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Cellular Automata rules lexicon |
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Family: Weighted Life |
Type: totalistic or outer totalistic parameterization with optional decay
"Weighted Life" allows applying different weights to particular neighbors, including the cell itself. The weight of neighbors can be set within a range [-256..256]. When calculating the count of neighbors the sum of weights of alive neighbors is taken in account. The sum should be within a range [-2048..2048]. Another extension of Weighted Life is the History, known already from the Game "Generations".
The notation of rules in "Weighted Life" is more complex. It consists of 12
different keywords, specified in any order:
NW NN NE WW EE SW SS SE ME HI RS RB.
First 8 keywords define weights of appropriate 8 neighbors. "ME" keyword specifies the weight of the center cell. "HI" is a History flag. If non-zero, it tells how many states cells can have (including 0 state). "RS" and "RB" keywords specify Rules for Survival and Rules for Birth, respectively. They can appear any number of times in the string.
Note
"Weighted Life" is one of the most complex families of rules in MCell. The rules
of many other families (Life, Generations,
Vote for Life, General
binary) can be realized in it. For example in order
to realize Life rules it’s enough to assign 1 to all neighbors, 0 to the
center cell and to
switch off the History. One can also define hexagonal rules by defining NE and SW
neighbors as 0.
MJCell Java applet is able to run all rules from this group.
| Name | Character | Rule | Description | |
| Ben's rule | Chaotic | An interesting chaotic rule with a commonly appearing orthogonal glider.
Close variations of the rule support also diagonal gliders. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Border | Exploding | Border is a rule which uses two bits. One of the bits is a
background "cycle" bit, and the other bit is a visible on/off firing/dead bit.
The Cycle bit toggles Border between two modes: Flood mode and Hollow mode. In Flood mode,
Border turns on any cell which is touching a firing cell. In Hollow mode, Border turns off
any cell which is at the center of an all-firing nine-cell neighborhood. The effect of Border is that lines keep getting thick, splitting into two, having the new pieces get thick and split to make four, and so on. Many of the Border patterns are reminiscent of the mathematical objects called "Cantor sets." Strictly speaking, this version has 8 more states than traditional Border would, but it seems to allow easier perception of the overall dynamics. Coded in MCell by Charles A. Rockafellor. Author unknown. |
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| Bricks | Gliding | A very original rule full of small square bricks gliding in all 4
directions. The rule features still life, gliders, puffers, guns. A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| Bustle | Exploding | A busy rule which generates many small ships and puffers. Large complicated ships can easily be built using combinations of colliding puffers. Several stretchers are also among the basic elements. The small ships can usually be expanded using simple techniques to generate ships of arbitrary width and
height. A rule by Brian Prentice. |
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| Career | Chaotic | What comes up, must go down. The professional career simulation. This rule
is a very small modification of Conway's Life (the upper cell counts as 2), yet the
results are dramatically different. A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| Cloud54 | Chaotic | An "L7" rotationally symmetrical weighted rule. The most
interesting feature is a period 54 cloud that travels N by NE. Also commonly
features hook shaped still lifes and gliders that travel in the NE direction exclusively,
some leaving behind a single pixel trail. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Cloud75 | Chaotic | An "L7" rotationally symmetrical weighted rule, variation of
cloud54. The most interesting feature is a period 75 cloud that travels S and E by a ratio
of 4 cells by 3 cells. Also commonly features some simple still lifes, a N glider, and a S
by SW glider. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Conway | Chaotic | Conway's Life: the most famous rule in orthogonal/diagonal weighted
representation. A rule by John Conway. |
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| Conway-- | Chaotic | A Conway variation which subtracts the survival rule of 2 orthogonal
neighbors, the result being that everything dies down quickly. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Conway++ | Chaotic | A Conway variation which adds the survival rule of 4 diagonal neighbors,
the result being that chaotic expansion is extended. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Conway+-1 | Chaotic | A distant Conway variation, commonly features a zigzag puffer train. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Conway+-2 | Chaotic | A distant Conway variation. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| CrossPorpoises | Chaotic | A weighted asymmetric colliding glider rule. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Cyclish | Cyclic | "Cyclish" is so named because of its uncanny resemblance to the
"true" Cyclic CA. A rule by John Elliott. |
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| Cyclones | Stable | This rule supports rotators similar to those in Swirl and Pinwheels, but the center of rotation itself travels - that is, these
rotators are gliders rather than stationary oscillators. A rule by John Elliott, October 2000. |
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| Dragon | Chaotic | A weighted orthogonal rule. Contains a period 48 oscillator that is reminiscent of a Chinese dragon and a variety of gliders, oscillators, and replicators. Most patterns expand orthogonally
forever. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Emergence | Chaotic | An asymmetrical weighted rule. Fire like tendrils move chaotically
