Thread for basic questions

For general discussion about Conway's Game of Life.
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testitemqlstudop
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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by testitemqlstudop » January 29th, 2019, 6:09 pm

What's the quickest way to convert RLE to a .&o format? (Please don't say "by hand")
(i.e.

Code: Select all

.oo
oo.
.o.
)

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Macbi » January 29th, 2019, 6:17 pm

testitemqlstudop wrote:What's the quickest way to convert RLE to a .&o format? (Please don't say "by hand")
(i.e.

Code: Select all

.oo
oo.
.o.
)
Here's a python script to turn the selected pattern in Golly into .o format:

Code: Select all

import golly as g

x_0, y_0, width, height = g.getselrect()
grid = [["." for x in xrange(width)] for y in xrange(height)]
cells = g.getcells([x_0, y_0, width, height])
for i in xrange(len(cells)/2):
    grid[cells[2*i + 1] - y_0][cells[2*i] - x_0] = "o"
with open("dot_o_pattern", "w") as output_file:
    output_file.write("\n".join("".join(row) for row in grid) + "\n")
It saves the result in a file called "dot_o_pattern".

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by dvgrn » January 29th, 2019, 9:12 pm

Macbi wrote:Here's a python script to turn the selected pattern in Golly into .o format...
Here's another one, if you'd rather clobber the clipboard instead of going hunting for a file in whatever Golly Python thinks is the current directory:

Code: Select all

import golly as g
r = g.getselrect()
s=""
for y in range(r[3]):
  for x in range(r[2]):
    s+="o" if g.getcell(x+r[0],y+r[1]) > 0 else "."
  s+="\n"
g.setclipstr(s)
g.show("Copied ASCII format pattern to clipboard.")
It doesn't error out when used on multistate patterns, though that may not be a good thing. Unless it's adjusted a little it will do very strange things with LifeViewer history states, for example.

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by testitemqlstudop » January 30th, 2019, 8:39 pm

Thanks for the programs!

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by dani » January 31st, 2019, 9:39 pm

Do any current search programs use neural networks?

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by testitemqlstudop » February 1st, 2019, 12:36 pm

danny wrote:Do any current search programs use neural networks?
Ummm.

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Moosey » February 1st, 2019, 1:11 pm

Sort of similar to dani’s question:
Are there any evolutionary algorithms for finding spaceships? The best partial(s) are the parents of a slightly mutated generation?
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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by dvgrn » February 1st, 2019, 1:25 pm

Moosey wrote:Sort of similar to dani’s question:
Are there any evolutionary algorithms for finding spaceships? The best partial(s) are the parents of a slightly mutated generation?
Genetic algorithms get tried every half-decade or so, but so far they haven't produced any useful results, for fairly obvious reasons. See this thread for a previous question along these general lines.

I edited in a little history about Alan Wechsler's experiments with trying to find things via mutation and recombination, back in 1994. It seemed like it might be made to work for still lifes (but other approaches worked much better). As soon as you get to p2 and above, tiny changes tend to have either a huge effect, or zero effect.

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Moosey » February 1st, 2019, 1:54 pm

dvgrn wrote:
Moosey wrote:Sort of similar to dani’s question:
Are there any evolutionary algorithms for finding spaceships? The best partial(s) are the parents of a slightly mutated generation?
Genetic algorithms get tried every half-decade or so, but so far they haven't produced any useful results, for fairly obvious reasons. See this thread for a previous question along these general lines.

I edited in a little history about Alan Wechsler's experiments with trying to find things via mutation and recombination, back in 1994. It seemed like it might be made to work for still lifes (but other approaches worked much better). As soon as you get to p2 and above, tiny changes tend to have either a huge effect, or zero effect.
Alright, so here’s a different question: are there any programs that try to put together a supplied head and a supplied tail together exhaustively?
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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by dvgrn » February 1st, 2019, 2:26 pm

Moosey wrote:Alright, so here’s a different question: are there any programs that try to put together a supplied head and a supplied tail together exhaustively?
For putting together a "current list of known heads" and "current list of known tails", see Ikpx#Meet-in-the-middle. Not quite sure what "supplied" means in this context.

