Handpicked Software » Simulation Games

EightBall X – Magic 8-ball dockling

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

EightBall is a dockling that allows you to have the well-know magic Eightball right in your Mac OS X Dock ! Just ask a question out loud and press the EightBall to get a viable answer… Don’t complain and sue me if the result is not what you expected ;-) Remember it’s always possible to escape your "fate". The source code is also available.

What’s New:
Version 1.3 fixes the following:

Added spoken answers
Fixed the random seed.
Changed the icon. The new one was designed by Dave Tan.

Developer’s website: Wilfried de Denterghem

Lucky Streak X – Head or Tails coin toss game

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Lucky Streak X is a game where the goal is to get as many points as possible, by betting Heads or Tails on the coin. Once you place a bet, the game will randomly select a side. If your guess is correct you will be awarded 1 point.

Developer’s website: Servaas X Doornberg

The Sims Unleashed Updater – Fixes picture-in-picture window crashes

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

The Sims Unleashed Updater fixes a crashing bug with picture-in-picture window pop-ups selections.

Developer’s website: Aspyr Media, Inc.

The Sims Vacation Updater – Fixes picture-in-picture window crashes

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

The Sims Vacation Updater fixes a crashing bug with picture-in-picture window pop-ups selections.

Developer’s website: Aspyr Media, Inc.

Fish Tycoon – Fish breeding game

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Fish Tycoon is a fish breeding sim game where you breed and care for exotic fish in a true real-time virtual aquarium.

The object of this tycoon game is to discover the 7 MAGIC FISH of ISOLA and solve the genetic puzzle. You start with a small selection of fish, some money and a tank. You must breed your fish, care for them, help them grow, and cure them if they get sick. Along the way you can buy supplies, medicine and special chemicals; you can research technologies or invest in advertisement. All of this will be financed by selling exotic hybrids in your shop.

The game runs in TRUE REAL-TIME, so that if your computer is turned off or you exit the game, hours later small fish will have grown larger and new surprises await you.

Developer’s website: LDW Software

Golly – Open source Game of Life simulator

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Golly is an open source, cross-platform Game of Life simulator currently under development by Andrew Trevorrow and Tomas Rokicki. Our goal is to write a world-class Life simulator, solicit ideas and help from the planet’s best Life hackers, and share some of our excitement.

Golly’s key features:

Unbounded universe (limited only by memory).
Fast, memory-efficient conventional algorithm.
Super fast hashing algorithm for highly regular patterns.
Responsive even while generating or garbage collecting.
Reads RLE, Life 1.05/1.06, and macrocell formats.
Can paste in patterns from the clipboard.
Auto fit option keeps patterns sized to the window.
Full screen option (no menu/status/tool/scroll bars).
Built-in HTML help system (thanks to wxWidgets).

Online program help is available here.

What’s New:
release notes not available currently

Developer’s website: Andrew Trevorrow and Tomas Rokicki

Subway Scramble – Takes you on a romp through subway systems of the world

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Welcome to Subway Scramble, the action puzzle simulation that takes you on a rapid transit romp through the epic subway systems of New York, London, Paris, Moscow and Seoul.

It�s a worldwide wreck of snarled subways, mangled metros and lost passengers. It�s up to you to make sure that each subway system is returned to normal, and that all the passengers return to their proper destinations!

It won�t be easy! Multiple train cars, overlapping railway lines and a wide array of color-coded destinations all make Subway Scramble a unique and mesmerizing challenge.

Features:

Deliver passengers to their proper destinations and advance to the next station. Take too long and your stations begin to overflow with eagerly awaiting passengers.
Score a three car bonus if you deliver a train full of passengers bound for the same station and clear the entire station.
Safety first! Don�t crash the trains or you�ll lose your safety token.
Earn enough tokens, and you can unlock the next international location.
Keep your eyes open and watch for numerous power-ups that can keep you one step ahead of chaos.

