Help with physics behaviors?

The physics thing is pretty cool, but it is so confusing and weird compared to everything else. How do you set the gravity? Why doesn't it bounce off solid objects? Why does a character with both physics and platformer behavior bounce when he sits on a solid block? What's going on here?!

You should read all the posts/manual regarding the physics behavior.

Basically, the physics behavior is not designed to interact with the other behaviors, such as platform. Everything in a physics environment should be controlled using the physics attributes available such as force, etc.

Second Zeno's advice. With physics, you pretty much need to utilize it alone. Instead of platform functions you can use apply force or torque or impulse binded to a key. Gravity is odd. It is set globablly through any physics object. For example, you could "On start of layout" -> Set Gravity on (physics) object to 2. That would change all physics objects to 2 gravity.

So I can't have a platformer dude in a physics level?? I'm even more confused. Does it have to be something where you only interact indirectly like Angry Birds or Crush the Castle then?

You can definitely have a 'platformer' dude in a physics level. However, you need to define whether that guy will have the platform behavior or the physics behavior. Both will not work well together. I would recommend using the physics "apply _____" actions on your platformer dude and turn off allow rotate to create a physics-based platform object. Here's a very simple .capx example: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/174688242/simplephyics%20platform.capx

Oh, I get it, so you CAN make a platformer with the physics engine, but you have to make the controls manually via "apply force" codes. Now, is there a simple way to make water, or is that something I have to make from scratch too? And what's different between a Force and an Impulse?

Nice demo, BTW. Only, I noticed that Physics mode is a bit more CPU intensive on my PC. Is that part normal?