GOL-009 · technical companion
Duplex Life
Two independently ruled Life fields take alternating turns, each bending its neighbor count toward the newest state of the other through a tunable fractional influence.
At a glance
- geometry
- Two aligned square lattices
- neighborhood
- Moore · 8 same-layer + 8 weighted cross-layer cells
- states
- Two dead / alive fields + active layer and ages
- update
- Alternating layers · synchronous within each turn
- renderer
- Canvas 2D composite
What to explore
The two layers must remain genuine stateful peers, not one real world plus a predictor. Their alternating feedback should be visible in layer ages and the next actor, and the default should demonstrate delayed entrainment without collapsing into exact identity or extinction.
Rules, update order and replay
Two aligned square binary Moore lattices retain independent B/S masks, starts, seeds, densities, and ages. One Step updates only the active layer, beginning with Layer 1. Within that turn, every cell reads one frozen active-layer board and the newest committed other layer. Its raw count is its eight same-layer neighbors plus 0, 25, 50, 75, or 100 percent of the other layer's aligned eight neighbors; the aligned center is excluded. Counts use integer quarter-points. Nearest-integer conversion is fixed except exact halves, which use the explicit up/down control. The active layer commits synchronously, then control alternates. Replay requires both boards, ages, active layer, topology, all masks, coupling, half-tie mode, profiles, and both seeds/densities or starters. Reset rebuilds both fields and restores Layer 1 as first mover.
Reading the simulation
Composite view uses lime, violet, and pale overlap; single-layer views remain available. The selected-cell inspector chooses a layer, marks same-layer and cross-layer inputs differently, and reports both integer counts, raw quarter-weighted total, exact-half status, effective count, B/S match, next state, and whether that layer acts next. Layer ages and next actor remain visible in text, so neither alternation nor overlap depends on color alone.
Reproduce an opening
Download the example above, open the simulation, expand the controls, then use Share & reproduce → Import JSON. The example uses authored rules and a fixed seeded starting field; it is independent of the site’s editable default composition. Import starts paused at Step zero.
Share links and JSON reproduce the configured starting conditions, including hidden layers rebuilt by Reset. They do not save an evolved board, hand-painted cells, speed or display preferences. Determinism applies to the same rule version and Step sequence; real-time playback rates vary by device.
Larger fields and more involved rules can reduce playback speed. Read the configuration format and automated-access guide for compatibility details.