Seeds of Destruction

by Paul Chapman (@igblan)
conwaylife.com

THIS IS AN ALPHA RELEASE. Make frequent copies of savegames. Back up older versions together with their savegames in case future versions aren't compatible.

Seeds of Destruction is a puzzle game based on Conway's Game of Life.

The aim is to completely destroy a pattern, or sometimes just clean up the debris left over from a useful reaction, by placing (usually) one glider and a number of small still lifes called 'seeds'. Solutions to some puzzles will help Life research.

The main playing area shows the evolution of the current attempt. The currently-selected seed moves around with the mouse, and any effect it has on the evolution of the pattern is instantly displayed. Left-click to place the seed at its current location, and record the move in the exploration tree on the right. You can't place seeds in the yellow 'quarantine zone'.

Press the right mouse button to suppress the effect of the current seed on the pattern, and hold and drag it to scroll the display. Zoom in and out by rotating the mouse wheel.

Change the current seed or its orientation by rotating the mouse wheel over the top two buttons. Click either button to go back to the block.

Change the start generation and number of generations by rotating the mouse wheel over the next two buttons, or click a button to restore the default.

Click the copy button to save the current attempt to the clipboard in standard RLE format. Click the arrow button to make a copy of the current attempt and add it as a new puzzle.

Click an entry in the exploration tree to select a puzzle or any attempt you have made so far to solve it. A tree label comprises the number of placed seeds, the short name for the seed placed, and a random noun as an aide memoire.

The current exploration tree is saved (in the file savegame.sod in the same directory as the .jar file) when you exit the game, and reloaded when you start the game again.

Tips:
  • Try to progress in small steps around the pattern.
  • Try to avoid creating red debris - it's inside the quarantine zone and harder to reach.
  • Use the First and Gens buttons to see how the evolution progresses in more detail, or if the display becomes laggy.
Glider turners:
  • A boat can turn a glider arriving on either side towards the direction it's pointing.
  • An eater can turn a glider arriving on the convex side towards the direction it's pointing.
  • The two-block turner can turn a glider arriving from either side - you'll have to feel around a bit to see how it works.
  • The two-block turner is included because it preserves the 'colour' of the glider (in the fashion of a bishop in chess) while the others change it.
  • Use the boat where possible, but use the eater when space is tight.


Patterns in puzzles such as the Demonoid sometimes need to be constructed by other patterns. In order to make the construction as cheap as possible, follow these guidelines:
  • Try not to place seeds too close to each other or to the cells in the pattern. A gap of at least four cells is desirable.
  • Try not to place seeds a long way from other seeds or from the cells in the pattern. A gap of at most twenty cells is desirable.
  • Smaller seeds and seeds with a lot of symmetry tend to be easier to construct. For example, two blocks might well be better than one eater.
These are very approximate guidelines, and any solution is better than none at all.