Tutorials/Catalyses: Difference between revisions
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* ''Recovery time'': the time it takes for a catalyst to return back to its state before interacting. In the example above, the recovery time is 15. | * ''Recovery time'': the time it takes for a catalyst to return back to its state before interacting. In the example above, the recovery time is 15. | ||
* ''Replacement catalyst'': When a common catalyst fails, another, less common, catalyst must be used. | * ''Replacement catalyst'': When a common catalyst fails, another, less common, catalyst must be used. | ||
* ''Rock'': A catalyst which does not | * ''Rock'': A catalyst which does not lose any of its cells, even temporarily, during the interaction process. The snake-type catalyses below are examples of rocks. | ||
Let's explore the different types of catalysts now! | Let's explore the different types of catalysts now! | ||
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Snake catalyses are examples of rocks, or catalysts which do not change even temporarily when interacting with an object. They must function this way due to the fact that the two cells in the center would die from overpopulation due to already having three live neighbors. | Snake catalyses are examples of rocks, or catalysts which do not change even temporarily when interacting with an object. They must function this way due to the fact that the two cells in the center would die from overpopulation due to already having three live neighbors. | ||
Three example snake catalysts are shown below. The white cells should always be on to trigger the important next generation, where the snake functions as a rock: | Three example snake catalysts are shown below. The white cells should always be on to trigger the important next generation, where the snake functions as a rock, and the blue cells should be born by the next generation in order to prevent a dot or domino spark from turning the snake into a blinker predecessor once the catalysis is done: | ||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | <center>{{LV:Viewer| | ||
x = 24, y = 9, rule = LifeHistory | x = 24, y = 9, rule = LifeHistory | ||
| Line 97: | Line 97: | ||
7B$7B4.2A.A$7B5.3A$7B6.A$7BD$7B4.2A$7B4.2A! | 7B$7B4.2A.A$7B5.3A$7B6.A$7BD$7B4.2A$7B4.2A! | ||
[[ GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 WIDTH 800 HEIGHT 600 ]]}}</center> | [[ GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 WIDTH 800 HEIGHT 600 ]]}}</center> | ||
===Tub=== | |||
Tub catalyses can be tricky to find, but they are most likely to work when the frontend of the active region looks one of the examples below or two generations before the frontend looks like the example second from the left: | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | |||
x = 39, y = 8, rule = B3/S23 | |||
25bo12bo$4bo5bo10bo3bo$3o5bobo15bo7bob2o$3o5b3o7b3o6b2o6b2o2$2bo7bo7b | |||
o7bo7bo$bobo5bobo5bobo5bobo5bobo$2bo7bo7bo7bo7bo! | |||
[[ THEME 6 GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | |||
The reactions start differently but end up the same way through the same general mechanism: On generation one, one cell is born next to the tub. On generation two, two more cells are born next to the tub, causing overpopulation. This means that by generation three, the cells in the center have died, and there is a five-cell parent of the tub. The tub should turn into this five-cell parent in all catalyses. | |||
===Ship=== | |||
Observe the following reaction: | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | |||
x = 5, y = 10, rule = B3/S23 | |||
2bo$2o2$2bo$2b2o3$2b2o$2bobo$3b2o! | |||
[[ THEME 6 GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 T 25 GPS 60 T 35 GPS 6 T 45 GPS 60 ]]}}</center> | |||
The ship rarely recovers by its own, but it's worth placing it because it has replacement catalysts that recover much more often. | |||
==Replacement catalyses== | ==Replacement catalyses== | ||
| Line 240: | Line 261: | ||
===Boat replacements=== | ===Boat replacements=== | ||
Here is an example of a boat in need: | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | <center>{{LV:Viewer| | ||
x = 3, y = 8, rule = LifeHistory | x = 3, y = 8, rule = LifeHistory | ||
| Line 276: | Line 297: | ||
obobo8b2o$4bo26bo$b3o15bo8b3o$bo15bo10bo! | obobo8b2o$4bo26bo$b3o15bo8b3o$bo15bo10bo! | ||
[[ GRID THEME 6 THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | [[ GRID THEME 6 THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | ||
===Tub replacements=== | |||
