BOIDS Game (Electron)

A desktop version of the BOIDS simulation with adjustable flock, predators, obstacles, and theme controls.

What it does

• Real-time boids flocking simulation (regular + predator types).
• Drifting obstacles you can scale up/down.
• Theme picker for background styles.
• Optional idle cursor assist that can keep the system active when enabled.

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• Node.js (LTS recommended)
• Python 3.11 (for native module rebuilds)
• Visual Studio Build Tools with Desktop development with C++

Setup

cd "C:\Users\<your-username>\Downloads\BOIDs-main"
npm install

Install the native mouse module (required for the idle cursor assist):

npm install robotjs

Rebuild native modules for Electron:

$env:npm_config_python="C:\Users\<your-username>\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311\python.exe"
npx electron-rebuild -f -w robotjs

Run

npm start

Controls

• Menu (hamburger): bottom-left.
• Regular Boids / Predatory Boids: set counts and save.
• Obstacles: set count (max 10) and save.
• Background: switch themes instantly.
• Mouse BOID: enables idle cursor assist after 3 seconds of inactivity.
• Chaos Mode: toggles color-based flocking behavior.

Feature details

Mouse BOID (idle cursor assist)

• What it does: adds an invisible "mouse boid" that steers like a regular boid and uses robotjs to gently move the system cursor along its path.
• How it works: after ~3 seconds of no user input, the app starts moving the cursor about every 70ms to keep the system active.
• How to disable: move the mouse, click anywhere, or press any key to immediately stop it; clicking also pauses the assist briefly (~1.2s) and resets the idle timer. You can also uncheck Mouse BOID in the menu.

Chaos Mode

• What it does: breaks up mixed-color cohesion. Regular boids only cohere with same-color boids and actively avoid other colors.
• How it works: color groups tighten into their own clusters while treating other colors like threats, which makes movement more turbulent. Predators behave normally.
• How to disable: uncheck Chaos Mode in the menu.

Notes

• If you update code, restart the app to see changes.
• If robotjs fails to rebuild, confirm:
  • Python 3.11 path is set in npm_config_python
  • Visual Studio Build Tools include the VC++ toolset + Windows SDK