Ragdoll Playground

🩻 Skeletal Constraints and Rigid Body Trauma

Ragdoll Playground (similar to Melon Playground or People Playground) is a sandbox designed to showcase procedural damage modeling. The characters are not static sprites; they are collections of rigid bodies connected by joints (Hinge, Fixed, Spring). The player interacts with these systems by introducing external forces—explosives, projectiles, or crushing mechanisms.

The simulation calculates stress on the joints. If a force exceeds the joint's break force, the limb detaches (amputation logic). This provides a grisly but technically fascinating look at digital anatomy and physics interactions.

🧠 Emergent Creativity

The game has no goal. It relies on intrinsic motivation:

• Engineering Challenges: Players often build complex machines (Rube Goldberg devices) to perform specific tasks, using the ragdolls as test subjects. This engages engineering and logic circuits.
• Scenario Design: Creating specific "scenes" (e.g., a car crash simulation) allows players to act as directors of their own physics experiments.

🎮 Mechanics: The Toolgun

The arsenal of physics objects:

• Joints/Welds: You can connect objects together. A "Fixed Joint" makes them one solid body. A "Revolute Joint" allows rotation (like a wheel).
• Active Ragdolls: The characters attempt to balance (active pose). Knocking them off balance triggers a transition to full ragdoll physics.
• Injectors: Chemical items that alter the ragdoll's state (e.g., making them weightless, invincible, or regenerating tissue).

🏆 Sandbox Tips

1. Freezing Time

Use the Pause function to set up complex scenarios. You can position objects in mid-air, attach thrusters, and then unpause to watch the chaotic result. Precision requires stasis.

2. Stability Management

If you attach too many heavy objects to a single ragdoll limb, the physics engine may glitch (jitter). Use "weightless" cables or rigid beams to distribute the load.

🛡️ Performance Optimization

Engine limits:

• Collision Iterations: The solver handles dozens of colliding bodies. However, too many overlapping colliders can cause "tunneling" (objects passing through each other).

❓ FAQ