Almost self-synthesizing spaceship?

[EvinZL]

Here's a design I thought of for a puffer whose engine consists of gliders aimed at 2 blocks; I think it could be modified into a spaceship, or maybe even a self-synthesizing one.

So the basic design has two halves. Each halve consists of two identical streams of gliders, separated by 43hd. The outer streams come before the inner streams. So it would be like this:

Code: Select all

x = 508, y = 527, rule = LifeSuper
318.L$317.3L.2M$316.4L.2M$315.4L$314.4L$313.4L$312.4L$311.4L$310.4L$
309.4L$308.4L$307.4L$306.4L$305.4L$304.4L$303.4L$302.4L$301.4L$300.4L
$299.4L$298.4L$297.4L$296.4L$295.4L$294.4L$293.4L$292.4L$291.4L$290.
4L$289.4L$288.4L$287.4L$286.4L$285.4L$284.4L$283.4L$282.4L$281.4L$
280.4L$279.4L$278.4L$277.4L$276.4L$275.4L$274.4L$273.4L$272.4L$271.4L
$270.4L$269.4L$268.4L$267.4L$266.4L$265.4L$264.4L$263.4L$262.4L$261.
4L$260.4L$259.4L$258.4L$257.4L$256.4L$255.4L$254.4L$253.4L$252.4L$
251.4L$250.4L$249.4L$248.4L$247.4L$246.4L$245.4L$244.4L$243.4L$242.4L
$241.4L$240.4L$239.4L$238.4L$237.4L$236.4L$235.4L$234.4L$233.4L$232.
4L$231.4L$230.4L$229.4L$228.4L$227.4L$226.4L$225.4L$224.4L$223.4L$
222.4L$221.4L$220.4L$219.4L$218.4L$217.4L$216.4L$215.4L$214.4L$213.4L
$212.4L$211.4L$210.4L$209.4L$208.4L$207.4L$206.4L$205.4L$204.4L$203.
4L$202.4L$201.4L$200.4L$199.4L$198.4L$197.4L$196.4L$195.4L$194.4L$
193.4L$192.4L$191.4L$190.4L$189.4L$188.4L$187.4L$186.4L$185.4L$184.4L
$183.4L$182.4L$181.4L$180.4L$179.4L$178.4L$177.4L$176.4L$175.4L$174.
4L$173.4L$172.4L$171.4L$170.4L$169.4L$168.4L$167.4L$166.4L$165.4L$
164.4L$163.4L$162.4L$161.4L$160.4L$159.4L$158.4L$157.4L$156.4L$155.4L
$154.4L$153.4L$153.3L$154.L33$165.J$164.3J$163.4J$162.4J$161.4J340.2M
$160.4J341.2M$159.4J$158.4J343.2L$157.4J343.4L$156.4J343.4L$155.4J
343.4L$154.4J343.4L$153.4J343.4L$152.4J343.4L$151.4J343.4L$150.4J343.
4L$149.4J343.4L$148.4J343.4L$147.4J343.4L$146.4J343.4L$145.4J343.4L$
144.4J343.4L$143.4J343.4L$142.4J343.4L$141.4J343.4L$140.4J343.4L$139.
4J343.4L$138.4J343.4L$137.4J343.4L$136.4J343.4L$135.4J343.4L$134.4J
343.4L$133.4J343.4L$132.4J343.4L$131.4J343.4L$130.4J343.4L$129.4J343.
4L$128.4J343.4L$127.4J343.4L$126.4J343.4L$125.4J343.4L$124.4J343.4L$
123.4J343.4L$122.4J343.4L$121.4J343.4L$120.4J343.4L$119.4J343.4L$118.
4J343.4L$117.4J343.4L$116.4J343.4L$115.4J343.4L$114.4J343.4L$113.4J
343.4L$112.4J343.4L$111.4J343.4L$110.4J343.4L$109.4J343.4L$108.4J343.
4L$107.4J343.4L$106.4J343.4L$105.4J343.4L$104.4J343.4L$103.4J343.4L$
