Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

For general discussion about Conway's Game of Life.
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Eugleo
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Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by Eugleo » November 24th, 2020, 5:00 am

Hey, I lead a high-school programming class and GoL is our current project. Once we finish implementing the standard set if rules, I’d like to show my students some interesting variants that they could implement themselves.

I know of the color modifications, and of the changes to the BX/SY constants. Do you know of any other interesting modifications? They don’t even need to stay within the standard ruleset, as long as they are similar to the original GoL in implementation.

Schiaparelliorbust
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Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by Schiaparelliorbust » November 24th, 2020, 5:29 am

Eugleo wrote:
November 24th, 2020, 5:00 am
Hey, I lead a high-school programming class and GoL is our current project. Once we finish implementing the standard set if rules, I’d like to show my students some interesting variants that they could implement themselves.
First of all, welcome to the forums!
There are many rules that should be as easy to implement as CGoL. They're called outer-totalistic Life-like cellular automata and they use the rulestring syntax B/S. B stands for birth and S stands for survival. CGoL has the rulestring B3/S23 because cells get born when surrounded by 3 cells and survive if they are surrounded by 2 or 3 cells. All other cells die. With something like this, you don't need to implement dying from under/overpopulation. You could try HighLife (B36/S233) which has a somewhat common replicator with a 6-cell predecessor. In other ways it behaves similarly to CGoL but soups (random starting patterns) have different groups of objects because many small predecessors like the t-tetromino behave differently.

Code: Select all

x = 40, y = 29, rule = B36/S23
3$26b3o$25bo$25bo$25bo8bo$34bo$34bo9$12b3o$11bo$11bo$11bo!
Along with the replicator, I put the bomber, a spaceship based on the replicator.

Code: Select all

x = 53, y = 35, rule = B36/S23
16$34bo$13bo20bo$12b3o18bobo$33bobo$34bo!

Code: Select all

x = 53, y = 35, rule = B3/S23
16$34bo$13bo20bo$12b3o18bobo$33bobo$34bo!
The t-tetromino and and a honey farm predecessor evolve differently.
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lemon41625
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Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by lemon41625 » November 24th, 2020, 6:08 am

Eugleo wrote:
November 24th, 2020, 5:00 am
Hey, I lead a high-school programming class and GoL is our current project. Once we finish implementing the standard set if rules, I’d like to show my students some interesting variants that they could implement themselves.

I know of the color modifications, and of the changes to the BX/SY constants. Do you know of any other interesting modifications? They don’t even need to stay within the standard ruleset, as long as they are similar to the original GoL in implementation.
In addition to outer-totalistic life-like cellular automaton, you can also try higher-range outer totalistic cellular automaton. These rules make use of a larger neighbourhood and are also fairly easily to implement. The only thing that needs to be adjusted is the neighbourhood and maybe the birth and survival conditions to get an interesting rule.

Some examples of such rules include

Code: Select all

x = 0, y = 0, rule = R2,C2,S2,B3,9,10,NN
b!
#C [[ RANDOMIZE ]]
which uses the following neighbourhood

Code: Select all

0 0 1 0 0
0 1 1 1 0
1 1 0 1 1
0 1 1 1 0
0 0 1 0 0
and

Code: Select all

x = 0, y = 0, rule = R2,C2,S5-9,B7-8,NM
b!
#C [[ RANDOMIZE ]]
which uses the following neighbourhood

Code: Select all

1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 1 0 1 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1
and

Code: Select all

x = 0, y = 0, rule = R3,C2,S6-10,B3,8,N+
b!
#C [[ RANDOMIZE ]]
which uses the following neighbourhood

Code: Select all

0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 1 1 0 1 1 1
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
You can also try out Generations rules such as Brian's Brain or Frogs (Birth on 3,4 neighbours, Survival on 1,2, 3 States) where cells take time to die and transition into refactory states.

For example,

Code: Select all

x = 0, y = 0, rule = /2/3
b!
#C [[ RANDOMIZE ]]
and

Code: Select all

x = 0, y = 0, rule = 12/34/3
b!
#C [[ RANDOMIZE ]]
Some other extensions you can try out also include the Extended Generations, BSFKL and INT rulespaces.
Note that INT rules may be harder to implement as the next state of the cell depends not only on the sum of its neighbours but also the neighbour's relative positioning to the cell.
Download CAViewer: https://github.com/jedlimlx/Cellular-Automaton-Viewer

Supports:
BSFKL, Extended Generations, Regenerating Generations, Naive Rules, R1 Moore, R2 Cross and R2 Von Neumann INT
And some others...

Hunting
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Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by Hunting » November 24th, 2020, 8:36 am

lemon41625 wrote:
November 24th, 2020, 6:08 am

Code: Select all

x = 0, y = 0, rule = R3,C2,S6-10,B3,8,N+
b!
#C [[ RANDOMIZE ]]
which uses the following neighbourhood

Code: Select all

0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 1 1 0 1 1 1
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Give me credit for this one. =)

OP: Have you tried INT, Symbiosis, and the like?

lemon41625
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Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by lemon41625 » November 24th, 2020, 9:06 am

Hunting wrote:
November 24th, 2020, 8:36 am
Give me credit for this one. =)
May I point out that it was Rowett who found this rule and not you (https://conwaylife.com/forums/viewtopic ... 550#p98806)? Perhaps you did rediscover it but Rowett probably found it first.
Download CAViewer: https://github.com/jedlimlx/Cellular-Automaton-Viewer

Supports:
BSFKL, Extended Generations, Regenerating Generations, Naive Rules, R1 Moore, R2 Cross and R2 Von Neumann INT
And some others...

