User:Joh777nny/Sandgame

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Falling Sand Game
World of Sand

The original version, "World of Sand"
Publisher(s) Dofi Blog
Platform(s) IBM compatible PC, Apple Macintosh
Release date 2005
Genre(s) Physics-based
Mode(s) Single player
Media Download
System requirements Internet connection, Java Platform
Input methods Mouse

Falling Sand Game is the name of a series of Java applets created by Dofi Blog, and noted on the Fark forums. The original version, named World of Sand was later enlarged and rehosted by Chirag Mehta. The game has been popular on community link sites like Digg. Since then, a fan forum has been made, which involves discussion on fan made versions based on World of Sand, and later iterations of the original game such as Pyro sand 1 and 2 and New sand. The games are still quite fun, but they do not have the original touch of world of sand.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

World of Sand and its later versions are sandbox type games. The game involves four different particles falling from the top of the screen, which all look and move similar to sand. The particles resemble sand, water, salt, and oil in color. Each of these elements have properties that can be manipulated, such as burning, desiccating, growing, and eroding. Along with these four, additional elements can be placed on the screen with the mouse, some that are solid and stationary instead of flowing. By mixing the different elements together, many colorful designs, complex structures, and systems can be created. There is an additional feature in some versions called the namekuji. In Japanese, "namekuji" means slug. The namekuji also has some unique properties.

In addition to placing elements, the speed of movement, the amount of particles falling from the top of the screen, and the brush can be customised into different sizes or an eraser.

There are many different versions based off World of Sand, ranging from improvements made by the original creators of World of Sand and fan made clones of the game, which allows modifications and additions to the elements and manipulators used, often allowing more complex interactions.

Hell of Sand was the first improvement made by the original creators, and added mass to elements, allowing particles like oil to float above water, and sand to sink in water. Salt is also able to dissolve in water and it added zombies which could burn and freeze position in water. Also includes a new pinwheel style Namekuji where zombies get stuck to it. You can control the zombies with a new element called HAND. Here, you can grab them and move them or even throw them. But be careful when using the zombies because they have the ability to destroy == wall == and when you destroy them they come back so to get rid of them you must put there speed counter down to zero.

[edit] Common Elements

  • Salt is mostly unreactive with any element, but will desiccate namekuji. When in contact with it, Namekuji will change direction. And under mass amounts, salt can make it shrink, and eventually burst. In later versions it can also dissolve in water, making salt water.
  • Sand is also mostly unreactive with any element but will erode spout when it is in contact with it, which may be compared to desertification.
  • Water will transmute into Plant when in contact with it. It is also able to make the namekuji grow quickly, which, when grown too large, will cause everything in contact with it to be destroyed. In later versions it will also dissolve salt.
  • Oil will burn quickly and will float to the top of water in later versions. While burning, it can also destroy small parts of wall.
  • Fire acts as a spark, igniting burnable objects, such as oil, plant, and cera.
  • Wall is a simple boundary, used to separate different elements. It is unreactive with most elements and manipulators, but can be slowly destroyed by fire.
  • Plant grows in contact with water and can be burned by fire. Plant may also be a source of frustration as it will continue growing when water is present, often going up to the source and blocking it. It can also grow from a single pixel of Plant, which is often unseen.
  • Spout is a solid, stationary object that contionously creates water from all sides. It can also be eroded by sand.
  • Cera (which is Latin for Wax) can be burnt slowly, containing fire for a small amount of time. It also melts, causing burning wax to rain down until it resolidifies.
  • ??? is an unusual element, where when placed upon the screen, will immediately burst and create pink and red waves that also randomly burst, destroying almost every element. Plant and superheated walls are unaffected by ??? and are able to stop it, usually.

[edit] Namekuji

Namekuji swelled to a radically large size
Namekuji swelled to a radically large size
Namekuji desiccated to the point of explosion, see the trails of namekuji
Namekuji desiccated to the point of explosion, see the trails of namekuji

The Namekuji, also know as the Snig or Slug, can violently react and develop off-shoots of spikes that can effectively stab through walls; however, this only occurs when the Namekuji consumes a large amount of Water and is being restricted to a small space and is suddenly expanded. The addition of the Salt will desiccate the Namekuji and cause it to shrink. Eventually it will shrink to an extremely small size and explode, releasing fragments that can destroy anything. The Namekuji can also be set ablaze when in contact with Fire. Fire will not harm the Namekuji but it is able to destroy anything that falls upon it.namekuji is no longer in the newer versions of falling sand game such as pyro sand and pyro sand 2 it then becomes the item owka. the owka can destroy fire and water and is not easily burnt.

[edit] Publicity

The game was named one of the "Top Ten Time-Wasters on the Web" by About.com in October of 2006.[1] It was also mentioned on Rocketboom on February 8, 2006, where host Amanda Congdon praised it as being "very enjoyable."[2]

[edit] External links