Q1: Why do commercial arcade games avoid using raw physics impulse forces for shots?
Raw impulse forces introduce too many physics solver variables. Frame rate drops, variable physics time-steps, and minor collider misalignments make shooting unreliable. Closed-form velocity scripts guarantee the ball hits its intended target arc while preserving physics interactions for unpredictable rebounds.
Q2: What is the optimal physics update rate for an arcade sports title?
Run your fixed timestep at 120Hz (0.00833s) rather than the standard 50Hz or 60Hz. Sports games involve rapid projectile velocities and small collider targets. Tripling the physics update rate dramatically reduces rim tunneling and phantom trigger activations.
Q3: How do you handle net physics without tanking mobile or web performance?
Avoid heavy cloth simulations. Cloth solvers consume significant CPU resources and behave erratically during multi-ball arcade modes. Instead, rig the net mesh with three skeletal bones and use net animation triggers that blend between short, hand-crafted bone-displacement clips whenever the lower hoop trigger fires.
