Game of Life TUI
A beautiful, interactive terminal-based implementation of Conway's Game of Life built with Python and Textual.
Features
- Vibrant Rainbow Colors - Cells cycle through cyan→green→yellow→magenta→blue as they age
- Zero Dependencies - 100% pure Python, installs with a single pip command
- Interactive TUI - Beautiful terminal interface optimized for 80x24 screens
- Theme Support - Switch between multiple themes with Ctrl+\
- Preset Patterns - Spawn gliders, blinkers, and other classic patterns (keys 1-5)
- Save/Load - Persist your creations to JSON files
- Cross-Platform - Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows
Installation
pip install game-of-life-tui
Quick Start
After installation, run:
game-of-life-tui
First Steps
- Press
Rto generate random cells - Press
Pto start the simulation - Press
+/-to adjust speed - Press
Ctrl+\to change themes
Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
P |
Play/Pause simulation |
S |
Step one generation (when paused) |
Space |
Toggle cell at cursor |
Arrow Keys |
Move cursor |
R |
Fill with random cells |
C |
Clear all cells |
1-5 |
Spawn preset patterns |
+ / - |
Adjust speed |
Ctrl+\ |
Change theme |
Ctrl+S |
Save grid |
Ctrl+L |
Load grid |
Q or Esc |
Quit |
Cell Colors (Meaningful Rainbow)
- Cyan (Age 1) - Newborn cells
- Green (Age 2) - Young cells
- Yellow (Age 3) - Mature cells
- Magenta (Age 4) - Old cells
- Blue (Age 5+) - Ancient survivors
Watch as patterns evolve and cells age through the rainbow spectrum!
Game Rules
Conway's Game of Life follows these simple rules:
- Survival: A live cell with 2-3 live neighbors survives
- Birth: A dead cell with exactly 3 live neighbors becomes alive
- Death: All other cells die or remain dead
The grid wraps around edges (toroidal topology) for seamless gameplay.
Examples
Spawn a Glider
1. Run game-of-life-tui
2. Press 1 to place a glider
3. Press P to watch it travel
Create Custom Patterns
1. Press P to pause
2. Use arrow keys to navigate
3. Press Space to toggle cells
4. Press P to run your creation
Experiment with Chaos
1. Press R for random cells
2. Press P to start
3. Watch patterns emerge!
Requirements
- Python 3.8 or higher
- textual >= 0.47.0 (automatically installed)
No system dependencies required!
Links
- GitHub: https://github.com/josephvolmer/game-of-life-tui
- Issues: https://github.com/josephvolmer/game-of-life-tui/issues
License
MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.
Made with Python and Textual
1 maintainer
Metadata
1 maintainer
Release files for game-of-life-tui 1.2.0
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| game_of_life_tui-1.2.0-py3-none-any.whl | Python 3 | none | any | Details for game_of_life_tui-1.2.0-py3-none-any.whl |
Total release size: 22.0 kB
Release files / game_of_life_tui-1.2.0.tar.gz
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