Hi,

I am a high school senior and have just started learning how to program (in java) on my own. I want to be able to create a version of Conway's Game of Life but since I stopped short of learning about GUIs in java, I think I would have to create a text-based version...I'm not quite sure how to go about doing so, though, so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas. For those unfamiliar with the Game of Life a brief description and an applet with the actual game (I think I would create an application though, not an applet, since I don't know any HTML)is at the site: www.math.com/students/wonders/life/life.html
Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

    Oh sure let me just throw down a little Java... You do realize that John Conway is a doctor, meaning he got a PHD... That's like eight more years of school for you. Not only that, he's a professor of Finite Mathematics. Sure, I can help you. But first will you help me finish my perpetual/infinite motion machine I started building when I was in eighth grade. It's still not finished yet and I'm almost 25.

    All in the name,
    Get Real

      Hey...Yes...I know that Conway is a mathematician..with a PhD...i am very aware of that...he teaches at Princeton btw. I'm not trying to create anything close to what Conway did! My goal is to just code a SIMPLE version of the game! This is what my math teacher is having me do as a project..it was not my idea...but I liked it because the game is very interesting. I was just seeing if anyone had any ideas as to how to go about creating a simple version. Give me a break, Mr. Skeptical.

        I take it your math teacher doesn't like you very much... You call me a skeptic, but I call me a realist. If you really want a SIMPLE version of that game, make it so everything multiplies no matter what (all the cells in all surrounding areas). Then go tell your sadistic math teacher that it models the Life of Humans amped out on Viagra and Ecstacy!!!

        Mr. Skeptical (A.K.A. Get Real)

          Although his attitude could be better, Get Real makes a good point. The Life game is deceptively hard to program.

            haha...very true...but i think it's worth a shot.

              6 years later

              Hey...
              to the one that wants to make the simple version of Conways game of life...
              There really isn't a simple way, because the game it self is very easy to do.
              I am in 3rd year Computer Science, but it was a first year program and it is very easy program to build.
              For all of the fake programmers out there that think its hard, you are not a true programmer because it is very very very simple step by step procedure.

              A program that in my first year took 500 lines of code, with graphics and less then 3 days to do.

                jimawuppy;10887087 wrote:

                Hey...
                to the one that wants to make the simple version of Conways game of life...
                There really isn't a simple way, because the game it self is very easy to do.
                I am in 3rd year Computer Science, but it was a first year program and it is very easy program to build.
                For all of the fake programmers out there that think its hard, you are not a true programmer because it is very very very simple step by step procedure.

                A program that in my first year took 500 lines of code, with graphics and less then 3 days to do.

                Wow: you registered for this forum just so you could open a six years old thread and tell us how wonderful you are? :rolleyes:

                Whistle -- Yellow card!

                  Oh yes... so wonderful.
                  I completed the first assignment of first year computer science(Game of life).
                  I didn't join to say I was wonderful, which is sad you mis-read it like that.
                  I was simply putting that the Game of Life is very simplistic and easy.
                  While others were putting so much hype on it.

                  So to the others that are looking at this thread wondering, if its hard or easy to program the game of life.
                  It is easy, if you can figure the 3 simple rules it takes, as well as how to use an array of objects, your set.

                  Happy programming,

                  Jimawuppy

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