Scripts for rule transition

[pi_guy314]

Are there any scripts used for finding what ever line the rule table is using on a certain coordinate? Sometimes it gets difficult doing so manually since transition can get mixed up with others very easily.

[wildmyron]

I don't know of any, but I have often thought it would be great to have a purpose built program/interface to help design rule tables. My general approach at the moment is to use golly to test a rule-table I'm working on. I have a collection of small patterns in a row with neighbourhoods of interest, and in another layer have the intended result of those patterns evolving one generation. Then I go through a cycle of adjust rule, evolve patterns one generation, compare to desired result in other layer, find discrepancies, go back to rule-table, undo evolution and reload rule-table, and test again. However, as you say it can be time consuming to find the offending rule when you have undesired behaviour.