Lifebulbs

Lifebulbs is yet another cellular automaton game with generative music, but simplified and aesthetically pleasing.

We chose to design our display using incandescent light bulbs rather than glaring primary colors which can cause visual fatigue. 

Our simulated toroidal universe uses the classic Conways Game of Life algorithm devised by mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970. 

The simple rules of the game make the play completely deterministic, meaning that any specific starting condition will invariably reach a precise end state, either static, repeating or empty. You may be surprised that when you take action the subsequent chaos is so complex you can not predict or choose the outcome.

Full-screen mode provides a 24 by 32 grid on iPad and 10 by 15 grid on iPhone and iPod Touch. We kept the cells large enough to touch so you can tap or drag to modify a game in progress. 

On iPhone and iPod Touch the control bar has only 5 buttons: full screen, mute, clear, play and pause. The iPad version features a selection of classic starting patterns such as Glider, the Lightweight Spaceship, Pulsar, Pi, and the F-pentomino. Get both versions in one purchase with our convenient unified binary.

Pause the game and go full-screen to make your own pixel art.

Generative ambient music responds to the state of the game universe so you can enjoy evolving visuals and sound for hours with minimal interaction. Jambots uses vintage Moog, Korg, and Roland sythesizers for authentic retro sound. Thanks to Troy Peterson and Bill Muller for the storm sounds.