Competitive Cellular Semi

Automata-Pujan Shrestha Class of 2015

GAME OF LIFE

• Cellular Automaton devised by the British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970.

• Simple Model imitating growth in two dimensions.

• Growth specified by the propagation rules.

• Zero Player Game: its evolution is determined by the initial state

PROPAGATION RULESConway’s Propagation Rules: 3/23

Each Cell has 8 neighbors

Birth (Reproduction) ( 3 live cells as neighbors)

Survival (2/3 live cells as neighbors)

Death

Lack of live states

Overcrowding

PROPAGATION BEHAVIOR

• No explosive growth

• Small patterns lead to unpredictable outcomes

• Simple Rules

GOALS OF THE RESEARCH

• 2D and 3D competitive Game of Life

• Two Players

• Playable over the internet

• Allows players to create and use their own macros

2D VERSION OF COMPETITIVE LIFE• Three states

• Red

• Blue

• Neutral (Dead)

• Addition of a new battle rule

• 3 cell user pad

• 10 X 10 Player area

• Individual cell control

• Macros

TYPES OF BASIC PATTERNS

STRATEGY FOR THE GAME

• Limited use of explosive growth

• Using basic still life as triggers for growth

• Surgical Strikes to destroy still life

• Use of computers as tools for pattern search

WHY PATTERN SEARCH• Chaotic growth and decay of cells in the board

• Small changes in the patterns leads to unpredictable behavior

• Player has no control over board except the pad

• Essentially like, playing chess without knowing what the pieces do

FUTURE PLANS• 3D version of Game of Life

• 5 States and larger pad

• New propagation rules

• Understanding the new game

• Playable online

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS• Hart Gillespe

• Erik Seastead

• Dyllan Shannon

• Tu Nguyen

• Dr. Ordower

• Chris Cohen

• Randolph College Summer Research Program

• Randolph College Center for Student Research

• RISE Grant