Developer’s website: PlayFirst

OpenTTD – Clone of the Microprose game “Transport Tycoon Deluxe”

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

OpenTTD is a clone of the Microprose game “Transport Tycoon Deluxe”, a popular game originally written by Chris Sawyer. It attempts to mimic the original game as closely as possible while extending it with new features.

OpenTTD is modeled after the original Transport Tycoon game by Chris Sawyer and enhances the game experience dramatically. Many features were inspired by TTDPatch while others are original.

OpenTTD is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.0. For more information, see the file ‘COPYING’ included with every release and source download of the game.

What’s New:
Release notes not available at this time.

Developer’s website: OpenTTD Team

NoLimits Rollercoaster Sim – Ride existing coasters, or build a rollercoaster

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

NoLimits Rollercoaster Sim… Focusing on realism and speed, NoLimits lets you ride real existing coasters, or build a roller coaster to your own specifications – with 13 different track styles, including inverted, hyper-coasters and wooden coasters.

Top Features:

Ride ultra-realistic roller coasters
Choose between more than 40 great premade tracks
Build your own roller coaster with the Track Editor
Create mountains and lakes with the Terraformer
Choose between 13 different track-styles
Play the ride operator and dispatch the trains
Choose different environments (fog, sunset, etc…)
Include 3DS scenery objects in your coaster tracks
Ride Roller Coaster Tycoon1 tracks in 3D (only Windows)
Optimized for high frame rates
More than one train at the same time
Synchronized block-safety-device
Animated objects
3D sound
Save screenshots at your favourite views

What’s New:
Version 1.6:

Screensaver module
New coasterstyle Vekoma Flying Dutchman
New coasterstyle Gerstlauer Spinning Coaster
New coasterstyle Maurer Spinning COaster
New coasterstyle Gerstlauer Bobsled
New coasterstyle Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter 2
New coasterstyle Modern Steel Looping Coaster
Improved coasterstyle Classic Steel Looping Coaster
Improved coasterstyle Twisted Sitdown Coaster
Improved coasterstyle Twisted Inverted Coaster
Improved coasterstyle Twisted Floorless Coaster
Improved coasterstyle Twisted Standup Coaster
Improved coasterstyle Twisted Hyper Coaster
New water effect (on DX8.0, DX8.1 and DX9.0 Hardware)
New steel coaster footer
New steel coaster tunnel
Separated tunnel color
Improved friction option
Motionblur effect
Improved Split and Desplit in editor
New track smoother in editor
Improved sound effects
Doppler effect
9 new tracks
Improved Make straight (multiple segments)
Built-In wooden support optimizer in Simulator

Developer’s website: Mad Data

Sim R2D2 – Randomly plays R2D2 sounds

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Randomly plays R2D2 sounds.

Use it to annoy your coworkers.

What’s New:

Changed format of all audio samples to ensure compatibility
Main window now rotates between 6 images.
Settings are remembered

Developer’s website: Big, Fat, Stinking Software

MacSaber – Uses Mac laptop sudden motion sensor, makes lightsaber sounds

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

MacSaber uses your Mac’s sudden motion sensor to detect movements, fast and slow. As you move your laptop, MacSaber plays varying levels of Light Saber sound effects, from a waving sound to exciting saber crashes.

MacSaber 1.1 includes support for backlit keyboards. Various amounts of force create brighter flashes of the backlight.

What’s New:
Version 1.1:

Updated PowerBook5,7 Status
Added keyboard backlight actions for equipped notebooks
Improved update checker logic

Developer’s website: Ian Maddox

Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children – Guide your tribe as they rescue a group of lost children

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children… Continue the epic story of the castaways of Isola. Guide your tribe as they rescue a group of lost children and help them survive new adventures. Your villagers need to become farmers, builders, scientists, healers and parents, and will make decisions about unpredictable Island Events that happen from time to time. Lead your villagers as they solve all new puzzles and hidden mysteries of the west shores of the island. Will your tribe survive?

What’s New:
Version 1.01.05: Various bug fixes.