downward and occasionally horizontal line still life or even gliders grow to the left,
and, though rare, a pulsing \+* character glider can emerge. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Fire-flies | Stable | The small patterns, moving with the light speed, resemble fire-flies. A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| Fleas | Exploding | A rule with a familiar glider that has diagonally self- replicating
"fleas" that leave "flea dust" behind them. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Fleas2 | Exploding | A dynamic variation of the Fleas rule with a symmetric replicator. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| NoFleas2 | Exploding | Variation of Fleas2 that lacks the replicator but supports some
interesting gliders. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| FroggyHex | Chaotic | A weighted hexagonal rule. Has a common period 2 glider that goes in
3 directions and a rare period 4 glider that goes in the other 3 directions, a rare
glider generator, and a simple period 2 oscillator. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Frost M | Exploding | Frost rule in Moore neighbourhood. When started from single cells, it
produces patterns similar to those appearing on window-panes on frosty days. A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| Frost N | Exploding | Frost rule in von Neumann neighborhood. When started from single cells,
it produces patterns similar to those appearing on window-panes on frosty days. A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| Gnats | Chaotic | A predecessor to fleas. This rule is simpler but has an interesting
replicator. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| HexParity | Exploding | "The hexagonal hood analogue to Fredkin's von Neumann version. It has the replicative properties of the original. The dot
seed leads to some splendid designs in which the Star of David figures prominently."
- J.Elliott A rule by Edward Fredkin. |
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| Hexrule b2o | Chaotic | A somewhat "Life-like" 2-state hexagonal B2o/S2m34
rule. The rule has many properties associated with Life: gliders, reflectors, oscillators,
still life, duplicators, reflectors, etc. A rule by Paul Callahan. |
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| Hextenders | Chaotic | Nice crystal/active equipoise. Some real possibilities with this one. A rule by John Elliott, August 2000 |
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| Hex Inverse Fire | Chaotic | A variation on Callahan's hexrule where heavily populated areas of live
cells support hexrule life forms composed of dead cells. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| HGlass | Stable | (Hour glass) The rule organizes a nice sliding flow on a random screen,
and it disassembles solid starting patterns in an interesting way. A rule by Margolus and Toffoli. |
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| Hogs | Chaotic | A weighted hexagonal rule that has an oscillator, two gliders commonly
occurring, and a still life. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Jitters | Chaotic | A rotationally symmetric weighted rule. Contains various gliders and
oscillators all with a characteristic period 2 jitter. This rule uses negative weights for
4 cell neighbors and positive weights for the other 4 cell neighbors. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Lemmings | Stable | A vertically symmetric weighted rule. The interesting feature is a
period 2 glider that, with imagination, looks like an overhead view of a running
rodent. With wrap off they hit a wall. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Linguini | Chaotic | A weighted orthogonal rule. Features chaotic expansion with a variety of
orthogonally connected still lifes. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Madness | Chaotic | A dynamic rule with a big patterns-creating potential. A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| MazeMakers | Chaotic | A weighted asymmetric rule, variation of Cross Porpoises that creates
orthogonal walls of a maze. Some walls often have oscillating flame-like ends sometimes
generating gliders. Other walls grow and shrink upon collision with other walls. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| MidgeDN | Stable | Although inspired by Midges, this rule produces quite different results. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Midges | Stable | This rule produces small midges, which produce small black stains... A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| MikesAnts | Chaotic | The rule uses N,NE,W,SW,S, and SE neighbors, and has births for 2, 5, or 6 live neighbors and survivors for 4 or 5 live
neighbors. This rule has lots of different glider species. A rule by Mike Creutz. |
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| Mosquito | Chaotic | A rotationally symmetric rule. Shares some Conway still lifes, features a
rotating L shape, and orthogonal gliders. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Mosquito2 | Chaotic | A variation of the mosquito birth rule. Adds diagonal and spinning
gliders. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Navaho1 | Chaotic | A rule by Michael Sweney. |
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| Nocturne | Stable | Features an emergent "free form" period-57 oscillator that is somewhat reminiscent of the objects in Schaeffer's cloud rules,
except there is no displacement. There are also some fairly strange gliders. A rule by John Elliott, October 2000. |
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| Parity | Exploding | Parity rule, a very simple example of "self-reproduction" in
cellular automata using the von Neumann neighborhood. A rule by Edward Fredkin. |
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| Pictures | Stable | A beautiful rule using the von Neumann neighborhood. All patterns tend to
form rectangular shapes (dynamic "mandalas"), filled with sparkling cells.
