If slmake had recipes for all orientations of that catalyst, then single-channel elbow operations could allow gliders as close together as 78 ticks, or 74 or 75 as special cases. That might expand the search tree enough to cut the length of a Snarkmaker recipe (for example) by something like a factor of two.
Maybe the extra cost of the standard syringe catalyst would make up for any cost improvements in other recipes, but it depends on the design. A self-constructing circuit that uses a lot of Snarks but not a lot of syringes might make up the difference pretty quickly.
A minimal 74/75/78+ universal constructor would be something like this:
Code: Select all
x = 62, y = 74, rule = LifeHistory
2A$2A16$15.B$15.2B$15.3B$15.4B$16.4B$17.4B16.2A$18.4B14.B2AB$19.4B14.
2B6.B$20.4B14.2B4.3B$21.4B12.14B$22.4B11.14B$23.4B.B5.17B$24.28B$24.
30B$23.32B$24.32B$24.33B$23.2A26B3.4B$22.ABAB4.B.16B7.4B$22.A11.10B.
2B9.4B$21.2A12.9B13.4B$32.11B15.4B$31.12B16.3B$22.2A7.12B17.2B$21.A2.
A2.2A2.11B19.B$22.2A2.A.A2.B3D4B.4B$24.2A.B3.2BD4B4.2A$24.A2.2B2.2B3D
2B4.A$21.2A.A.BA2B.6B6.3A$21.A.2A.A.A8B8.A$25.A.A.8B$22.2A2.A.8B$20.
3A.2A2.8B$19.A4.B6.6B$20.3AB2AB3.7B$22.A.2AB.8B$26.10B$26.6B2A3B$26.
6B2A2B5.2A$26.10B5.A$25.11B2.BA.A$25.7B3D2B.B2A$24.8BD6B$23.10BD5B$
20.2B.16B$19.2A18B$19.2AB.17B$20.B.4B.8B2.4B$27.7B4.4B$28.6B5.4B$30.
4B6.4B$32.3BA5.4B$33.BA.A5.4B$34.A.A6.3B$35.A8.B$36.3A$38.A!
Code: Select all
x = 245, y = 219, rule = B3/S23
119bobo$122bo$122bo$119bo2bo$120b3o43$26bobo25bo$27b2o23bobo151bobo$
27bo25b2o151b2o$207bo5$57bo5bo$55bobo3bobo$56b2o4b2o3$194bo$44bobo145b
2o$45b2o16bo129b2o$45bo15bobo110bo$62b2o110bobo$174b2o2$78bo$79b2o$78b
2o$172bo$171bo$82bobo86b3o$83b2o$83bo$166bobo$166b2o$167bo3$166bo$164b
2o$165b2o$90bo$88bobo$89b2o$153bobo6bo7bo$153b2o5b2o8bobo$154bo6b2o7b
2o$81bobo$82b2o54bobo9bo$82bo4bo50b2o9bo$88bo50bo3bo5b3o$86b3o53bo$
142b3o2$157bobo$157b2o$158bo$137bo$137bobo$137b2o13$112bo120b2o$113bo
118b2ob2o$111b3o8bo110b4o$b4o118b2o109b2o5bo2bo$o3bo117b2o116bo$4bo
235bo3bo$o2bo236b4o2$117bo$118b2o$117b2o$122b3o$108b3o13bo$110bo12bo$
109bo19bo$128b2o$119b2o7bobo$119bobo$111b2o6bo$112b2o$111bo10$86b2o$
87b2o$86bo2$152b3o$152bo$153bo4$79b2o8b2o50b2o$80b2o8b2o48b2o13bo$79bo
9bo52bo11b2o$93b2o59bobo$92bobo$94bo71bo$140b3o22b2o$140bo24bobo$141bo
4$175b2o$174b2o$176bo4$84b2o$65bo17bobo$65b2o18bo$64bobo$182b3o$160b2o
20bo$159b2o22bo$161bo21$190b2o$48b3o138b2o$50bo140bo$49bo2$51b2o$52b2o
$51bo$186b2o$186bobo$186bo$193bo$48b2o142b2o$49b2o141bobo$48bo149b2o$
197b2o$199bo4b2o$204bobo$204bo!
It might be a little awkward to build the other still lifes behind the big syringe catalyst, in some orientations, but those are clearly all solvable problems. But first, are there any other variants of the syringe catalyst that are particularly well suited to slow-salvo construction techniques?
EDIT: An alternative to a unidirectional slow-salvo recipe would be a recipe using slow synchronized glider pairs intersecting at 90 degrees. This was how the original Gemini's construction toolkit worked, and it was way more efficient than anything we've seen since. A synched glider-pair recipe for standard syringe catalysts might be all that's needed to encourage someone to build an awesome new modern-technology Gemini.