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Today we present to your attention two programs from our readers.
"CALCULATOR"
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VADIM GREPAN: I offer you an educational program in mathematics (mental arithmetic) for children aged 7-9 years. The main idea is that for each correct answer, a curtain is lifted over a beautiful picture. The program contains a large number of beautiful pictures, which appear randomly. The main goal of the student is to reveal the picture.
At the end of each exam, after the picture is revealed, the computer assigns a grade in the electronic diary.
The advantage of the program is that in the menu you can customize the type of generated examples (+, -, *, /, mixed), their quantity, the order of the numbers involved (0..9, 0..99), and more. The number of pictures is more than thirty, which allows the program not to become boring. All pictures are original and were drawn by artist Alexey Darvin specifically for "CALCULATOR". Detailed documentation is built-in.
"S": We got acquainted with the program from our correspondents, and we liked it. We were especially pleased with the built-in settings menu, which can be used by parents to adjust the complexity of the examples as learning progresses. And this, in our opinion, is very important - parents themselves determine the complexity of the task depending on the abilities of their own child. Taking this opportunity, we would like to extend a big thank you to the authors of this program.
The second program we present is quite simple but entertaining. It was sent to us by fifteen-year-old Bulkov Mikhail Mikhailovich from Kaliningrad, Moscow region.
"LIFE"
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BULKOV MIKHAIL: This program is designed to explore the 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional Game of Life, invented by Conway. Moreover, the rules of birth and death of cells can be changed. There are 2 to the power of 32 possible rule variations for one-dimensional life and 2 to the power of 18 variations for two-dimensional life. In any mode, hints are provided in English. To see what this program is capable of, after loading, press 1 or 2, and you will see a fractal.
"S": It so happened that this program appeared almost simultaneously with another program - "VIRUS" (see "OVERVIEW").
Bulkov Mikhail was following almost the same path as the author of the "VIRUS" program. Before creating something similar to "VIRUS," Bulkov Mikhail had only to take one more step - to "set" two independent cellular formations against each other, developing according to their own laws. This would result in a "viral game" (our term).
In presenting Mikhail's program to our readers, we decided to take a look back at the history of the rules of "LIFE." The following article is for those who are not yet familiar with it.
- LIFE -
MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF LIFE
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The ability to emulate a dynamic system of elementary organisms on a computer began to excite the inquisitive minds of scientists at the dawn of the computer age. The algorithm for one of the first models of a reproducing organism was proposed by E. Fredkin. Fredkin's algorithm models an infinite two-dimensional plane divided into squares. In each square, there is a cell of the organism, which can be in one of two states: "alive" (illuminated on the display) or "dead" (blending with the background). The initial arrangement of the cells is set randomly or chosen by a person.
Then the algorithm, called "self-replicating cellular automaton E. Fredkin," begins to work: with each new tick, each cell is checked for viability according to certain rules. The life of any cell depends on its surroundings: if the number of neighbors in the adjacent space exceeds a critical number, the cell dies from overpopulation. It also dies if there are fewer neighbors than necessary for its survival. In all other cases, the cell continues to live. If an optimal number of neighbors surrounds a dead (empty) cell, that cell becomes alive, i.e., in the next generation, a new cell "will be born" in its place.
There are several algorithms for self-replicating automata, which mainly differ in the method of counting neighbors (see Fig. 1), the method of determining viability (numerical, as described above; or a simpler method of evenness or oddness of the number of neighbors).
Fig. 1: Different schemes for determining the active environment:
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▒ ▒ ▒ ▒▒▒ c.8 - complete environment (classic variant)
The most widespread rules were proposed by J.G. Conway.
They are as follows: If a cell has more than three or fewer than two neighbors, it dies (see Fig. 2, 3).
Fig. 2 A cell will die from overpopulation:
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Fig. 3 A cell dies from "loneliness":
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If a cell has 2 or 3 neighbors, it remains alive (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4 A cell remains alive:
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And finally, if an empty cell has exactly 3 neighbors, a new cell emerges in its place (Fig. 5).
