Transport

Seek open space

8 sight lines

Sight distance7

Movement distance1

Movement interval1

Compass turn interval2

Compass turn size1

New-cell clockwise share50

Keep the travel heading until blocked. At the next movement opportunity after a block, count up to 7 squares per ray and choose the least populated. Ties use the current compass angle, then that organism’s permanent rotation sense.

New organisms have a 50% chance of clockwise rotation; the remainder turn counterclockwise. Changes affect births, painting and Reset, never existing organisms’ senses.

Turn 1 compass point after every 2 Steps, including blocked and waiting Steps. Compass turns do not change travel heading.

Move 1 square every 1 Step. The whole path must be empty at the start. Occupied paths, edges and competing destinations cancel movement and clear inertia; choose again next opportunity. Crossing paths are allowed.

Rule edits preserve the field and travel headings. Changing the turn interval restarts compass clocks. Movement uses global Step multiples.

Conditional Life

8 neighbors

Birth counts

Survival counts

Life sight threshold4

B34/S45 activates only when the total living cells on all eight rays is greater than 4. Equality keeps Life off. Active sites use the ordinary eight immediate neighbors for birth or survival.

Below or at the threshold, organisms survive and empty sites stay empty. Above it, empty masks disable that Life pathway. Life evaluates the starting board before movement; surviving arrivals override births. Newborns first move next Step.

023GOL

Open Compass

Organisms coast until blocked, then seek sparse sight lines with private rotating compasses. Crowded sight lines activate configurable Life births and survival.

Explore the collection Rules & reproducibility

Current composition

01Coast along a stored travel heading. After a block, choose a sparse ray using the independently rotating private compass and permanent rotation sense.
02The total living sight count activates Life only above the threshold. Birth and survival then use the eight immediate Moore neighbors on the starting board.
03Survivors propose scheduled clear-path moves; shared landings cancel everyone. Arrivals override births. Newborns start moving next Step. Compasses keep turning independently.

Field: 160 × 160 · toroidal
Movement: 1 squares every 1 Steps
Rules: Sight 7 · compass every 2 Steps · 50% new clockwise · B34/S45 when sight total > 4

Selected cell

Enable Inspect cells under View & world to pause and see the eight ray counts, private compass and exact next movement.

Experiment index023 / 100

Game of Life: Open Compass

Paused

160 × 160 · torus · step 0

LivingMovedContestedBlockedBorn

Watch straight traversal meet blocks and crowding-triggered Life. Click to paint; arrows select, Enter paints outside inspection, P plays, S steps.