Cry Havok!

Written 14 April, 2008

Cry Havok!

When I was visiting sims that were test-running Havok4, I didn’t seem to have any problems.

But now that it’s here in earnest, I’ve discovered several anomalies.

First, and worst, is a distressing tendency for my avi to sink when it should be hovering. If I park Chey at 30 meters and go for a PBJ sandwich, she’s underwater upon my return.

That sinking sensation seems to effect not only avatars. Vehicles that once remained stationary now lose altitude, and the expensive Hang Glider rezzer I only recently purchased from Mathieu Basiat and which was once a dream to fly is now difficult to control.

When Sweetie told me her avi was sliding down a tilted giant prim I had placed underneath Pele's caldera, I thought she was crazy. Until I began to slide too!

The slide happens only sometimes, and we’ve not yet discovered what triggers it. It’s rather fun. The hover problem isn’t.

There’s also a problem with Garth Fairchang’s great birds. When I set loose a flock of gaudily-plumaged parrots at Pele, they flew backwards—all but the ones that collided with objects, which began to tumble wildly.

Garth knows of the problem and says he'll set out a new script if the particular bug that wrecks the parrots isn’t fixed.

Strangely enough, the parrots I set out before the change of physics engine continue to fly normally.

I think the real world (the one they SLersthe meat world) is now running on Havok7, which seems to be particularly buggy. If Douglas Adams were still alive, he could tell us all about it.