Sometimes, a single dot at the end of the tub parent is replaced with a line of three cells, causing the tub to turn into a block instead of recovering. | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | |||
x = 24, y = 12, rule = LifeHistory | |||
22.2A$21.2A$20.2A$A5.A2$.2A.2A$3.A$6.D15.D$6.D15.D$4.A15.A$3.A.A13.A. | |||
A$4.A15.A! | |||
[[ GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | |||
When this occurs, the tub should be replaced with a certain catalyst featuring a regenerative loop. | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | |||
x = 30, y = 18, rule = B3/S23 | |||
23b2o$22b2o$21b2o$bo5bo2$2b2ob2o$4bo3$5bo15bo$4bobo13bobo$3bobo13bobo$ | |||
b3o2b3o3b2o3b3o2b3o3b2o$o3b2o3bo2b2o2bo3b2o3bo2b2o$b3o2b2obo7b3o2b2obo | |||
$3bobo2bo10bobo2bo$4bobo13bobo$5bo15bo! | |||
[[ GRID THUMBNAIL THEME 6 THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | |||
If this line of three cells is connected to something at the other end, a boat supported by a fishhook works. | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | |||
x = 21, y = 20, rule = LifeHistory | |||
3.A$3.A10.A$3AD9.2D$3A.D8.2AC$4.D10.D$2.A10.A$.A.A8.A.A$2.A10.A3$3.A$ | |||
3.A10.A$3AD9.2D$3A.D8.2AC$4.D10.D$2.A10.A$.A.A2.2A4.A.A2.2A$.2A3.A.A3. | |||
2A3.A.A$8.A10.A$8.2A9.2A! | |||
[[ GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | |||
If the line is instead four cells long, a certain fifteen-cell catalyst works. | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | |||
x = 18, y = 23, rule = LifeHistory | |||
13.A.A$6.A$2.A3.A8.A.A$3.A.A.D9.D$4.A2.D7.2AC$7.D9.D$5.A9.A$4.A.A7.A. | |||
A$5.A9.A3$13.A.A$6.A$2.A3.A8.A.A$3.A.A.D9.D$4.A2.D7.2AC$7.D9.D$5.A9.A | |||
$4.A.A7.A.A$3.A.A7.A.A$.3A.A.A3.3A.A.A$A5.2A2.A5.2A$2A8.2A! | |||
[[ GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | |||
===Ship replacements=== | |||
Often, the ship is turned into a loaf. Adding a fishhook turns it back into a ship. | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | |||
x = 33, y = 30, rule = LifeHistory | |||
14.A$16.2A$16.4A$.A11.A4.A7.A$2.A.A9.3A10.2A$3.A12.A12.A2$4.2A11.2A11. | |||
2A$4.A.A10.A.A10.A.A$4.D2A10.D2A10.D2A6$14.A$16.2A$16.4A$.A11.A4.A7.A | |||
$2.A.A9.3A10.2A$3.A12.A12.A2$4.2A11.2A11.2A$4.A.A10.A.A10.A.A$5.2A11. | |||
2A11.2A2$2.2A11.2A11.2A$3.A12.A12.A$3A10.3A10.3A$A12.A12.A! | |||
[[ GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | |||
If the loaf parent has an extra cell in a certain position, there's another replacement catalyst that works. | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | |||
x = 14, y = 29, rule = LifeHistory | |||
3.A$4.2A2$4.A.A$5.A2$5.D2A$6.A.A$6.D2A7$3.A$4.2A2$4.A.A$5.A2$6.2A$3.A | |||
.A2.A$.3A.A.2A$A4.A$.3A.A4.2A$3.2A5.A$11.3A$13.A! | |||
[[ GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | |||
It sometimes works even if the chaos doesn't leave the ship. | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | |||
x = 14, y = 28, rule = LifeHistory | |||
4.A$4.A2.A$4.A.C$5.A2D2$5.D2A$6.A.A$6.D2A8$4.A$4.A2.A$4.A.A$5.A2$6.2A | |||
$3.A.A2.A$.3A.A.2A$A4.A$.3A.A4.2A$3.2A5.A$11.3A$13.A! | |||
[[ GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | |||
A fishhook bridge fishhook works when the ship turns into a blockade predecessor. | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | |||
x = 28, y = 31, rule = LifeHistory | |||
.A18.A$.A23.A$2.A18.2A.A$.A17.2A.A.A$.A19.A2$2DCA16.2DCA$D.C.A15.D.C. | |||
A$D2.CA15.D2.CA$.D.D17.D.D$.3D17.3D10$.A18.A$.A23.A$2.A18.2A.A$.A17.2A | |||
.A.A$.A19.A2$2.2A18.2A$2.A.A17.A.A$A.A.3A13.A.A.3A$2A5.A12.2A5.A$6.2A | |||
18.2A! | |||
[[ GRID THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | |||
==Bonus catalyses== | ==Bonus catalyses== | ||
| Line 299: | Line 387: | ||
The eater 3 has some other applications besides eating gliders, for example the [[rectifier]]. | The eater 3 has some other applications besides eating gliders, for example the [[rectifier]]. | ||
=== | ===Ship=== | ||
The | The ship also has a catalysis not similar to other catalysts where it deletes half of a [[traffic light]]: | ||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | <center>{{LV:Viewer| | ||
x = 7, y = 6, rule = B3/S23 | |||
b2o$obo$2o2$5bo$4b3o! | |||
[[ GRID THEME 6 THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | [[ GRID THEME 6 THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | ||
This may seem pretty niche, but it is actually a fairly common application. | |||
=== | ===Hook with tail=== | ||
The hook with tail can serve as a rock: | |||
<center>{{LV:Viewer| | <center>{{LV:Viewer| | ||
x = | x = 30, y = 13, rule = B3/S23 | ||
19b2o2$21bo$19bo2bo4b2o$19bo2bo4bobo$20b3o5bo$b2ob2o5b3o$3bo8bo2$2bob | |||