Developer’s website: LDW Software, LLC

BelchX – Gives your Mac a case of indigestion

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

BelchX is a port of an old System 7 extension for the Macintosh, called Belch. BelchX is an invisible application that will cause your Macintosh to have a case of indigestion: it lets out a nasty belch every once in a while. Put it on your friends’ Macintoshes, and they will love you for it.

If you wish to quit BelchX, simply open up a Terminal window and type:

killall QUIT “Belch”

If that doesn’t work, simply choose “Log Out” from the Apple menu, then log back in.

What’s New:
Version 1.2: Frequency and odds of gas event can now be twiddled via the command line for added aggravation. Read the Readme file for instructions. Updates for this app are now complete.

Developer’s website: John Schilling

Moon Lander – Fly mining stations on the moon

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Imagine the year 2375…
You have applied for a job at the largest mining cooperation. At first the mining cooperation wants to proof your flight skills. You have to supply the mining stations with workers and tools in order to show your flight skills.

Developer’s website: OnlyMac Software

Video Poker 5000 – Casino poker game

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Video Poker 5000 is the video poker game to have. Excellent graphics, quick play, mltiple player records, and much much more. This game is just like being in the casino but without the free drinks and air fare. Oh, and best of all, you won’t lose any real money.

Developer’s website: Slovis Software

Freespace2 – Space simulation, shooter game

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

The year is 2367. Thirty-two years have passed since the Great War. As Terrans and Vasudans struggle to rebuild their civilizations, civil war erupts in the Polaris system. A rogue Terran admiral declares war against the Vasudans, threatening the stability of the Alliance. Without warning, the Shivans return, and Terrans and Vasudans face annihilation at the hands of their Great War nemesis.

What’s New:
Version 2.0:

A single-player campaign with over 30 missions. New scenarios include flying with Vasudan squadrons, piloting advanced stealth fighters, and “painting” targets with TAG (Target Acquisition & Guidance) missiles.
Command up to eleven squadmates in battle. Order them to defend, attack, disarm or disable your target.
An in-depth combat system enables players to target and destroy subsystems, disabling engines, defensive turrets, missile batteries, and fighterbays.
Armed with cutting-edge weaponry, new fighters and bombers hurl the player into complex, fast-paced WWII-style dogfights.
An innovative and immersive nebula environment changes gameplay dynamics. Impaired visibility, communications, and targeting ability create opportunities for ambush and new combat tactics.
Up to 12 players can battle in dogfight, team vs. team (8 players max.), and cooperative missions via LAN, TCP/IP, and modem.

Developer’s website: Volition

Fish – Virtual desktop aquarium

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Fish is an aquarium simulator. It allows you to add fish to an underwater environment and customize them.

Fish show complex behavior. You can feed them, see their evolution as they grow, use different cameras to track them, and save different aquariums for later usage. Fish can be shared with others over the local network using Rendezvous.

What’s New:
Version 1.5:

Full screen anti-aliasing (FSAA). Stay on 1.4 if it’s too slow on your mac.

Developer’s website: Oriol Ferrer Mesia

LiquidMac – Particle system that reacts to the Sudden Motion Sensor

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

LiquidMac mimics the behavior of liquid by creating a particle system that reacts to the computer’s orientation.

It requires a Macintosh laptop computer with a sudden motion enabled sensor. This includes MacBook family, MacBook Pro family, and some of the latest PowerBooks.

What’s New:
Version 1.3:

User can set color now.
new Icon.

Developer’s website: Oriol Ferrer Mesi�

Mike’s Cards – Play 124 different variations of Solitaire

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Mike’s Cards contains well over 100 solitaire games, plus contemporary, casino, and kid’s card games. It has beautiful large graphics, special effects, options galore, and more.

What’s New:
Verison 2.1: Universal binary

Developer’s website: Mike Sedore

Garden Dreams – Extreme gardening adventure game

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Garden Dreams is an adventure game in extreme gardening! Profits are the only way to succeed and to do that you have to make your garden grow. Invest in new seeds, pest control and bigger and better hardware. The more you grow the more profits you sow. You’ll meet some friends along the way to help maintain your garden. Is your thumb green enough to survive and make your Garden Dreams a reality?

