dominoivia

Dominoivia is a fictional concept used in puzzle design and speculative fiction to describe a two-dimensional tiling system built from domino-like tiles. In this framework, each tile has two halves, and each half carries a value drawn from a finite set. Tiles are placed on a rectangular grid with rotations allowed. A tile placement is valid when adjacent halves that touch share compatible states according to a defined rule set. The resulting arrangement encodes a pattern or sequence that can be read by tracing paths, colors, or pip values across the grid. Dominoivia is commonly used to illustrate ideas in tiling theory, cellular automata, and state-transition systems within an approachable, tangible format.

Etymology traces the term to a combination of domino and nova, suggesting a new or evolving domino-based system. The concept has appeared primarily in puzzle communities and informal speculative-fiction circles, rather than as a formal mathematical framework. Variants range from binary state tiles to multi-valued systems, with rules emphasizing local interactions rather than global constraints. Some designs focus on self-similarity, fractal-like growth, or solvable puzzle challenges, while others explore storytelling uses in worldbuilding or game design.

See also: domino tiling, cellular automata, tiling theory, puzzle design, state machines.