Golems
Golems is a free "3d recreational physics simulator." It's designed to be remarkably intuitive and user-friendly -- basically, you can do anything, from something as simple as dragging a few blocks and motors to make a crude car to something as complicated as giant robots, hovertanks, or fully-functioning vending machines. Machines can be user-controlled or, with a bit more effort and some sensors, pilot themselves. It's a bit like LEGO, but the laser cannons work and you never run out of bricks. The physics simulation is also surprisingly accurate and realistic (with the exception of a few obvious impossibilities, such as the aforementioned lasers). Best of all, it's fun.
Build Anything.
—Official motto
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You can download the game here, and see the forum (where other users upload their machines and give tons of useful help) here [dead link].
Not to be confused with the mythological creature from which it derives its name.
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: When the above goes horribly, horribly wrong.
- Clock Punk: All-mechanical contraptions with plentiful quantities of gears are another favourite
- Edutainment Game: A side-effect of playing the game is that you pick up a little physics [dead link] along the way
- Floating Platforms: Objects set to 'static' are completely immobile, and aren't even subject to gravity.
- Frickin' Laser Beams: They're a bit more like tractor beams, but they're always called 'laser beams' by the community.
- Frictionless Ice: The ice material in Golems is completely frictionless
- Humongous Mecha: Has been a goal of the community since its inception, recently accomplished (with some 'cheating' using rockets and tractor beams for balance) here [dead link] and here [dead link]
- Instant AI, Just Add Water: It is remarkably easy to wire up a robot to act independently of user-control.
- Macross Missile Massacre: One [dead link] of [dead link] the [dead link] more [dead link] popular [dead link] user [dead link] creations [dead link]
- Missing Backblast: Rockets can create smoke particles, but it's just for show.
- Rube Goldberg Device: Another favourite. There was even a competition [dead link] held to create the best one
- Wide Open Sandbox: Obviously. It hasn't even got an Insurmountable Waist-Height Fence.
- Wreaking Havok: Also obviously.