universe-sandbox game sourced
Universe Sandbox
A space physics sandbox where the player builds and alters star systems and watches Newtonian n-body gravity, collisions, and simplified planetary climate play out at adjustable speed.
core loop
load or build a system -> set masses, positions, and time step -> run gravity forward -> watch orbits, collisions, and climate respond -> tweak parameters or add bodies
design notes
Every body attracts every other under Newtonian n-body gravity, so the player can test questions such as what happens if a star passes the Solar System and see the answer rather than read it. The current version (a rewrite released as Universe Sandbox 2 in 2014 and renamed in 2018, still in early access) adds composition from a small set of materials, collisions that leave molten craters, and a climate layer where sea ice tracks axial tilt and oceans boil near a star. The simulation is an instrument for parameter sweeps; there are no goals or agents.
relations
7 stored edgesOrbital mechanics
Newtonian n-body gravity acts between all bodies; the player edits mass, density, radius, and velocity and watches orbits, ejections, spin-apart breakup, and collisions follow.
Pause and speed control
Simulation speed runs from real time to years per second and can be paused; larger time steps trade against accuracy, so fast runs can diverge from slow ones.
Data overlays
Orbit trails and surface temperature maps expose state that is otherwise invisible.
Heat transfer
Collisions and stellar irradiance heat bodies, shown as molten surfaces and temperature maps.
Planetary climate
Surface temperature, sea ice, and oceans respond to stellar distance and axial tilt; moving a planet can freeze or boil it.
Terraforming
Planets are composed from materials such as water, rock, iron, and gases, and oceans and mountains can be shaped.