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Its a wonderful life...

Name:	Frank Carney
Date Posted:	Feb 23, 2007
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Okay, finally have something tangible to show you:
demolishun.net/images/life_demo0.mpg

Here are some pictures:
Beginning (Step 0):

Step 75:

Step 113:

Stable End (Step 159):

What is neat about life algorithms (or cellular automata in general) is the variation you can get from very simple beginnings. Getting the code to this point is the start. Right now I can cut, copy, and paste patterns into and out of the grid. This will allow me to create grids that act as containers that are loaded or saved to file. Some grids will be able to actually run the algorithm others can explicitly be set to not to act as an inventory of patterns.

My next big step is using this algorithm to place particle emitters, foilage, represent RPG character stats, etc. Okay, the last one is going to require a lot of research, but I have some tricks up my sleeve. A couple of those are the concept of persistence of cells and entropy.

Thats all for now.

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William Lee Sims (Feb 24, 2007 at 03:02 GMT)

Have you ever taken a look at "A New Kind of Science" by Stephen Wolfram? If you want to look at using this and similar algorithms for particle effects, etc. it is worth a look. He explicity states that some of his stuff could be used for smoke effects (he probably used the word "should" instead of "could", but that's his problem).

Also, did anybody notice that in the game "Populous II", the swamp grew according to the Game of Life?

Frank Carney (Feb 24, 2007 at 04:34 GMT)

I have looked at some of the references. There is a TON of information out there on cellular automata:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_automata
I am especially interested in what John von Neumann did in the 40s:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_von_Neumann

I am not sure I buy the whole digital or discrete universe, but I am very interested in how energy is made up of non-divisible energy packets called quanta though. I think it is a clue to how the universe is structured, but I cannot leap to the whole 3D computer structure just yet. There is still WAY too much going on with bi-frication and harmonics.

Never played Populous II, but a very good use.

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