102.4J343.4L$101.4J343.4L$100.4J343.4L$99.4J343.4L$98.4J343.4L$97.4J
343.4L$96.4J343.4L$95.4J343.4L$94.4J343.4L$93.4J343.4L$92.4J343.4L$
91.4J343.4L$90.4J343.4L$89.4J343.4L$88.4J343.4L$87.4J343.4L$86.4J343.
4L$85.4J343.4L$84.4J343.4L$83.4J343.4L$82.4J343.4L$81.4J343.4L$80.4J
343.4L$79.4J343.4L$78.4J343.4L$77.4J343.4L$76.4J343.4L$75.4J343.4L$
74.4J343.4L$73.4J343.4L$72.4J343.4L$71.4J343.4L$70.4J343.4L$69.4J343.
4L$68.4J343.4L$67.4J343.4L$66.4J343.4L$65.4J343.4L$64.4J343.4L$63.4J
343.4L$62.4J343.4L$61.4J343.4L$60.4J343.4L$59.4J343.4L$58.4J343.4L$
57.4J343.4L$56.4J343.4L$55.4J343.4L$54.4J343.4L$53.4J343.4L$52.4J343.
4L$51.4J343.4L$50.4J343.4L$49.4J343.4L$48.4J343.4L$47.4J343.4L$46.4J
343.4L$45.4J343.4L$44.4J343.4L$43.4J343.4L$42.4J343.4L$41.4J343.4L$
40.4J343.4L$39.4J343.4L$38.4J343.4L$37.4J343.4L$36.4J343.4L$35.4J343.
4L$34.4J343.4L$33.4J343.4L$32.4J343.4L$31.4J343.4L$30.4J343.4L$29.4J
343.4L$28.4J343.4L$27.4J343.4L$26.4J343.4L$25.4J343.4L$24.4J343.4L$
23.4J343.4L$22.4J343.4L$21.4J343.4L$20.4J343.4L$19.4J343.4L$18.4J343.
4L$17.4J343.4L$16.4J343.4L$15.4J343.4L$14.4J343.4L$13.4J343.4L$12.4J
343.4L$11.4J343.4L$10.4J343.4L$9.4J343.4L$8.4J343.4L$7.4J343.4L$6.4J
343.4L$5.4J296.2J45.4L$4.4J296.4J43.4L$3.4J296.4J43.4L$2.4J296.4J43.
4L$.4J296.4J43.4L$4J296.4J43.4L$3J296.4J43.4L$.J296.4J43.4L$297.4J43.
4L$296.4J43.4L$295.4J43.4L$294.4J43.4L$293.4J43.4L$292.4J45.2L$291.4J
$290.4J$289.4J$288.4J$287.4J$286.4J$285.4J$284.4J$283.4J$282.4J$281.
4J$280.4J$279.4J$278.4J$277.4J$276.4J$275.4J$274.4J$273.4J$272.4J$
271.4J$270.4J$269.4J$268.4J$267.4J$266.4J$265.4J$264.4J$263.4J$262.4J
$261.4J$260.4J$259.4J$258.4J$257.4J$256.4J$255.4J$254.4J$253.4J$252.
4J$251.4J$250.4J$249.4J$248.4J$247.4J$246.4J$245.4J$244.4J$243.4J$
242.4J$241.4J$240.4J$239.4J$238.4J$237.4J$236.4J$235.4J$234.4J$233.4J
$232.4J$231.4J$230.4J$229.4J$228.4J$227.4J$226.4J$225.4J$224.4J$223.
4J$222.4J$221.4J$220.4J$219.4J$218.4J$217.4J$216.4J$215.4J$214.4J$
213.4J$212.4J$211.4J$210.4J$209.4J$208.4J$207.4J$206.4J$205.4J$204.4J
$203.4J$202.4J$201.4J$200.4J$199.4J$198.4J$197.4J$196.4J$195.4J$194.
4J$193.4J$192.4J$191.4J$190.4J$189.4J$188.4J$187.4J$186.4J$185.4J$
184.4J$183.4J$182.4J$181.4J$180.4J$179.4J$178.4J$177.4J$176.4J$175.4J
$174.4J$173.4J$172.4J$171.4J$170.4J$169.4J$168.4J$167.4J$166.4J$165.
4J$164.4J$163.4J$162.4J$161.4J$160.4J$159.4J$158.4J$157.4J$156.4J$
155.4J$154.4J$153.4J$152.4J$151.4J$150.4J$149.4J$148.4J$147.4J$146.4J
$145.4J$144.4J$143.4J$142.4J$141.4J$140.4J$141.2J!

And then after the green gliders finish colliding it will become something like this:

Code: Select all

x = 465, y = 517, rule = LifeSuper
319.L$318.2L$317.3L$316.4L$315.4L$314.4L$313.4L$312.4L$311.4L39.4J$
310.4L39.4J$309.4L39.4J$308.4L39.4J$307.4L39.4J$306.4L39.4J$305.4L39.
4J$304.4L39.4J$303.4L39.4J$302.4L39.4J$301.4L39.4J$300.4L39.4J$299.4L
39.4J$298.4L39.4J$297.4L39.4J$296.4L39.4J$295.4L39.4J$294.4L39.4J$
293.4L39.4J$292.4L39.4J$291.4L39.4J$290.4L39.4J$289.4L39.4J$288.4L39.
4J$287.4L39.4J10$291.I$289.3I47.I11.2I$288.I49.I.I10.2I$288.2I15.2I
31.I.I$306.I25.2I2.3I.2I$306.I.I23.I2.I$307.2I21.I.I3.3I.2I$330.2I6.I
.2I$267.2I$266.I.I$266.I33.I$265.2I33.3I$303.I$302.2I$270.2I56.2I13.
2I$269.I.I56.2I13.2I$269.I88.2I$268.2I87.I2.I$358.2I.I$361.I$361.2I$
346.2I$347.I$279.2I38.2I23.3I$279.2I38.I24.I$287.2I31.3I$287.I25.2I7.
I$288.3I22.I$290.I23.3I$316.I$289.I$288.I.I$288.I.I$287.2I.3I$293.I$
287.2I.3I$287.2I.I2$279.2I$270.2I7.2I$271.I$271.I.I$272.2I4$292.2I$
292.2I5$277.I$276.I.I$276.I.I$277.I$274.3I$274.I2$299.2I$299.I.I$301.
I4.2I$297.4I.2I2.I2.I$297.I2.I.I.I.I.2I$300.I.I.I.I$301.2I.I.I$305.I
2$291.2I$292.I7.2I$292.I.I5.2I$293.2I7$303.2I$303.I$304.3I$306.I12$
268.2I$269.I$267.I$267.5I14.2I$272.I13.I$269.3I12.I.I$268.I15.2I$268.
4I$266.2I3.I3.2I$265.I2.3I4.2I$265.2I.I$268.I$268.2I3$276.2I$277.I$
274.3I$274.I2$458.2I$458.I$460.I$440.2I14.5I$441.I13.I$441.I.I12.3I$
442.2I15.I$456.4I$451.2I3.I3.2I$451.2I4.3I2.I$459.I.2I$459.I$458.2I3$
450.2I$450.I$451.3I$453.I4$425.I$423.3I$422.I$422.2I7$412.2I$411.I.I
5.2I$411.I7.2I$410.2I2$424.I$420.2I.I.I$419.I.I.I.I$416.I2.I.I.I.I.2I
$416.4I.2I2.I2.I$165.J254.I4.2I$164.3J251.I.I$163.4J251.2I$162.4J$
161.4J237.I$160.4J238.3I$159.4J242.I$158.4J242.I.I$157.4J243.I.I$156.
4J245.I50.J$155.4J296.2J$154.4J296.3J$153.4J296.4J$152.4J296.4J$151.
4J265.2I29.4J$150.4J266.2I28.4J$149.4J296.4J$148.4J296.4J$147.4J296.
4J$146.4J250.2I44.4J$145.4J250.I.I43.4J$144.4J251.I44.4J$143.4J251.2I
7.2I34.4J$142.4J261.2I33.4J$141.4J296.4J$140.4J271.2I.I21.4J$139.4J
272.2I.3I18.4J$138.4J279.I16.4J$137.4J274.2I.3I16.4J$136.4J276.I.I17.
4J$135.4J277.I.I16.4J$134.4J279.I16.4J$133.4J296.4J$132.4J282.I14.3J$
131.4J281.3I14.2J$130.4J281.I17.J$129.4J282.2I$128.4J275.2I$127.4J
276.2I$126.4J$125.4J$124.4J$123.4J$122.4J$121.4J271.2I$120.4J273.I$
119.4J274.I.I$118.4J276.2I61.4L$117.4J339.4L$116.4J339.4L$115.4J274.
2I63.4L$114.4J276.I62.4L$113.4J277.I.I59.4L$112.4J279.2I58.4L$111.4J
339.4L$110.4J339.4L$109.4J339.4L$108.4J339.4L$107.4J305.2I32.4L$106.
4J306.I32.4L$105.4J308.3I28.4L$104.4J311.I27.4L$103.4J339.4L$102.4J
303.2I34.4L$101.4J304.I.I32.4L$100.4J307.I31.4L$99.4J308.2I29.4L$98.
4J339.4L$97.4J339.4L$96.4J339.4L$95.4J339.4L$94.4J339.4L$93.4J339.4L$
92.4J279.2I11.I46.4L$91.4J280.2I10.I.I44.4L$90.4J293.I.I31.2I10.4L$
89.4J293.2I.3I2.2I25.I11.3L$88.4J300.I2.I23.I.I11.2L$87.4J295.2I.3I3.
I.I21.2I12.L$86.4J296.2I.I6.2I$85.4J$84.4J$83.4J$82.4J$81.4J$80.4J$
79.4J300.2I13.2I$78.4J301.2I13.2I$77.4J287.2I$76.4J287.I2.I$75.4J287.
I.2I$74.4J288.I$73.4J288.2I$72.4J304.2I$71.4J305.I$70.4J307.3I23.2I$
69.4J310.I24.I$68.4J333.3I$67.4J334.I7.2I$66.4J344.I$65.4J342.3I$64.
4J343.I$63.4J$62.4J$61.4J$60.4J$59.4J$58.4J$57.4J$56.4J$55.4J$54.4J$
53.4J$52.4J$51.4J$50.4J$49.4J$48.4J$47.4J$46.4J$45.4J$44.4J$43.4J$42.
4J$41.4J$40.4J$39.4J$38.4J$37.4J$36.4J$35.4J$34.4J$33.4J$32.4J$31.4J$
30.4J$29.4J$28.4J$27.4J$26.4J$25.4J$24.4J$23.4J$22.4J$21.4J$20.4J$19.
4J$18.4J$17.4J$16.4J$15.4J$14.4J$13.4J$12.4J296.2J$11.4J296.4J$10.4J
296.4J$9.4J296.4J$8.4J296.4J$7.4J296.4J$6.4J296.4J$5.4J296.4J$4.4J
296.4J$3.4J296.4J$2.4J296.4J$.4J296.4J$4J296.4J$3J296.4J$.J296.4J$
297.4J$296.4J$295.4J$294.4J$293.4J$292.4J$291.4J$290.4J$289.4J$288.4J
$287.4J$286.4J$285.4J$284.4J$283.4J$282.4J$281.4J$280.4J$279.4J$278.
4J$277.4J$276.4J$275.4J$274.4J$273.4J$272.4J$271.4J$270.4J$269.4J$
268.4J$267.4J$266.4J$265.4J$264.4J$263.4J$262.4J$261.4J$260.4J$259.4J
$258.4J$257.4J$256.4J$255.4J$254.4J$253.4J$252.4J$251.4J$250.4J$249.
4J$248.4J$247.4J$246.4J$245.4J$244.4J$243.4J$242.4J$241.4J$240.4J$
239.4J$238.4J$237.4J$236.4J$235.4J$234.4J$233.4J$232.4J$231.4J$230.4J
$229.4J$228.4J$227.4J$226.4J$225.4J$224.4J$223.4J$222.4J$221.4J$220.
4J$219.4J$218.4J$217.4J$216.4J$215.4J$214.4J$213.4J$212.4J$211.4J$
210.4J$209.4J$208.4J$207.4J$206.4J$205.4J$204.4J$203.4J$202.4J$201.4J
$200.4J$199.4J$198.4J$197.4J$196.4J$195.4J$194.4J$193.4J$192.4J$191.
4J$190.4J$189.4J$188.4J$187.4J$186.4J$185.4J$184.4J$183.4J$182.4J$
181.4J$180.4J$179.4J$178.4J$177.4J$176.4J$175.4J$174.4J$173.4J$172.4J
$171.4J$170.4J$169.4J$168.4J$167.4J$166.4J$165.4J$164.4J$163.4J$162.
4J$161.4J$160.4J$159.4J$158.4J$157.4J$156.4J$155.4J$154.4J$153.4J$
152.4J$151.4J$150.4J$149.4J$148.4J$147.4J$148.2J!

Which will create the blue and green gliders for the next cycle (target blocks not included)

So it could certainly be possible to add some self-destruct gunk and have a trailing glider to make a spaceship...

And then shift some timings and add a bunch a gunk in the recipe to make it self-synthesizing...

Well that's about as far as I can go since I don't have gol-destroy or slmake, so have fun!

[dvgrn]

Here's a design I thought of for a puffer whose engine consists of gliders aimed at 2 blocks; I think it could be modified into a spaceship, or maybe even a self-synthesizing one.

Offhand it looks pretty workable, as long as you don't mind HashLIfe having a hard time with it. There will be four streams of gliders going back and forth in close quarters, between the two halves. StreamLife is designed to handle that kind of thing without any trouble, but HashLife... not so much.

I guess it could be cut down to one doubled-over stream at a time, but adding more distance between the halves and moving one of the pairs of streams southwest a long way. Not absolutely sure that would work, but it seems like it ought to. HashLife still won't be happy, though.

The new targets for construction will presumably be made far off to the NE with Pavgran's 0-degree crabstretcher recipe, right?

The part about turning this into a self-synthesizing spaceship seems easy enough. Instead of building just one target block after shooting down the wickstretcher, you build a 1G seed for a target block, then immediately trigger it:

Code: Select all

x = 49, y = 58, rule = LifeHistory
41.2C$41.C.C$42.C.C$43.C18$27.2C$27.C.C$28.2C4$34.2C$34.C.C$35.2C15$
47.C$46.C.C$45.C.C$45.2C8$3C$2.C$.C!

If the self-destruction circuits are set up right, there should be some amount of time when the entire pattern consists of nothing but gliders on non-conflicting paths.

Rather than the exactly-timed following signals in the Speed Demonoid, a good way to handle self-destruct here might be for the final glider produced by the construction arm to be a 180-degree glider rather than a 0-degree glider. A few final gliders in the single-channel stream can clean up the elbow if necessary -- or just use a 180-degree glider recipe that destroys the elbow. The self-destruct path would follow the final gliders in the single-channel stream, from one half to the other half and right back again, cleaning up circuitry as it goes along.

[RakeGuy1246]

Here's a design I thought of for a puffer whose engine consists of gliders aimed at 2 blocks; I think it could be modified into a spaceship, or maybe even a self-synthesizing one.

Offhand it looks pretty workable, as long as you don't mind HashLIfe having a hard time with it. There will be four streams of gliders going back and forth in close quarters, between the two halves. StreamLife is designed to handle that kind of thing without any trouble, but HashLife... not so much.

I guess it could be cut down to one doubled-over stream at a time, but adding more distance between the halves and moving one of the pairs of streams southwest a long way. Not absolutely sure that would work, but it seems like it ought to. HashLife still won't be happy, though.

The new targets for construction will presumably be made far off to the NE with Pavgran's 0-degree crabstretcher recipe, right?

The part about turning this into a self-synthesizing spaceship seems easy enough. Instead of building just one target block after shooting down the wickstretcher, you build a 1G seed for a target block, then immediately trigger it:

Code: Select all

x = 49, y = 58, rule = LifeHistory
41.2C$41.C.C$42.C.C$43.C18$27.2C$27.C.C$28.2C4$34.2C$34.C.C$35.2C15$
47.C$46.C.C$45.C.C$45.2C8$3C$2.C$.C!

If the self-destruction circuits are set up right, there should be some amount of time when the entire pattern consists of nothing but gliders on non-conflicting paths.

Rather than the exactly-timed following signals in the Speed Demonoid, a good way to handle self-destruct here might be for the final glider produced by the construction arm to be a 180-degree glider rather than a 0-degree glider. A few final gliders in the single-channel stream can clean up the elbow if necessary -- or just use a 180-degree glider recipe that destroys the elbow. The self-destruct path would follow the final gliders in the single-channel stream, from one half to the other half and right back again, cleaning up circuitry as it goes along.

If there's a synthesis for this block thing, or someone can just construct the block directly from the two gliders, which is more possible, that would be a good start to the design. Also, if the glider line in the back is unused in synthesizing the next cycle, then they can maybe be used to clean up the mess left behind, thus sending us right back to the start.

[dvgrn]

If there's a synthesis for this block thing, or someone can just construct the block directly from the two gliders, which is more possible, that would be a good start to the design. Also, if the glider line in the back is unused in synthesizing the next cycle, then they can maybe be used to clean up the mess left behind, thus sending us right back to the start.

None of this means anything to me -- I'm not absolutely sure what the "block thing" is, or how one would construct the block "directly from two gliders" without having a mechanism similar to the above to create the gliders, or in what sense the glider line in the back is unused, or what the "mess left behind" is.

With the right self-destruct circuitry, there isn't any mess left behind. The trailing sets of gliders can't be used for anything, because they're the "clean copy" of the recipe that has to get duplicated from generation to generation.

There's a small set of technical problems that would have to be solved to make this blueprint into a real pattern. But if I'm understanding things right, the "synthesis for this block thing" is just the kind of thing that you ask slsparse for and it will provide it, no problem. Most of the other pieces can be borrowed from Pavgran's Speed Demonoid -- though I think we don't need a double wickstretcher, just a single one.

[EvinZL]

It might need a double wickstretcher - something like this:

• Build wickstretcher
• Light one wick to make block a
• Light the other to make block b
• Fire a backwards glider from block a, destroying it in the process
• Shoot gliders to align block b
• Destroy original block
• Block b is now the slow-salvo target
• Destroy and recreate block b using gliders
• Construct Scorbies + Snarks + block + self-destruct gunk

[dvgrn]

It might need a double wickstretcher - something like this...

This kind of needs a diagram, I think -- offhand I don't see why a single-wick stretcher wouldn't be enough.

All the surviving gliders for each cycle come from the blue streams. Let's call the original two streams the PreviousBlue stream and the PreviousGreen stream. The PreviousGreen stream is the one that does all the construction, and the PreviousBlue stream follows along behind it (at an offset).

After each PreviousBlue stream goes through Scorbie Splitter #1, let's call the two output streams the NextGreen stream (emitted first) and the NextBlue stream. A wickstretcher seed is built and triggered as part of the PreviousGreen stream's construction of the Scorbie Splitters and the Snarks, and a few Key Gliders are fired after it (more about this later). So the wickstretcher is growing for the entire time that the NextGreen and NextBlue streams are being emitted.

Self-destruct circuitry for each chunk of universal-constructor circuitry would be triggered by a 180-degree glider produced as one last destructive use of a 0-degree elbow block. The return glider would knock out Scorbie Splitter #1 just after it finishes producing the last gliders in that 180-degree recipe.

The Scorbie Splitter destruction circuit would send a glider off at 90 degrees, following immediately behind the the last of the green recipe-tape gliders, which would trigger the destruction of the Snarks in the other half. The Snarks' destruction circuit would send back another glider to clean up the remaining Scorbie Splitter... and produce the signal that lights the wick.

The wick burns past all the gliders, getting shorter and shorter until it's gone, leaving a target block. The Key Gliders come along first and convert the target block into the "Small Armada", the two-ship two-long-boat constellation that produces the two gliders that produce the target block. When that constellation is triggered by a final Key Glider to create the two block-making gliders, that's the moment that the spaceship is made out of nothing but gliders and has successfully synthesized itself.

The Wickstretcher Seed Makes It Easy
This all seems pretty straightforward, compared with previous self-synthesizing spaceship designs. On the other hand, as I mentioned, HashLife won't like this thing very much. Is there an even simpler design possible now, that would be HashLife-friendlier? Maybe something that travels orthogonally instead of diagonally, with the recipe zigzagging between the halves instead of getting doubled over 180 degrees?

-- Though we could make use of a second wick to separate the two Snark+Scorbie Splitter pairs by a long distance, I suppose. That would be pretty darn HashLife-friendly, unless I'm forgetting something. (?)

EDIT: In the BlueGreen design above, is there any reason why Scorbie Splitter #2 is needed, or would a plain Snark be just as good?

[EvinZL]

The Scorbie Splitter destruction circuit would send a glider off at 90 degrees, following immediately behind the the last of the green recipe-tape gliders, which would trigger the destruction of the Snarks in the other half. The Snarks' destruction circuit would send back another glider to clean up the remaining Scorbie Splitter... and produce the signal that lights the wick.

Oh that's quite clever!

EDIT: In the BlueGreen design above, is there any reason why Scorbie Splitter #2 is needed, or would a plain Snark be just as good?

It needs a color-changing output, and a scorbie is cheaper than bandersnatch+snark

[PC101]

I don't know if this will help, but I thought of a way to create over-unity reactions using the sparks from glider kickback reactions (to minimize the amount of still life over-unity reactions since this spaceship is supposed to be self-synthesizing).
Here is a failed example of such a thing:

Code: Select all

x = 63, y = 53, rule = B3/S23
5bo$6b2o$5b2o48$b2o58b2o$obo57b2o$2bo59bo!

In the above RLE you can see that the NW travelling glider collides with the sparks of the kickback reaction and successfully reacts, but not in a way to count as an over-unity reaction. If we could somehow harvest these sparks to create over-unity reactions, we could get started on making the structure of the ship (at least according to my knowledge).

[dvgrn]

I don't know if this will help, but I thought of a way to create over-unity reactions using the sparks from glider kickback reactions... If we could somehow harvest these sparks to create over-unity reactions, we could get started on making the structure of the ship (at least according to my knowledge).

Sorry, this reads to me very much like RakeGuy1246's comment -- it sounds like an attempt to imagine a solution to a problem, using a bunch of words and some hand-waving, rather than an attempt to build a solution.

To get an over-unity reaction from a kickback, we'd have to make at least three gliders by crashing one glider into a kickback spark -- or four gliders by crashing two gliders, etc. Even if you use up only one glider and make two gliders, you'll only be back where you started (three gliders total). You won't have created more than you put in. You can pretty easily try all possible collisions of a glider into a kickback spark, and confirm that you never get even two gliders out.

No doubt there's some number of gliders N where you could crash that many gliders into a kickback spark and get N+2 gliders out. I can think of various ways of doing that, but they don't seem particularly worth looking for.

Also, we don't even need over-unity reactions for this spaceship anyway. Most of the technical issues are pretty much solved, and the structure of the ship is described in detail in the original post, so the mention of "getting started on making the structure" doesn't make much sense to me either.