Of the variety played on the computer. I am, of course, talking about games where you have to design a machine (or something) that needs to accomplish certain goals (or something).
I know Crayon Physics is pretty popular, but I never saw that much in it. The “draw your own shapes” thing is clever, but ultimately too limiting.
Fantastic Contraption is a pretty good one. It’s also flash based, so you don’t have to make any kind of download commitment. And the basic levels package does require some ingenuity. The interface is a little clunky though, and the design space is pretty small. Also, there’s no limitation on parts (like cost per piece), so overbuilt solutions aren’t punished.
For my money, Armadillo Run is the best one out there. Extremely simple setup, but allows you to create incredibly complex systems. I bought the full version a couple of years ago, and it was the best ten bucks (fifteen? I don’t remember) I’ve ever spent on a game.
What’s your favorite? How do you feel about the genre? Have you built any particularly awesome levels?
Does the Falling Sand Game qualify under “physics” games?
There’s no goal, really, but it sure is fun.
Armadillo run is pretty cool. I once managed to make a continuous loop with elaborately designed continuous elevators that would take the ball back up to the top of the course. I had a belt driven elevator, and one powered by a rocket(at the top, a rocket would be flipped, reducing the thrust and driving it down. At the bottom, the rocket would be knocked back to its down position, adding enough thrust to move the mechanism back up).
Others…
Phun, which has no gameplay or objectives, simply pure sandbox. You can make some really nifty stuff, and even your own minigames.
Then there is Bridge Construction Set(also known as Pontifex 2), which, as you may imagine, is all about building bridges for as cheap as possible, while being able to maintain their loads. A variety of materials and build sites offer many challenges. Its unfortunately not free, but imo well worth the money. Just don’t get BridgeIt, which is a more graphically pleasing but less robust version(no sandbox mode or anything).
Soda Constructor, a curious game where you use struts to create a variety of walking gizmos. Very frustrating.
There is also Garry’s Mod, for Half Life 2, which has a large variety of tools and plugins allowing you to create some really amazing stuff. Its 3d though, making it quite a bit more of a pain to get things working.
Here is a forum pretty much devoted to physics games…
Yeah, I bought a copy of “Armadillo Run” a couple of years ago after reading about it in a thread here.
World of Goo for the Wii falls into this category, I think.
Armadillo Run was a lot of fun for me, until I got to some very fiddly levels. There are some amazing videos on uTube, obsessive compulsive disorder + Armadillo Run = spectacle.
I suppose my favorite physics game is the racing sim GTR2, played with a force-feedback wheel. It has a very detailed physics model, for example the grip levels of the track vary over the course of a race. Rubber is laid down on the racing line, and debris (marbles) build up off it. Tyres need to be got up to temperature, and wear out depending on how you drive. This isn’t academic, you can feel what is happening through the wheel. It’s a very immersive game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GTR2
“Gamespot’s award for Best Driving Game of 2006 as well as the Best Game Nobody Played of 2006.”