o6bobo6bobo$bob2o5bob2o5bob2o$bo8bo8bo$2o7b2o7b2o! | |||
[[ GRID THEME 6 THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | [[ GRID THEME 6 THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ]]}}</center> | ||
===Eater 4=== | ===Eater 4=== | ||
Revision as of 01:51, 21 April 2021
(Constructing a simpler, more user friendly version of Tutorials/Catalyses)
A catalyst is a stable object (usually a still life) which can interact with an active region and later return to its original state. Catalysts are very useful in conduits and in many other applications. Here is an example of a stable catalyst:
The green still life interacts with the white object, and recovers to its original state by generation 15. In this tutorial, you'll learn the main types of catalyses and their applications. But first, we need to cover some important definitions:
Important terms
- Stable catalyst: a catalyst which is a still life. Most catalyses are of this form. In this tutorial we will only focus on stable catalyses, as periodic catalyses are as of now quite underdeveloped.
- Periodic catalyst: a catalyst which is an oscillator. These are generally considered inferior to stable catalyses because they usually only work in a fraction of the generations as a stable catalyst, since they usually only work in one phase of the periodic catalyse.
- Recovery time: the time it takes for a catalyst to return back to its state before interacting. In the example above, the recovery time is 15.
- Replacement catalyst: When a common catalyst fails, another, less common, catalyst must be used.
- Rock: A catalyst which does not lose any of its cells, even temporarily, during the interaction process. The snake-type catalyses below are examples of rocks.
Let's explore the different types of catalysts now!
Types of catalyses
Fishhook (eater 1)
Here are some examples of fishhook catalyses:
The marked white cells should always be on in a fishhook-type catalyst. Sometimes, the fishhook may engage in a more unusual manner, but these are rarer:
Recognizing when to use a fishhook catalysis is really a matter of experience. For practice, try placing an eater 1 somewhere within this blue field to eat the middleweight spaceship (click on the thumbnail below to draw cells in LifeViewer using the pencil icon):
Block
Here are some examples of block catalyses:
Block catalyses typically occur when there is a one cell leading edge of a pattern, shown in white above.
They are usually much easier to recognize than fishhook-type catalyses, however they may sometimes fail:
Moving the block over by one often fixes this problem:
As practice, try to eat this bun with a block placed in the blue region:
Boat
Boat catalyses are rarer, but are still useful. Here are two examples:
They typically occur when there is a two cell leading edge, which is marked. Boat catalyses fail very often, so see the "Replacement catalysts" section below for potential replacement catalysts. As a general rule, boats are most likely to succeed when a cell adjacent to the leading edge (shown in blue) will turn on in the following generation.
Snake
Snake catalyses are examples of rocks, or catalysts which do not change even temporarily when interacting with an object. They must function this way due to the fact that the two cells in the center would die from overpopulation due to already having three live neighbors.
Three example snake catalysts are shown below. The white cells should always be on to trigger the important next generation, where the snake functions as a rock, and the blue cells should be born by the next generation in order to prevent a dot or domino spark from turning the snake into a blinker predecessor once the catalysis is done:
Conduit 1 is an example of a conduit using a snake catalyst. Try to catalyze the reaction below with a snake in the blue field (as a hint, the cell which should trigger the rock interaction is marked):
Tub
Tub catalyses can be tricky to find, but they are most likely to work when the frontend of the active region looks one of the examples below or two generations before the frontend looks like the example second from the left:
The reactions start differently but end up the same way through the same general mechanism: On generation one, one cell is born next to the tub. On generation two, two more cells are born next to the tub, causing overpopulation. This means that by generation three, the cells in the center have died, and there is a five-cell parent of the tub. The tub should turn into this five-cell parent in all catalyses.
