Essential metrics for Life on graphs

We present a strong theoretical foundation that frames a well-defined family of outer-totalistic network automaton models as a topological generalisation of binary outer-totalistic cellular automata, of which the Game of Life is one notable particular case. These "Life-like network automata" are quantitatively described by expressing their genotype (the mean field curve and Derrida curve) and phenotype (the evolution of the state and defect averages). After demonstrating that the genotype and phenotype are correlated, we illustrate the utility of these essential metrics by tackling the firing squad synchronisation problem in a bottom-up fashion, with results that exceed a 90% success rate.