Timelord Missionary wrote: September 9th, 2026, 7:32 pm
synperiplanar wrote: September 9th, 2026, 6:43 pm
WhiteHawk wrote: September 9th, 2026, 1:46 pm
I do agree e9jp is a useful conduit object and perhaps should be investigated further
but what's the use for it outside of it being the intermediate of the speed tunnel
Because... because I like it. And even if it doesn't show up quite as much as the others in random soups, it sure as heck shows up more often than you would think when looking at conduits and pi heptomino hasslers.
e9jp is a bit of an unusual case where census.rle doesn't tell the full story. If you were to check census.rle, e9jp is positioned #531, which is so far down that you probably wouldn't expect any X-to-e9jp conduits at all. Here are some of the active regions that are about as common as e9jp in census.rle (minus the predecessors to more common active regions), and most of these have no known simple elementary conduits that convert into them:
Code: Select all
x = 666, y = 48, rule = LifeHistory
2.D8.D6.D3.3D57.D8.D6.D4.3D56.D8.D6.D4.3D56.D8.D6.D3.4D56.D8.D6.D3.3D
57.D8.D3.3D3.5D56.D8.D3.3D7.D56.D8.D3.3D7.D56.D8.D3.3D5.D$.2D7.2D5.2D
2.D3.D55.2D7.2D5.2D3.D58.2D7.2D5.2D3.D58.2D7.2D5.2D3.D58.2D7.2D5.2D2.
D3.D55.2D7.2D2.D3.D2.D3.D55.2D7.2D2.D3.D5.2D55.2D7.2D2.D3.D5.2D55.2D
7.2D2.D3.D3.2D$2.D6.D.D4.D.D2.D3.D56.D6.D.D4.D.D2.D60.D6.D.D4.D.D2.D
60.D6.D.D4.D.D3.D59.D6.D.D4.D.D6.D56.D6.D.D6.D6.D56.D6.D.D6.D4.D.D56.
D6.D.D6.D4.D.D56.D6.D.D6.D4.D$2.D5.D2.D3.D2.D2.D3.D56.D5.D2.D3.D2.D2.
4D57.D5.D2.D3.D2.D2.4D57.D5.D2.D3.D2.D3.3D57.D5.D2.D3.D2.D5.D57.D5.D
2.D4.2D6.D57.D5.D2.D4.2D4.D2.D56.D5.D2.D4.2D4.D2.D56.D5.D2.D5.D5.D$2.
D4.D3.D2.D3.D3.4D56.D4.D3.D2.D3.D2.D3.D56.D4.D3.D2.D3.D2.D3.D56.D4.D
3.D2.D3.D6.D56.D4.D3.D2.D3.D4.D58.D4.D3.D6.D5.D57.D4.D3.D6.D2.D3.D56.
D4.D3.D6.D2.D3.D56.D4.D3.D4.D6.D$2.D4.6D.6D5.D56.D4.6D.6D.D3.D56.D4.
6D.6D.D3.D56.D4.6D.6D5.D56.D4.6D.6D2.D59.D4.6D5.D4.D58.D4.6D5.D2.6D
55.D4.6D5.D2.6D55.D4.6D2.D7.D$2.D8.D6.D5.D57.D8.D6.D2.D3.D56.D8.D6.D
2.D3.D56.D8.D6.D2.D3.D56.D8.D6.D2.D60.D8.D2.D3.D4.D58.D8.D2.D3.D6.D
56.D8.D2.D3.D6.D56.D8.D2.D8.D$5D5.3D4.3D.3D56.5D5.3D4.3D2.3D55.5D5.3D
4.3D2.3D55.5D5.3D4.3D2.3D55.5D5.3D4.3D.5D54.5D5.3D2.3D5.D56.5D5.3D2.
3D6.3D53.5D5.3D2.3D6.3D53.5D5.3D.5D2.5D35$12.3A78.A81.3A74.2A77.2E2.E
77.A79.A77.A3.A76.3A$11.2A2.A76.A.A80.A2.A72.A.A77.E2.2E76.2A77.A3.A
75.A3.2A74.A$12.A.2A75.2A2.A157.A5.3A70.E2.E75.2A78.A4.A74.A3.A76.3A$
91.A3.A75.2A3.3A74.A78.3E77.A.2A75.A4.A160.A$94.2A75.2A81.A239.3A159.
