Using cellular automata for retro maps

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There are several cellular automata map examples online but very few resemble mine.  I use fewer generations, initial seeds commonly of between  1 - 5% and  a variety of alternative life rules that I have experimented with over the years.


Programs used:

MCell
http://www.mirekw.com/ca/
Mirek Wojtowicz (Mirosław Wójtowicz)

Irfanview (for batch conversion of files)
https://www.irfanview.com/
Irfan Skiljan

Jasc Paintshop Pro 7 (for flood fill and borders)

Image to Ascii Converter
https://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Graphic/Image-Convertors/Bitmap-to-Ascii-converter.shtml
Peter Bone


The larger images of 1280x960 pixels (each pixel representing a 5x5 or 8x8 user defined graphic block) are scaled down versions of entire maps.  Those below them are a 3x zoom section to show the scale.  I purposely chose a grid size of 160x96 pixels as games (known as homebrews) are still being produced for the Mattel Intellivision games console (now owned by Atari).


Legend:


































































And here's what a map might look like when converted to ASCII.  These can easily be imported into PuzzleScript or PuzzleScript Plus and they load instantly.



Please leave a comment if you are interested in using these types of maps for your games.

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