Arcade of Life
A zero-dependency, no-build-step browser PWA: an arcade game collection powered by Conway's Game of Life and 50+ other cellular-automata rulesets. Features multiple game modes, a pluggable CPU/WebGL2 simulation backend with hashlife memoization, a 600+ pattern library, full level designer, and custom exotic engines.
Key Features
50+ Cellular Automata Rulesets
Conway's Game of Life plus 50+ other rulesets, including custom exotic engines: Teleological CA, Time-Integrated CA, and Fractional Lightcone CA.
- 50+ standard and exotic CA rulesets
- Teleological CA, Time-Integrated CA, Fractional Lightcone CA
- Square, hex, and triangular grid topologies
- LifeWiki-derived pattern library (600+ patterns)
Pluggable Simulation Backend
Tight CPU neighbor-counting or WebGL2 GPU for large grids, with hashlife memoization for exponential speedup on periodic patterns.
- CPU and WebGL2 GPU backends
- Hashlife memoization for periodic patterns
- Adaptive VFX throttling
- Procedural Web Audio SFX
Full Game & Editor Suite
Multiple game modes (Missile Defender, Space Invaders, Tower Defense, Fire Line), in-browser pattern editor, full level designer, and a console-hacking API.
- Missile Defender, Space Invaders, Tower Defense, Fire Line
- In-browser pattern editor
- Full level designer
- Console-hacking API for power users
Getting Started
No installation required! Visit the live PWA:
https://aol.cognotik.com
Works offline via service worker after first visit.
Quick Example
Game Modes
- Missile Defender — defend against CA-powered missiles
- Space Invaders — classic arcade with CA aliens
- Tower Defense — strategic CA-based tower defense
- Fire Line — CA wildfire simulation game
Simulation Backends
- CPU (tight neighbor-counting, all rulesets)
- WebGL2 GPU (large grids, high performance)
- Hashlife (exponential speedup for periodic patterns)
Pattern Library
- 600+ patterns from LifeWiki
- In-browser editor for custom patterns
- Full level designer
- Console API:
CA.setRule('B3/S23'),CA.loadPattern('glider')
Technical Details
Technologies
Requirements
- Modern web browser with JavaScript and WebGL2 support
- No installation or account required
- Offline-capable after first visit
Contribute to the Project
This is an open-source project. Contributions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome from the community.