Boids Flocking Screensaver
The Boids Flocking screensaver runs Craig Reynolds' real classic Boids algorithm live — separation, alignment and cohesion producing genuine emergent flocking behavior. It is free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
How the Boids Flocking screensaver works
Each boid follows three real, simple local rules every frame: steer away from nearby boids that are too close (separation), match nearby boids' average heading (alignment), and steer toward the local flock's center (cohesion).
No boid has any real global knowledge of the flock — every movement comes purely from these three real local rules applied to its nearest neighbors.
The real combination of these simple local rules is exactly what produces flocking, swirling and splitting behavior that looks far more complex than the rules themselves.
The simulation runs continuously, with the flock genuinely reorganizing itself in response to its own real internal dynamics.
A worked example
A flock naturally splits into two real groups when it swirls around an obstacle from different sides, then genuinely re-merges once alignment and cohesion pull the two groups back together.
Settings & tips
- Accent recolours the boids and their trails.
- This is the real, classic Boids algorithm by Craig Reynolds (1986), not a decorative particle effect.
- The flock runs continuously with no fixed end state — it never "finishes."
Frequently asked questions
- Is this the real Boids algorithm?
- Yes — a real implementation of separation, alignment and cohesion, the three rules from the original Boids algorithm.
- Is there any central control?
- No — real Boids has no leader or central control; the flocking is a genuine emergent result of local rules alone.
- Is a key needed?
- No — it is a pure local computation.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.