Golems

"Build Anything."

- Official motto

Golems is a free "3d recreational physics simulator." It's designed to be remarkably intuitive and user-friendly - basically, you can do anything as simple as drag in 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.

You can download the game here, and see the forum (where other users upload their machines and give tons of useful help) here.

Not to be confused with the mythological creature from which it derives its name.

The game in general provides examples of:

 * AI 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 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 and here
 * Instant AI, Just Add Water: It is remarkably easy to wire up a robot to act independently of user-control.
 * Macross Missile Massacre: One of the more popular user creations
 * Missing Backblast: Rockets can create smoke particles, but it's just for show.
 * Rube Goldberg Device: Another favourite. There was even a competition held to create the best one
 * Wide Open Sandbox: Obviously. It hasn't even got an Insurmountable Waist-Height Fence.
 * Wreaking Havok: Also obviously.