# Creatures: Artificial Life Autonomous Software Agents for Home Entertainment

*Source* · `src-grand-1996-creatures-alife` · status: **n/a**

| field | value |
|---|---|
| kind | Technical report / blog |
| authors | Stephen Grand, Dave Cliff, Anil Malhotra |
| venue | University of Sussex Cognitive Science Research Paper CSRP434 (Millennium Technical Report 9601) |
| date | 1996 |
| url | https://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/cogslib/reports/csrp/csrp434.pdf |
| accessed | 2026-10-24 |

## Notes

About 1,000 neurons in 9 lobes and 5,000 synapses; concept space of about 640 cells; 16-cell decision layer, strongest cell acts; drive reduction releases reward and drive increase releases punishment chemicals that reinforce synapses; 256 chemicals with gene-defined reactions; haploid genome of about 320 genes; crossover at gene boundaries with omission, duplication, and mutation; genes switch on at set ages.

## Backlinks (computed)

**cited by:** [Creature learning](../mechanic/creature-learning.md), [Trait inheritance](../mechanic/trait-inheritance.md)

## Citation

Stephen Grand, Dave Cliff, Anil Malhotra (1996). *Creatures: Artificial Life Autonomous Software Agents for Home Entertainment*. University of Sussex Cognitive Science Research Paper CSRP434 (Millennium Technical Report 9601) https://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/cogslib/reports/csrp/csrp434.pdf

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Provenance: created in run `2026-10-24-taxonomy-m3`.