Deep Dive: The soft body physics of JellyCar, explained

gamedeveloper.com:

Game Developer Deep Dives are an ongoing series with the goal of shedding light on specific design, art, or technical features within a video game in order to show how seemingly simple, fundamental design decisions aren’t really that simple at all.

Earlier installments cover topics such as how art director Olivier Latouche reimagined the art direction of Foundation, how the creator of the RPG Roadwarden designed its narrative for impact and variance, and how the papercraft-based aesthetic of Paper Cut Mansion came together with the developer calls the Reverse UV method.

In this edition, Tim FitzRandolph of Toyful Games gives an illuminating look into the soft body physics simulation of JellyCar Worlds, aiming to lightly educate on the basics to inspire similar simulations. 

Hi, I’m @walaber, an independent developer, most well-known as the creator of the JellyCar series of games. On the occasion of the much overdue release of JellyCar Worlds (my modern sequel that updates and improves JellyCar for modern platforms), I’ve decided to finally spend some time sharing the details about how the soft-body physics simulation works in the game, which gives the game its unique charm and gameplay.

JellyCar is powered by a custom soft-body (only!) physics engine, which enables all of the gameplay features and interactions. In this article, I will explain each element involved in creating a simulation like the one in JellyCar Worlds, as clearly and visually as possible. This isn’t a full-blown step-by-step tutorial, so don’t expect code snippets. Instead, this should familiarize you with the main concepts, give you a starting point for your own investigations into similar physics simulations, and hopefully inspire you to try making some