BeamNG.drive features various gameplay modes and scenarios such as campaigns, time trials, as well as a freeroam mode. Campaigns are collections of small scenarios based on specific themes, including races, chases and stunts. In time trials, the player selects a vehicle, map, and route, and competes against their own best time. In freeroam, players can explore and experiment with maps, allowing them to operate, place, and manipulate objects and vehicles within the map. They can also change environmental properties such as gravity and wind. Players can utilize various objects ranging from road barriers to weapons such as cannons in order to inflict damage on other vehicles. Local multiplayer can also be enabled in any gameplay mode by connecting multiple controllers to the same system.
BeamNG does not include real vehicle manufacturers due to licensing issues, however, included vehicles resemble various real-life vehicles, such as ETK resembling BMW or Gavril resembling Ford. With the use of mods, both real and fictional vehicles can be added. In-game brands and vehicles have individual origin stories and lore attached to them. The vehicle selection is expanded every few releases.
As of alpha release 0.26, the game features an experimental version of a career mode accessed by clicking the main menu button labeled "Career". This gameplay mode features four career progress trackers: Motorsports, Laborer, Specialized, and Adventurer. Completing missions awards the player in-game currency and two types of experience points: Branch EXP, which is experience points gained within specific branches, and Beam EXP, the overall amount of experience points. On 20 September 2023, with the release of update 0.30, the career mode was completely updated - now including a tutorial and uses for the Branch EXP and Beam EXP systems. Starting with 0.30, players may buy cars with an in-game currency called BeamBucks and customize them.[5] Career saves created in versions 0.26 through 0.29 are incompatible with 0.30 and later.
Physics
An example of a vehicle collision during gameplay in BeamNG.drive. The implementation of soft-body physics allows vehicle damage to be realistically simulated.
BeamNG.drive uses soft-body physics to simulate vehicle dynamics and collisions between objects and vehicles.[2][6][3] Algorithms have been created and optimized for the game's physics system.[7] The game relies heavily on code in Lua and uses packets of local data using the Lua network system while the game is running. The game's engine calculates physics equations and problems in real-time during gameplay.[citation needed]
Vehicles in the game consist of a soft-body node-beam structure similar to those in Rigs of Rods. Node-beam structures are represented in a JSON-like text file format, called JBeams.[8] The physics engine simulates a network of interconnected nodes and beams, which combine to form an invisible skeleton of a vehicle with realistic weights and masses. In terms of soft-body physics, vehicles realistically flex and deform as stress, such as impacts from collisions, is applied to the skeleton.[9][10] Aside from body deformation, various other types of damage are simulated such as degraded engines, detached doors and shattered windows. If a vehicle is severely damaged or if it runs out of fuel, the engine may fail, rendering the vehicle unusable; additionally, the vehicle will also fail from overloading the driveshaft, clutch, and other important components that can result in catastrophic failure to the vehicle. Tires can be blown out and fuel tanks may explode after enough damage to the rear of the vehicle.[citation needed]
Customization
BeamNG.drive has native modding support, and mods can be installed from an officially maintained mod repository which can be accessed both from the website and within the game itself. The mod manager automatically checks for updates and partially manages dependencies.[11] The mod repository's policies prohibit the modification of core game files.[12] The game also accepts mods hosted outside the main repository, however such mods do not get automatically updated by the game mod manager.[citation needed]
Development
In 2011, some Rigs of Rods developers gathered and decided to improve upon the open-source software with a spiritual successor.[13] BeamNG opened its website, beamng.com, on 8 May 2012 to deliver news of the game's development.[14] On 28 May 2012, BeamNG released a YouTube video entitled "Revolutionary soft-body physics in CryEngine3" that featured the vehicle deformation technology. The video, according to Marketing and Communications manager Nataliia Dmytriievska, got over one million views overnight.[13][9] Originally, BeamNG.drive was to be based on CryEngine 3, but its use in a driving game uncovered numerous bugs, leading development to be rolled over to a modified version of Torque 3D.[15]
A free tech demo was released on 3 August 2013 along with paid access to an alpha test through FastSpring. The tech demo featured only one vehicle and one map, while the alpha test contained five vehicles and six maps.[16][2][17] On 10 September 2013, BeamNG's sixth vehicle, the Bruckell Moonhawk, was released with YouTube premiere. The game was placed on an open vote on Steam Greenlight on 12 February 2014[18] and was greenlit eight days later.[19] On 29 May 2015, the game was released to Steam Early Access.[20]
On 15 June 2018, BeamNG announced a partnership with Camshaft Software, developers of Automation, revealing the addition of an exporter feature that allows players to export vehicles made within Automation as fully drivable vehicles in BeamNG.drive.[21]
On 25 April 2022, BeamNG announced they were ceasing development of the 32-bit branch as of alpha release 0.25. They stated that less than 0.5% of players were using the 32-bit version and that the decision will speed up the game's development and allow the developers to take full advantage of newer technologies.[22] The latest 32-bit public release branch is 0.23.5.2.[a]
In June 2022, BeamNG announced experimental support for Linux systems with version 0.25.[23][24][25]
Reception
BeamNG.drive has received positive reviews since the game's initial release. Jack Stewart of BBC mentioned that BeamNG.drive "has received interest from the film industry to model vehicle stunts so that they can be prototyped and tested exhaustively – but cheaply – before a stunt driver smashes up a car on set."[3]Polygon's Nick Robinson lauded the game's simulated physics and user-created content support, leading him to create a 38 episode video series for Polygon, "Car Boys", in which he and Griffin McElroy spotlighted new BeamNG.drive content each week.[26][27]Automobile magazine praised the game for its diverse selection of vehicles and its realistic crash physics, saying that "the IIHS has nothing on BeamNG.drive."[28] As of November 2024, BeamNG.drive was ranked 17th on the list of the highest-rated Steam games, with 97% of its Steam reviews being positive.[29]
^"JBeam - BeamNG". wiki.beamng.com. Retrieved 8 November 2023. JBeam is the file format that defines the physics skeleton in the BeamNG engine. It is called JBeam as it is based on JSON (with some exceptions) in order to define node/beam constructs. ... We modified the JSON parser a bit to make the life of the vehicle authors easier:
