Joint

2 dots of Powder and 2 dots of Water joined by 6 Joints.

Joint is a special object in Powder Game 2 implemented in ver3.2 (but only selectable in ver5.4). It joins dots of elements with a straight line (even when separated by block). Each end of a joint retains the property of the jointed dot. Joints can be removed by using clear on the ends of the joint. It can be used to create very complex contraptions.

The amount of joints currently on the game screen are represented by a lowercase "j" next to the number of joints on the screen. Interestingly, the lowercase "j" was on the menu not only before the joint option was implemented, but was there ever since Powder Game 2's creation. However, there was no way to increase the joint count prior to ver3.2 (the addition of soapy, and by extension, automatically jointed bubble). This display is currently located under the fifth element column on the menu. As of ver8.1, a maximum of 999 joints can be placed on the screen at any time.

Joinable elements and objects

As of ver7.9, players, fighters, balls and all elements except fan can be joined together with joint.

Before ver5.5, only the following elements could be joined:

• Soapy
• Powder
• Water
• Fire
• Gunpowder
• Ice
• Snow
• Superball

Colour

The colour of the joint is determined by the colour of the two joined dots. The RGB component of the joint's colour is the average of the corresponding components of the two joined dots, rounded down to the nearest integer.

The only exception is when 2 soapy dots are joined. The soapy joint appears white but is actually rainbow coloured, albeit very faintly.

Display

Since ver6.8, the display method of joints can be selected with the J key. The appearance alternates from normal (normal numbers on the joint count), white (joint count has white border), black (joint count has grey border) and hide (joint count is shown in black and has no border).

• Normal shows joints with the normal colours.
• White makes all joints appear light grey.
• Black makes all joints appear dark grey.
• Hide makes all joints transparent except on the ends which appears as normal dots of the joined elements.

Attributes

Since ver5.7, joints can be created with certain attributes. By clicking the "Joint" button multiple times, users can select the joint's behavior.

• N creates joints that do not independently rotate. Default attribute.
• Left creates joints which rotates anticlockwise.
• Right creates joints which rotates clockwise.
  • Both were implemented in ver5.7.
• Scale creates joints which expand up to 150% the original length and contract down to 50% the original length alternatively. All joints with this attribute have their contractions and extensions in sync. It takes exactly 256 frames for a full cycle. This was implemented in ver5.9.
• None creates joints whose ends act unconnected (retaining normal joint movement), but displays the connection between them. This was implemented in ver6.2.
• Blind creates joints that have the same default attribute as N, but have invisible connections. Re-joining the same dots with an extra attribute (for example, giving it a rotation or scale attribute) will make the joint opaque again. This was implemented in ver7.3.

Properties

• Before ver5.8, joints cannot be copied; only the joined dots at the ends can be copied. Since ver5.8, joints can be copied if both ends of the joint are included in the copied area. Joints also link up if an end of the joint is pasted directly above another joint. The linking dot will be the same as the original end of the non-pasted joint, since dots cannot be created over existing dots, making it possible to copy and paste the joint without pasting the ends. Only 500 and under joints can be copy and pasted at one time. If more are copied, when pasted, the computer will eliminate any J-blind until the 500 joints limit is reached. If J-blind is not present, the computer will eliminate any other joints present until the number of total joints is under 500.
• Joints only take up space at its ends. Because of this, the player can create boxes extremely similar to those in Powder Game with normal and blind joints. Other portions of the joint shows in front of elements, block, Black Hole, and White Hole, and shows behind all other objects.
• Joints are destroyed when any end of the joint touches the border. The jointed dot that touched the border disappears, while the other dot is released.
• Ropes or strings can be made by simply joining dots with dots directly next to it, making the smallest possible length of a joint. Although the rope could be stretched so that there are gaps between the endpoints of the small joints, when left to sit, it makes a solid yet movable rope. This could be used in conjunction with joined soapy to make balloons or with bird or fish to make "worms".
• Joints always show up "behind" players, fighters, and balls. This effect can be used to create "backgrounds" in uploads, or add a three-dimensional effect, if done correctly.
• It is possible to joint a pair of dots up to 255 times. There was no such limit prior to ver7.7.
• Elements fall/rise much quicker when they are joined to other elements. The only exceptions are solids and soapy, where the joined soapy dot doesn’t fall. Surprisingly, this still works with J-none. Elements with higher relative joint weights fall quicker.

Special properties of joined dots

The end of each joint generally retains the properties of the joined individual dots. However, there are some exceptions to this and the differences are listed below.

Joined fire and spark

• Joined fire and spark do not disappear.

Joined solids

• Joined solids (except clone, glass, and laser) are affected by gravity.

Joined thunder and bird

• Thunder and bird retain their mobility, and are not affected by being joined, pulling the jointed contraption with it.

Joined soapy

• Joined soapy has extremely high air resistance.
• If soapy is the first end of a joint, the joint acts like a spring. This does not occur when soapy is the second end.
• If a number of soapy dots is connected to form a "closed" object, it forms a bubble, similar in appearance and behavior of that of the original Powder Game. In this way, two bubbles can be jointed together. In some cases, one could make floating moving objects with the two bubbles.
• Joined soapy has a glitch that occurs with no other element. If the player uses pen-paint to turn joined soapy into another element, the painting process will be carried out as normal, but the joint will disappear. This does not happen the other way around.

Relative weight of joints

The weight of joints are different depending on what elements are joined. A joint of higher weight is more affected by gravity, while a negative weight causes the joint to move away from gravity. A weight of zero is not affected by gravity at all, and floats.

• -1: Fire, Gas, Cloud
• 0: Soapy
• 0.5: Powder, Virus, Fuse, Snow
• 0.76: Jointbomb
• 1: Water, Seed, Gunpowder, Ice, Superball, Fireworks, Oil, Sand, Mud, Torch, Vine, Salt, Fish, Spark, Seawater, Wood
• 2: C-4, Stone, Nitro, Acid, Crystal, Conveyer
• 3: Ant
• 4: Lava, Metal, Bomb, Mercury, Pump

Clone, thunder, laser, glass, bird and steam joints have undefinable weights because they retain their natural mobility, and are not affected by being joined.

Joined objects retain their original weights.

History

• The first sign that joints will be implemented appeared in ver1.0, with the lowercase "j" at the bottom of the menu, followed by a "0", as joints were not able to be created yet.
• The player was first able to create joints in ver3.2 by creating bubbles with the newly added element, soapy.
• It became possible to apply joints directly to elements in ver5.4. However, only powder, water, fire, gunpowder, ice, snow, superball, and soapy could be joined with another of those listed.
• The very next update (ver5.5) brought the ability to joint any two elements together (except fan).
• Joints were able to automatically rotate (J-left and J-right) in ver5.7.
• The player could copy and paste joints in ver5.8.
• Joints were able to automatically expand and contract (J-scale) in ver5.9.
• Joints were able to be stretched to any length (J-none) in ver6.2.
• The player could cycle through joint appearances by pressing "J" on the keyboard in ver6.8.
• Joints were able to become invisible (J-blind) in ver7.3.
• Players could be jointed in ver7.7.
• Fighters could be jointed in ver7.8.
• Balls could be jointed in ver7.9.

Fixed glitches

• When joints were experimental, ha55ii added the ability to joint elements. However, there was one catch: the only joinable elements were soapy, powder, water, fire, gunpowder, ice, snow, and superball. Since salt could not be joined (and therefore, seawater can't), adding a salt dot to a joined water dot caused the saltwater dot to fall, while the joint itself remains. You cannot get rid of it other than load/reset. This was the only way to do this as none of the elements listed could turn into another, non-joinable element other than water. Fixed in ver5.5.
• Before ha55ii limited the amount of joints two dots could have to 255, they could hold up to 999 joints. If the player joined two dots at least around 500 times with a rotation joint, the rotation would be so great, the joint and one of the dots would disappear. This is known as "overrotation". Even clearing and filling the screen with block couldn't clear the dot. That missing dot would be somehow "lost" in Powder Game 2, preventing the dot count to return to 40,000. The only technique to gain the dot(s) back is loading or resetting. Fixed in ver7.7.

Usage

Joint has several usages in Powder Game 2.

• Joint vehicles (animals, cars, and basically anything mimicking a real-world moving object)
• Concealment (often using glass joints to hide circuitry or explosives)
• Decoration (existing only for the purpose of cosmetics)
• Technology (used to transfer momentum between joined dots, or simple pendulums)

Powder Game 2 objects Ball · Black Hole · White Hole · Fighter · Player · Joint · Create · Block