'Stop/Play' - starts and stops the simulation
'Step >' - one simulation step
in the frame above you can see number of steps and the current speed
on the right side:
Display 100% /2 /3 /5 /10 /50 /300
- is the graphics display refresh rate, 100% means the picture is drawn each
simulation step (very smooth animation). select bigger values for faster simulation.
Tiny buttons let you turn on/off other interface parts:
L - Species & creatures list
M - Simulator messages
I - Species information window
W - World display
P - Simulator parameters
S - Stats
A - 'Transfer' Animation
O - OpenGL display
There are 2 lists in the middle of the window:
Species (on the left) & Creatures (on the right)
You can place a creature in the world by dragging a species from first list to the second one. Moving in the opposite direction kills the creature and updates species' stats. You can also delete species and creatures with the 'Del' key.
Both lists allow you to select attributes - press RMB for menu. You can also sort a list - press LMB on the column title.
Double click on the list opens 'species information window' and shows species details.
Menu:
The most important functions are 'Open' and 'Save as'. Species files should end with '.spc' If 'with Params' option is active, the current simulator parameters are also written to the file. 'Clear' deletes all entries in the species list. 'Clear stats' sets species population to 0 (such an operation marks species parameters as invalid, and should be performed after the simulator environment or rules has been changed). You can also invoke these functions using the toolbar on the left.