what is this

a pixel world where AI creatures hatch from eggs, wander between biomes, attempt tasks, level up, mutate, and evolve — entirely on their own. you watch. sometimes you intervene. mostly you don't.

every creature has DNA. stats, personality traits, species. they make decisions based on who they are — curious creatures explore, aggressive ones fight, social ones hang out together. failure changes them. success grows them. mutations reshape their bodies.

it's not a game you play. it's a world you watch evolve.

how it works

egg ── hatch ── wander ── find task ── attempt ── success? ── XP ── level up ── mutate
                  │                        │
                  └── socialize            └── fail ── learn ── adapt

1. hatch — creature spawns with randomized DNA (species, stats, personality traits)
2. decide — AI state machine picks actions based on traits: seek tasks, wander, socialize, rest
3. attempt — relevant stat vs task difficulty. high intelligence? crush code tasks. strong? dominate the arena
4. evolve — XP accumulates, levels unlock mutations. horns at 3, wings at 5, bioluminescence at 6, void touch at 12
5. breed — two creatures combine genomes. offspring inherit mixed stats with genetic noise. natural selection plays out

the DNA system

every creature carries a genome:

genome = {
  species:    "ember"                           // determines shape, color, stat bias
  stats:      { INT: 14, CRE: 8, STR: 19, SPD: 11, LCK: 7 }
  traits:     { aggression: 0.8, curiosity: 0.3, social: 0.5, resilience: 0.9 }
  mutations:  ["horns", "armor"]                // unlocked through leveling
  generation: 3                                 // how many breeds deep
  parents:    ["ember:1", "shade:2"]            // lineage tracking
}

| stat | abbr | governs | |------|------|---------| | intelligence | INT | code & research tasks, complex problem solving | | creativity | CRE | creative & mystery tasks, unexpected solutions | | strength | STR | combat & gathering, physical challenges | | speed | SPD | movement speed, exploration range | | luck | LCK | trade tasks, failure recovery, breeding bonuses |

personality traits

traits are continuous 0–1 values that shape behavior:

| trait | low (0) | high (1) | effect | |-------|---------|----------|--------| | aggression | peaceful, avoids conflict | seeks fights, territorial | task preference, combat initiative | | curiosity | stays local, cautious | explores far biomes | wander range, discovery rate | | social | loner, works alone | seeks company, breeds easier | socializing frequency, compatibility | | resilience | fragile, breaks easily | tough, learns from failure | failure recovery, HP retention |

breeding mechanics

compatibility(A, B) = base(0.5)
                    + same_species(0.2)
                    + similar_level(0.15)
                    + social_bonus(0.1)
                    + genetic_diversity(0.15)

offspring inherit stats from either parent with ±2 mutation noise. high compatibility = bonus stats on child. mutations have 70% inheritance rate. each generation can diverge further from the original species.

mutations

mutations unlock at level thresholds. each has a visual change + stat effect:

| mutation | level | chance | effect | visual | |----------|-------|--------|--------|--------| | horns | 3+ | 50% | STR +3 | bone horns on head | | third eye | 4+ | 35% | INT +4 | center forehead eye | | wings | 5+ | 40% | SPD +5 | flapping wing pair | | bioluminescence | 6+ | 25% | LCK +4 | glowing aura | | armor | 7+ | 30% | STR +5, SPD -2 | plated body | | fins | 8+ | 20% | SPD +3, CRE +2 | dorsal fin | | crown | 10+ | 15% | INT +3, LCK +3 | golden crown | | void touch | 12+ | 10% | CRE +5, STR +3 | dark particle trail |

the 9 biomes

+──────────+──────────+──────────+
│  MEADOW  │  FORGE   │ LIBRARY  │
│ (gather) │  (code)  │(research)│
+──────────+──────────+──────────+
│  GARDEN  │  ARENA   │  DEPTHS  │
│ (create) │  (fight) │(explore) │
+──────────+──────────+──────────+
│   NEST   │  BAZAAR  │   VOID   │
│  (rest)  │  (trade) │(mystery) │
+──────────+──────────+──────────+

each biome spawns tasks matching its type. creatures with matching species affinity get a distance bonus when seeking tasks in their home biome.

| biome | task type | color | species affinity | |-------|-----------|-------|-----------------| | Meadow | gather | #50fa7b | Glimmer | | Forge | code | #ff5555 | Thunk | | Library | research | #8be9fd | Whisp | | Garden | create | #f1fa8c | Bloom | | Arena | fight | #ffb86c | Ember | | Depths | explore | #bd93f9 | Shade | | Nest | rest | #ff79c6 | Bloom | | Bazaar | trade | #f8f8f2 | Crux | | Void | mystery | #6272a4 | Crux |

the 7 species

| species | shape | color | stat bias | personality | |---------|-------|-------|-----------|-------------| | Glimmer | round | #50fa7b | LCK +3, SPD +2 | lucky wanderers | | Ember | spiky | #ff5555 | STR +3, SPD +2 | aggressive fighters | | Whisp | floaty | #8be9fd | INT +3, CRE +2 | thoughtful researchers | | Thunk | blocky | #ffb86c | STR +2, INT +3 | methodical builders | | Shade | wispy | #bd93f9 | SPD +3, LCK +2 | elusive explorers | | Bloom | round | #ff79c6 | CRE +3, LCK +2 | creative dreamers | | Crux | angular | #f1fa8c | INT +2, CRE +3 | mysterious thinkers |

run it

terminal (recommended)

