Universe Sandbox on Steam

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frowertr

frowertr

Golden Member
Apr 17, 2010
1,371
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Nintendesert said:
I've never seen this game before, http://universesandbox.com/ but it looks like something that might be some fun to us geeky folks that like astronomy too.

Does anyone have it or have any experience with it?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/72200/

It's only $9.99 and the idea of building or seeing our own solar system and crashing stars or comets into us would be fun.
Click to expand...

Plunk down the $10 and let us know! ;)

I have looked at it too, but sandbox style games aren't really my thing. I wouldn't give you a nickel for Minecraft but others are addicted to it like it was their neighborhood crack.
 
Specop 007

Specop 007

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2005
9,454
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I would have thought the data input to form a model would be just techy enough to not have a large element of fun in it. I'm rather curious who you set up the parameters to model your universe and then crate the interactions within that model and not get completely swamped in some serious data input and math.

The visuals of course look realyl neat but I'm wondering how they have kept the enjoyment in setting up the models.
 
veri745

veri745

Golden Member
Oct 11, 2007
1,163
4
81
I won't say anything bad about the game, as it looks interesting enough, but damn, it has the worst steam achievements I've ever seen!

*edit* and what information can you glean about the 0.1% of owners that have started the game but have played for less than a minute?
 
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Nintendesert

Nintendesert

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2010
7,761
5
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Well I think I'm going to get it and let you all know how it is when I get home. Then I'm going to destroy the milky way.


*edit: good info Lonyo, ill do that first.
 
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Farmer

Farmer

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2003
3,345
2
81
Specop 007 said:
I would have thought the data input to form a model would be just techy enough to not have a large element of fun in it. I'm rather curious who you set up the parameters to model your universe and then crate the interactions within that model and not get completely swamped in some serious data input and math.

The visuals of course look realyl neat but I'm wondering how they have kept the enjoyment in setting up the models.
Click to expand...

I believe the only parameter is mass, and the assumed interaction is Newtonian gravity.

Simply put, this is an N-body integrator with a GUI. That's still really cool.

What would be awesome is if it could take arbitrary mass distributions for bodies. This tool could totally be scientifically useful, i.e., planning fuel-optimal flight paths for spacecraft.
 
R

Rifter

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,522
751
126
I DL the demo and was able to make it start screwing up the physics fairly easily without adding a ton of stuff IMO, Stuff started doing all kinds of crazy stuff like moons screwing off on you with no reason. Thats with a 4.2Ghz i7.

Im assuming its not multi-threaded since i never went above %25 CPU usage? perhaps ill spring for it when they get into the 21 century and patch in multi threading then you should be able to make some pretty cool shit.
 
novasatori

novasatori

Diamond Member
Feb 27, 2003
3,851
1
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if you raise the sim rate too fast and don't have highly accurate calculations on then you can get things spiraling off between sim ticks from the orbit they <should> have...

that's the only time I've really seen major issues
 
Farmer

Farmer

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2003
3,345
2
81
It's an integrator, if you make the "step size" too large, in this case it is the time domain step size, you get numerical integration error that blows up.
 
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