BeamNG.drive Tech Demo and Alpha Now Available for All

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If you think back to last year, you may remember a series of videos from a startup company’s ambitious project that focused on bringing a realistic, highly-detailed, and real-time soft-body physics engine to the video game world in beautiful, destructive harmony. That startup is called BeamNG and their incredible videos of digital cars being wrecked in unimaginable ways in a working prototype of their upcoming game have been taunting us with the idea that a racing game of the future could have that level of realism.

All you had to do was scroll through the comment section on their YouTube videos (or even here on Hooniverse) to see just how many people wanted to throw money at their computers to have a go at playing it, which at the time, you couldn’t.

Well guess what? Now you can.

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BeamNG is finally giving gamers and crash enthusiasts what they’ve been waiting on for over a year by releasing both a free tech demo and early access to the paid alpha for BeamNG.drive, the name their final game will carry.

The free tech demo features a large proving grounds-type map featured in some of their earlier videos filled with jumps, terrain, stuff to crash a digital truck into, and other crazy geometric shapes – all of which allow you to be creative in your destruction and see their revolutionary soft-body physics engine in action. This big digital playground to crash stuff in is what we all wanted when the first demonstration videos hit YouTube, and the only thing that stands between you and the digital mayhem is a 94MB download and the right computer hardware (more on that later).

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However, if you opt for the paid alpha of BeamNG.drive, which costs $15, you get all that and more. The paid alpha includes six different locations to drive around and explore [for things to crash into], five customisable and fully-destructible vehicles, and full modding and content creation capabilities which allows you to make new vehicles, maps, and even script gameplay.

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Since it is still in the alpha stages and thus still being improved, all future bug fixes and new updates to the game (like new vehicles and features) will be included at no extra charge. The upcoming beta version and even the final game will also be a part of the deal.

The announcement video from BeamNG can be seen below and it’s definitely worth a watch as it shows you all the features you get in the paid alpha and what they’re planning to include in future updates. Plus it shows more spectacular crash footage like what got us hooked in the first place.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X77cThD4vj8[/youtube]

If you were wondering why soft-body physics are worth raving about, that’s why. Compared to what happens in just about every racing game, when you crash into a wall at speed you won’t be driving away with just cosmetic damage. Every car is rigorously modeled in their physics engine for full destructibility.

As one could imagine, this level of realism requires a great deal of computing power to make it happen. I would advise against buying the alpha until you’re sure you have the computer for it. To check, head on over to their wiki for a full rundown of what is required and recommended to run BeamNG.drive. Even the free tech demo, which is all I dared to try, is very demanding, even at five frames per second and with all video quality options set to “please don’t blow up my computer”.

So if you, like many of us, have been dying for a chance to play around with that fantastic physics model from those YouTube videos that could truly change the future of video games, now’s your chance.

The free tech demo can be found here and the $15 alpha for BeamNG.drive is available here.

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[Source: BeamNG and YouTube via IGN]  

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35 responses to “BeamNG.drive Tech Demo and Alpha Now Available for All”

  1. LTDScott Avatar

    Given that my computer is used nearly exclusively for web browsing, I haven't seen much of a need to upgrade it.
    Until now. WANT SO BAD.

    1. jacksepticeye Avatar
  2. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    Game. Changed.
    Seriously, I can see this one product motivating buttloads of people to upgrade to the newest screamin' hardware. Including me. Given the increasing numbers of computer users who have otherwise been content to sit on the sidelines of the upgrade race of late, that's impressive.

    1. LTDScott Avatar

      I'm just sad that I don't really have room for a desktop, and a laptop with these sort of specs won't be cheap.

      1. frankthecat Avatar

        I give you the micro-ATX form-factor: http://pastebin.com/N9CAxLwa
        Replace your console! Join the PC gaming master race!

    2. Felis_Concolor Avatar
      Felis_Concolor

      How to upgrade your computer.
      Step 1: purchase the latest 32" 4K computer monitor.
      Step 2: figure out how many video cards are needed to properly drive the beast.
      Step 3: choose 1 of the 6 motherboards capable of supporting the video card.
      Step 4: choose between the 2 processors which will work with the board's socket and fill the rest of the memory slots with a minimum of 4G per slot; if you're rocking less than 32G, you're performing this step wrong.
      Step 5: add your preferred brand of 2TB drives and memory card reader.
      Step 6: install OS.
      Step 7: rock on!
      It ain't cheap, but it is easy.
      p.s. Cooler Master is your life long friend; splurge now on a CMStacker or HAF-X case and it will be the last tower case you'll ever need.

      1. pj134 Avatar
        pj134

        You forgot the SSD.

        1. Felis_Concolor Avatar
          Felis_Concolor

          . . . and that's how long my last big system build has remained viable. Sounds like I'll be having lots of fun for my next PC project.

          1. pj134 Avatar
            pj134

            If you went 4k, an SSD was available at the time. If you start running one though, you might want to get some extra HDDs and run them in RAID 4 or 6. SSD's are failure prone after so many writes so it can be a concern and a reliable backup system would be helpful.

          2. Felis_Concolor Avatar
            Felis_Concolor

            I'm talking 4K for the next build. I've been champing at the bit for years for a higher pixel count than 2560×1600, which was my display standard for the past decade. This falls more into the "it's about time!" category than anything else, as far too many people have been happy with 1920×1080 in sizes from 17-27" for far too long.

