LogInWhen a bug becomes a creature.
Game Developer Zolden, currently working on Simulario, an experimental game focused on 2D simulated physics, has discovered a bizarre bug: his liquid simulation algorithm appears to be trying to function on its own. The behavior is surprisingly complex, as if the fluid is attempting to self-organize but fails. This happens without any player interaction or external forces.
Without gravity, Zolden observed the simulation actively constructing something with lava lamp-like motion:
Zolden still isn't entirely sure what caused the bug, but two contributing factors have been identified. First, he incorrectly treated some air cells near the water's edge as water, which introduced parasitic forces. Second, apparently, the particle repulsion was too sharp, generating excessive noise. What caused anisotropy is still unknown.
Don't worry, though, the developer saved the bugged version for further study and plans to intentionally recreate the behavior.
As for sharing the code, Zolden prefers to wait until he publishes a game that uses it.
Check out some of Zolden's projects below, like experimental gameplay mechanics, Terminator 2-inspired destructible simulation, mesh generation visualization, and follow him on X/Twitter for more.
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