About

In this unique take on Conway's Game of Life, you play as a quantum researcher who has discovered that cellular automata patterns can generate measurable energy. Place cells strategically, observe their evolution, and harness their power to upgrade your research capabilities.


  • Classic Game of Life rules with an idle game twist
  • Generate points from evolving cellular patterns
  • Multiple upgrade paths:
    • Increase your point multiplier
    • Add auto-spawners for passive cell generation
    • Speed up pattern evolution
    • Expand your cell placement limit
  • Prestige system that lets you reset for permanent bonuses
  • Dynamic story system that responds to your discoveries
  • Atmospheric shader-based visuals

Base Game of Life Rules

Each cell follows four simple rules:

  1. Any live cell with fewer than two live neighbors dies (underpopulation)
  2. Any live cell with two or three live neighbors survives
  3. Any live cell with more than three live neighbors dies (overpopulation)
  4. Any dead cell with exactly three live neighbors becomes alive

Idle Mechanics

  • Place cells manually or use auto-spawners
  • Living cells generate points each cycle
  • Discover special patterns like gliders, blinkers, and beehives
  • Unlock story entries as you progress
  • Prestige to earn permanent upgrades
  • Customize visuals with different color themes

  • Left click to place/remove cells
  • Click and drag to place multiple cells
  • ESC to open settings menu
  • T to cycle through color themes

This is an ongoing project that combines cellular automata simulation with idle game mechanics. Regular updates will add new features, patterns, and story content.

StatusIn development
PlatformsHTML5
Release date 31 days ago
Rating
Rated 3.0 out of 5 stars
(4 total ratings)
AuthorHappy Distractions Studio
GenreSimulation
Made withGodot
TagsEndless, game-of-life, Idle, idle-game, Incremental, science
Average sessionA few minutes
LanguagesEnglish
InputsMouse

Development log

Comments

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this happened on MOBILE at ≈ 40

(+1)

Reset resets ALL progress and not just the grid? 😭

My upcoming update changes that!!!!

Neat idea! A few notes:

  • Boat does not get recognized on 4x4 (or not when attached to the lower-left, I’m not sure which)
  • I don’t think the points-per-minute estimate should be affected by upgrade purchases: generally buying something should only increase PPM, but often it goes negative for a bit after buying something.
(+1)

I enjoyed this, Conways is fun and mixing it into an idler is a neat concept. Here’s some feedback:

  • Reset also resetting my upgrades is counter-intuitive and senseless. Make it just reset the grid
  • The ticks are a bit slow even at higher upgrades, I made some cool ships I want to see them moving
  • It would be really cool to have more upgrade types
  • The auto-spawner was kind of just annoying, it kept ruining my patterns and I didn’t find it helpful, it’s maybe best for idling, but it would maybe be helpful if it spawned useful patterns.
  • It would be really helpful if I could see the patterns I unlocked to re-use them (scope creep: let me paste them in)
  • When I click and drag, it would be nice if it kept the “mode” I was in, so that if I click a living cell first, it only erases living cells until I release the mouse
  • I went afk for a bit and it was frozen when I got back, and I’d lost all my progress 😭

Reset also resetting my upgrades is counter-intuitive and senseless. Make it just reset the grid

I was only mildly surprised by the upgrade-reset, but I kinda wish a grid-upgrade would autoplay with the previous cells selected with more space around them.

what are the last 3 patterns?

(+2)

I really like the game itself, but the graphics make my eyes hurt after only a couple minutes of playing.

Thank you for playing! I plan on adding settings to adjust the post processing.