Getting these organic patterns working means focusing on the precise timing of reaction and diffusion interactions. When setting up the simulation watch for the chemical values to stabilize around 0.5 before activating diffusion, which takes roughly 50-100 cycles depending on your parameters. Position your initial seed points with at least 10 units of spacing or youll get pattern interference that looks unnatural. The sweet spot for realistic mold growth comes from balancing the feed rate between 0.03-0.06 and keeping the kill rate under 0.065, anything higher starts creating disconnected spots instead of branching tendrils.

Good to know - adjusting the diffusion coefficients independently lets you fine-tune how the patterns spread. Try setting the first substance around 0.2 and the second closer to 0.1 for that classic branching look. The real magic happens during the growth phase where youll want to watch for instability patterns forming around the edges, those are your cue to slightly decrease the feed rate. You can actually create different growth types by tweaking these values - slower diffusion makes tighter clusters while faster rates give you those spreading coral-like formations that work great for alien environments.

When the patterns start evolving, keep an eye on any areas showing rapid oscillation as that usually means your parameters need adjusting. The recovery window after each major pattern shift gives you about 20-30 cycles to make changes before things stabilize into potentially unwanted formations.