Burn rules
In Sandlab 1.0 five elements can burn: Oil, Wood, Gunpowder, Plant and Coal. Next to fire or lava they catch fire, and when a flame burns out it leaves smoke or ash, or simply disappears.
| Material | How it catches | Burn time | Role in a fuse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunpowder | Turns into a flame the moment it touches fire or lava | Short | Very fast fuse, the explosive end |
| Oil | Catches from nearby fire by chance (liquid, it flows) | Medium | Slow fuse laid along a floor |
| Wood, Plant | Catches from nearby fire by chance (fixed) | Medium | Slow fuse you can shape |
| Coal | Catches from nearby fire by chance (fixed) | Very long | Long-lasting ember, a timer |
Designing a fuse
Build a channel with stone
First draw dividers in Stone to decide where the fire will travel. Stone does not burn or collapse. You can also start by stamping the Cup or Funnel wall preset.
A line of wood plus a pile of gunpowder
Draw a thin line of Wood along the channel and pile Gunpowder at the end. Light the start of the wood: the fire creeps along it, and the moment it reaches the gunpowder everything goes at once. A longer line means a longer delay.
Buy time with coal
Put a lump of Coal in the middle of the wood line and the fire will linger there while the coal burns. Gunpowder is a powder and slides down, so give it something to sit on.
To watch the blast slowly, lower Sim speed to 0.25x in the More menu (speeds other than 1x are part of the advanced tools, unlocked with one ad). Pausing and stepping through is another option.
Igniting with spark
Spark spreads along the surface of metal, water and acid and sets any flammable cell within the surrounding eight cells on fire. Put gunpowder at one end of a metal wire and spark at the other for remote ignition. But spark is short-lived, so a long wire goes dead halfway. Keep wires short; spark placed in open air fades almost immediately. Metal and Spark are premium elements.
Stopping a fire
| Method | Result |
|---|---|
| Pour water | Fire touching water goes out and some water turns to steam |
| Stone, glass or metal walls | Non-flammable dividers block the spread |
| Undo | Step back to before you lit it (a few steps) |
FAQ
Does wet gunpowder stop working?
In the game gunpowder does not dissolve or get wet; it just sinks in water. To reach it, fire would have to pass through water, and fire goes out on contact, so it is effectively protected.
Why doesn’t the blast throw things outward?
Gunpowder here is not a pressure explosion; fire spreads in a chain reaction. What you get to watch is the rising flames, the smoke and the ash left behind.
Sandlab - Falling Sand Physics
No sign-up, and the simulation runs fully offline. Your canvases stay on your device. Free on Android.