Ship
Observe the following reaction:
The ship rarely recovers by its own, but it's worth placing it because it has replacement catalysts that recover much more often.
Replacement catalyses
So, you've tried to catalyze a reaction, but the common catalyst fails! Luckily for you, this is not a complete disaster, since many replacement catalysts exist exactly to assist you when your fishhook or block doesn't just work out.
Fishhook replacements
The most common way for a fishhook to fail is something like this:
Luckily, this is also the easiest to fix. Simply flip the eater 1 around and it works!
This was a bit cheating, however. Sometimes, we need a genuinely new catalyst. Here are two almost-catalyses where the fishhook almost recovers, but an extra spark destroys it or an extra cell gets attached to its recovering phase:
The most common replacement catalyst for a fishhook is the handy eater 2. An eater 2 recovers differently from an eater 1, making it more versatile. It can handle both of our problems:
There are many, many more cases in which neither an eater 1 nor an eater 2 works. This guide, courtesy of Entity Valkyrie, addresses many of these:
Block replacements
Blocks are very hard to replace with a totally different catalyst, since there just aren't other catalysts which do the same thing. However, sometimes we can add extra objects next to the block to make a functioning catalyst. Take this, for example:
The catalyst almost works, but then an extra blinker, shown in red, destroys it. If only we could get rid of that blinker...
Oh, right! We can use what we just learned in this tutorial! Adding an extra fishhook suppresses the blinker and allows the catalyst to work:
This trick can be used whenever the catalyst produces extra junk that would destroy the block.
Boat replacements
Here is an example of a boat in need:
In this example, the white cell at generation 4 gets turned on when it shouldn't. We have a fix for this, as usual. Replace the boat with a tub with tail and block:
And yes, we've just rediscovered the eater 5.
Boats can also fail much more spectacularly:
In this case, the boat can be replaced by this (often called the "gourmet catalyst" due to its use in gourmet):
Note that this doesn't always work, since it requires a spark to recover properly.
Snake replacements
The only way to replace snake catalyses is by replacing them with a similar catalyst which does the same thing but might have better clearance. For example, if a snake is required to be in close proximity to a fishhook, the fishhook's interaction might destroy the snake (and subsequently the fishhook). In this case, replacing the snake with a higher-clearance second fishhook can prevent the interaction:
Tub replacements
Sometimes, a single dot at the end of the tub parent is replaced with a line of three cells, causing the tub to turn into a block instead of recovering.
When this occurs, the tub should be replaced with a certain catalyst featuring a regenerative loop.
If this line of three cells is connected to something at the other end, a boat supported by a fishhook works.
If the line is instead four cells long, a certain fifteen-cell catalyst works.
Ship replacements
Often, the ship is turned into a loaf. Adding a fishhook turns it back into a ship.
If the loaf parent has an extra cell in a certain position, there's another replacement catalyst that works.
It sometimes works even if the chaos doesn't leave the ship.
A fishhook bridge fishhook works when the ship turns into a blockade predecessor.
Bonus catalyses
Here are some extra catalyses which might come in useful. This section is optional as the catalysts used are fairly rare.
Eater 3
You might notice that when you hit a loaf with a glider in a certain way, the loaf flips around:
This is quite inconvenient for us because we can't use the loaf again (unless we flip it back around with another glider as shown in the viewer, which is unlikely), but a stable catalyst does exist to turn the loaf back around. Here is the eater 3:
The eater 3 has some other applications besides eating gliders, for example the rectifier.
Ship
The ship also has a catalysis not similar to other catalysts where it deletes half of a traffic light:
This may seem pretty niche, but it is actually a fairly common application.
Hook with tail
The hook with tail can serve as a rock:
Eater 4
The eater 4 primarily catalyses symmetrical objects. Its most common use is to catalyze a honey farm:
This can also come in handy sometimes; for example the recently-discovered L122 conduit.
Finding new catalysts
Mike Playle's Bellman is a search program specifically designed to search for new catalysts, given a reaction to be perturbed. This part of the tutorial hasn't been written yet, so consult the discussion thread and original documentation.
An alternative is CatForce, which is a brute force placement program of certain given catalysts in a given area, and can also find transparent catalysts. [Somebody that's actually used CatForce before please add some more info]
External links
New Herschel Conduits thread and Elementary Conduits thread - good places to find examples of catalyses as well as other more exotic catalyses