A 2D top‑down evolution sandbox where blob creatures forage, mutate, and survive in a hazard‑filled environment. The simulation is fully interactive with sliders, toggles, and keyboard shortcuts for rapid experimentation.
- Python 3.9+
- vpython
Install:
pip install vpython
python evolution_sim.py
- Spawns a population of blob creatures with inheritable traits.
- Spawns food each generation, used to replenish energy.
- Applies hazards (rocks, mud, heat, wind, toxic zones) that shape which traits are favored.
- Lets you step generations instantly and observe trait shifts via live stats and analytics.
- New Simulation: Resets the world using current sliders/toggles.
- Run/Pause: Toggles continuous simulation.
- Step Generation: Jumps forward by the configured generation step size.
- N: Step generations instantly (uses Gen step size).
- R: Restart simulation.
- Space: Run/Pause.
- + / -: Increase/decrease speed rate.
Tip: Click the canvas once to focus it before using shortcuts.
- Movement: Blobs move toward the nearest food within their vision range, otherwise wander.
- Energy cost: Movement costs energy (higher speed costs more). Efficiency and metabolism reduce/increase cost.
- Food: Eating food restores energy. Food is spawned per generation via the Food slider.
- Reproduction: When energy exceeds the reproduction threshold (modified by fertility), blobs split energy and produce mutated offspring.
- Death: Blobs die when energy drops below a resilience‑scaled threshold.
Each blob inherits traits with optional mutations (toggles control whether mutations are allowed):
- Speed: Movement rate. Higher speed moves faster but costs more energy.
- Efficiency: Reduces energy cost per step.
- Metabolism: Energy burn multiplier (lower is better for survival).
- Fertility: Scales the reproduction threshold (lower reproduces sooner).
- Appetite: Multiplies energy gained from food.
- Vision: How far a blob can detect food.
- Resilience: How long a blob can survive below zero energy.
Mutation strength is influenced by blob color brightness (brighter = stronger mutations).
Hazards apply selection pressure to different traits:
- Rocks: Block movement; favors vision and resilience.
- Mud: Slows and drains energy; favors efficiency and low metabolism.
- Heat: Punishes low efficiency/high metabolism.
- Wind: Pushes blobs around; favors resilience.
- Toxic zones: Reduce food effectiveness; favors higher appetite.
All hazard zones are flat overlays on the map for clarity.
- Mutation strengths (Speed, Efficiency, Metabolism, Fertility, Appetite, Vision, Resilience)
- Enable mutations (toggles per trait)
- Starting blobs
- Food per generation
- World size
- Start clustering (how tightly blobs spawn near the center)
- Gen step size (how many generations to jump with Step/N)
- Food energy
- Reproduction threshold
- Wander chance
- Speed rate
- Hazard counts (Rocks, Mud, Heat, Wind, Toxic)
- Population: Total blobs alive.
- Avg speed/efficiency/metabolism: Current population averages.
- Generation: Highest generation reached.
Shows avg, min, max, and prevalence (% at or above avg) for each trait.
- Trait diversity (spread across main traits)
- High‑speed prevalence
- High‑efficiency prevalence
- Low‑metabolism prevalence
- Food in world and Food/gen
- Use New Simulation after changing world size or hazard counts.
- If no food is generated per generation (Food per generation = 0), existing food will be consumed and not respawned.