Omniship

An omniship an an adjustable spaceship which can be adjusted to achieve almost every theoretically possible spaceship velocity. For the purposes of this definition, we consider a velocity (x,y)c/p achieved if the spaceship can be adjusted to have simplified velocity (x,y)c/p. In other words, the omniship is not required to be adjusted to a specific period — only its simplified velocity needs to match.

The "almost every" caveat in the definition is due to the fact that the techniques available for constructing omniships are not amenable to achieving velocities at the speed limit (e.g. c/2 and (3,1)c/8).

ENDW's Omniship

On September 14, 2026, ENDW constructed the first omniship in Conway's Game of Life, based off a design by Goldtiger997. The omniship was originally posted in a form adjusted to have velocity (160000000,90000000)c/600000000, but it can be adjusted to any non-orthogonal velocity below the speed limit. That is, it can be adjusted to any velocity (m,n)c/p where m, n, and p are positive integers such that (m+n) * 2 < p. Due to the Speed Orthogonoid providing spaceships of every orthogonal velocity below the speed limit, ENDW's omniship completes the demonstration of the existence of spaceships of all velocities below the speed limit in Conway's Game of Life.

Mechanism

ENDW's omniship is a self-constructing geminoid spaceship which works by shuttling a construction tape of gliders between two universal constructor halves.

ENDW's omniship achieves velocities near the speed limit by making use of the blinker fuse technology developed in the construction of the Speed Orthogonoid. During each period, each universal constructor launches a blinker puffer and then subsequently lights the resulting blinker fuse after some delay in such a way that the fuse stops the blinker puffer when it burns out. A second perpendicularly-oriented blinker puffer is then launched from the location the previous blinker puffer was stopped. It's blinker fuse is also lit, and the location at which that fuse burns out is the location at which the child universal constructor is built.

The blinker puffer used has speed at the orthogonal speed limit (c/2), so by allowing the blinker fuses to be lengthened without lighting them for arbitrarily large periods of time, the spaceship is able to be adjusted to achieve velocities arbitrarily close to the speed limit.

The adjustable slope is achieved by having a pair of "trigger signals" existing separately from the construction tape which independently specify the horizontal and vertical displacement of the spaceship. The trigger signals "specify" these displacements by way of lighting the correspondingly-oriented blinker fuses at the correct moments so as to induce the correct offsets.