10 Simple Video Game Features (That Are A NIGHTMARE To Develop)

Physics items can be a ton of fun to mess around with in games, because they add an element of randomness to proceedings.

Octodad, Human Fall Flat, Goat Simulator and more pretty much rely on the chaotic, unpredictable nature of physics objects, because every time you play, you’re guaranteed a unique experience. However, though this already comes with a ton of problems to take care of at the design stage, it multiplies to a truly scary degree.

This is because, if you say the words “random outcome” to an online programmer, they will start to leak battery fluid from their ears and you’ll need to get them replaced or repaired and your nearest TesCoder.

Randomised elements and multiple players playing instances of the same game is a real problem. Two players picking up the same physics boulder and throwing it the exact same way might see slightly different results, but online, you need both players to see the same thing (if the object is critical to gameplay).

So, what then? Well, you either limit which objects are physics objects, or you straight-up approximate it between both players. Either way, you probably noticed random objects and online games don’t mix too well!