CA screensaver ideas?

[GeorgeMCA]

Which reactions or types of patterns would you choose for a CA-inspired or CA-based "never-ending animation"?

I wouldn't choose fixed patterns but if I did I'd want them to randomly be selected from a library of my favorites and I'd want the patterns to run with different color schemes every time they are loaded and restarted.

In my Collidoscope screen saver for Windows I implemented:
- Rectangular and hexagonal color CA rules chosen at random from a library of rules
- Random starting configurations with random symmetry
- Randomly assigned dynamically changing colors

Nowadays there are much better CA rules and computers available than there were 20 years ago.

George

[confocaloid]

This isn't an agar, it eventually settles into noninteracting photons. However, if someone discovers a high-period agar like this (made of repeatedly "chaotically" colliding moving objects), that could make an interesting screensaver:

Code: Select all

#C Imagine that this never settles into anything simple
#C (actually this settles into a "boring" p160 pattern on the torus)
x = 16, y = 16, rule = /2/3:T160,119
2.AB5.BA2.B.B$.BA.B.B2.B4A.A$6.3BA3.A$2.B.A7.A2BA$2.A5.A2B3.BA$.3BA.B
2A.A4.B$.A.AB2A.A2.B.A$A.B.BA2.B2.2BA$B2.B.AB2.A2.B.B$2.A7.2BA.2A$AB
2A.A.AB.AB.A.A$2.A2B.2A.A$.AB2.B.2A2BAB.A$.A.B6.B2.A$.ABAB2.B3.3BAB$
2.2A2B2AB.BA.BAB!

[...]
One could either just evolve until the current generation is a phase of an oscillator and only census the final pattern (simpler, faster), or attempt to detect temporary objects that appear during evolution and can be isolated but then collide again later (slower):

Code: Select all

x = 16, y = 16, rule = /2/3:T60,60
.B2.2A2.2B2.2B.A$2.2A2.2B.AB.AB$.5BAB2.A.B$.B3A3.A.BA$B3.B.AB.B.ABA.A
$.2B3.A4.BA$BAB.2B2.2B2.A2.A$.B2.ABA.AB2A.3A$A.BAB.B3.4B$B3.B3.ABA.B$
2BAB2A2.2BA.B2.B$BA2.2A.B2.B2.AB$2.A.A.B2.2B3.B$6.2AB3.A$.2A.A.BA$.A.
B5.A.B3.A!

Code: Select all

x = 16, y = 16, rule = /2/3:T60,60
A2.A.BA2.2A4.B$B.3A5.B3.B$.A.A.A3B2.B.2B$2.B.B2.2A$A5.A.4BAB.B$2BA.A
3.3A3.B$B7.A2.B3.A$2BA2B.B2.B2A.BA$B.A.A4.A2.B2.A$.B.BA.BA.BA2.AB$.B.
A.BA.BA.B.2AB$7.AB5.AB$B.B2.3A2.BA.A.B$3AB4.B2.A.3A$2.A.B.B2.B2.AB.B$
.B.AB3.B.2B2.2A!

[get_Snacked]

Code: Select all

#C Imagine that this never settles into anything simple
#C (actually this settles into a "boring" p160 pattern on the torus)
x = 16, y = 16, rule = /2/3:T160,119
2.AB5.BA2.B.B$.BA.B.B2.B4A.A$6.3BA3.A$2.B.A7.A2BA$2.A5.A2B3.BA$.3BA.B
2A.A4.B$.A.AB2A.A2.B.A$A.B.BA2.B2.2BA$B2.B.AB2.A2.B.B$2.A7.2BA.2A$AB
2A.A.AB.AB.A.A$2.A2B.2A.A$.AB2.B.2A2BAB.A$.A.B6.B2.A$.ABAB2.B3.3BAB$
2.2A2B2AB.BA.BAB!

use toroidal shift:

Code: Select all

#C Imagine that this never settles into anything simple
#C (actually this settles into a "boring" p160 pattern on the torus)
x = 16, y = 16, rule = /2/3:T160,119+1
2.AB5.BA2.B.B$.BA.B.B2.B4A.A$6.3BA3.A$2.B.A7.A2BA$2.A5.A2B3.BA$.3BA.B
2A.A4.B$.A.AB2A.A2.B.A$A.B.BA2.B2.2BA$B2.B.AB2.A2.B.B$2.A7.2BA.2A$AB
2A.A.AB.AB.A.A$2.A2B.2A.A$.AB2.B.2A2BAB.A$.A.B6.B2.A$.ABAB2.B3.3BAB$
2.2A2B2AB.BA.BAB!

[confocaloid]

This isn't an agar, it eventually settles into noninteracting photons. [...]

[...] use toroidal shift: [...]

That still settles into something simple and "boring", a few hundreds of thousands of ticks later:

Code: Select all

x = 69, y = 101, rule = /2/3:T160,119+1
59.B2.B$59.A2.A$60.2B$60.2A7$60.B$60.A2B$61.2A3$59.B$59.A$58.B$58.A$
59.B$59.AB$60.AB2.B$46.B14.A2.A$46.A15.2B$44.2B16.2A$44.2A10$57.B$57.
A$58.2B$58.2A11$43.B$43.AB$44.AB5.B$45.AB3.BA$46.AB2.A$47.A2B$48.2A3$
45.2B$45.2A10$8.B$7.BA$6.BA$2.B3.A$2.A2.B$3.2BA$3.2A6$B2.B$A2.A$.2B$.
2A8$68.B$38.B29.A$37.A28.2B$31.2A3.B29.2A$31.2B3.ABA$37.A.B$38.BA$36.
2BA$36.2A!

