but no stones

July 22, 2011 4:55 AM

Sticks is a Flash game where you use some minor engineering skills to make a dude rich.

Tip: Double-clicking on a single stick will erase it, which saves having to start over to make a modification. But there doesn't seem to be a way to move or rotate sticks, so be prepared to painstakingly redraw some of them over and over. Also, skip the intro--there's no info there.

posted by DU (13 comments total)

Gonna break your bones, DU.
posted by QuarterlyProphet at 6:17 AM on July 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I play flash games to take a break from work.
posted by elektrotechnicus at 6:51 AM on July 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

Nothing tricky here. It's just difficult enough to lure you away from productivity for a while or eat up your lunch break. Nice.
posted by Avelwood at 8:22 AM on July 22, 2011

This just made me want to play http://fantasticcontraption.com/ -- so I closed it and did just that.
posted by zephyr_words at 9:11 AM on July 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I already use minor engineering skills to make some other guy rich 40 hours a week.
posted by chevyvan at 9:21 AM on July 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

Fuck you, dollar magnets.
posted by HeroZero at 9:26 AM on July 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hey, Fantastic Contraption has had some upgrades. Neat!

Sticks is more of a simple little "I'll just do one level while I'm on the phone" thing where FC is a "I'm doing this instead of getting my engineering degree because I'll learn more" thing.
posted by DU at 9:52 AM on July 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

For those who enjoy Sticks, the iPhone game SpongeBob Marbles & Slides has a similar concept, except the lines don't have to be straight. For a kids' game, it's surprisingly tough.
posted by Georgina at 10:03 AM on July 22, 2011

The physics in this game are off enough to be really off-pissing.
posted by sensate at 11:04 AM on July 22, 2011

I'm at work and can't visit the link but it brings to mind another game I played that sounds like this one.
Anyone remember a physics/engineering (roughly) game that involved various weight-speed-length trains trying to pass over various types of gaps? You basically had nodes and beams. No variety beyond that. I played it off a flash drive it was so small/sharewareish at least 4 or 5 years old... That was a neat game, never finished it either...
posted by RolandOfEld at 12:04 PM on July 22, 2011

Ah ha! Found it. Now to find a way to beat those upper levels without degrading myself and looking it up online.
posted by RolandOfEld at 12:42 PM on July 22, 2011

You have a limited amount of wood.

Wait, is this a Viagra ad?
posted by Robin Kestrel at 10:34 PM on July 22, 2011

RolandOfEld, you are likely thinking of the awesome Bridge Construction Set / Pontifex games by Chronic Logic. Many an hour I've spent tearing bridges down and building them back up leaner for those precious few extra dollars!
Loved the "infrared" tension/compression visualiser, the cables and the hydraulics!
I can't speak for the latest iteration (Bridge It) though - haven't tried it.
posted by Tzarius at 3:05 AM on July 23, 2011