Conway's famous game of life, an automata of cellular generations. A simulation modelling the life cycle of cells.
Written using docker container, compile with g++. Originally written for a Data Structures assignment, modified and improved to add more features.
Game modes to choose from:
- Classic mode: All locations off the grid are considered to be empty.
- Doughnut mode: The grid is wrapped around itself horizontally and vertically, resulting in a donut shape. Here, any reference off the right-hand-side is wrapped around to the left-most column of the same row and vice-versa. Any reference off the top wraps to the bottom in the same column.
- Mirror Mode: References off the grid are bounced back as though the wall were a mirror. This means the reflection of a cell could count as its own neighbor. For a corner cell, if it was occupied, its reflection would count as 3 neighbors...1 for the vertical reflection, l for the horizontal reflection, and 1 for the diagonal reflection.
Note: these game modes were written by Rene German and Erik Linstead, I do not claim to own or have created them. They are merely the modes I implemented in my code.
How to run:
- Attach to required docker container to assure computer architecture is compatible, compile with "g++ *.cpp".
- You can select 'Enter' to manually display the next generation or 'Pause' to allow program to run automatically with brief pauses.
- You will be prompted to enter number of rows, columns, and population density. From there, the grid will be randomly populated.
- You will then select the boundary mode of the game (normal, mirror, donut).
- Upon the calculation of each generation, the grid will be outputted as a text grid.
- The program will stop of the grid either stabilizes or becomes empty. If the simulation is infinite, it will keep running.
Example of output and end of game (cells died out) (initial conditions: 10 rows, 10 columns, 0.1 population density):