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Moosey » February 1st, 2019, 3:56 pm

dvgrn wrote:
Moosey wrote:Alright, so here’s a different question: are there any programs that try to put together a supplied head and a supplied tail together exhaustively?
For putting together a "current list of known heads" and "current list of known tails", see Ikpx#Meet-in-the-middle. Not quite sure what "supplied" means in this context.
You give the algorithm a head and a tail for the same speed and see if it can complete the ship.
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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by 77topaz » February 1st, 2019, 6:06 pm

Moosey wrote:You give the algorithm a head and a tail for the same speed and see if it can complete the ship.
Yeah, ikpx can do that, and I think calcyman/apgoucher has used precisely that approach before.

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Hunting » February 3rd, 2019, 12:12 am

How is Spaghetti Monster notable?

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Saka » February 3rd, 2019, 12:26 am

Hunting wrote:How is Spaghetti Monster notable?
It's the first elementary 3c/7o spaceship

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Hunting » February 3rd, 2019, 12:39 am

Saka wrote:
Hunting wrote:How is Spaghetti Monster notable?
It's the first elementary 3c/7o spaceship
Oops didn't remind that

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Moosey » February 3rd, 2019, 9:28 am

I am assuming that the apg in apgsearch stands for both “ash pattern generator” and Adam P. Goucher. Is this correct?
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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by AforAmpere » February 3rd, 2019, 11:15 am

Are there any totalistic higher range rules that can be emulated at by alternating isotropic non-totalistic rules at step 2?
I'm fairly sure this one can't, but I don't know if there are any that can:

Code: Select all

x = 1, y = 1, rule = R2,C0,M1,S1..1,B1..1,NM
o!
EDIT, if we could keep the B2c transition away, it would be possible:

Code: Select all

@RULE 2-1-1-0-0_TEST

@TABLE


n_states:3
neighborhood:Moore
symmetries:rotate4reflect

var a={0,1,2}
var b={0,1,2}
var c={0,1,2}
var d={0,1,2}
var e={0,1,2}
var f={0,1,2}
var g={0,1,2}
var h={0,1,2}

#0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,2
0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,2
0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,2
0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,1,2
0,1,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,2
0,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,2
0,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,1,2

1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,2

0,2,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1
0,0,2,0,0,0,0,0,0,1
#0,2,2,0,0,0,0,0,0,1
#0,2,0,2,0,0,0,0,0,1
0,2,0,0,2,0,0,0,0,1
#0,2,0,0,0,2,0,0,0,1
0,0,2,0,2,0,0,0,0,1
0,0,2,0,0,0,2,0,0,1
#0,2,2,2,0,0,0,0,0,1
0,2,2,0,2,0,0,0,0,1
#0,2,2,0,0,2,0,0,0,1
0,2,2,0,0,0,2,0,0,1
0,2,2,0,0,0,0,2,0,1
#0,2,2,0,0,0,0,0,2,1
0,2,0,2,0,2,0,0,0,1
#0,2,0,2,0,0,2,0,0,1
0,2,0,0,2,0,2,0,0,1
#0,0,2,0,2,0,2,0,0,1