25 fun upgrades like sprinklers, crop dusters, rodents, other garden dangers that you need to be wary of
5 increasingly difficult Gardens to master
Multiple plant types
10 dangerous enemies you need to watch out for
Built in Media player

What’s New:
Version 1.0.1b: Updated to dmg for better compatibility.

Developer’s website: Toybox Games

Vega Trek – 3D Star Trek space combat game

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Vega Trek is a 3D space combat game set in the Star Trek universe. This release allows you to pilot ships from the Klingons, Romulans and Federation in everything from one-on-one border encouters to full blown fleet battles. We’ve spent a lot of time on our starship models, and are very proud of the specular lighting, glowmaps, and detail textures we’ve applied to them.

We plan on implementing dynamic universe features in the near future that would allow players to make a living as either an officer in Starfleet, a civilian merchant, or even a ruthless mercenary!

Developer’s website: Stem Bolt Studios

WingNuts 2 – 1920s aircraft combat game

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

WingNuts 2 takes you on a fantastic journey to over 30 real, (and not so real), locations and time periods as you hunt Baron Von Schtopwatch and the mysterious “Raina”.

Play through time as you encounter enemies from the 1920s into the distant future. With over 100 real world aircraft, helicopters, blimps, tanks, ships and submarines, you’ll never run out of things to shoot!

WingNuts 2 is a showcase for the graphics power of the Mac. Utilizing spectacular OpenGL particles and CoreImage time dilation effects, the game provides over 30 levels of aerial excitement. Upgrade your plane with more powerful weapons and capture wild power-ups like “Super Mecha-Mode” and “Escort Wing” to defeat the Baron’s terrifying robotic bosses.

The long-awaited sequel to “WingNuts: Temporal Naviagator” (5-Mice/Game Hall of Fame, Macworld 2002), WingNuts 2 takes all of the action and wacky humor of the original and adds a compelling new story, gorgeous graphics, and tons of gameplay enhancements to achieve a whole new level of excitement.

What’s New:
No information currently available.

Developer’s website: Freeverse Software

Food Force Bowl 2006 – Game simulates the United Nations food aid effort

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

[ Via Apple.com ] A major crisis has developed in the Indian Ocean, on the island of Sheylan. We’re sending in a new team to step up the World Food Programme’s presence there and help feed millions of hungry people.

An aircraft circles over a crisis zone. War. Drought. People are hungry. This is the virtual world of the Food Force video game.

It represents too many parts our real world, where 852 million people lack enough food to eat and World Food Programme teams deliver food aid using not only airplanes but a fleet of ships and thousands of trucks.

Play the Food Force game, learn about food aid, and help us work towards a world without hunger.

Developer’s website: United Nations World Food Programme

Glider Pro – Fly paper airplanes

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

Fly a paper airplane through houses avoiding obstacles and collecting gold stars. Non-violent. A great game for children.

What’s New:
First release as freeware.

Developer’s website: John Calhoun

Tropico – Build your own island from the ground up

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:32:31 +0000

You, the newly installed dictator of an obscure Caribbean island, must create a life of prosperity and happiness for your people. Build farms to feed them, tenements to house them, pubs to lift their spirits and churches to save their souls. Follow a socialist path of factories, mines, logging and fishing, or chase capitalist dollars by building resorts to lure Yanqui tourists. Success will bring the praise of your people along with a fat Swiss bank account. Failure? Well, there’s always martial law.

Features include:

Features more than 45 different characters with up to 50 separate attributes for each.
Build your island with more than 80 different buildings including sports arenas, cathedrals, airports, rum distilleries and cabarets.
Build your population from a mere 35 to a bustling 500 unique individuals.
Create yourself as the dictator, picking both good and bad qualities.
Tend to your people as they deal with devastating droughts, popular rebellions, military coups and U.S. sponsored invasions.

What’s New:
Version 1.0.3:

This “multinational demo” of Tropico support 5 languages including English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
This version also includes bug fixes for resolution switching under OS X and memory leaks.

Developer’s website: Feral Interactive