	LIFE.VDM  -  The Game of Life

	by Pauli Lindgren, 2000-11-06


Game of Life

  Conway's Game of Life simulates the growth of cells. The cells are placed on
  a grid to form patterns. The survival of each cell and birth of new cells 
  depends on how many living cells there are in the eight neighbor positions
  (vertically, horisontally or diagonally).

  - A cell survives if there are 2 or 3 living cells in the neighbor positions
  - A new cell is born on location that has exactly 3 living cells in the
    neighbor positions.
  
  On Life.vdm, an empty location is represented with "." and a living cell
  is represented with "o".


To use this macro:

  1. Open Vedit with an empty buffer. Adjust the window size before starting
     the macro. (Tip: use font that has as square character cell as possible.)
  2. Start the macro.
  3. Use cursor keys to move cursor and Space to toggle cell on/off.
  4. When the patterns are ready, hit Enter to calculate one generation,
     or R to animate next 100 generations. You can then continue to edit
     the cells if you wish.
  5. Press Q to quit/restart.



Here are some classic Life patterns you can try:


R-pentomino:
 - quickly expands into complex patterns

  ..oo.
  .oo..
  ..o..


Glider:
 - Moves diagonally

  ..o..
  ..oo.
  .o.o.


Lightweight spaceship:
 - Moves horisontally or vertically

  o..o.
  ....o
  o...o
  .oooo


The Queen Bee Shuttle:

  oo...
  ..o..
  ...o.
  ...o.
  ...o.
  ..o..
  oo...


Pulsar:

  ..o..
  .ooo.
  .o.o.
  .ooo.
  ..o..


