Abstractia

**FLASHING LIGHTS WARNING**

What is Abstractia?

Abstractia is a symbolic cellular automaton where symbols evolve on a grid through endlessly unique, randomized rules. Patterns emerge, shift, and dissolve as you watch — or intervene.

I recommend trying the free versions and learning how to use the program before buying the full versions. 

 How to Play:

• Press a letter key (A–Z) to select a symbol.

• Click or drag on the grid to place symbols like a brush.

• Spacebar pauses/unpauses the simulation.

• Keys 1–4 adjust simulation speed.

• Key 0 generates a new set of unique rules.

• Key 5 toggles rule behavior (stable vs. chaotic). 

• Key 7 randomizes the grid.

• Key 8 clears the board to a blank state (A).

• Key 9 toggles rule behavior (swallow vs. coexist).

• Up Arrow toggles color mode. (Version 1.2)  ***FLASHING LIGHTS WARNING***
  

• Down Arrow Random background color with black symbols

• Left Arrow  Random background color with white symbols

• Right Arrow Random background with the opposite color for symbols

 Features:

• Infinite symbolic evolution.

• Procedurally generated rule sets — never the same twice.

• 26 unique symbol types

• Pause, paint, and observe how rules unfold.

Extra Commands For 2.3 and 2.7 Advanced:

• [ and ]  Load and save rulesets. 
• Right-click Load previous ruleset.
• Keypad Generates new, simpler rules; for example, pressing 1 will generate a ruleset with 1 symbol, 2 with 2, and so on. Or at least it will attempt to.
• ~ tilde generates new rules that are potentially more complex than other sets. Pressing 0 tries to find a smaller number of states to use than this to filter out rulesets that are too chaotic, but this allows you to search for more complex rules, which might just take longer to find something interesting. 
• Tab - Switch symbol sets

Advanced

The advanced version allows you to have more control over the color scheme; you can either input exact RGB matches or have it form a gradient. Shift and control in this mode switch between black and white background symbols with the color mode input when the application starts.  Here are example inputs, putting m at the end makes the program use exact color matches, it will not form a gradient over the symbols with the colors. It may take some playing around to understand how to use this. Example inputs (each line is an input):

[180,255,255], [100,200,255], [30,100,200], [0,50,100], [255,255,255]m  

[205,133,63], [255,140,0], [255,215,0], [107,142,35], [139,69,19]m  

[255,105,180], [186,85,211], [135,206,250], [0,255,255], [255,255,255]m  

[34,139,34], [255,69,0], [105,105,105], [0,0,0], [255,215,0]m  

[25,25,112], [138,43,226], [186,85,211], [255,255,255], [72,61,139]m  

[255,182,193], [221,160,221], [176,224,230], [255,239,213], [230,230,250]m  

[160,82,45], [210,180,140], [245,222,179], [119,136,153], [47,79,79]m 

[255,0,255], [0,255,255], [255,255,0]  

[75,0,130], [138,43,226], [230,230,250]  

[255,0,102], [0,255,128], [255,255,255]  

[255,255,102], [255,215,0], [107,142,35]  

[220,220,220], [192,192,192], [160,160,160]  

[0,128,128], [0,191,255], [175,238,238]  

[85,107,47], [173,255,47], [255,255,0]  

[100,149,237], [255,255,255], [186,85,211]