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Field note 12 / The test yard /

Bonita drives. Then changes wheels.

I took her into a Unity test yard to find out whether she could transform without forgetting how to drive.

Unity test-yard footage. Bonita drives and changes form; this is not the island.

I drove Bonita into a wall for science. There was a straight, a slalom, a rough patch, a slope and a drop on the way there.

The yard is deliberately ugly. I need to know whether she can steer, brake, reverse and change from tuk-tuk to off-roader while moving. She can, and the same vehicle body stays in control through the change.

The first controller test caught a proper bug: rebuilding the suspension erased her speed. I fixed that, then tried a second controller on the same course. Both now handle the basic drive and the cases where a transformation should be blocked.

The other controller on the same course.
Unity Game Kit Controller test capture of Bonita as a tuk-tuk
Bonita as a tuk-tuk in the Unity test yard.
Unity RCC Pro test capture of Bonita as an off-roader
Bonita as an off-roader in the Unity test yard.

Who gets the keys?

I'm leaning toward RCC Pro because I can get at more of the behaviour I want to tune. On this first comparison it accelerated sooner, while the other setup stopped a little shorter. That's one test yard, not a grand verdict.

Rusty isn't aboard this version yet. The suspension needs another pass, and the wheels still rely on the old contacts for a moment while the new shape settles. Cargo, damage, water and flight can wait until the ordinary driving feels good. The clips show a working test, not an island road trip.

Bleak
More postcards from the trip