{"id":3475,"date":"2019-04-02T14:14:10","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T21:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/universesandbox.com\/blog\/?p=3475"},"modified":"2021-01-15T14:14:09","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T22:14:09","slug":"wandering-earth-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/universesandbox.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/wandering-earth-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Universe Sandbox Takes Off in China"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Wandering Earth<\/h2>\n

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\nHave you heard of the\u00a0sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth? While it has had modest success with a limited release in the United States, it is now China’s second-highest-grossing film of all time with over $679 million in\u00a0domestic box office sales<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The screenplay is based on a story by Liu Cixin, a renown Chinese sci-fi author who has popularized the genre with his award-winning\u00a0stories, including the novel\u00a0The Three-Body Problem (which also has a movie adaptation in the works and\u00a0received praise<\/a> from Barack Obama).<\/p>\n

Simulating a Disaster Film<\/h2>\n

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\nEarth being ripped apart by Jupiter’s tidal forces in Universe Sandbox.<\/span><\/p>\n

Critics say\u00a0The Wandering Earth often falls victim to\u00a0the trappings of disaster films (overblown CGI, heavy-handed sentimentality, etc.), but what excites us is the scenario that plays out in the film.<\/p>\n

To us, the plot summary\u00a0reads like a description of a\u00a0simulation in a not-too-distant version of Universe Sandbox: [SPOILERS<\/strong>] In\u00a0the future, Sun evolves into red giant and threatens Earth habitability \u2192 Gigantic thrusters are attached to Earth (you better believe this fits well into our development plans) \u2192 Earth\u00a0is propelled farther from the Sun and freezes over \u2192 Tidal forces from Jupiter wreak havoc as Earth approaches\u00a0the gas giant and prepares for collision \u2192 A GIF of this\u00a0terribly interesting disaster is captured and the simulation is shared to Steam Workshop… oh wait that part wasn’t in the film.<\/p>\n

Of course, we weren’t the only ones to see this potential. Video creators in China familiar with Universe Sandbox immediately got to work simulating the events of the film.<\/p>\n

Here are a couple of the more popular ones that we’re aware of:<\/p>\n