Very nice!
One problem that comes up is how to make forward gliders, since FWKnightship's recipes require them (see below for more details). There are no 2-engine forward rakes, and the only clean glider reflection is an antiparallel collision.
Here is a very simple switchable and adjustable forward/backward rake I found by accident:
Code: Select all
x = 335, y = 277, rule = B3-ckr5y/S2-i3-aek4ci5c
225bo$224bobo$19bo203bobobo$18bobo201bobobobo$17bobobo201bobobo$16bobo
bobo201bobo$17bobobo203bo$18bobo$19bo$256bo$255bobo$50bo203bobobo$49bo
bo201bobobobo$48bobobo201bobobo$47bobobobo155bo45bobo$48bobobo155bobo
45bo$3bo45bobo155bobobo$2bobo45bo155bobobobo$bobobo201bobobo$obobobo
201bobo$bobobo203bo$2bobo$3bo2$232bo$231bobo$26bo203bobobo$25bobo201bo
bobobo$24bobobo201bobobo$23bobobobo201bobo$24bobobo203bo$25bobo$26bo$
263bo$262bobo$57bo203bobobo$56bobo201bobobobo$55bobobo201bobobo$54bobo
bobo155bo45bobo$55bobobo155bobo45bo$10bo45bobo155bobobo$9bobo45bo155bo
bobobo$8bobobo201bobobo$7bobobobo201bobo$8bobobo203bo$9bobo$10bo2$239b
o$238bobo$33bo203bobobo$32bobo201bobobobo$31bobobo201bobobo$30bobobobo
201bobo$31bobobo203bo$32bobo$33bo$270bo$269bobo$64bo203bobobo$63bobo
201bobobobo$62bobobo201bobobo$61bobobobo155bo45bobo$62bobobo155bobo45b
o$17bo45bobo155bobobo$16bobo45bo155bobobobo$15bobobo201bobobo$14bobobo
bo201bobo$15bobobo203bo$16bobo$17bo2$246bo$245bobo$40bo203bobobo$39bob
o201bobobobo$38bobobo201bobobo$37bobobobo201bobo6bo$38bobobo203bo6b3o$
39bobo6bo203b2ob2o$40bo6b3o$46b2ob2o226bo$276bobo$71bo182bo20bobobo$
70bobo201bobobobo$48bo20bobobo201bobobo$68bobobobo155bo45bobo$69bobobo
155bobo45bo$24bo45bobo155bobobo5bo12bo$23bobo45bo155bobobobo3bobo$22bo
bobo5bo12bo182bobobo3bo3bo$21bobobobo3bobo195bobo3bobobobo$22bobobo3bo
3bo195bo3b2ob3ob2o6b2ob2o$23bobo3bobobobo199b2o3b2o8b3o$24bo3b2ob3ob2o
6b2ob2o187b2o3b2o9bo$29b2o3b2o8b3o$29b2o3b2o9bo9$284bo$283bobo$78bo
203bobobo$77bobo201bobobobo$76bobobo201bobobo$75bobobobo201bobo$76bobo
bo203bo$77bobo$78bo16$291bo$290bobo$85bo203bobobo$84bobo201bobobobo$
83bobobo201bobobo$82bobobobo201bobo$83bobobo203bo$84bobo$85bo16$298bo$
297bobo$92bo203bobobo$91bobo201bobobobo$90bobobo201bobobo$89bobobobo
201bobo$90bobobo203bo$91bobo$92bo16$305bo$304bobo$99bo203bobobo$98bobo
201bobobobo$97bobobo201bobobo$96bobobobo201bobo$97bobobo203bo$98bobo$
99bo16$312bo$311bobo$106bo203bobobo$105bobo201bobobobo$104bobobo201bob
obo$103bobobobo201bobo$104bobobo203bo$105bobo$106bo16$319bo$318bobo$
113bo203bobobo$112bobo201bobobobo$111bobobo201bobobo$110bobobobo201bob
o$111bobobo203bo$112bobo$113bo16$326b3o$325bo2bo$120bo203bo2b2o3bobo$
119bobo201bo2bo$118bobobo201b4ob2o$117bobobobo3b3o201bo$118bobobo3bo3b
o197b3obo$119bobo4bo3bo198b3o$120bo4b2o3b2o$126b2ob2o12$331bo$123b2ob
2o202bobo$122b2o3b2o200bobobo$123bo3bo200bobobobo$123bo3bo201bobobo$
124b3o203bobo$331bo!
Any of the two-crawler southeast rakes works, but you might need to adjust the timing and position.
Creating a northwest/southwest unit will be harder (there is only one glider lane in between the super tubs), so an elementary solution might not exist and we could have to bounce them off tubs (using super tubs in this way to create northwest gliders does not work):
Code: Select all
x = 26, y = 45, rule = B3-ckr5y/S2-i3-aek4ci5c
25bo$23b2o$24b2o16$bo$obo$bo21$14bo$8bo5bobo$7bobo4b2o$8bo!
To make dealing with the tracks easier, I have come up with a numbering system. The first number is the
y distance mod 3, and the second is
(x distance+2*floor(y distance / 3)) mod 9. Do not use (x distance+floor(2*y distance / 3)) mod 9, which is slightly different.
