On the Subject of Game of Ants
The Circle rules your life.
- On this module is a 5×5 grid of cells that can be white or black. Within this grid, there are up to five red ants.
- This is the initial state of a cellular automaton. To defuse the module, determine the state of the grid after the following steps have been performed.
- Perform one iteration of Game of Life on the cells of the grid, ignoring the ants.
- All ants simultaneously move one space forwards, toggling the state of cell it exited from.
- If two or more ants end up on the same cell, apply these steps in order:
- If the ants are facing in different directions, all move another space forwards.
- If the ants are facing the same direction, all but one ant move another space forwards.
- If any ant leaves the grid, skip to step 6.
- Each ant turns to its left if ends up on a black cell, or to its right if it ends up on a white cell. Repeat steps 2 to 5.
- Perform another iteration of Game of Life on the resulting grid, once again ignoring the ants.
To change the state of the grid, select a cell within it.
- If the blinking button is active, selecting a cell toggles its state.
- If the ant button is active:
- Selecting an empty cell will place an ant on it in the orientation of the button.
- Selecting a cell with an ant in a different orientation to the button changes the ant’s orientation to match.
- Selecting a cell with an ant in the same orientation as the button removes the ant from the cell.
- Selecting either the blinking or ant button will activate that button and deactivate the other.
- Selecting the ant button while it is active rotates it 90° clockwise.
- Selecting an arrow marks a location where at least one ant left the grid.
Doing so will also activate the ant button and set its orientation to the direction of the arrow.