          3. bhtooefr Avatar
            bhtooefr

            Not necessarily. 4k displays came out in 2001. I have one of those ancient beasts. (An IBM T221.)
            Of course, that's not 3840×2160, it's 3840x2400, and it's not 32", it's 22.2".

      2. GregKachadurian Avatar
        GregKachadurian

        I'm actually looking to build a desktop in the next couple months, so thanks for the tip! I'm only as far as the video card, which is my friend's lightly used ATI HD 77xx(something-something).

      3. frankthecat Avatar

        CM is okay for cases, but take a look at Fractal stuff. Relatively cheap, but well made and designed, and packed full of features.
        Only consumer video card I know of right now that can handle 4k resolutions without choking is probably the NVidia Titan, since it has a 6GB frame buffer.
        Oh, and invest in FAST RAM. Not just a lot of it. Get as fast as your motherboard will support. 1600MHz+ DDR3 with the lowest CAS timings you can get.

    3. gdfghsdfib Avatar
      gdfghsdfib

      can u try it for free????????

    4. dick Avatar
      dick

      dicks

  3. Mechanically Inept Avatar
    Mechanically Inept

    I want to see this kind of crash physics and damage modeling in Grand Theft Auto, as well as the Colin McRae games, both of which have had pretty much the best crash physics and damage modeling out of all the driving games for quite some time now.

  4. Pixel Avatar
    Pixel

    I bought the alpha of this, even though it make my computer cry and runs so slow I can watch the frames arrive. I figured $15 to support the company when they're trying to get started is worth it. And my plan is to build a dedicated gaming rig for out household in the next year(my g/f & I are eyeing a few games coming out soon that we can't run on our current laptops). So once I have that I'll be able to play with this properly.

    1. frankthecat Avatar

      If you want a cheap (<$600,) basic console-replacement computer, here's a pastebin of parts for you: http://pastebin.com/N9CAxLwa
      Enjoy!

  5. Scandinavian Flick ★ Avatar
    Scandinavian Flick ★

    Okay, there might be something wrong with me… My heart rate actually increased while reading this with the anticipation of trying this out. They truly did just release exactly what I was hoping they would. And here I already have a bunch of unplayed games in my queue thanks to the Steam summer sale…
    BTW, for anyone looking to upgrade their PC, but don't feel like dealing with it themselves, (which normally I would recommend, but I didn't feel up to it last time…) I went with these guys and was really happy with the results: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

  6. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    I so want to do a Scandinavian rally and Pikes Peak and find out if I really could survive to the finish in real life.

  7. JayP2112 Avatar
    JayP2112

    My PC is just over year old and to be honest, I can't tell you what it has for a chip, video card, blablabla.
    It runs internet and youtubes. I'll try the demo and hope for the best.
    When it comes to my PC anymore, I'll fret over $99 SDD purchase.
    When it comes to the car, $200 for lug studs? Take my money!!

  8. failboat Avatar
    failboat

    i wonder if this will run on my work computer right now. i wonder if I can get it downloaded and installed in the last 6 minutes of my lunch break.

  9. jeepjeff Avatar
    jeepjeff

    It won't run on either of mine. You also need the right OS rather than just the right hardware.
    🙁 It won't run on my computer since I'm a dotCommunist running Linux. I'm only miffed because it looks cool, and I want to try it. I normally hate driving simulators.)

    1. frankthecat Avatar

      You miiiight be able to get it to work with PlayOnLinux/Wine/WineTricks.

  10. MVEilenstein Avatar
    MVEilenstein

    I was thinking about this last night, actually. Wondering what happened to this project.
    Thanks for reading my mind.

  11. Arco777 Avatar
    Arco777

    I was so excited about this I bought the Alpha when it came out without even checking the requirements. Fortunately it runs okay on my system. Aside from the monstrous system requirements, here's my take on it so far.
    It's a work in progress, but excellent. For an alpha it is very stable, and is constantly improving. If you're put off by something like handling or sound, it's all temporary anyways. Updates come every few days and some stuff like the sound system is only a temporary placeholder for the real thing, so it will only get better as time goes on.
    I would recommend to anyone interested, to buy the alpha now while it's cheap. Updates will be free for life, but the initial purchase price will increase as time goes on. And please don't even think about pirating the game. The developers are real, down to earth people, on the forums daily with the users, and trying hard to make the game great. They really deserve to get rewarded for their efforts and hard work.

  12. BRANDON.GORDON Avatar
    BRANDON.GORDON

    H

  13. domonic Avatar
    domonic

    where do u pay thi plz replie and tell me this looks fun

    1. domonic Avatar
      domonic

      where do u play this thats what i ment

    2. Turtle Avatar
      Turtle

      dude…… if you can't spell, don't waste our time and post this crap on here…..go away. nobody likes a person with bad grammar.

  14. eduardo Avatar
    eduardo

    dude this looks fun

  15. fucken hell Avatar
    fucken hell

    fuck how do you fucking download beamng for fuck sack

  16. cool dude Avatar
    cool dude

    fuck me how do you download beamng

  17. Hayden/hunter Avatar
    Hayden/hunter

    hi I am new to this game

  18. alex Avatar
    alex

    i cat play