Ok so I am now thinking about phsics, and after dipping my metephorical tow into the shallow end of the pool, I am already baffled & confused. So I have a few questions that I hope some of you can help me with.

Havok, GS PE, Newton....

From what I can tell Havok is a phsics engine for the high-end developer. With multi-platform support and extream power and flexability. As such to use Havok would require high-cost as well as proving your game to them, to even get a demo. Used in some big titles such as MaxPayne2 (as I am informed). As such it is not available to most of us, but if it was, would it integrate with GS?

As for the other two, PE I know little about, I read here most advice pointed to Newton, so that is what I have looked at (demo level from their site), which is buggy but does showcase some of the phsics needed, including limited Rag-Doll. The demo show (IMHO) that Newton is not really complete but is getting close to it. I have not seen anything using GS PE (If thats its title).

So presuming that Havok is unavailable, and/or does not work with GS, what is the best route to go, when trying to achieve the following:

Rag-Doll for all bi-ped models, including the player and enemies(though this may not be player in the usual GS terms). Material/Fabric that moves accuratly, i.e hanging drapes that move as models pass through it. (Presume this uses bones/key physics points to animate).

Moving water surface, as with the fabric above, but with ripple control, i,e as objects more through the model, waves are created. (I am not talking about graphics that create the illusion, but actually moving the water surface (as seen in the title Prince of Persia for PS2), according to interaction.

Also standard things like object-object collision, weight/mass/velocity modifiers as well other elementary physics are a must. So what route to take? Which Physics engine to use if any of the above?

I would appreciate your comments, thoughts and advice.