#2,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1
#2,2,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1
2,0,2,0,0,0,0,0,0,1
#2,2,2,0,0,0,0,0,0,1
#2,2,0,2,0,0,0,0,0,1
#2,2,0,0,2,0,0,0,0,1
#2,2,0,0,0,2,0,0,0,1
2,0,2,0,2,0,0,0,0,1
2,0,2,0,0,0,2,0,0,1
2,2,2,2,0,0,0,0,0,1
2,2,2,0,2,0,0,0,0,1
#2,2,2,0,0,2,0,0,0,1
2,2,2,0,0,0,2,0,0,1
#2,2,2,0,0,0,0,2,0,1
2,2,2,0,0,0,0,0,2,1
2,2,0,2,0,2,0,0,0,1
#2,2,0,2,0,0,2,0,0,1
2,2,0,0,2,0,2,0,0,1
2,0,2,0,2,0,2,0,0,1
2,2,2,2,2,0,0,0,0,1
2,2,2,2,0,2,0,0,0,1
2,2,2,2,0,0,2,0,0,1
2,2,2,0,2,2,0,0,0,1
2,2,2,0,2,0,2,0,0,1
2,2,2,0,2,0,0,2,0,1
2,2,2,0,2,0,0,0,2,1
2,2,2,0,0,2,2,0,0,1
2,2,2,0,0,2,0,2,0,1
2,2,2,0,0,2,0,0,2,1
#2,2,2,0,0,0,2,2,0,1
2,2,0,2,0,2,0,2,0,1
2,0,2,0,2,0,2,0,2,1
2,2,2,2,2,2,0,0,0,1
2,2,2,2,2,0,2,0,0,1
2,2,2,2,2,0,0,2,0,1
2,2,2,2,2,0,0,0,2,1
2,2,2,2,0,2,2,0,0,1
2,2,2,2,0,2,0,2,0,1
2,2,2,0,2,2,2,0,0,1
2,2,2,0,2,2,0,2,0,1
2,2,2,0,2,0,2,2,0,1
2,2,2,0,2,0,2,0,2,1
2,2,2,2,2,2,2,0,0,1
2,2,2,2,2,2,0,2,0,1
2,2,2,2,2,0,2,2,0,1
2,2,2,2,2,0,2,0,2,1
2,2,2,2,0,2,2,2,0,1
2,2,2,0,2,2,2,0,2,1
2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,0,1
2,2,2,2,2,2,2,0,2,1
2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,1


1,a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,0
2,a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,0
I manage the 5S project, which collects all known spaceship speeds in Isotropic Non-totalistic rules. I also wrote EPE, a tool for searching in the INT rulespace.

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Moosey » February 3rd, 2019, 10:03 pm

Are there any still lives besides the HB that, when hit by a glider, translate and make >= a glider?
Perhaps they break up into a bunch of gliders that synthesize it again?

Bonus:
Can we engineer a SL that becomes a spaceship when him by a glider-- that is, it displaces and puts the glider back? (A push ship)
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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Hunting » February 3rd, 2019, 11:35 pm

Moosey wrote:Are there any still lives besides the HB that, when hit by a glider, translate and make >= a glider?
Perhaps they break up into a bunch of gliders that synthesize it again?
Things like this?

