Sssss — Generative Snake AI

About the Collection

Sssss is a generative simulation of autonomous snakes competing for a single food source—an allegory for crypto’s core dynamics: scarcity, competition, and timing.

Each piece features 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 snakes. All snakes in a piece share the same behavioral archetype, creating a focused expression of that character’s logic. Over time, each snake’s IQ increases, peaks, and resets—mirroring cycles of learning, hype, and return.

The movement system was inspired by the turtlesim ROS (Robot Operating System) simulator, where robots in a closed environment follow rule-based instructions to interact with their surroundings—a throwback to the origins of autonomous robotics and a reflection on how far the field has come.

Cycle Logic & Market Metaphors

Sssss runs on a three-phase loop, with each simulation tied to a 10-minute interval—the average time between Bitcoin blocks.

The phases are:

Initialization: Snakes are spawned and move to their starting positions. Food is placed, and each snake’s IQ is updated.
Hunting Grounds: Snakes compete for a single food source. Their behavior is determined by archetypes, but the outcome is shaped by timing, positioning, and randomness—creating a PvP-style dynamic where only one can eat.
Finalization: Once the time runs out, snakes exit the grid. If food is exhausted early, they continue moving aimlessly until the next cycle begins—waiting for the next opportunity, like traders between market events.

Each simulation uses two seeds:

baseSeed: Sets the initial state for the random number generator (RNG)
seed: A dynamic value that updates every 10 minutes, creating fresh behavior every cycle


        // starting value
        const baseSeed = 1231006505; 
        
        // +1 every 10 mins
        let seed = (baseSeed + Math.floor(Date.now() / 600000)) % Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER;

IQ is derived from the base seed value and recalculated every cycle using:


    // cycles over 1-144
    const iq = 1 + (seed % 144);

This keeps IQ values between 1 and 144—mirroring the number of Bitcoin blocks mined in a day. As the cycles progess, IQ rises incrementally with each cycle, then resets after reaching the peak. This models a rhythm of growth, saturation, and renewal—similar to market cycles.

⚠️ The first cycle may be shorter than 10 minutes if the simulation starts mid-cycle (e.g., at 7:03). In that case, it runs only until the next 10-minute mark (e.g., 7:10) to sync with the global cadence—similar to how a new node catches up to the current blockheight.

The quantity and DNA of snakes create different behavioral patterns:

Many high-IQ snakes: Coordinated, efficient competition—suggesting strong fundamentals.
Many low-IQ snakes: Chaotic, hype-driven behavior with little strategy.
Few high-IQ snakes: Quiet, calculated movement—potentially bullish or uncertain.
Few low-IQ snakes: Minimal activity—suggesting a dead or abandoned project.

How the Snakes Think

Hunter

Direct and aggressive. Always moves toward the food with high precision and minimal hesitation.

Trickster

Unpredictable and looping. Sometimes orbits the food or misleads with erratic movement.

Lawnmower

Methodically mows the grid with spirals and horizontal sweeps.

Architect

Moves in structured, grid-based strokes. Deliberate and painterly, like composing a blueprint.

These movement patterns show how snake behavior evolves as IQ increases. Each path reflects a different level of strategic complexity.

Snake movement patterns across IQ levels

Snake movement patterns across increasing IQ levels