2A$416.A!
However, in conduits, e9jp almost always forms in one particular way, with a pi-heptomino (not necessarily a clean one) interacting with something positioned like so:
Code: Select all
x = 89, y = 10, rule = B3/S23
88bo$86b3o$45b2o18b2o18bo$5bo19bo19b2o18bobo17b2o$26bo39bo$2b3o17b3o
17b3o17b3o17b3o$bo3bo15bo3bo15bo3bo15bo3bo15bo3bo$o5bo13bo5bo13bo5bo
13bo5bo13bo5bo$o5bo13bo5bo13bo5bo13bo5bo13bo5bo$3ob3o13b3ob3o13b3ob3o
13b3ob3o13b3ob3o!
Just by looking at random 8×8 soups, you wouldn't expect this interaction to occur all that often, but in conduits, this is a very natural place to put a eater 1. Therefore, we get more X-to-e9jp's than we expect from its position in census.rle alone (even excluding the dirty and periodic ones, there's still two known elementary X-to-e9jp conduits, which is more than other objects of similar rarity):
Code: Select all
x = 175, y = 48, rule = LifeHistory
44.AB$44.B2A98.A$44.2A2B97.3A$45.4B44.A54.A$46.4B43.3A45.A5.2A$2.3D
42.4B3.3D39.A9.3D31.A.A4.4B7.3D$2.D2BD42.4B2.D2BD37.2A3.B5.D2BD30.A.A
6.2B7.D2BD$.D2B2D43.4BD2B2D37.8B2.D2B2D28.3A.2A4.4B5.D2B2D$.2D2BDB43.
3B2D2BDB38.8B2D2BDB26.A4.B5.4B3.2B2D2BDB$.3C4B43.9B37.15B26.3AB2AB2.
6B.10B$3.C4B43.9B36.16B28.A.2AB.18B$.3C4B43.9B34.18B2.2A28.20B$6B.B2A
41.2B2A3B.B2A30.18B2.BA2BA27.18B.B2A$6B.BA.A38.3BA2BA2B.BA.A29.2BC14B
3.BA2B30.16B.BA.A$4B6.A37.2A3BABAB5.A28.3BCBC4B.6B4.BAB32.14B5.A$2B2A
B5.2A32.2A.A.AB.2BA4B3.2A28.2B3C4B2.B.5B2.BABA3.A25.16B5.2A$2.2A41.A.
A.2B6.2A33.4BC4B7.2A3.BA.A.2BA22.18B$44.A2.2AB7.A35.7B8.A6.A4BA22.2BC
15B2.2A$45.2A2.B8.3A48.3A3.B4A22.3BCBC4B.10BA.A$47.2A11.A50.A4.4B23.
2B3C4B2.4B2A2B3.A$47.A95.4BC4B2.3BA2BAB3.2A$48.A95.7B3.4B2AB$47.2A
107.2B.B$155.3B$155.B2AB$156.2A4$90.3D.3D.2D2.3D.3D.2D2.3D.3D13.2D2.
3D.2D2.3D.D.D7.2D2.D.D.3D$90.D.D.D3.D.D2.D2.D.D.D.D2.D2.D15.D.D2.D2.D
.D2.D2.D.D7.D.D.D.D2.D$90.3D.2D2.2D3.D2.D.D.D.D2.D2.D15.D.D2.D2.2D3.D
2.3D7.2D2.D.D2.D$90.D3.D3.D.D2.D2.D.D.D.D2.D2.D15.D.D2.D2.D.D2.D4.D2.
D4.D.D.D.D2.D$90.D3.3D.D.D.3D.3D.2D2.3D.3D13.2D2.3D.D.D2.D2.3D.D5.2D
2.3D2.D3$134.3D.3D.2D2.D.D.3D3.3D.2D2.2D2.D.D$134.D3.D.D.D.D.3D.D5.D
4.D3.D2.D.D$134.2D2.D.D.2D2.D.D.3D3.2D3.D3.D2.3D$134.D3.D.D.D.D.D.D3.
D3.D4.D3.D4.D$134.D3.3D.D.D.D.D.3D3.D3.3D.3D3.D3$130.D.D.3D.3D.D.D3.