Code: Select all

x = 196, y = 197, rule = B3/S23
155b2o$155b2o4$153b2o$153b2o2$153b2o$153b2o6$42b2o$42b2o$148b2o$148b2o
$49b2o$49b2o10b2o$61b2o4b2o32b2o43b2ob2o$67b2o10b2o20b2o43b2ob2o$79b2o
$49b2o$49b2o45b2o52b2o$67b2o27b2o52b2o$41b2o3b2o19b2o75b2o$24b2o15b2o
3b2o96b2o$12b2o10b2o$12b2o3$24b2o$24b2o2$52b2o103b2o16b2ob2o$52b2o10b
2o87b2o2b2o16b2ob2o$64b2o87b2o28b2o$183b2o2$43b2o3b2o2b2o$10b2o3b2o26b
2o3b2o2b2o91b2o$10b2o3b2o128b2o$104b2o$104b2o2$180b2o$116b2o62b2o$31b
2o3b2o66b2o10b2o51b2o$31b2o3b2o66b2o63b2o2$77b2o$44b2o31b2o101b2o$11b
2o31b2o134b2o$11b2o49b2o$62b2o22b2o$86b2o2$67b2o$67b2o$32b2o$32b2o$14b
2o3b2o$14b2o3b2o$83b2o$83b2o2$45b2o$45b2o8b2ob2o$55b2ob2o35b2o$95b2o2$
54b2o$54b2o126b2o$15b2o69b2o94b2o$15b2o69b2o18b2o$106b2o2$187b2o$87b2o
98b2o$87b2o$119b2o$119b2o65b2ob2o$44b2o140b2ob2o$44b2o64b2o$110b2o$
126b2o57b2o$125bo2bo56b2o$31b2o43b2o48b2o$31b2o4b2o37b2o$37b2o3$116bo$
115bobo$82b2o31bobo$82b2o32bo4b2o11bo$121b2o10bobo$133bobo$134bo2$81b
2o$81b2o$46b2o$46b2o75b2o48b2o3b2o$122bo2bo47b2o3b2o$123b2o6b2o$130bo
2bo$131b2o2$52b2o6b2o$52b2o6b2o$66b2o16b2o47b2o$66b2o16b2o10b2o35b2o7b
o$70b2o24b2o16b2o25bobo$66b2o2b2o41bo2bo24bobo$5b2o44b2o9b2o2b2o46b2o
26bo34b2o$5b2o3b2o39b2o9b2o20b2o38b2o51b2o$10b2o72b2o38b2o3$104bo61b2o
$103bobo60b2o$82b2o19bobo49b2o$82b2o2b2o16bo17bo11b2o19b2o$2o84b2o33bo
bo9bo2bo$2o88b2o29bobo10b2o$90b2o21b2o7bo$113b2o42b2o$157b2o3$111b2o$
110bo2bo$111b2o$124b2o3b2o12b2o$124b2o3b2o12b2o8$38b2o$38b2o2$128b2o9b
2o3b2o$50b2o76b2o9b2o3b2o$38b2o10b2o$38b2o$60b2o$60b2o$54b2o$18b2o34b
2o$18b2o2b2o26b2o66b2o3b2o$22b2o2b2o22b2o2b2o62b2o3b2o$26b2o26b2o2b2o$
58b2o$19b2o106b2o$19b2o106b2o3$64b2o73b2o$64b2o61b2o10b2o$70b2o55b2o$
70b2o$119b2o$119b2o$66b2ob2o$66b2ob2o3$68b2o$68b2o3$193b3o$193bo$194bo
7$56b2o$56b2o3$55b2o$55b2o2$59b2o$54b2o3b2o$54b2o!

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by 77topaz » February 3rd, 2019, 11:38 pm

No, he's looking for single still lifes that are reproduced with a displacement after reacting with one input glider, with at least two output gliders also being produced, like the half-bakery reaction. I imagine the odds of finding any more such reactions are quite low, since it's likely there have already been searches for similar reactions after the serendipity of the half-bakery reaction was noticed.

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Hunting » February 4th, 2019, 12:03 am

If I had a rule where I have 2-barreled gun, but have no stable eater. So how do I cleanup the extra barrel to make 1-barreled gun?

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by toroidalet » February 4th, 2019, 12:12 am

Hunting wrote:If I had a rule where I have 2-barreled gun, but have no stable eater. So how do I cleanup the extra barrel to make 1-barreled gun?
If you can find a 2-spaceship synthesis of a spaceship, you can do this:

Code: Select all

x = 54, y = 61, rule = B2e3aciny4ajyz5-cekn/S1c2cei3-in4-iqw6ae
26b2o$28bo$22bob2ob2o$22bobo2b2o$22b5o$23bo$24bo22$3bo$2bobo$2b2obo$3b
o2bo$3o3bo42b5o$5o42bo3b3o$47bo2bo$48bob2o$49bobo$50bo17$28b2o$30bo$
27bo3bo$27bob2obo$27b2ob2o$27b2o$27b2o!
Otherwise, you might have to make do with something more like this:

Code: Select all

x = 81, y = 56, rule = B2e3aciny4ajyz5-cekn/S1c2cei3-in4-iqw6ae
27b2o46b2o$27b2o46b2o$24b2ob2o46b2ob2o$23bob2obo46bob2obo$24bo3bo46bo
3bo$25bo52bo$26b2o48b2o17$3bo$2bobo$2b2obo$3bo2bo$3o3bo44b5o$5o44bo3b
3o$49bo2bo$50bob2o$51bobo$52bo17$28b2o$30bo$27bo3bo$27bob2obo$27b2ob2o
$27b2o$27b2o!
If you're really desperate, you could do this:

Code: Select all

x = 123, y = 56, rule = B2e3aciny4ajyz5-cekn/S1c2cei3-in4-iqw6ae
94b2o$94b2o$94b2ob2o$94bob2obo$94bo3bo$97bo$95b2o17$119bo$3b2o113bobo$
2bo114bob2o$bo3bo110bo2bo$ob2obo61b5o44bo3b3o$b2ob2o61b3o3bo44b5o$4b2o
64bo2bo$4b2o63b2obo$69bobo$70bo17$93b2o$92bo$91bo3bo$90bob2obo$91b2ob
2o$94b2o$94b2o!
Obviously you would shrink them, but this is just a demonstration.
(the gun is from here)
Moosey wrote:Are there any still lives besides the HB that, when hit by a glider, translate and make >= a glider?
Perhaps they break up into a bunch of gliders that synthesize it again?

Bonus:
Can we engineer a SL that becomes a spaceship when him by a glider-- that is, it displaces and puts the glider back? (A push ship)
It depends on what you mean by "still life"; a stable universal constructor with a suitable tape could certainly do that.
If that is too trivial, there's probably something where a glider strikes a still life, producing a reverse caber tosser and a long fuse that burns really far out and produces the cordership and glider at the right distance to construct the whole thing by slow salvo.

Of course, at that point, you might just want to consider taking a push-ship from a different cellular automaton and implementing it as 0E0P metacells (EDIT: Whoops, I forgot that 0E0P metacells simulating still lives would actually be oscillators. Still, a spaceship hitting an oscillator as a push- or pull- ship would certainly be close enough.).
Last edited by toroidalet on February 4th, 2019, 12:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Moosey » February 4th, 2019, 9:47 am

77topaz wrote:No, he's looking for single still lifes that are reproduced with a displacement after reacting with one input glider, with at least two output gliders also being produced, like the half-bakery reaction. I imagine the odds of finding any more such reactions are quite low, since it's likely there have already been searches for similar reactions after the serendipity of the half-bakery reaction was noticed.
What I meant was if an enormous still life/pseudo still life/quasi still life/constellation could be engineered to de something like that.
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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by dani » February 7th, 2019, 12:12 pm

Is Sir Robin synthesisable? Is there a way to disprove glider syntheses besides checking GoE?

I was thinking something along the lines of 'there would need to be too many gliders in one place at the final step, and no ash could last that long.

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Re: Thread for basic questions

Post by Moosey » February 7th, 2019, 12:40 pm

danny wrote:Is Sir Robin synthesisable? Is there a way to disprove glider syntheses besides checking GoE?

I was thinking something along the lines of 'there would need to be too many gliders in one place at the final step, and no ash could last that long.
Well, obviously, no particular phase of Sir robin is a GoE, because otherwise it wouldn’t be a spaceship.
We could check whether any phase has predecessors besides a phase of sir robin, but the answer would still be incomplete because there are probably several hundred distinct ways you can get things to interact with sir robin so that they are deleted. I guess that it would need a predecessor that is mainly not sir robin and does not contain sir robin or anything that is a sir robin predecessor that is mainly sir robin. This predecessor would have to be synthesizeable. Thus we can continue through this logic until we basically get to:
“Are there any sir robin predecessors that consist of non-crossing gliders?”, Which reduces to:
“Are there any glider syntheses for sir robin?”
Basically, I guess you can say that it’s really almost impossible to prove that there is no glider synthesis for something, and the easiest way to prove that there is is to show a synthesis for the object. This is true for the majority of enormous things, while proving that there is a block synthesis (or a synthesis for another small thing) is easier:
Blocks are small. Blocks are the most common things in CGoL. There must be a glider synthesis for a block. This is not as sound as providing a synthesis for a block, even if it’s

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#C a very lousy 3G block synth
#C I found it in on my first try to make a 3G block synth.
#C I know there are multiple 2G block synths. This is just to demonstrate my point.
x = 13, y = 8, rule = B3/S23
11bo$bo8bo$2bo7b3o$3o2$9bo$7b2o$8b2o!
but it’s still a very good argument.

Dvgrn probably has a better answer that’s also conveniently divided up into sections.
not active here but active on discord

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