Framsticks Artificial Life vs TheDLA Usage & Stats
This app lets you play with simple simulated creatures and their evolution. It features a few genetic representations ("languages"), where each symbol in a genotype defines some characteristic of a creature (a "phenotype"). Each genetic representation has its own methods of mutation (modifying small parts of a genotype) and crossover (exchanging genes of two parents to produce an offspring).
The performance of each creature is evaluated in terms of speed on land, speed in water, and height of its center of mass. These criteria can be set as fitness. Since you have mutation and crossover available to change genotypes randomly, you can run an evolutionary process and see how fitness in the population increases.
You can also guide evolution according to your preferences by making creatures you like reproduce and generate their random variations.
If you understand a genetic language, you can even edit genes manually by deleting and adding genetic symbols, and this way build a creature you want or improve an existing one.
The app features some quests to help you familiarize with genetic languages and the properties of evolution such as convergence, diversity, selection pressure, the influence of mutation rate, or the population size. Advanced users can even try their own formulas for fitness, for example to maximize both height and speed simultaneously, or to add even more criteria.
Some demonstrations are included as well that show the concepts of directed (external fitness) and undirected (internal fitness) evolution, mutation, swarming, and communication.
This app is based on the Framsticks simulator. You can learn more at http://www.framsticks.com/
- Apple App Store
- Free
- Education
Store Rank
- -
TheDLA
Cool Science! TheDLA gives you an essence of pattern formation mechanism in nature. Also, it makes very unique attractive images for you.
I wrote a brief description about DLA pattern and TheDLA app in following URL. Please read it!
https://sites.google.com/site/dueyama/home/thedla
“The DLA” stands for ‘The Diffusion Limited Aggregation’, and it is one of the simplest models that makes complex dendritic pattern.
Now, we are talking about Science. You see, there are two types of particles on the field. One is the free particle that moves randomly. Another is the fixed particle that does not move. The free particle attaches to cluster of the fixed particles when it reaches around them. Such a simple pattern forming mechanism builds the attractive complex patterns and this very scientific system is applied for you to have funny hairy nose. But first of all, please check the usage. So, you will be able to enjoy not just hairy nose, but the various patterns YOU are going to create. It is quite amazing that such randomness sometimes create forms and patterns you can find only in nature. Please enjoy the patterns and think why such dendritic patterns appear. If you would like to search the web, keywords may be “DLA” and “Dendrite”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion-limited_aggregation
To start with, there is a single fixed particle at the center of the field when you start.
Usage:
- Double tap: Put the fixed particles at the point. The size is possible to change in the setting.
- Single tap: Remove the fixed particle at the point.
- 2 fingers double tap: Remove all fixed particles from the field + etc.
- 2 fingers pan: Pan the field.
- Long pressed pan: Draw fixed particles like a pen.
- Long pressed pan after a tap: Eraser.
- You can chose color to paint the branches.
- A “g” button toggles the acceleration sensor of the device (only for the device that has the acceleration sensor). The free particles drift to the direction of the gravity.
- Can export the image to the photo library, Twitter and Facebook.
In addition, the face detection technology in iOS is used to put the fixed particles on eyes position in the photo.
When you are in the Anim mode, exporting the image to the photo library make a GIF anim.
So, enjoy patterns! Enjoy science!
- Apple App Store
- Free
- Education
Store Rank
- -
Framsticks Artificial Life VS. 
TheDLAJanuary 9, 2026