Down toward the end of the current list, 16.2445 / xs16_ciligzx254c can be reduced to 14G, based on
this soup.
That was the first soup I tried -- it's the black link between the red and purple links. Didn't even look at the
dozens of other soups, and didn't try terribly hard to replace blocks with gliders either... so this could almost certainly be improved further, one way or another:
Code: Select all
x = 68, y = 72, rule = B3/S23
5bo$3bobo$4b2o2$2bo$obo$b2o63bo$65bo$65b3o9$39bobo$40b2o$40bo6$53bo$
52bo$52b3o$8bo2bobo$6bobo3b2o44b2o$7b2o3bo44b2o$59bo22$56bo$55b2o$55bo
bo3$58b3o$58bo$27b2o30bo$26bobo$28bo3$9bo$9b2o$8bobo40b3o$51bo$18b2o
32bo$17bobo$19bo!
I also spent some time on the next 16-bitter on the list, 16.2630 / xs16_31e8gzxo9a6, and found what seems like a fairly promising predecessor, from one of the first couple of soups (I looked at all of them for this case):
Code: Select all
x = 26, y = 24, rule = B3/S23
6b2o$6b2o2b2o$10b2o$2ob2o$o3bo$b3o$2bo$7b3o2$13b2o4bo$13b2o2bo2bo$16bo
3bo$10b2o4bo$10b2o7bo$20bo$15b2o$14bob3o3bo$13bo8b2o$13bo$13bo7bob2o$
14bo3b3o2b2o$15bo6bo2bo$22bobo$22bo!
But a very speculative 4G search hasn't turned up that modified phi spark yet. Don't think it's likely to, though the script is still running. Seems likely that someone can work out a recipe for it, since there's a fair amount of working room and nine gliders to spare if they're needed.
Another option is
Code: Select all
x = 20, y = 24, rule = B3/S23
13bo$12bobo$12bo3b3o$13bo5bo$17bo2$15b2o$2bo14bo$3o$3o$12b3o$4bo5b2o2b
o$2b2ob2o3bo2b2o$4bo5b3o5$6bo$6b3o$6b3o$5bo3bo$5b4o$5bob2o!
but that seems a good bit more expensive, though at least the long boat can be removed with a single glider.
I'm a little worried about 16.3032 / xs16_1784ozx342sg, the
last still life on the list, since it only shows up in symmetrical soups, and the only likely-looking soup out of the whole bunch seems as if it's going to end up taking eight pairs of gliders to reproduce the recipe... and I bet that's exactly where the current cost comes from!