Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
strangebinary.com
Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
1–10 of 16 posts
Re: Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
#2I need like 1 minute to notice the instructions at the top:
> K - MORE CHAOS | J - LESS CHAOS | P - NEW COLORS | R - RESET POPULATION | D - REDUCE POPULATION | F - INCREASE POPULATION
This kills my back button. What are you storing in the URL?
I couldn't guess the model and if I press J and K then I sometimes get very different behaviors. Is there some explanation?
Re: Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
#3I need like 1 minute to notice the instructions at the top: > K - MORE CHAOS | J - LESS CHAOS | P - NEW COLORS | R - RESET POPULATION | D - REDUCE POPULATION | F - INCREASE POPULATION This kills my back button. What are you storing in the URL? I couldn't guess the model and if I press J and K then I sometimes get very different behaviors. Is there some explanation?
Thanks for the feedback!
> This kills my back button. What are you storing in the URL?
The URL stores the system rule - the idea being that you can share it. The URL changes over time as you play because playing edits the system rule.
J and K toggle down and up the 'dynamism' in the system. It's semi-random in the sense that you can't control what new system you get when you press J or K, but you will get a system that has either less or more dynamism than the current system. Dynamism is a property of the system - roughly how often 'things change' per the system rule. EG a conditional in the system rule that necessitates an off cell becoming an on cell is a 'thing changing'.
Re: Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
#4I need like 1 minute to notice the instructions at the top: > K - MORE CHAOS | J - LESS CHAOS | P - NEW COLORS | R - RESET POPULATION | D - REDUCE POPULATION | F - INCREASE POPULATION This kills my back button. What are you storing in the URL? I couldn't guess the model and if I press J and K then I sometimes get very different behaviors. Is there some explanation?
Thanks for the feedback! > This kills my back button. What are you storing in the URL? The URL stores the system rule - the idea being that you can share it. The URL changes over time as you play because playing edits the system rule. J and K toggle down and up the 'dynamism' in the system. It's semi-random in the sense that you can't control what new system you get when you press J or K, but you will get a system th…
Sometimes I get systems that are too flashy https://strangebinary.com/#111111000100110100001000010010001... Is is possible to eliminate them?
Re: Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
#5Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks for the feedback! > This kills my back button. What are you storing in the URL? The URL stores the system rule - the idea being that you can share it. The URL changes over time as you play because playing edits the system rule. J and K toggle down and up the 'dynamism' in the system. It's semi-random in the sense that you can't control what new system you get when you press J or K, but you will get a system th…
Sometimes I get systems that are too flashy https://strangebinary.com/#111111000100110100001000010010001... Is is possible to eliminate them?
I understand that it's visually unpleasant (not to mention potentially dangerous for epileptics). That said it's literally just a rendering of what the system rule dictates. Lower dynamism systems tend not to be as flashy.
Re: Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
#6I need like 1 minute to notice the instructions at the top: > K - MORE CHAOS | J - LESS CHAOS | P - NEW COLORS | R - RESET POPULATION | D - REDUCE POPULATION | F - INCREASE POPULATION This kills my back button. What are you storing in the URL? I couldn't guess the model and if I press J and K then I sometimes get very different behaviors. Is there some explanation?
Thanks for the feedback! > This kills my back button. What are you storing in the URL? The URL stores the system rule - the idea being that you can share it. The URL changes over time as you play because playing edits the system rule. J and K toggle down and up the 'dynamism' in the system. It's semi-random in the sense that you can't control what new system you get when you press J or K, but you will get a system th…
You can replace history state without appending it
Re: Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
#7Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sometimes I get systems that are too flashy https://strangebinary.com/#111111000100110100001000010010001... Is is possible to eliminate them?
I understand that it's visually unpleasant (not to mention potentially dangerous for epileptics). That said it's literally just a rendering of what the system rule dictates. Lower dynamism systems tend not to be as flashy.
You can map every flashy rule to the equivalent nonflashy rule by inverting all the bits, no interesting behavior is lost.
Re: Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
#8What is the objective? I can see the controls and I’ve made a few interesting patterns but what is the thing I’m trying to achieve? What’s the gameplay significance of the graph? What exactly is it even measuring?
Re: Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
#9I opened it in a new tab. By the time I looked at the tab it was in full epilepsy induction mode. Thankfully I don't suffer from it.
Perhaps don't start the game until it receives a focus.
Re: Show HN: Strange Binary – a cellular automata game
#10What is the objective? I can see the controls and I’ve made a few interesting patterns but what is the thing I’m trying to achieve? What’s the gameplay significance of the graph? What exactly is it even measuring?
Creator here. There is no defined objective. Perhaps that disqualifies it from being a 'game'. One hope I have had is that the game could be used to discovering interesting (turing complete or otherwise) rules that may have information processing capabilities beyond the game. Vague I realize. The timeseries at the bottom is just measuring the number of 'on' cells.