Influence cells · v18.1
This is a cellular automaton: a grid of small cells that change according to rules. The colored cells alter the influence passing through them, and that influence affects which cells survive or appear.
Try this: watch the pattern, select Pause, then use Step once to see one update. Choose a cell type below the picture and draw on the grid. Select Resume to see the result.
In v18, the sources at the top have a wider range of rhythms. This page includes the v18.1 update, which adds the optional “Strength walk” setting.
Another experiment: turn Strength walk on. The input strengths will drift within limits. This setting can change the total input as well as its distribution.
What do the colors and controls mean?
Black: reduces influence. Blue and green: turn it left or right. Orange: increases it. Purple: sends some upward while using a stored allowance.
Entity feedback: lets cells change the influence around them. Field: shows the influence map. Mutation: lets local conditions change the type of a new cell. Active: the number of occupied cells. The other measurements and settings are for closer study.
Proof of concept: this is an abstract model of feedback and pattern formation. Its influence values are not measurements of water or physical energy.