User:TheWayOfTheCon/LowLife zone/Useful or potentially useful patterns

This page is under construction. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Last updated March 10, 2026

This user page is meant to catalogue patterns in LowLife that have uses or seem particularly useful. Here, "useful" will just mean that the pattern can probably serve as or as part of a specific technology, such as eaters or reflectors.

Patterns that are potentially useful have italicized subheaders.

Still lifes

Block

The one and only. The block seems to be one of the toughest still lifes in this relatively fragile rule. Its the only pattern with a known hassler, as well as the only known still life catalyst. Because of how common it is, there may be some transparent reactions that exist with the block, or still life catalysts that include the block in some form.

The block currently sees use in a stable eater, hasslers...and that's it.

Oscillators

Pingpong

A small period-4 oscillator, the pingpong stands out among the common oscillators for its dot spark. Combined with its turning around motion, this allows the pingpong to safely interfere with other patterns.

The pingpong is used in a block hassler and several spaceship eaters.

Unnamed period-18 oscillator

There exists a relatively large period-18 oscillator that can be put between dominoes to create shuttle-like movement. There are a few known configurations in which two of these modified oscillators can safely interact with one another.

x = 6, y = 10, rule = B3/S13 2b3o$bob2o$2o2$b2o2bo$b2o2bo2$2o$bob2o$2b3o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ ZOOM 32 WIDTH 500 HEIGHT 500 AUTOSTART GPS 6 X 1 ]]

The period-18 oscillator on its own.
(click above to open LifeViewer)
Catagolue: here

x = 26, y = 13, rule = B3/S13 16b3o$16b2obo$19b2o4bo$7b3o15bo$6bob2o5bo2b2o$o4b2o8bo2b2o$o24bo$6b2o 2bo8b2o4bo$6b2o2bo5b2obo$o15b3o$o4b2o$6bob2o$7b3o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ ZOOM 25 WIDTH 800 HEIGHT 500 AUTOSTART GPS 6 ]]

An example of such stabilization.
(click above to open LifeViewer)

I thought that this oscillator or its shuttle variant could be a component in larger trivial oscillators, and I was correct. ThePlayzr eventually found a period-90 LCM oscillator featuring the p18 interacting with a large p5 sparker.

x = 17, y = 62, rule = B3/S13 13b3o$12bob2o$11b2o2$3bo8b2o2bo$3b3o6b2o2bo$4bo$2bo8b2o$3bo8bob2o$bob o9b3o$bo$bobo$bo2$3bo$2b3o$2bo2$3b4o$3bo2bo$bo3bo$5bo$4bo2$2b3o$bo2bo $3bob2o$bo2bo$4bo$4bo$3b2o$2bob2o$5bo$bo$b2obo$2b2o$2bo$2bo$2bo2bo$2o bo$2bo2bo$2b3o2$2bo$bo$bo3bo$o2bo$4o2$4bo$2b3o$3bo2$5bo$3bobo$5bo$3bo bo$3bo$4bo$2bo$b3o$3bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ ZOOM 14 WIDTH 500 HEIGHT 900 AUTOSTART GPS 15 ]]

The trivial period-90 oscillator. (click above to open LifeViewer)

Spaceships

Large unnamed C/2 spaceship

This c/2 orthogonal spaceship is the base for many period-extending tagalongs and even a couple linear growth patterns. Its possible that more linear growth patterns exist just from tagalongs of this one ship.

x = 23, y = 11, rule = B3/S13 3ob4o3bo3b4ob3o$2b2obob2ob3ob2obob2o$4bobobo5bobobo$4bo2b2obobob2o2bo $2bo7bobo7bo$2bo2bob3o3b3obo2bo$8bo5bo$b2o7bobo7b2o$3bo6bobo6bo$3b2o3b o5bo3b2o$10bobo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ ZOOM 27 WIDTH 800 HEIGHT 500 ]]

The spaceship. (click above to open LifeViewer) Catagolue: here

Reactions

Lever reactions

These reactions involve a domino or multiple dominoes being interfered and becoming duoplets, with the same interference reversing the change if added. I call these "Lever reactions" because of how the reaction looks and its reusability.

A few attempts were made to use this reaction to create a stable spaceship eater, but that has not come to fruition.