Fig. 5 A new cell is born:
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The game based on these rules was named "LIFE" and gained widespread popularity in the West. It turned out that J.G. Conway's model accurately describes the behavior of colonies of simple microorganisms, the course of certain chemical and physical processes, etc. The game "LIFE" seriously interested the Western public, and popular magazines dedicated to this game emerged, as well as entire symposiums on deriving the most interesting populations. What caused such widespread popularity? The answer is simple - the game allowed players to feel like creators of a living organism that would develop independently of them, but according to the initial form set by them (one of the fundamental concepts of nondeterministic games). As a result of the growing interest in this game, many forms of initial populations of organisms were developed. The most famous of them received their own names:
██ "Stone." This model does not develop or die; all cells in it remain stable. If you fill the entire screen with such "stones," leaving a gap of one cell between them, you get a static organism. You can try to "infect" the organism by placing just one extra cell in the free area. As a result, the entire colony will begin to collapse, leaving behind only a few stable structures.
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"Infected organism"
By the way, stable models do not necessarily have to be static; dynamic stable colonies are much more interesting. The simplest of them is the so-called "Blinker" - a line of three cells. The two end cells die in each tick, managing to give life to the other two. Thus, the "Blinker" restores its original state every two ticks. There are other similar constructions, for example, this one:
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An even more complex system is the "Beacon" - it goes through a series of complex transformations but then returns to its original form.
The "Glider" model is also interesting - it also restores its form after several ticks but appears in a different place, as if moving across the screen. By experimenting with the game "LIFE," you will surely find your interesting models. Sometimes colonies of organisms form very beautiful and complex patterns on the screen.
The rules described above were valid for the original version of the game "LIFE." However, creative thought cannot be stopped, and with the development of computers, the rules of "Life" also evolve. New varieties of this game are emerging; for example, it has been made three-dimensional (in two layers, where each cell is influenced by 17 neighbors), and with the advent of color monitors, someone had the idea to mark the age of each cell with its color, and from there it logically follows that a cell can die from old age, going through the entire spectrum of possible colors. This new rule brings the model even closer to reality; now, only dynamic colonies have a chance to survive. Finally, the creators of the new game "VIRUS" (see "OVERVIEW") have gone even further - they proposed the idea of developing several different colonies in one limited space according to "life-like" laws. As a result, microorganisms engage in constant competition for living space, and the strongest virus wins.
In the appendix, you will find one of the versions of the classic "LIFE," with the ability to change the rules. By choosing this mode, you will enter a screen with two columns of numbers.
In the left column, you can mark the number of neighbors at which a cell will exist, and in the right - the number of cells for the birth of a new one.
Additionally, in the game, you can choose the mode of the so-called "One-dimensional LIFE." In our opinion, there is a slight inaccuracy here, as in this mode a less well-known program "GENETIC" (GENETICS) begins to work. It models the reproduction scheme of hypothetical beings - (in the original version, beings are three-gendered). Each combination of genders can give birth to several "children" of a certain gender. Some combinations do not reproduce anyone. The "children" have different chances of survival depending on the combination of the "parents' genders." In the next tick, all surviving "children" become "parents," and everything starts over. The game allows changing the rules for the appearance of beings, but how exactly to do this in that graphical form remains a mystery to us. (In the original GENETICS, all parameters are set numerically in a table).
P.S. We hope that today's discussion about viral games will not end here. The first tests of the "VIRUS" program showed that this is far from the limit of perfection - the number of adjustable parameters can be significantly increased. An example of this is the small program "LIFE," which is included in the "APPENDIX."
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Contents of the publication: Spectrofon #12
- Expertise - Дмитрий Усманов
Detailed description of gameplay mechanics for a tactical video game involving combat on an alien spaceship. The article outlines various game strategies and character abilities. Includes information on game stages and outcomes.
- The Exam
Description of a successful heist strategy in the game 'THEY STOLE A MILLION' by readers from Tomsk. Includes step-by-step details on disabling alarms and managing resources. Raises a new challenge for readers to accomplish a heist without arrests.
- Premiere
Review of two programs for ZX Spectrum: a math learning tool for children, and a cellular automaton simulation.
- Review
Review of recent gaming software releases in Moscow, highlighting domestic and foreign games, with detailed critiques of several notable titles.
- From the World by Bit
Discussion of the demo version of the game 'Star Heritage' by Step Creative Group, based on reader feedback and suggestions. Details about gameplay tips, technical aspects, and future plans for the full version. Comments on other game projects and software queries.
- System - Vladimir Larkov
Detailed guide on improving VG-93 turbo mode with corrected schemes.
- Advertising
Advertising opportunities for ZX Spectrum users and detailed instructions for purchasing Spectrofon magazine across Russia.
