappears and gravity takes over.  The plane can still move forward and fall at the same time.  It looks like as long as it has a minimum speed it moves in the direction it's pointing.  Once speed slows below a threshold, gravity acceleration gets added to it's velocity.  While falling once your orientation matches the direction your moving you seem to have control again , ie. gravity disappears.

[+DZ-Jay]

I agree with @mr_me.  In some regards, the implementation of actual physics is quite sophisticated, in spite of how crude you may imagine them to be.

 

The game seems to simulate (to some degree of accuracy) gravity, velocity, acceleration, lift, and drag — in other words, the known aerodynamic forces.

 

The gravity pull is always there, and it is counteracted by the forward velocity which generates lift.  The lift, in turn, is counteracted by drag, which increases with the pitch attitude, and can only be countered by increased velocity.

 

You could try to model the behaviour as individual and independent cases that affect position and velocity, but I think your will get a better and closer effect if you try to model the aerodynamic forces directly.

 

If you do so, you will learn that the behaviour you notice in the game, including what seems to be quirks, emerge naturally from the simulation.

 

The tools and platforms may have been primitive back then, but those guys surely knew what they were doing.

 

   dZ.

Edited August 17, 2021 by DZ-Jay

[Walter Ives]

On 8/17/2021 at 7:58 AM, DZ-Jay said:

In some regards, the implementation of actual physics is quite sophisticated, in spite of how crude you may imagine them to be. The game seems to simulate (to some degree of accuracy) gravity, velocity, acceleration, lift, and drag — in other words, the known aerodynamic forces. The gravity pull is always there, and it is counteracted by the forward velocity which generates lift.  The lift, in turn, is counteracted by drag, which increases with the pitch attitude, and can only be countered by increased velocity. You could try to model the behaviour as individual and independent cases that affect position and velocity, but I think your will get a better and closer effect if you try to model the aerodynamic forces directly. If you do so, you will learn that the behaviour you notice in the game, including what seems to be quirks, emerge naturally from the simulation. The tools and platforms may have been primitive back then, but those guys surely knew what they were doing.

Child's play. APh was rife with Caltech/MIT summer hires and graduates, of which the biplanes programmer was one. They were all force-fed the needed kinematics and dynamics in the first quarter of their required two-year introductory physics course.

 

WJI

 

==================================================

Retired Caltech freshman physics professor adapting his teaching techniques to his new hobby.

[+DZ-Jay]

2 minutes ago, Walter Ives said:

Child's play. APh was rife with Caltech/MIT summer hires and graduates, of which the biplanes programmer was one. They were all force-fed the needed kinematics and dynamics in the first quarter of their required two-year introductory physics course.

 

WJI

 

==================================================

Retired Caltech freshman physics professor adapting his teaching techniques to his new hobby.

 

Of course it's child's play for a a group of kids working at a company named after the Applied Physics curriculum. :)

 

My point was that it was a well developed game based on physics, and not just some cobbled-together logic.  I think your comment reinforces this point.

 

   -dZ.