Object: simulate food supply and prosperity in 'cell' colonies.

Click the START button to start the game.
You will observe the (randomized) development of a population of red cells.
The scenario can change dramatically from run to run!

The black squares are walls. The cell cannot go onto or over walls.
The green squares are food for the cells.
A new green square is created after five cells have moved.

The red cells come in three sizes (small, medium, large).
Small and medium sized cells grow in size when they eat the green food (step onto a green position).
When a large cell eats food, it will give birth to a small new cell.
A cell cannot move to position occupied by another cell.
Cells move orthogonally, usually at random.

Cells have a limited lifespan, counted in 'ticks'.
A new small cell has 7 ticks, a new medium cell 14 ticks, and a new large cell 21 ticks.
Every time ten cells have moved, EVERY cell on the board is aged by one tick.
A large cell with 15 ticks of lifetime will turn into a medium cell when aging.
A medium cell with 8 ticks will turn into a small cell when aging.
A small cell with 1 tick will be eliminated during the aging process.

Option buttons (green text = ON, black text = OFF):
If FOOD DETECTION is selected, a cell will always eat the food (move to a green position) if the cell is next to a green position.
If DIRECTIONAL MEMORY is selected, a cell remembers the direction of its last move, and it will usually not go backwards; the only exception is when there is food to be eaten. The directional memory greatly enhances its survival rate.
If the '1 OR 2 STEPS' option is selected and a cell is not next to food after one step, it will move another step into the same direction.
Click the NEW FOOD number repeatedly to select how often new food will be dropped.
Click the GENERAL AGING number repeatedly to select after how many rounds ALL cells will age by one tick.
Click 'the RUN 10' button to limit the automatic running to 10 rounds.

The game stops if all cells have died.
If your population died too early, add more food and/or cells at the start. Experiment!
Try out switching off or on various combinations of options and compare the running times!

You can also vary the board setup before you hit the RUN button.
Click the sample at the top left border repeatedly, then click the board.

In Variant 2 ('lonely rider') only one large cell is given on an empty board.
Will it survive? How much skill does it need?