Dyson Dilemma Simulation

As a side project I created a GPU particle simulation in an attempt to recreate the formation and evolution of a spiral galaxy.

Then, pondering the idea of civilizations colonizing their galaxies slowly, not merely at less than the speed of light but at a tiny fraction of it (a process that has since been nicknamed "crawlonizing"), I added the ability to mark a star as a "civilization" and then, as it passed near other stars, the ability for it to "colonize" them, over time converting the entire galaxy into colonies.

This addresses the "Dyson Dilemma," a question raised in Fermi Paradox conversations about whether expanding civilizations would enclose every star they occupied in a Dyson sphere that collects the majority of its visible light output, leaving only infrared waste heat. The experiment includes a visual toggle to highlight colonized stars in green or try to portray a more realistic view; in the latter, stars with Dyson spheres appear a faint red, and over time the whole galaxy starts to redden and dim.

Astronomers could consider ideas such as this when examining distant galaxies and speculating about whether they might be occupied.

Gameplay video:

Directions:
All control is via the UI buttons at top left.
Toggle "Highlight civilizations" to visualize civilizations in bright green or in a realistic view.
A civilization can be spawned with the "Spawn" button but will not be clearly visible for some time unless highlighting is active.
Press "Start Over" to erase all colonies and generate a new galaxy.