3D.3D3.D.3D.D.D.3D.D.D$130.D.D2.D3.D2.D.D3.D3.D.D3.D.D.D.D.D3.D.D.D$
130.D.D2.D3.D2.3D3.2D2.3D3.D.3D.3D.3D.3D$130.3D2.D3.D2.D.D3.D5.D3.D.D
5.D.D3.D.D$130.D.D.3D2.D2.D.D3.3D.3D.3D.D5.D.3D.D.D!
And because e9jp is produced to the side and travels away from the eater 1 that perturbed the pi (shown in yellow), there are several known e9jp-to-X conduits (more periodic ones as well as ones that don't fit with the eater 1 are known as well):
Code: Select all
x = 86, y = 26, rule = LifeHistory
62.2A.2A$63.A.A$58.2A.A5.A.2A$57.A.A.2A3.2A.A.A$56.A2.B2.BA.AB2.B2.A$
56.7AB.B7A$41.A18.3B.B.3B$39.3A16.3AB.3B.B3A$.A36.A18.A.BA3BA3BAB.A$.
3A9.2A19.B3.2A17.2A3.BABAB3.2A$4.A8.A2.2A14.8B22.BABAB$3.2A5.A3.2A2.A
12.7B24.2BA2B.B$3.4B3.4A2.A.A12.8B24.B.B.5B3.2B2.2B$5.5B3.B.A.A13.9B
20.22BD$.2D9B2ABA14.11B18.23BDBD$2D5B3C2B2A2.A13.2D3B3C4B17.4B3C5B2A
9B3DB$.BD4BC2BCB3.2A14.DBDBC2BC3B17.4BC2BC4B2A11BD$2.4BC2B2CB20.2DC2B
2C3B18.2BC2B2C16B$4.2B2C.BCB20.2B2C.BC2B19.2B2C2BCB2.B2.3B.B$6.B31.3B
24.2B3$13.2E26.2E26.2E$13.E.E25.E.E25.E.E$15.E27.E27.E$15.2E26.2E26.
2E!
Note that this property is not unique to e9jp — a more common active region that has a similar phenomenon is the Herschel. Just by looking at census.rle alone, you would expect Herschels to be about as common as doves, butterflies, or octomino IIs. However, Herschels appear way more often in conduits than census.rle alone would suggest. This is because there is one particular way that almost all output Herschels in conduits form — by evolving out of a B-heptomino.
Indeed, conduits that directly output lone Herschels without going it evolving out of an internal B-heptomino are fairly rare (e.g. Fx158). However, there are a lot of conduits that output B-heptominos, whether clean, dirty, or through a sacrificial block. A clean B-heptomino can be turned into a Herschel using BFx59H, which itself contains an internal B-heptomino (e.g. L112, F117, Fx153). In the case of a dirty B-heptomino, the active region behind can remove the extra block from the B (e.g. R64, F116, F171). And some conduits have a transparent block placed exactly where a B would leave it while evolving into a Herschel (e.g. Fx77, Fx119, Fx176).
Code: Select all
x = 27, y = 44, rule = LifeHistory
6.A$4.3A$3.A$3.2A$4.B$4.3B$3.6B$2.10B$2.11B3.2B2.2B$2BC3B2A15BD$2B2C
2B2A7B2D6BDBD$.2B2C7B2D2B2D5B3DB$2.2C8B2DB2D8BD$2.13BD8B$4.13B.B$4.9B
6$6.4B$4.3BA5B3.2B2.2B$3.3BABA14BD$2.4BA2BA5B2D6BDBD$3.3BA2BA2B2D2B2D
5B3DB$5.3B2A2B2DB2D8BD$7.8BD8B$8.9B.B$10.3B6$9.B$8.5B3.2B2.2B$7.A15BD
$7.B2A5B2D6BDBD$7.A4B2C2B2D5B3DB$6.BA2BAB2CB2D8BD$6.BABA5BD8B$6.B2A2.
B2.3B.B$7.B!
And because the B-heptomino shoots out several cells in one direction while evolving into a Herschel, the output ends up having pretty good clearance, allowing for a lot of H-to-X conduits to connect (unlike objects like pi or century which tends to form in the middle of a reaction and thus have less connection).