Pattern notability guidelines?

For discussion directly related to ConwayLife.com, such as requesting changes to how the forums or wiki function.

Pattern notability guidelines?

There is a significant problem on these forums with (mostly) new users posting patterns they have found that are either long known or not notable in the slightest. I think that this problem could be solved by a set of clear notability guidelines akin to the one in the wiki.

Here's a start:
• Methuselahs are not notable unless they last at least half as long as the longest lasting methuselah that has the same [number of cells, bounding box, etc.] and are not trivial spaceship collisions from far away.
• Still lives are not notable unless they form naturally or can act as catalysts/eaters in a way that no smaller one can.
• P2 oscillators are also not notable unless they form naturally or can act as catalysts/eaters in a way that no smaller one can (ASIDE: but I've only ever seen three p2s that can act as a catalyst in a non-trivial fashion: blinker, toad, and the griddle variant in the p22 TL hassler).
• P3-6 and 8 oscillators are notable if they have an interesting property (natural, sparks, etc.) or are a reduction of something already known; other such oscillators should be relegated to the Useless Discoveries thread.
• P7 and P9+ oscillators are generally notable, unless they are composed of two lower-period rotors.
• P2 and P3 spaceships are not notable unless they have sparks or are edge-repair ships.
• P4 c/2 spaceships are not notable.
• Other P4 and P5 spaceships are not notable unless they are small, have sparks, or are edge-repair ships.
• P6+ spaceships are generally notable.
• Conduits are notable only if they turn one reasonably common active object into either another reasonably common active object, a reasonably uncommon stable object, or any spaceship; and they are not a trivial modification to something already known (except catalyst reductions).
• Syntheses are notable only if they are for a reasonably uncommon object and they either cost at most two gliders more than the current best or they have some remarkable property like being slow, edgy, one-sided, etc.
• No pattern deserves its own topic unless there is no topic available where the pattern could be posted or it is a major discovery that has been awaited for some time.
Obviously, this is not comprehensive. I have no idea what makes infinite growth patterns or spatially periodic patterns notable, for example. I have also broken these rules on occasion. However, a complete list of guidelines would probably make some difference in relation to the ongoing problem.
x₁=ηx
V ⃰_η=c²√(Λη)
K=(Λu²)/2
Pₐ=1−1/(∫^∞_t₀(p(t)ˡ⁽ᵗ⁾)dt)

$$x_1=\eta x$$
$$V^*_\eta=c^2\sqrt{\Lambda\eta}$$
$$K=\frac{\Lambda u^2}2$$
$$P_a=1-\frac1{\int^\infty_{t_0}p(t)^{l(t)}dt}$$

http://conwaylife.com/wiki/A_for_all

Aidan F. Pierce

A for awesome

Posts: 1556
Joined: September 13th, 2014, 5:36 pm
Location: 0x-1

Re: Pattern notability guidelines?

Support, although I'm not sure with some of these.
This post was brought to you by the letter D, for dishes that Andrew J. Wade won't do. (Also Daniel, which happens to be me.)
Current rule interest: B2ce3-ir4a5y/S2-c3-y

drc

Posts: 1665
Joined: December 3rd, 2015, 4:11 pm
Location: creating useless things in OCA