The Powder Toy

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The Powder Toy
Original author(s)Stanislaw K. Skowronek
Developer(s)jacob1, Simon, LBPHacker and various other GitHub contributors[1]
Initial release2008[A]
Stable release
97.0 / 3 January 2023; 16 months ago (2023-01-03)[3]
Repository
PlatformWindows, macOS, Linux, Android
TypeSingle Player falling-sand game
LicenseGPLv3
Websitepowdertoy.co.uk

The Powder Toy is a falling-sand game originally created by Stanislaw K. Skowronek (also known as Skylark). It is now developed and maintained by LBPHacker, Simon, jacob1 and other contributors on GitHub. The Powder Toy is free and open-source software licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3.0.[4] A total of 185 (more have been added since this data was gathered) different in-game materials (or "elements"), each with custom behavior and interactions, are available in the game.[5]

Gameplay Overview[edit]

The Powder Toy (abbreviated TPT), like most falling sand games, is a sandbox video game that allows users to create things in-game to share using TPTs online level sharing system, which includes a Front Page (FP), Recent tab, Favorite tab and a My Own tab.

A public server for sharing in-game creations is provided as part of the game itself, allowing users to share anything that abides by the rules. Examples of player shared creations include functioning circulatory systems, nuclear power plants, nuclear bombs, and computers.[5] Content is rated using upvotes and downvotes, and can be reported to the moderators if it breaks the on-site rules or plagiarizes other works.

Modding Capabilities[edit]

TPT allows users to change TPT itself (Mod) with Lua scripting, and C++ coding, as TPT was made using C++. The source code is available on GitHub and can be compiled using Meson.

Mod Manager[edit]

A mod manager (hosted on starcatcher.us) can be downloaded using the console with the following command: tpt.getscript(1, "autorun.lua", 1). It works on all versions of TPT including the Android version.

Popular Mods[edit]

Many TPT users have created C++ mods and Lua scripts. The most popular of which include: TPTMPV2 by LBPHacker, SpikeViper's Biology Mod by SpikeViper, Jacob1's Mod by jacob1 and TPT-Ultimata by Lord_Bowserinator.

April Fools[edit]

The developers usually host an April Fools joke every year. Notably, the 3D mode feature was added as an April Fools joke, alongside, the addition of a new fake purchasable in game currency (Not actually buyable.) called Powdercoins. Normally all April Fools update features are removed very quickly after April Fools, and rarely do any of them stay in TPT long term.

Reception[edit]

edgalaxy.com called The Powder Toy a "great science game" for its potential use as a learning aid through its accurate portrayal of physics, chemical reactions and more.[6]

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Powder Toy.
  1. ^ Splash screen in the binary releases available on the original Powder Toy website has the following copyright notice: "(c) 2008-9 Stanislaw K Skowronek"[2]
  1. ^ "ThePowderToy: Readme". GitHub. Archived from the original on 2018-03-29. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
  2. ^ "The Powder Toy". Unaligned. Archived from the original on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 18 February 2024. Copyright date in the binaries on the original website says 2008-9
  3. ^ "Releases". Github. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  4. ^ "ThePowderToy: License". GitHub. Archived from the original on 2018-03-29. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
  5. ^ a b Cox, Matt (2019-10-10). "From falling sand to Falling Everything: the simulation games that inspired Noita". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  6. ^ Explosive fun for students with THE POWDER TOY a great science game Archived 2012-04-17 at the Wayback Machine on edgalaxy.com (2010-09-03)
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