For example, the first rake has the super tubs separated by (15,5), so the first number is 5 mod 3=2, and the second is (15+2*(5 % 3)) mod 9=17 mod 9=8, so it is a 2-8:
Code: Select all
x = 28, y = 35, rule = B3-ckr5y/S2-i3-aek4ci5c
18bo$17bobo$16bobobo$15bobobobo$16bobobo$3bo13bobo$2bobo13bo6b3o$bobob
o19bobo$obobobo18bobo$bobobo$2bobo20bobo$3bo6b3o$10bobo13bo$10bobo2$
10bobo10bo2$11bo10bobo2$22bobo$8bo13bobo$22b3o$7bobo2$7bobo$7bobo$7b3o
6$14bobo$14b2o$15bo!
The other rakes are 2-6, 0-1, 0-5, 2-6, 2-1, 1-6, 2-6 and 1-4.
The motivation for this has to do with the shifting of the super tubs. A crawler increases the x distance by 2 and decreases the y distance by 3, which you can check keeps both numbers the same. Similarly, moving from one super tub to the next in the series increases the x distance by 7 and decreases the y distance by 24, which also keeps both numbers the same{a}.
You can change the numbers by hitting one of the super tubs with a glider, and some crawler pairs will do this as well.
To insert the xq12s into the helix, there are two relatively good options. FWKnightship's second synthesis is able to fit them into an amazingly tight space (it can insert ahead of all but the minimum spacing), though the glider from the right side will cause trouble for us:
Code: Select all
x = 29, y = 58, rule = B3-ckr5y/S2-i3-aek4ci5c
2bo$obo$b2o8$26bo$25b2o$7bo17bobo$7b2o$6bobo30$25b3o$24bo2bo$24bo2bo$
24bo3bo$25bo$26bo3$18bo$17b3o$16bo2b2o$15bobob2o$16b2o$17bo!
The other is the second seed (just a coincidence) by GUYTU6J. The clearance is not as good, and it produces junk that needs to be cleaned up quickly before the next coil of the helix arrives (maybe another object or two could be added?).
There are a few ways to insert a spaceship so the spaceship on the left can destroy the one on the right (there are probably some where the right spaceship is farther out):
Code: Select all
x = 140, y = 29, rule = B3-ckr5y/S2-i3-aek4ci5c
2bo119bo$obo76bo40bobo$b2o75bobob3o36b2o$38bo40bo2bo$2bo36bo2bo40bo38b
o$bobo33b3obobo77bobo$2bo39bo79bo5$4bo39bo39bo39bo$3bobo37bobo37bobo
37bobo$2bobobo35bobobo35bobobo35bobobo$bobobobo33bobobobo33bobobobo33b
obobobo$2bobobo35bobobo35bobobo35bobobo$3bobo37bobo37bobo37bobo$4bo39b
o39bo39bo5$18bo79bo39bo$17b3o37b3o37b3o37b3o$16b2obo36bo2bo36b2obo36b
2obo$16b2o38bo2bo37b2o37b2o$16bo39bo3bo37b3o35bo$57bo41b2o$58bo!
However, we run into a problem here, since both methods require crawlers to the west of the helix. The west side of the helix is the difficult side, as stable objects end up on the east side, and southwest gliders will eventually crash into the helix itself. It seems, then, that the best option is to have
two helices, one that produces westward c/2 ships and another below it making northwest gliders. See the diagram:
- caterpillar outline.png (91.08 KiB) Viewed 1717 times
Another option is to have one helix which produces both c/2 ships and southwest gliders with a large amount of clearance, where the latter crash into c/2 ships, becoming northwest gliders that collide with the c/2 ships to produce a track for crawlers which quickly makes another one much further out. This seems unlikelier.
While the double helix design is very unpleasant, removing it would require finding a quick one-sided inserter. Since the slope of a line of southwest gliders is steeper than the slope of the helix, this would probably require shooting c/2 spaceships sideways and either quickly turning them into southwest gliders or just using them in the synthesis like the Waterbear.
On the other hand, the easy 3G synthesis and NE/SE switchable rake probably make the double helix and Waterbear-style designs reasonably competitive.
One more thing: GUYTU6J, that gencols search doesn't seem complete. I couldn't find this crawler pair in crawlers2.txt:
Code: Select all
x = 45, y = 77, rule = B3-ckr5y/S2-i3-aek4ci5c
19bo$18bobo$17bobobo$16bobobobo$17bobobo$3bo14bobo$2bobo14bo$bobobo$ob
obobo$bobobo$2bobo$3bo13$26bo$25bobo$24bobobo$23bobobobo$24bobobo$10bo
14bobo$9bobo14bo$8bobobo$7bobobobo$8bobobo$9bobo$10bo13$33bo$32bobo$
31bobobo$30bobobobo$31bobobo$17bo14bobo$16bobo14bo6b3o$15bobobo20bobo$
14bobobobo19bobo$15bobobo$16bobo21bobo$17bo6b3o$24bobo14bo$24bobo2$24b
obo11bo2$25bo11bobo2$37bobo$22bo14bobo$37b3o$21bobo2$21bobo$21bobo$21b
3o!
{a}: "But where does the 9
come from?" I hear you cry. If we try to add the (2,3) shift and the (7,24) displacement to make a purely horizontal displacement, we get 8*(2,3)-(7,24)=(16,24)-(7,24)=(9,0). So if we put 8 crawlers in a row, they shift the super tubs 9 cells to the left.
Any sufficiently advanced software is indistinguishable from malice.
Time to search more...
