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[Spreggo]

DROPLET



Droplet is an cellular evolution sim/toy. Cells have genetic code which can mutate at reproduction. You can create new cells from scratch or add cells from randomly generated code.

<< Download Droplet and Read More Info Here >>

UPDATE 9-1-2011:

Upgraded to Allegro 5.0.4 libraries.

Added Save Game button.

Added Load Game button.

Added Save Cell Button.

Added Load Cell button.

Added Genocide button.

Added cell count and mutation chance indicators.

Added population count toggle.

Added mutation rate toggle.

Added error catching during graphics initialization.

Added 'settings.ini' file, to allow modifcation of some initial variables.

Code clean up and minor bug fixes.


I'm not sure how much more time I'm going to invest in it since I'm also starting some more games at the moment that might take all my efforts. So, I decided to tie up a few easy to tie loose ends and share it with B12!

Please note I've done very little compatibility testing so there is a pretty good chance it won't work or will have problems. If that happens, let me know what OS and video card you have, as well as what you were doing when it crashed.

I appreciate any feedback you might have!

[Enzo]

Cool toy. Runs fine, no apparent problems.

The little pink balls (34603204) have almost overtaken all the other cells. Although there doesn't seem to be a framerate issue (cells move smoothly when they decide to move quickly) it all sort of progresses at a meandering pace. They are just sort of spinning around, gradually Darwinising each other out of existence.

Not sure how much potential this shows in and of itself, but I look forward to seeing those other things you're working on.

[Spreggo]

Thanks for trying it out

Unfortunately the species ID's aren't universal so I can't try out the pink ball guys for myself. The species ID is actually just a section of genetic code which determines color.

One thing I should add is the ability to copy the genetic code to the system clipboard, and to paste a cell using that code. That way it will be possible to share cells between games.

Did you try out creating a cell from scratch? It is possible to create symbiotic species which actually connect to each other. Also, switching to Aquarium mode will make use of the cell density and switch up the environmental pressures a bit.

Here is an example, where the animal cells actually formed a chain up to the less dense plant cells, using them as floaties. As the plants died, food particles fell down onto the animals and sustained them:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

That example was actually evolved without my intervention.

You are correct that the simulation does progress slowly. If you have time, spawning a handful of randomized cells and then letting the game run for 15 or 20 minutes in the background will yield a (somewhat) stable ecosystem.

I will consider a mechanism for pushing the simulation along a bit more quickly.

[Roboboy33]

I think the download button is broken...

[anzki4]

I think the download button is broken...

Worked fine for me.

[Digital Hellhound]

Didn't work for me on IE, but did on Safari.

That said, this thing is pretty fun. I turned off the lights at one point in Aquarium mode and the cell that had done okay that far experienced a giant population boom, filled the bottom of the screen with everyone connected to eachother and ate everyone else.

[Levi]

If I get a chance I'll try this out tonight.  Looks pretty interesting.

[squeakyReaper]

For some reason, the game thinks my mouse is much farther up the screen than it is.  I'm running a very low resolution, 1024x600, so that might be why.  It makes it hard to navigate the menus.

[Svarte Troner]

This is like that Darwin bots thing, pretty cool.

edit: I was looking for something like this too, thanks.

[Spreggo]

The download link should be working properly now, let me know if there are still issues

[Spreggo]

squeakyReaper: Not sure why this would be. If I remember to, I will switch the mouse over from the OS and see if that solves it.

[The Merchant Of Menace]

Checking this out now, love things like this

[Levi]

I assume the little pixels are bits of dead cells, and that other cells can eat them?

Is the lights option actually influence photosynthesis?  Like the light needing cells will die if out at the edges?  If so that is pretty neat!


I'm getting a lot of orbit-like behavior with the pixels and the cells.  Is that normal?

[Normandy]

Predatory cells seem to do very badly in this game, not quite sure why. The most successful ecosystems I've seen so far are a combination sinking filter-feeder, fast-reproducing floating plants, and slow-reproducing less-floaty spiked plants that kill the floaters, thus providing a more constant stream of food. Connecting cells was a very interesting idea, but sharing energy doesn't appear to do too much. Cells which attack their own species always seem to kill themselves when splitting. It might be interesting if connected motile cells would all move in the same direction...

[Levi]

Ha, I made some custom cells that connect to other species, consumes food, and wanders when hungry and they are taking over my ecosystem.     This is pretty neat.

Another question!  Is there any random mutation system going on?  Do things evolve, or are the cells identical when splitting?


Edit:  Doh, it crashed while I was doing dishes.  I had two windows instances open and one of them was chugging pretty hard, so it might have been doing something strange like having too many connections.

Feedback:

A few things would make this even more fun(to me anyway).

1) Larger playfield or the ability to zoom in/out.
2) Cells should have a mutation rate(which can be 0).  Whenever they split they should have a chance of changing one of their attributes or behaviours.
3) The ability to put lights whereever I like. 
4) The ability to put a constant food source of those pixel things that slowly spawn.(or in aquarium mode, maybe let me spawn it from the top like fish-food).