The other day, I was given a link to an online Java applet called Powder Game by Dan-Ball. I had played a really similar game before, but I don’t think it was made by the same person (though I could be wrong). It’s a great little Java applet – it simulates a variety of particles, each with their own unique behaviour and properties. The way different ‘elements’ interact is what makes it interesting – Fire and magma will slowly burn through oil but cause sticks of c-4 and fireworks to explode violently. If you drop some oil into a pool of water it’ll happily sit on top of it, but denser materials such as stone will sink straight to the bottom.
Stargate eat your heart out.
As well as an abundance of different particles at your disposal, you can also conjure little stickmen, boxes, bubbles, fans and spinning wheels, all of which interact with the environment you make for them.
Particle sims are pretty common (I even made one myself a while ago), but what really makes powder game stand out is its simulation of air pressure. As you pump air into a region (or have a fan do it for you), the pressure will increase. Particles will always try their best to move into a region with lower pressure, and as a result will swish around quite elegantly until they find a comfortable spot to settle. Filling an enclosed space with air and then watching it explosively decompress as you erase a chunk of the wall, hurling asunder person and particle alike, is particularly fun.
The rapture! The rapture!
Being a computer geek, the first thing I thought when I ran this applet was, ‘I wonder if I can make a computer out of this?‘. I tried, and ultimately failed, to replicate a water integrator using water particles and a spinning wheel. I’ve yet to find an reliable alternative way to flip back and forth between two states, but I’m sure one must exist so I’ll keep looking.
Links:
Powder game (http://dan-ball.jp/en/javagame/dust)
Posted by Salukisoft 