Emergent – Artificial life simulation in a single HTML file
I built an artificial life simulator that fits in one HTML file (~1400 lines ~50KB) with Claude Opus 4.6, interestingly, I didn't even ask it to build the game itself, I've requested to create the software that didn't exist before and not use any dependencies, third-party libraries or ask questions. Firstly Opus 4.6 made photoshop clone that barely worked, but had nice and neat UI with all common features for the image editor, then I've called that crap and asked to really build someting that wasn't there, it made Emergent there. Please check it out and tell what you think, of course it's a…
In plain words
Emergent is an artificial life simulator contained in a single HTML file that runs directly in a browser. Users can observe virtual organisms with evolving genes that determine whether they become herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores, competing for survival and reproducing with mutations. The simulation includes spatial collision detection for performance, detailed statistics tracking, and visualization of species evolution over time. It requires no external dependencies or libraries, making it fully self-contained and immediately accessible.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
I built an artificial life simulator that fits in one HTML file (~1400 lines ~50KB) with Claude Opus 4.6, interestingly, I didn't even ask it to build the game itself, I've requested to create the software that didn't exist before and not use any dependencies, third-party libraries or ask questions. Firstly Opus 4.6 made photoshop clone that barely worked, but had nice and neat UI with all common features for the image editor, then I've called that crap and asked to really build someting that wasn't there, it made Emergent there. Please check it out and tell what you think, of course it's a Game of Life in a nutshell, but look at the rest of the UI, game stats, and other features like genome mutation and species evolvement. Features: - Continuous diet gene (0–1) drives herbivore/carnivore/omnivore specialization - Spatial hash grid for performant collision detection - Pinch-to-zoom and tap-to-feed on mobile - Real-time population graphs, creature inspector, and event log - Drop food, trigger plagues, cause mutation bursts Amazes me in some kind of a degree, going to continue dig into the abyss of the vibes :)
More life & fun this month
the category →- TL
Life & fun · 10d ago · louisabraham.github.io
Photosynthesis fires two of your iPhone
Life & fun · 28d ago · photosynthesis.camera
SoloUno▲310Take control of hair pulling, nail biting & skin picking
Life & fun · 28d ago · solouno.io
Scroll through all 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 reachable Rubik's Cube permutations.
Life & fun · 26d ago · everycube.alen.is
Hi HN, I built Eigendrum, a web tool that solves the 2D wave equation for arbitrary shapes so you can hear what they sound like as drums. How it works: * Solves -∇²u = λu using finite element analysis (Kφ = λMφ) on a triangle mesh. * Validated to <0.1% error against closed-form solutions for circles (Bessel zeros) and rectangles. * Sound model factors in strike location, Rayleigh damping, and mallet width. * Includes Kac drums I & II to demonstrate identical sound spectra from different geometries. * No frameworks, build steps, or dependencies. Repo and tests:…
Life & fun · 27d ago · baselashraf81.github.io
