GridSim Evolution

Welcome to GridSim Evolution! A collection of evolution sims featuring cellular automaton. 

How to run: Select the .exe of the model you want to run and open it. You can set the frame rate by pressing 1-5 to change the speed of the simulation.

A brain controls each creature — a simple neural network of weights inherited from its parents, with slight mutations each generation. Over time, through natural selection, creatures evolve to become better at surviving and duplicating. This leads to emergent behavior, where they appear to "learn" how to thrive across generations.

How do they sense the world?

Each creature uses a cone of vision to detect:

• Food

• Creatures of the same color

• Creatures of a different color

• Whether another creature’s bulb is on

• Distance, energy, and age of nearby creatures

• Their age and energy

What actions can they take?

Based on these inputs, their brain chooses from:

• Turn left

• Turn right

• Move forward

• Move backward

• Toggle bulb (also costs energy)

Evolution in action

If a creature gathers enough energy (with higher thresholds as the population grows), it duplicates — creating a new creature with slightly mutated brain weights. Occasionally, large mutations happen, leading to surprising new behaviors.

Predator and Altruist Behavior

White-nose pokes drain and steal energy, leading to predation.
Yellow nose transfers energy, allowing for altruistic behavior to emerge naturally.

If any species’ population drops below three creatures (typically, it depends on the exact sim), a new random creature of that color will spawn.

Caligula Model:

Claudius Model: