MathAndCode's catalyst troubleshooting guide

MathAndCode · Post by **MathAndCode** » November 7th, 2020, 1:11 am

These are all of the catalysts that I understand well enough to give troubleshooting advice on. If a particular path ends, that does not mean that the problem will necessarily have been fixed. It merely means that I have insufficient knowledge of catalysts to offer further suggestions if the catalyst still doesn't work. I'm sure that someone with more knowledge could make a better troubleshooting guide, but I don't think that anyone else has (although I could be wrong).

What catalyst are you trying to use?
- A fishhook:
  - Does the fishhook look like one of these?
    Code: Select all
```
x = 15, y = 5, rule = B3/S23
bo10bo2$obo7b2obo$2bo10bo$2b2o9b2o!
```
    - Yes.
      Try switching the position of the tail.
      - The tail is now in the wrong position for another catalysis.
        Try replacing the fishhook with an eater 2.
    - No.
      Does the fishhook turn into a ghost fishhook?
      - Yes.
        Why did the fishhook become a ghost fishhook?
        The cell two cells in front of the fishhook (from the fishhook's perspective) was on.
        Try moving the fishhook one cell down (from the fishhook's perspective) or replacing it with this.
        Code: Select all
        x = 13, y = 11, rule = B3/S23 b2o$bobo$3bo$3b3o$b2o3bo$o2b4o$2obo$3bob2o$3bobo$2b2obobo$6b2o
        
        A domino spark blocked the fishhook from recovering properly.
        Try replacing the fishhook with one of these.
        Code: Select all
        x = 13, y = 43, rule = B3/S23 11$7b2o$7bobo$9bo$8b2ob2o$9bobo$6b3o2bo$5bo3b2o$5b4o$8bo$5b2obobo$6bo2b2o$4bobo$4b2o12$5b2o$5bobo$7bo$6b2ob2obo$2b2o2bo2bob2o$bobo3b2o$bo$2o!
      - No.
        Does the fishhook fail because it interacts with a spark while it's still recovering or because it recovers too quickly and interacts with a spark before the spark had time to clear?
        Yes
        Does the fishhook fail because it interacts with a domino spark like this?
        Code: Select all
        x = 7, y = 5, rule = B3/S23 o$o3bo$2b2obo$5bo$5b2o!
        
        Yes.
        Try replacing the fishhook with a BTS (bookend-table-snake) catalyst.
        
        No.
        Try replacing the fishhook with an eater 2.
        
        No.
        Is the preblock replaced with a boat because the bottom end (from the fishhook's perspective) of the part of the chaos that interacts with the fishhook is insufficiently supported, and there is a line of cells extending far enough upwards (from the fishhook's perspective) that it forms a dot or domino spark that turns a hook with tail into a boat with tail?
        Yes.
        Is the spark a dot spark or a domino spark?
        a dot spark
        Try replacing the fishhook with a claw with tail or a dock on fishhook.
        
        a domino spark
        Try replacing the fishhook with a claw with tail.
        
        No.
        Does the fishhook look like one of these?
        Code: Select all
        x = 15, y = 5, rule = B3/S23 11bo$2o9b2o$obo8bobo$obo10bo$2b2o9b2o!
        
        Yes.
        Try replacing the fishhook with a bookend next to a fishhook where the bookeend is inducted (induced?) and has the cell at the corner of its tail further stabilized.
        Code: Select all
        x = 6, y = 9, rule = B3/S23 2o$obob2o$2bobo$b2o2bo$3b2o$b2o$2bo$2bobo$3b2o!
- An eater 2:
  Does the eater 2 fail because it interacts with a spark white it's still recovering?
  - Yes
    Does the eater 2 fail because it interacts with a domino spark like this?
    Code: Select all
```
x = 10, y = 8, rule = B3/S23
o$o3bobo$2bobob3o$9bo$3b2ob3o$4bobo$4bobo$5bo!
```
    - Yes.
      Try replacing the eater 2 with a BTS (bookend-table-snake) catalyst.
    - No.
      Try replacing the eater 2 with a fishhook if you haven't tried a fishhook already.
  - No.
    Does the eater 2 fail because a cell was born on the outside next to the block and one of the hats (like pictured)?
    Code: Select all
```
x = 8, y = 7, rule = B3/S23
b2obo$b2ob3o$o6bo$b2ob3o$2bobo$2bobo$3bo!
```
    - Yes.
      Does replacing the eater 2 with a fishhook work?
      - Yes.
        Use a fishhook.
      - No.
        Place another catalyst near the eater 2 on the side of the eater 2 where the extra cell was born.
- An eater 3:
  Does the loaf look like this and then disappear?
  Code: Select all
```
x = 5, y = 4, rule = B3/S23
3bo$4bo$2obo$2bo!
```
  - Yes.
    Place another catalyst on the side of the eater 3 that gets an extra cell so that it will interact with the active object a few generations earlier. If the same problem still happens, move the catalyst so that it interacts with the active object earlier.
- Block
  Was the line of cells on one side too long so that the block turned into a second cousin of the century, a blinker (or longer line of cells) formed then killed the block (similarly to an overweight spaceship), or the block died similarly to a phi spark?
  - Yes.
    Does the row/column just behind the leading edge of the chaos that is about to interact with the block have two cells with one directly behind the sole cell on the leading edge so that those two cells are in the same two columns/rows as the block, like pictured?
    Code: Select all
```
x = 3, y = 6, rule = B3/S23
3o$2o$o2$2o$2o!
```
    - Yes.
      Try moving the block by one cell, like pictured.
      Code: Select all
      x = 4, y = 6, rule = B3/S23 b3o$b2o$bo2$2o$2o!
    - No.
      Try placing a fishhook to kill some of those cells during the block's catalysis.

EvinZL · Post by **EvinZL** » November 7th, 2020, 2:27 pm

Fishhook
Does the fishhook become this?