I was looking for a high-period agar which would never settle into a bunch of noninteracting low-period objects.

[b-engine]

That still settles into something simple and "boring", a few hundreds of thousands of ticks later:

Code: Select all

I was looking for a high-period agar which would never settle into a bunch of noninteracting low-period objects.

Use sphere:

Code: Select all

x = 16, y = 16, rule = /2/3:S180
2.AB5.BA2.B.B$.BA.B.B2.B4A.A$6.3BA3.A$2.B.A7.A2BA$2.A5.A2B3.BA$.3BA.B
2A.A4.B$.A.AB2A.A2.B.A$A.B.BA2.B2.2BA$B2.B.AB2.A2.B.B$2.A7.2BA.2A$AB2A
.A.AB.AB.A.A$2.A2B.2A.A$.AB2.B.2A2BAB.A$.A.B6.B2.A$.ABAB2.B3.3BAB$2.2A
2B2AB.BA.BAB!
 

[confocaloid]

[...] I was looking for a high-period agar which would never settle into a bunch of noninteracting low-period objects. [...]

Use sphere: [...]

What is the eventual period, when it evolves into a phase?

[b-engine]

What is the eventual period, when it evolves into a phase?

I'm on mobile, therefore unable to use Golly, and LifeViewer is still slow as computing such patterns.

[confocaloid]

[...] I was looking for a high-period agar which would never settle into a bunch of noninteracting low-period objects.

Use sphere:

Code: Select all

x = 16, y = 16, rule = /2/3:S180
2.AB5.BA2.B.B$.BA.B.B2.B4A.A$6.3BA3.A$2.B.A7.A2BA$2.A5.A2B3.BA$.3BA.B
2A.A4.B$.A.AB2A.A2.B.A$A.B.BA2.B2.2BA$B2.B.AB2.A2.B.B$2.A7.2BA.2A$AB2A
.A.AB.AB.A.A$2.A2B.2A.A$.AB2.B.2A2BAB.A$.A.B6.B2.A$.ABAB2.B3.3BAB$2.2A
2B2AB.BA.BAB!
 

I ran this in Golly, and it eventually settled into a bunch of noninteracting low-period objects:

Code: Select all

x = 180, y = 180, rule = /2/3:S180
32$81.AB$79.AB$79.AB7$110.BA$112.BA$112.BA$111.BA$110.BA3$66.AB$64.AB
$64.AB82.AB$66.AB80.AB41$140.AB$140.AB3$65.2A$65.2B$64.A57.AB$64.BA
55.AB$65.BA54.AB$66.BA$65.A.BA$65.BA.B$66.2A$67.B8$83.AB$81.AB$81.AB!

[unname4798]

[...] I was looking for a high-period agar which would never settle into a bunch of noninteracting low-period objects.

Use sphere:

Code: Select all

x = 16, y = 16, rule = /2/3:S180
2.AB5.BA2.B.B$.BA.B.B2.B4A.A$6.3BA3.A$2.B.A7.A2BA$2.A5.A2B3.BA$.3BA.B
2A.A4.B$.A.AB2A.A2.B.A$A.B.BA2.B2.2BA$B2.B.AB2.A2.B.B$2.A7.2BA.2A$AB2A
.A.AB.AB.A.A$2.A2B.2A.A$.AB2.B.2A2BAB.A$.A.B6.B2.A$.ABAB2.B3.3BAB$2.2A
2B2AB.BA.BAB!
 

I ran this in Golly, and it eventually settled into a bunch of noninteracting low-period objects:

Code: Select all

x = 180, y = 180, rule = /2/3:S180
32$81.AB$79.AB$79.AB7$110.BA$112.BA$112.BA$111.BA$110.BA3$66.AB$64.AB
$64.AB82.AB$66.AB80.AB41$140.AB$140.AB3$65.2A$65.2B$64.A57.AB$64.BA
55.AB$65.BA54.AB$66.BA$65.A.BA$65.BA.B$66.2A$67.B8$83.AB$81.AB$81.AB!

Use B45678/S012345:

Code: Select all

#R B45678/S012345:T256,144
!
[[ RANDOMIZE RANDWIDTH 256 RANDHEIGHT 144 ]]

[1and0nlycordershippr]

Camelship (specifically a (3,1)c/5):

Code: Select all

x = 76, y = 78, rule = R1,C2,S2-4,B2-3,N@4d:T258,258
51bo$49b3o$47b6o$45b8o$43b11o$41b13o$39b16o$37b18o$35b21o$33b23o$31b26o
$29b28o$27b31o$25b33o$23b36o$21b38o$19b41o$17b43o$15b46o$13b48o$11b51o
$9b53o$7b56o$5b58o$3b61o$b63o$65o$65o$66o$b65o$b66o$2b65o$2b66o$3b65o
$3b66o$4b65o$4b66o$5b65o$5b66o$6b65o$6b66o$7b65o$7b66o$8b65o$8b66o$9b
65o$9b66o$10b65o$10b66o$11b65o$11b65o$12b64o$12b62obo$13b59obo$13b57o
bo$14b54obo$14b52obo$15b49obo$15b47obo$16b44obo$16b42obo$17b39obo$17b
37obo$18b34obo$18b32obo$19b29obo$19b27obo$20b24obo$20b22obo$21b19obo$
21b17obo$22b14obo$22b12obo$23b9obo$23b7obo$24b4obo$24b2obo$25bo!