The specifics of a frame's picture show are totally dependent on its dimensions. A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| PicturesH | Stable | Pictures with History - variation on the Pictures rule using the von
Neumann neighborhood. All patterns tend to form rectangular shapes, filled with sparkling
cells. A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| Pinwheels | Stable | The rule produces spinning wheels and comet-like gliders.
Try also 5 and 10 counts of states. The related rules you get thereby feature some especially
peculiar emergent objects. A rule by John Elliott, August 2000 |
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| PipeFleas | Chaotic | A weighted orthogonal rule with decay. Features 2-cell wide solid
"pipes" that appear, grow orthogonally, and disappear amid lots of chaotic expansion. Also has a common replicator similar to fleas2
which expands and dies like ripples on water.. A rule by Ben Schaeffer, 2000 |
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| PreHogs | Chaotic | A weighted hexagonal rule, a predecessor of Hogs. Common features are a
worm-like glider that can be of any length and similar still lifes. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| PuttPutt | Chaotic | A weighted orthogonal rule with a dash still life, several orthogonal
gliders the most common of which appears to have a pulsing exhaust cloud, and some unique
oscillators. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| SEmigration | Gliding | A diagonally symmetric weighted rule where all expansion is towards the
Southeast. Includes still lifes, gliders, puffer trains, and oscillators. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Simple | Chaotic | A weighted orthogonal/diagonal rule, one of the simplest rules around.
Commonly features a 3 cell diagonal glider, a 2 cell dash still life, and a period 4
blinker. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Simple hex crystal | Gliding | A weighted asymmetric rule that shows the effect of crystallization. For
best results use 'wrap' and more colors. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Simple Inverse | Chaotic | Simple variation where the heavily populated areas of live cells support
"Simple" life forms composed of dead cells. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Simple Inverse Fire | Chaotic | Simple inverse variation where the edges between heavily populated areas
and extremely sparsely populated areas is unstable, with a common orthogonal glider. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Stampede | Gliding | A rule in which all patterns turn to various creatures rushing
horizontally in one direction. A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| Starburst | Chaotic | A weighted orthogonal rule with a very common starburst-like oscillator.
The rule features also a rare butterfly-like glider. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Starbursts2 | Chaotic | A weighted orthogonal rule with a very common starburst-like oscillator,
several gliders, and puffer trains that lay tracks. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Stream | Gliding | Chaotic waves travel Northwest, period 4 "Minnows" head in the
Southeast direction, and gliders reminiscent of "Water Strider" insects travel
North and West. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| UpDown1 | Chaotic | A vertically symmetric weighted rule, an experiment with different
expansion weights for North verses South birth rules. Chaotic expansion exists in the
South direction, but a puffer train that leaves pairs of 2 pixel dashes (still life)
emerges going in the North direction. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| UpDown2 | Chaotic | A vertically symmetric weighted rule, an experiment with different
expansion weights for North verses South birth rules. This rule has some Conway still life
and oscillators, but different gliders going North and South. The name of the rule soon turned out to be incorrect due to Mirek Wojtowicz's discovery of the horizontal gliders. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Upstream | Gliding | A very amusing rule where different fish-like patterns travel horizontally
in both directions. After a short collisions-phase patterns gather in groups and make
their way through patterns moving in the opposite direction. A rule by Mirek Wojtowicz. |
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| Vineyard | Exploding | A weighted asymmetric rule, variation of "Zipper Makers". Out of
chaos flame-like insects collide to create evolving vines. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Vineyard2 | Exploding | A weighted asymmetric rule, variation of "Zipper Makers". Out of
chaos flame-like insects collide to create evolving vines. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Weevils | Chaotic | A rotationally symmetric rule, with simple but unique still lifes,
oscillators, and horizontal gliders. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Weighted Brain | Exploding | The rule is somewhat similar to Brian's Brain, but it has also some unique
features: a linear replicator, a modular (i.e. you can add on "parts" )
oscillator and an oscillator/gun. It also has "marvel" ships that grown infinite
streamers. A rule by Michael Sweney. |
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| Y_Chromosome | Chaotic | A totalistic hexagonal rule with decay. Features exploding
replicators, common glider with an undulating tail, and some uncommon oscillators
and gliders. Ben Schaeffer 2000 |
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| ZipperMakers | Chaotic | A weighted asymmetric rule, variation of "Maze Makers". Walls
usually grow and shrink and new walls can evolve. A rule by Ben Schaeffer. |
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| Webmaster: Mirek Wojtowicz http://www.mirekw.com |
MCell mirrors: |
Last update: 15 Sep 2001