Cells of Time

Cells of Time

How far can a spark of life go?

In Cells of Time, you're the architect of a cellular world governed by the rules of Conway’s Game of Life. With just a few initial strokes, you shape the first generation—and then let time take over. Your challenge: design a pattern that will endure through 1,000 years of evolution... or maybe even longer.

Gameplay

• Draw your starting configuration of living cells

• Hit ENTER and watch your world evolve, year by year

• No interaction after the start—your design must stand the test of time

• See how many years your cells can survive

Controls

• Move the cell with the [ARROWS] keys
• Press [SPACE] to draw a cell
• Type [ENTER] when finished

The rules of life

Conway’s Game of Life is a zero-player simulation. Each turn (or "year") the grid updates based on simple rules:

1. Survival – A live cell with 2 or 3 neighbors stays alive

2. Death – A live cell with fewer than 2 or more than 3 neighbors dies

3. Birth – An empty cell with exactly 3 neighbors becomes a live cell

These basic rules lead to surprisingly complex behavior—oscillators, gliders, still lifes, and even patterns that generate more patterns.

Tips

• Experiment with shapes, patterns, and symmetry

• Try known "life" structures like gliders, pulsars, or spaceships

• Can you create the ultimate immortal colony?

How many years will your cells last in the Cells of Time?

Credits

• Developed by: Diego Giacomelli
• Sound FX by: Peter Wayne
• Soundtrack: "Galactic Rap " Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Developed for Trijam #321: The 3 Hour Game Jam Theme: "1000 years"