Multi-Color Substrate: The ant moves on a grid with 2-8 different colored states. Each color corresponds to a bit in the ant's movement rule.
Binary Movement Rule: For each substrate color, the ant either turns Left (0) or Right (1) according to the binary rule. The rule advances through bits modularly as the ant encounters different colors.
Life Activation System: A binary mask determines which substrate colors can activate life, with two modes: Positive (+) activation creates and sustains life while removing inhibition, while Negative (-) activation kills life and creates inhibition zones that prevent life from spawning. Inhibited cells decay over time with a 10% probability per generation.
Multi-Ant System: Support for 1-8 ants with different spawn patterns (center, corners, edges, random, grid) and synchronization modes. Ants can share rules (synchronized), have completely independent rules, or use offset versions of the main rule set.
Advanced Conway's Life: Life evolves only on marked substrate cells, using extended neighborhood radius and customizable birth/survival rules to account for the sparse, multi-colored topology created by multiple ant interactions.
Emergent Complexity: The interplay between binary movement rules, multi-color substrates, and selective life activation creates incredibly rich and diverse patterns that can exhibit highway-like structures, fractal boundaries, and complex life colonies adapted to specific color patterns.