Falling Sand Game

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

1 Gameplay
2 Common Elements
3 Namekuji
4 External links

[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.

[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 that is produced from oil.

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 is unaffected by ??? and is able to stop it.

[edit] Namekuji

Namekuji swelled to a radically large size

Namekuji desiccated to the point of explosion, see the trails of namekuji

The Namekuji, 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 which 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.