Initial release

README.md

@@ -1,2 +1,53 @@
-# JeuDeLaVie
-Encore une implémentation (en Python+PyGame) du Jeu de la Vie, de John Horton Conway
+# About JeuDeLaVie
+
+Yet another (Python+PyGame) implementation of John Horton Conway's Game of Life (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeu_de_la_vie)
+
+With goals of readability (it was intended as an example for my son - no sophisticated algorithms such as HashLife here), providing a PyGame (https://www.pygame.org/) example, in a program (project) with rather complete functionalities (configuration file, saves, multi modes, etc.) BUT with a minimalist GUI only using the window title (a challenge!), the idea being to later use a PyGame GUI framework, for example such as Simple Game Code (https://program.sambull.org/sgc/)
+
+# Installation / Configuration / Usage
+
+Install Python 3 and PyGame, then launch vie.py from your file explorer or use "python vie.py" on the command line.
+
+Windows users: you can download Python and PyGame from the following locations:
+- https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/ (I used python-3.7.7-amd64.exe)
+- https://pypi.org/project/pygame/#files (I used pygame-1.9.6-cp37-cp37m-win_amd64.whl)
+
+
+# Versions and changelog
+
+1.03 2020-05-08
+
+ Initial public release.
+
+# Caveats
+
+The source code comments and names are written in French (my primary audience is my son).
+However the game is released with both a French or English translation (set this in the configuration file).
+
+# Limits & Known bugs
+
+ - Best displayed on Full HD (1920*1080) screens, else the text strings are shortened till SVGA resolution (800x600) then truncated
+ - The examples' name in the internal library of patterns are only in French
+
+# Further development plans
+
+All the main functionalities are implemented.
+
+There's a list of possible unimplemented functionalities at the end of the vie.py file.
+
+# License
+
+This open source software is distributed under a BSD license (see the "License" file for details).
+
+# Credits
+
+ - In memory of John Horton Conway, 1937-2020 (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Horton_Conway)
+ - The book "Récréations informatiques", bibliothèque Pour la Science, diffusion Belin, which made me discover this game in 1987
+ - Wikipedia which made me (re)discover the remarkable patterns provided in the included internal library
+ - WikiLife for its pattern collection and its description of the usual file formats (https://conwaylife.com/wiki/Category:File_formats)
+
+# Author
+
+Hubert Tournier
+
+May 8, 2020