Hunting
Posts: 4395
Joined: September 11th, 2017, 2:54 am

Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by Hunting » November 24th, 2020, 9:31 am

lemon41625 wrote:
November 24th, 2020, 9:06 am
Hunting wrote:
November 24th, 2020, 8:36 am
Give me credit for this one. =)
May I point out that it was Rowett who found this rule and not you (https://conwaylife.com/forums/viewtopic ... 550#p98806)? Perhaps you did rediscover it but Rowett probably found it first.
Oh, I see, I confused it with my family of cross neighbourhood rules.

I just realized you were not here when I discovered my rocket rules.

Eugleo
Posts: 3
Joined: November 24th, 2020, 4:55 am

Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by Eugleo » November 25th, 2020, 3:33 am

lemon41625 wrote:
November 24th, 2020, 6:08 am
Some other extensions you can try out also include the Extended Generations, BSFKL and INT rulespaces.
Note that INT rules may be harder to implement as the next state of the cell depends not only on the sum of its neighbours but also the neighbour's relative positioning to the cell.
Thank you very much, especially those at the end look very interesting — as in you (or rather, I) can tell the difference between them and the original GoL.

Eugleo
Posts: 3
Joined: November 24th, 2020, 4:55 am

Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by Eugleo » November 25th, 2020, 3:35 am

Hunting wrote:
November 24th, 2020, 8:36 am
OP: Have you tried INT, Symbiosis, and the like?
I have not! My knowledge of CA is very limited I’ll check those out; hopefully they will be different enough from GoL that even a high-schooler would be able to tell the difference.

Hunting
Posts: 4395
Joined: September 11th, 2017, 2:54 am

Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by Hunting » November 25th, 2020, 3:39 am

Eugleo wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 3:35 am
Hunting wrote:
November 24th, 2020, 8:36 am
OP: Have you tried INT, Symbiosis, and the like?
I have not! My knowledge of CA is very limited I’ll check those out; hopefully they will be different enough from GoL that even a high-schooler would be able to tell the difference.
Well, most of us are younger than a high schooler - I'm 12, for example.

Don't forget to advertise LeapLife, the link in my signature, for me! =)

Schiaparelliorbust
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Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by Schiaparelliorbust » November 25th, 2020, 4:39 am

Hunting wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 3:39 am
Well, most of us are younger than a high schooler - I'm 12, for example.

Don't forget to advertise LeapLife, the link in my signature, for me! =)
Eugleo wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 3:35 am
I have not! My knowledge of CA is very limited I’ll check those out; hopefully they will be different enough from GoL that even a high-schooler would be able to tell the difference.
I think at least the basics of CA are easy to understand, though some higher-level concepts like conduits, universal computation and construction, syntheses, and over-unity reactions could be harder. LifeWiki is a great place to look.
Hunting's language (though he doesn't want me to call it that)
Board And Card Games
Colorised CA
Alien Biosphere

Hunting
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Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by Hunting » November 25th, 2020, 4:58 am

Schiaparelliorbust wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 4:39 am
Hunting wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 3:39 am
Well, most of us are younger than a high schooler - I'm 12, for example.

Don't forget to advertise LeapLife, the link in my signature, for me! =)
Eugleo wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 3:35 am
I have not! My knowledge of CA is very limited I’ll check those out; hopefully they will be different enough from GoL that even a high-schooler would be able to tell the difference.
I think at least the basics of CA are easy to understand, though some higher-level concepts like conduits, universal computation and construction, syntheses, and over-unity reactions could be harder. LifeWiki is a great place to look.
And reverse caber tosser, geminoid, slow salvo, and the like.

Schiaparelliorbust
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Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by Schiaparelliorbust » November 25th, 2020, 5:03 am

Hunting wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 4:58 am
Schiaparelliorbust wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 4:39 am
I think at least the basics of CA are easy to understand, though some higher-level concepts like conduits, universal computation and construction, syntheses, and over-unity reactions could be harder. LifeWiki is a great place to look.
And reverse caber tosser, geminoid, slow salvo, and the like.
I sill don't understand the reverse caber tosser. I should look at the thread explaining it .
Hunting's language (though he doesn't want me to call it that)
Board And Card Games
Colorised CA
Alien Biosphere

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bubblegum
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Re: Interesting variants and modifications to the basic ruleset?

Post by bubblegum » November 25th, 2020, 1:26 pm

Schiaparelliorbust wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 5:03 am
Hunting wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 4:58 am
Schiaparelliorbust wrote:
November 25th, 2020, 4:39 am
I think at least the basics of CA are easy to understand, though some higher-level concepts like conduits, universal computation and construction, syntheses, and over-unity reactions could be harder. LifeWiki is a great place to look.
And reverse caber tosser, geminoid, slow salvo, and the like.
I sill don't understand the reverse caber tosser. I should look at the thread explaining it .
A caber tosser is a glider bouncing between a G->2G and a receding Cordership. The RCT is a glider bouncing between an advancing Corderpuffer (known as the Sakapuffer) and a bit of moving circuitry, and somewhere is encoded a slow-salvo recipe in one glider.
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anything

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