# GOL-011: Half-Life

Standard Life runs beneath a second birth pathway: every death lengthens a cell's personal wait before local living neighbors can call it back, while exact local crowding can erase that accumulated history.

[Open simulation](https://100gol.com/experiments/011) · [Directory](https://100gol.com/experiments)

## What to explore

Ordinary Life should remain an independent pathway while repeated deaths stretch
an additional return rhythm across the field. The causal history must remain
visible even when counters grow, and reset events must be inspectable for one
generation rather than disappearing because their resulting counter is zero.

## Rules, update order and replay

Every Step computes ordinary configurable Life from one frozen board. A simulated
alive-to-dead transition increments that position's unsigned death count and
starts a wait equal to the new count. Dead-turn timers advance synchronously.
When mature, a position reincarnates if its current frozen living-neighbor count
meets the configurable minimum; a missed gate remains ready. Ordinary birth may
occur earlier. If both paths match, one cell is born and evidence records Both.
After occupancy is decided, the exact-count reset mask reads the same frozen
neighbor count and may erase death count and timer; it does not retroactively
cancel that Step's birth or reincarnation. State includes occupancy, death
counts, timers, transition source, reset evidence, and generation. Replay
requires full state, configuration, topology, profile, and start. Reset/Clear
rebuild all history; manual edits make the affected position fresh.

## Reading the simulation

Logarithmic cyan-to-violet history bands preserve visibility across small and
large death counts. Amber marks timer-ready dead positions, coral a new death,
cream reincarnation, and mint a reset event. Inspection reports death count,
completed and remaining dead turns, ordinary result, maturity, neighbor gate,
reset match, Ordinary/Reincarnation/Both source, next occupancy, and next count.
Color can be simplified without removing the written causal explanation.

## Reproduce a starting configuration

[Download example JSON](https://100gol.com/api/experiments/011/configuration). Import it using Share & reproduce in the simulation controls. It starts paused at Step zero. Files contain rules and initial conditions, not evolved boards or manual edits. See [format, limitations and automated access](https://100gol.com/agents).