Force Paddles Explained

[JustcallmeDrago]

Normal Paddles
Normal paddles create rotation due to a node colliding with 2 other materials endlessly.

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1) Old School Paddle
The old school paddle was the first very popular paddle design.

Cost: $50

Tips:
The closer the 4 nodes are to being in a straight line, the faster the paddle will spin.

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2) Cheap Sheet Paddle
These paddles are the most minimal paddles possible that can also effect the armadillo. They are very weak unless they are node-sharing.

Cost: $40

Put the ends of the bars ~3/4 the paddle length away from the anchor point.
This design works best for tossing the armadillo somewhere at the beginning of the level. Make sure you node-share.

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3) Hudak's Paddle
This is the best but most expensive of the 3 normal paddle designs

Cost: $56

Tips:
For more power, put the 2 ouside bars as close together as possible.
Moving the the 2 outside bars farther from the anchor point generally doesn't help.

Momentum Paddles
Momentum Paddles create rotation due to a node colliding and recolliding with only one other material. The material's rotational velocity must be above a certain threshold for the paddle to work.

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1) Momentum Cloth Paddle
This paddle is interesting, although not very practical.

Cost: $128

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2) Momentum Flag
Amusing.

Cost: $30

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Node-Sharing Paddles
If there is another material sharing a paddle's anchor, the paddle will spin faster.

The time it took for an example paddle to rotate 270 Degrees:

*The materials and paddle never touched except at the anchor point.

DNF Paddle without neighbor
0.57s - 1 Full metal bar
0.50s - 1 Full rubber
0.45s - 1 Full metal sheet
0.42s - 2 Full metal bars
0.39s - 1 Full rubber with -100% tension
0.36s - 2 Full rubbers
0.34s - 2 Full metal sheets
0.31s - 1 Full rocket
0.25s - 2 Full rockets

Flexible materials (rope, cloth, & elastic) had no effect.

Tips:
As the paddle's size decreases, the speed gained by node-sharing increases. (Smaller paddles are affected much more than their larger counterparts)
The speed gained is roughly proportional to the total weight of the materials sharing the node (not including the paddle). 2 metal bars are heavier, and thus give a larger speed boost, than 1 metal sheet. This leads me to believe rockets are actually very heavy.
Tension helps a little.

[lordofdeath101]

dont forget the one i made recently....... im too lazy to get rid of the rest of the level

[smjjames]

well mine is not a paddle per se, but it goes in the category because it uses one. Here is the one that I used for one of the built in levels, I also put in the force motor that I used to show it's workings.

It goes so fast that it goes almost completely dark, yet it doesn't quite reach the point of disentegration.

Also, the motor can be used as a mechanism for paddles, I even created a sort of paddlewheel with it when I was playing around.

[JustcallmeDrago]

Updated.

I will add more paddle designs later.

[TSchultz]

Nice work... but does the 3 metal bars, a rope and a cloth not count as a paddle?

[JustcallmeDrago]

Nice work... but does the 3 metal bars, a rope and a cloth not count as a paddle?

more paddle designs later.

Also, please post it. and maybe even a tip or description or something, if you're feeling really charitable

[TSchultz]

This leads me to believe rockets are actually very heavy.

Here's a little demo. The rockets are a bit shorter than a full rocket.
A full rocket is about 3 metal bars (I think)
I think the reason the rocket acts like it's so heavy for that purpose is that there's an extra force because it's a rocket...

[Ikerous]

Excellent post Drago. If I had any clue how to sticky posts I'd sticky this

[JustcallmeDrago]

This leads me to believe rockets are actually very heavy.

Here's a little demo. The rockets are a bit shorter than a full rocket.
A full rocket is about 3 metal bars (I think)
I think the reason the rocket acts like it's so heavy for that purpose is that there's an extra force because it's a rocket...

Look at the level I attached. I think the bounce bug can be used as the end-all weight tester. It allows materials to be measured while not moving.
Well, only the rigid materials. But anyway, I have concluded that a rocket weighs in at just over 3 metal bars.

In the level, the dillo bounces according to the materials attached to the two anchor points. The more material, the higher he goes.

On each side:
1 full metal bar (or sheet) = 0
3 full metal bars = slightly past 8
1 full rocket = slightly past 8, more than 3 bars
3 full metal bars and 1 tiniest bar = past 8, more than 1 rocket

All you have to do in the level is delete the bars and add a rocket (in any direction) to each side.

Excellent post Drago. If I had any clue how to sticky posts I'd sticky this

Yesss! I hope that means you will sticky it when you find out! There'll be more stuff added like speed and usefulness comparisons soon.

[Ikerous]

Yesss! I hope that means you will sticky it when you find out! There'll be more stuff added like speed and usefulness comparisons soon.

Hell yeah. I figured it out 8)

[madcows7]

this is so frustrating ive been working on this for hours every day and i just cant do it either a metal bar breaks or the damn things dont move at all

[Hiicantpk]

i was experementing with fore paddles, and somehow when the armadillo hit the paddle, ot stopped spinning and just sat there.

Any clue why this happened?

[Blub Klub]

I just made a new paddle. Not sure if it's been made before or not. I call it The Strap Paddle because of the way it straps together then spins. It costs 60 dollars and spins 3 times,then self destructs. Node sharing is NOT recommended.

[steven32collins]

what a bout rubber paddles

[V4nKw15h]

Rubber costs so much that it's of no use in paddle construction.