A falling-sand game is a genre of video game and a sub-genre of sandbox games which typically utilize a two-dimensional particle or cellular automaton based game engine to simulate various materials interacting in a sandbox environment.
In falling-sand games, the user can interact with (e.g. place and remove) particles on a canvas which can interact with other particles in various ways, which can lead to complex emergent behaviour.[1] As sandbox games, they generally have an emphasis on free-form gameplay, relaxed rules, and minimal goals.[2]
Despite the name, falling-sand games typically contain a multitude of materials besides sand, often called "elements".[citation needed]
History
editThe first known popular example in the "falling-sand" genre was a web-based Java applet on the Japanese Dofi-Blog in 2005[3][4] which was later expanded and rehosted as the "Falling sand game",[4] which kick-started the genre as a trend and gave it its name.[5][6]
The genre is not limited to free play canvas-style games; games such as the Powder Game contain additional mechanics, such as pressure based fluid simulation[citation needed] allowing for example water equalisation, and RPG elements such as controllable characters.
Noita blends the traditional sandbox physics with Roguelike RPG mechanics, with sophisticated playable characters and enemies.[7][8][9]
List of falling-sand games
edit| Title | Year | Platform | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Down fall | 1993 | Atari ST | 2 player falling snow[10] |
| Falling sand game | 2005 | Java | Also called "Hell of Sand" or "World of sand"[3][4][6][11] |
| wxSand | 2006 | Windows | The first standalone version[12] |
| Powder Game | 2007 | Java, HTML5, Android, iOS | Multi-platform with liquid simulation[13] |
| This is Sand | 2008 | Flash | Added changing the colour of the sand[14] |
| The Powder Toy | 2010 | Windows, Linux, OS X, Android | Has liquid simulation and Newtonian gravity[15][13] |
| The Sandbox | 2012 | Flash, Windows, Android, iOS | A series of games, including some 3D versions[16][17] |
| sand:box | 2015 | Android, iOS, Linux, Windows | Falling sand game with advanced digital circuit simulation.[18][19][20] |
| Sandspiel | 2019 | HTML5 | Popular web-based version[21] |
| Noita | 2020 | Windows | A hybrid of "falling sand" style game with a Roguelike[13][9] |
References
edit- ^ bittker, max. "making sandspiel". maxbittker.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-07. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ "The History and Theory of Sandbox Gameplay". www.gamasutra.com. 16 July 2009. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ a b "DOFI-BLOG どふぃぶろぐ". ishi.blog2.fc2.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-20. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- ^ a b c "Overview". Falling Sand Game. Archived from the original on 2009-04-23.
- ^ "Time Killer: The Sand Game (It's Great Fun)". PC World. Archived from the original on 2008-10-28.
- ^ a b "Falling Sand Game". boredhumans.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ "Noita: a Game Based on Falling Sand Simulation". 80.lv. 5 April 2019. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ "Noita wiki - Falling Sand Game". gamepedia.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
- ^ a b "Sand Physics Go Wild in Noita". techraptor.net. 14 December 2019. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ^ Atari mania. "Down fall". Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ Carless, Simon (2005-12-24). "Welcome to the World of Sand". GameSetWatch. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- ^ Quilty-Harper, Conrad (2006-02-15). "Falling Sand: The Sequel". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- ^ a b c Cox, Matt (10 October 2019). "From falling sand to Falling Everything: the simulation games that inspired Noita". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ Donahoo, Daniel. "Digital Play: This Is Sand". Wired. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
- ^ "Explosive fun for students". edgalaxy.com. 3 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
- ^ "the sandbox". metacritic.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
- ^ "The Sandbox gaming platform receives $2.5m investment". finance.yahoo.com. 28 May 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
- ^ Corcobado, Miguel Ángel (2018-01-24). "Ciencia divertida a través del móvil". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ Hasan, Mehedi (2021-07-17). "10 Best Sandbox Games For Android To Make Your Own Fun". UbuntuPIT. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ "みんなペイントマーカーは持ったな！アメリカ発祥のスポーツ「ペイントボール」を体験できるFPS登場―採れたて！本日のSteam注目ゲーム3選【2023年11月27日】". Game*Spark - 国内・海外ゲーム情報サイト (in Japanese). 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ "SandSpiel by max bittker - Experiments with Google". experiments.withgoogle.com. Archived from the original on 2022-05-30. Retrieved 2022-05-22.