Physics Overhaul Patch 1.012

Physics Overhaul

This patch includes a physics overhaul which lays the groundwork for vehicle handling improvements in the next patch. It addresses physics concerns about vehicles feeling "floaty", "slippery", and "sluggish", and a quickmatch fix

Physics Overhaul : We've increased physics fidelity to support the changes in this patch

Increased physics calculation frequency 60Hz -> 100Hz

This supports the simulation-heavy changes we've made in this patch and significantly improves physics stability

Vehicle Handling: Added simulated driving assists which enable players to focus more on shooting

TCS: improved traction stability during slippage

When drifting or when the wheels are slightly above the ground, you'll still have sufficient control

ABS: autobrake system designed to prevent oversteer

Brakes will continuously pump during extreme slippage to prevent loss of control

Aerodynamic Steering: fine-tuned control over the vehicle's turning while airborne

To facilitate airborne combat, we've increased the responsiveness of airborne turning, especially when using quick-turn

Aerodynamic Downforce: the shape, weight, and loadout of your vehicle will determine how much downforce is applied to ground the vehicle

Ex. Spoilers generate subtle lift at high speed. Weight and shape generates downforce which increases with speed

Predictive Landing: a subtle nudge to help the vehicle stabilize after rolling

Predicts the optimal landing orientation and adjusts vehicle pitch/yaw with adaptive dampening so you can hit the ground running

Vehicle Changes: Significant improvements to vehicle weights

All vehicles: significantly increased weight and aerodynamic downforce

This change allows vehicles to feel heavy and grounded, preventing them from launching too high into the air

Scorpion vehicle: switched from RWD to AWD and increased turn rate and quick-turn force 25 -> 35

The Scorpion was intentionally slow to turn because it's currently the heaviest vehicle in the game. We've bumped up its torque by switching to AWD and made it easier to turn

Balance Changes: In vehicle combat, NOS should be used for maneuvering rather than speed alone, so we've reduced the force of boosts to ensure players don't overshoot their targets

Reduced initial NOS boost: 15m/s -> 10m/s

NOS provided an initial jolt with great force, causing instability on rough terrain

Reduced sustained NOS boost: 50,000N -> 30,000N that tapers down faster 5s -> 2s

NOS provided a powerful sustained force for too long after use, increasing the chance of losing control and overshooting intended maneuvers

Increased AI range of awareness

AI will hunt you down rather than patrol at a distance and retreat only if it's losing or looking for health

Increased AI health as you progress through the levels

As you progress through arena and extraction mode levels, AI vehicles get stronger

Bug Fixes:

Quickmatch sometimes failing to progress beyond the loading screen \[* this issue persists and we're patching it now as of Sep. 24, 2026 *]

Custom Speedster vehicle: fixed an issue that caused it to suddenly stop driving

Fixed vehicle jitter and sliding across the floor while stationary

Next Patch:

Vehicle Handling: We'll focus on handling and continue improving physics interactions to ensure the vehicles feel fun and reliable to drive

The loadout you equip your vehicle with drastically changes its handling, so there are hundreds of combinations that make handling fun and many variations that make it difficult. We'll balance it so that each loadout is viable and handles well

Developer Note:

I'm planning to add free game modes like Cops vs. Robbers, Escort the Convoy, and Capture the Flag, all with limited-time rewards. The issue is that there doesn't seem to be enough active users at the moment to populate further game modes. I hope things will pickup as I work with the community to improve the game.

Please consider writing a review to let players know about the game and help populate the matchmaking pool. Continue to direct your feedback using the in-game feedback report (in the main menu) or the new Discord "bugs" and "feedback" channels.

Thank you all for your continued input and helping us improve the game!

Cheers,

Mad Metal Team