So I’ve been playing Automation for half a year now, and one of the biggest things that has frustrated me is how hard it is to get decent weight distribution. For example, an F30 BMW 328i has a weight distribution of f/r 49.2/50.8 (according to Car and Driver) while a similar sport sedan with a 2.0 turbo I4 built to the exact specs of an F30 328i has a weight distribution of 51.9/48.1 (then give or take a few tenths based on factors like interior where you can have no exact equivalent) and an I6 or V6 configuration can push it to 55/45 or more despite an F30 335i clocking in at 51.1/48.9.
So what am I getting at? Well, when you morph the body of the car, it doesn’t push the engine any further back or forward, and you can see that despite making the cabin smaller, the structure is still set up for the larger cabin, leaving a quite healthy distance between where the engine is and the space available. I think it would be a very useful feature to be able to exactly place the engine where you want. (like when you position a fixture) This would allow for more cabin space if you move the engine forward or less if you move it backwards. I also notice this problem a LOT more in mid engined cars, where there’s a ton of space between the engine and the structure but you frustratingly can’t reposition the engine, causing for heavily rear-biased weight distribution. Even if exact engine placement isn’t possible, I’d like to at least have it move depending on body morphs.
That’s a nice thought, but it kinda feels like splitting hairs. Not to mention I’m pretty sure distribution is based on the body, and the engine weight is a modifier, not an exact figure. The programming is likely 1%/100Lb toward the power side or something simple.
Along the same lines though the ability to move the firewall to prioritize interior or engine space changing comfort vs. maintenance costs with a slight safety and car balance tweak may be more realistic given it has a more far reaching benefit for the tycoon feature over the sandbox car reproduction uses. Maybe lock the firewall position to the leading edge of the front doors? Grill position would also play a factor in distribution/space, but a change like that should also affect cooling, which I hear there may be an engine cooling revamp in the works. Could also just be a rumor, like diesels.
Would a slider to move the engine forward/aft in the engine bay (if there’s room) be feasible? As far as I know the engine bay/splash guards aren’t modeled and the engine is sort of suspended in midair so I don’t think it would affect the bodies
(Better idea:let the game automatically position the engine for optimal weight distribution…assuming it doesn’t take up the whole engine bay already)
This is a great idea. I find that my engine is placed too low oftentimes on my offroad cars, and when I export them to BeamNG drive, they’re so low that the engine near-instantly floods. There’s only one or two chassis types where it’s placed high so it does limit my creation ability
That sounds like an underhood management system. Place major fixtures like radiator, airbox, etc. It would increase the realism, but sadly dosent affect core gameplay so I doubt its on the to do list. Mods maybe? Can’t emagine that the cars “water line” isn’t moddable.
I hope this (along with movable wheels/axles, because the two kind of go hand in hand) is a possible feature for Automation 2 as I am a bit dissatisfied with some of my car designs in part because there is no way to do a proper front-mid engine layout (either conventional FMR or FMF with the engine turned around backwards Renault-style) on many bodies that could potentially support it. So many car bodies where I want to shove the engine back and the front wheels forwards and the game just won’t allow it.