The cognitive simulation is relatively central to the hardcoded version of the Simulation and optional (on by default) in the ApeScript version of the sentient simulation. This gives some freedom in the agent simulation method used through ApeScript. Advanced ApeScript users may turn the cognitive simulation off and uses the ''brain space'' as actual memory.

The landscape (physics) and weather simulations are autonomous components of the Noble Ape Simulation too. The weather simulation can work in either flat or spherical environments similar to the landscape simulation.

The biological simulation is based on quantum mechanics. The landscape's shape (height values, surface area, slopes, angle to simulated sun) can be the source of all the biological properties of the environment. This means for any landscape, a (long term) stable biological environment can exist and include a wide variety of plants and animals in the simulated ecosystem.

In addition to the simulations noted, since July 2010 Noble Ape has also contained a social graph simulation similar to the social graphs found in Facebook and other social networks. Through this social graph the Noble Apes can be tracked in terms of social groups and also over many generations to explain social phenomenon to users looking to study this kind of social interaction. In a similar timeframe a narrative engine was added to Noble Ape to allow users to hear the stories from the Noble Apes for the first time. This narrative engine allows the users of the simulation to follow the life history of the Noble Apes through their day-to-day experiences.

All the technologies developed in Noble Ape are available in a variety of different forms. The basic downloadable GUI version of Noble Ape is available for Mac, Windows and Linux. More recently a Noble Ape Webserver has been developed to allow for third-party visualization like SecondLife and also a Twitter feed output to show Twitter users the power of the narrative engine.