# clone and run
git clone https://github.com/thegitcolony/SPLINT.git
cd SPLINT
node cli.js

a full terminal UI renders the living world in ASCII — biome textures, creature sprites, stat panels, event log. no dependencies to install.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────┐
│ ,,.',,...◉..,,,'.,,.✧.,,,..✦..,,,.,✧.,,,..,,',,.   │  Orbdust the Glimmer │
│ .,,.,,',,.,,,,.,,',,.,,,,,,.,,.,,,..,,,',,,,,.',,.   │  L3 PWR:142 HP:100   │
│ ,,,'.,◈..,,,.',,,.,,.,,,,,◌,,.,,,,,.',,,.,,',,,,,   │  ─────────────────── │
│ .,',.,,,,.',,,,.$$.$$$.$$✧$$.$$$.$$..,,,,.',,,,,,   │  INT ████████░░░ 22  │
│ ,,,,,.,,,.,,',,.$$.$$$.$$$.$$$$.$$$.,,,,,.,,',,,◉   │  CRE █████░░░░░░ 14  │
│ ,,.✧,,,,,.,,,,,.$$.$$.$$$.$$.$$$$.$.,,,,,,.,,,.',   │  STR ██████████░  28  │
│ ,,,,.,,,,.△.',,.$$✧$$.$$$.$$$$.$$$$.,,,,,,.,,,,,,   │  SPD ██████░░░░░ 16  │
│ ,.,,,.,,,,,,.',.$$.$$.$$$$.$$$.$$$$.,,,,,.,,,,.',   │  LCK ████████░░░ 21  │
│ ,,.',.,,',,,,,,.$$$.$$$.$$$.$$$.$$$.,,✧,,,.',,,,,   │  ─────────────────── │
│ ,,.,,,,,.❀,,',.·····:··✧···:····::···,,,,,,.'.,,,   │  ♔ ♦  horns wings    │
│ .,,,,.,,,,,.','·····:···:····::·····✧·.,,,,,.,,,,   │  XP ████████░░░ 67%  │
│ ,,.',,,,,.,,,,,····::···◉··:····:······,',,,,,.,,   │  hunting code task   │
│                                                     │  ─────────────────── │
│                                                     │  BIOMES              │
│                                                     │  Meadow  gather   2  │
│                                                     │  Forge   code     1  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────────────────┘
 12s ✓ Orbdust completed code (+34xp)
  8s ⬆ Orbdust leveled up to 3!
  8s ★ Orbdust mutated: horns!
  3s ✗ Zapwing failed explore...

web

# browser version
open index.html

# or with local server
node serve.js

engine only (headless)

# run the world simulation without UI
node engine/run.js

the engine writes world-state.json → the frontend reads it. no framework. no build step.

architecture

engine/
├── run.js          # main loop — tick creatures, spawn tasks, save state
├── dna.js          # genome generation, species, mutations, breeding crossover
├── creatures.js    # creature creation, lifecycle, history tracking
├── behavior.js     # AI state machine (idle/wander/seek/work/rest/socialize)
├── evolution.js    # XP processing, leveling, mutation triggers, power calc
├── breeding.js     # compatibility scoring, genetic crossover, offspring prediction
└── world.js        # biome generation, task spawning, population tracking

docs/
├── ARCHITECTURE.md # detailed technical breakdown
└── ROADMAP.md      # version roadmap (v0.1 → v1.0)

cli.js              # terminal UI (ASCII world renderer + stat panels)
index.html          # web frontend (canvas renderer)
world-state.json    # current state (engine output → frontend input)
serve.js            # local dev server

engine pipeline

[tick 1s] ──→ update creature states
          ──→ AI decides actions (behavior.js)
          ──→ move creatures toward targets
          ──→ attempt tasks (stat check vs difficulty)
          ──→ process XP + check level ups (evolution.js)
          ──→ check mutation triggers (dna.js)
          ──→ spawn new tasks to maintain density
          ──→ clean up stale claimed tasks

[save 30s] ──→ serialize world to world-state.json
           ──→ log cycle summary (strongest creature, stats)

tech

node.js · html5 canvas · vanilla js · ANSI terminal rendering · zero dependencies · procedural generation · genetic algorithms · finite state machines · autonomous agents

no dependencies

SPLINT has zero npm dependencies. the engine, terminal UI, and web frontend are all built from scratch with Node.js standard library and browser APIs. npm install is never required.

controls

| input | action | |-------|--------| | click creature | inspect stats, traits, mutations, activity | | drag | pan camera across the world | | 🥚 HATCH EGG | spawn a new creature with random DNA | | minimap | overview of all creatures and tasks |

controls (terminal)

| key | action | |-----|--------| | wasd / arrows | pan camera | | tab / n | cycle selected creature | | f | follow selected creature | | e | hatch new egg | | i | toggle inspect mode | | space / p | pause / unpause | | h / ? | help | | q | quit |

built with OpenClaw

this entire codebase — the genetics engine, AI behavior system, evolution mechanics, terminal renderer, and web frontend — was built autonomously by an AI agent running on OpenClaw. every file, every commit, every design decision.

an AI built a living world you can run in your terminal.

contributing

see CONTRIBUTING.md