Biogenesis: Evolution simulator
A downloadable evolution simulator for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Biogenesis by Joan Queralt Molina (original developer until Biogenesis 0.8) is an artificial life program that simulates the processes involved in the evolution of organisms. It shows colored segment based organisms that mutate and evolve in a 2D environment. Biogenesis is based on Primordial Life by Jason Spofford.
Microscopic organisms can be plants , consumers, viruses, or they can combine these lifestyles. The simulation includes a genetic laboratory, where you can design or modify the organisms yourself.
The "Color Mod" (new version 2.01 now) is a semi-official expansion for Biogenesis by MarcoDBAA (= creator of this page and co-admin at sourceforge for Biogenesis), that adds 39 new colors (functions) to it (see first screenshot), and allows the organisms to react actively and intelligently (because of natural selection), when they touch (TEAL segment) or see (EYE segment) another organism. The colored segments can branch out, mutation rates can be individual, and there are many more changes. You can read about them here and download the sourcecode of my Color Mod too: https://sourceforge.net/projects/biogenesis/files/Color%20Mod/2.0/
Biogenesis is completely free to play.
Available ingame languages: English, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, German, Russian
User manual (vanilla Biogenesis) at: http://biogenesis.sourceforge.net/
You may post at the sourceforge discussion forum: http://sourceforge.net/projects/biogenesis/forums
You can use this subreddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/BiogenesisGame/
A Biogenesis user also created a discord server a while ago, and I am also active there: https://discord.gg/EBCm9NGF8h
Have fun! :)
Download
Install instructions
You need Java to run Biogenesis. Run the simulation by klicking on the "Biogenesis" jar-file. The main download includes Biogenesis 0.9 (vanilla), the "Color Mod", and the "X Mod". Each mod/version has its own stand alone Biogenesis jar-file.
Comments
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Color Mod 2.01 can be downloaded now :)
This is mostly a balance update, because I did not have a PC, that worked well enough for the first half of the year, and did not work on Biogenesis. Have a good one now, runs the simulation with 800000 CO2. :)
Color Mod 2.01 mainly balances photosynthesis for all plant symmetries:
-Exact formula:
-for 8-symmetric organisms:
((1961 + (6000 / (number of genes + 2)) + (6315 / symmetry)) * 0.0006) * segment length
-for 1 to 7-symmetric organisms:
((1961.329 + (6000 / (number of genes + 2)) + (6315 / symmetry)) * 0.0006) * segment length
-Photosynthesis is less effective for organisms with lower (1-7) symmetries at low CO2 levels.
-not used for PURPLE methanotropy
-threshold = "700 + (1200 / (symmetry + 1))" for symmetry 1-4, 940 for 5, and 870 for symmetry 6-7
-if "randomly chosen value between 0 and threshold" >= CO2 levels, photosynthesis fails this frame
Together this will result in lower symmetries between 1 and 7 being competitive at higher CO2 values, but plant symmetry 8 will not starve because the others will not be as effective at lower CO2 values. This includes the infamous overlapping simple lines. Balancing this was hard, hope it is good now.
SPORE:
-Only plant spores 1-2 will remove an infection, while 3-6 have a second line of defensive delay, where they might neither produce a spore child nor a virus, but only if the virus infected them at the SPORE segment itself
SPIKE:
-If an organism is not a plant and not enhanced, SPIKE will not drain plants. This is done, so that consumers will not kill their food, but can defend themselves vs other consumers.
SILVER:
-If not a plant or a consumer, a SILVER organism with killer segments will only start to be a consumer when SILVER can feed on something, not with the first kill.
ROSE:
-ROSE symbionts (without consuming or photosynthetic segments) are invulnerable vs CORAL, if they have no WHITE or CORAL segments.
C4:
-A few buffs for helping segments on C4 only plants (see README)
There are many more small balance changes (see README).
When you start a new world or open a saved world, the world will be paused at the start now.
And if you click on an infected organism, the rectangle around it will be in white. If not infected the rectangle will be shown in orange, like before.
The next major update should include a new color.
Have fun. :)
This is amazing! I played with Primordial Life for COUNTLESS hours as a kid. It was seriously inspiring and gave me a really intuitive understanding of natural selection.
I was so inspired that I finally made the 3D natural selection sim that I always imagined Primordial life could be! You can play in your browser and it includes a bunch of my insane original music.
I'd love to get your thoughts: https://abodabobrand.itch.io/repsim
I'm going to download Biogenesis now and get my feet wet! Thanks for all of your work keeping this alive!
Sorry for answering 2 weeks later, but I was inactive for a few months, because of computer problems, but this should change next week or probably a week later, when I update my hardware.
Yes, Joan Queralts Biogenesis and my Color Mod for it are clearly inspired by Primordial Life.
Will check out your simulation, when I have a working PC again.
Checked your sim out a little bit just now.
Think you should be able to see, when an attack or sexual reproduction happens. And clicking on the "Reps" to view them should not (necessarily) move them around at the same time, because you might not want to intrude into the ecosystem, while you watch.
Music seems to be fitting well.
You want to have other symmetries and body configurations later on? Controlled organism movement could be more important in 3D too, I guess.
Hey thanks for the reply. Some great suggestions that should be easy enough to implement. :) And, thanks for giving it a spin!