On the OTCA metapixel topic: if you don't program your metapixels with a rule other than the default, they'll certainly die after one tick. But there's a script called "metafier.lua" in Golly's Scripts/Lua folder that will do the programming for you, given a pattern selected in Golly's main window.
If you want to simulate isotropic rules, a very good alternative to the impressively slow 0E0P metacell is APG's previous stable megacell: http://conwaylife.com/wiki/P1_megacell
