Computer Science Canada

Conway's Game of Life!
Author:  Lapsus Antepedis [ Tue Aug 16, 2005 5:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Conway's Game of Life!
I needed something to do, so I wrote Conway's Game of life. It runs really slowly, and it's tiny (the window.), but it works properly! ^.^

If anyone has any ideas on how to make it run faster, please let me know. I'm thinking of using pic.new and pic.scale to make it bigger, but then I'd need to create variables for each generation's picture and scaled picture...

I'm also thinking of trying to write a 3D version using vpython, but that'll be really slow and confusing Laughing

Oh well, here's the code Razz

Turing:


% Conway's Game of life!
% Coded by Lapsus Antepedis in 2005

var life : int := Window.Open ("graphics:200;200, title:Conway's Game of Life, noscrollbars")
View.Set ("offscreenonly")
%var stats : int := Window.Open ("graphics:300;400, title:Stats")

%% Some code for loading a picture to start with
% var pictor : int := Pic.FileNew ("conway.bmp")
% Pic.Draw (pictor, 0, 0, picCopy)
% Pic.Free (pictor)

type organism :
    record
        populated : boolean
        buddies : int
    end record

var cell : array 0 .. maxx, 0 .. maxy of organism
%var alive, died, born : int := 0

proc drawcells
    % alive := 0
    Window.SetActive (life)
    for x : 0 .. maxx
        for y : 0 .. maxy
            if cell (x, y).populated then
                drawdot (x, y, 7)
                %  alive += 1
            else
                drawdot (x, y, 0)
            end if
        end for
    end for
    View.Update
end drawcells

proc buddycount

    % empties array
    for x : 0 .. maxx
        for y : 0 .. maxy
            cell (x, y).buddies := 0
        end for
    end for

    %counts buddies
    for x : 2 .. maxx - 2
        for y : 2 .. maxy - 2
            if cell (x + 1, y).populated then
                cell (x, y).buddies += 1
            end if
            if cell (x - 1, y).populated then
                cell (x, y).buddies += 1
            end if
            if cell (x, y + 1).populated then
                cell (x, y).buddies += 1
            end if
            if cell (x, y - 1).populated then
                cell (x, y).buddies += 1
            end if
            if cell (x + 1, y + 1).populated then
                cell (x, y).buddies += 1
            end if
            if cell (x - 1, y - 1).populated then
                cell (x, y).buddies += 1
            end if
            if cell (x + 1, y - 1).populated then
                cell (x, y).buddies += 1
            end if
            if cell (x - 1, y + 1).populated then
                cell (x, y).buddies += 1
            end if
        end for
    end for
end buddycount

proc cycle
    %  died := 0
    %  born := 0

    for x : 0 .. maxx
        for y : 0 .. maxy

            %if populated
            if cell (x, y).populated then

                %with less than 2 buddies
                if cell (x, y).buddies <= 1 then
                    %die
                    cell (x, y).populated := false
                    %    died += 1

                    %with more than 3 buddies
                elsif cell (x, y).buddies >= 4 then
                    %die
                    cell (x, y).populated := false
                    %     died += 1

                    %if 2 or 3 buddies
                else
                    %live
                    cell (x, y).populated := true
                end if
            end if

            %if has 3 buddies
            if cell (x, y).buddies = 3 then
                %live
                cell (x, y).populated := true
                %  born += 1
            end if
        end for
    end for
end cycle

%% Some more code for starting with a picture
% for x : 0 .. maxx
%     for y : 0 .. maxy
%         if whatdotcolour (x, y) not= 0 then
%             cell (x, y).populated := true
%         else
%             cell (x, y).populated := false
%         end if
%     end for
% end for

% Code for generating Random Start
for x : 0 .. maxx
    for y : 0 .. maxy
        if Rand.Int (1, 4) = 1 then
            cell (x, y).populated := true
        else
            cell (x, y).populated := false
        end if
    end for
end for

%Window.SetActive (stats)
%locate (1, 1)
% put "Alive | Born  | Died  | Change"
% put "------+-------+-------+-------"

loop
    drawcells
    % Window.SetActive (stats)
    % put alive : 6, "| ", born : 6, "| ", died : 6, "| ", born - died : 6
    buddycount
    cycle
end loop

Author:  Cervantes [ Tue Aug 16, 2005 9:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Good job.
One thing that stood out to me was your many if statements to determine how many buddies any particular cell has. Instead of using many if statements, you can use two for loops:

code:

for dx : -1  .. 1
  for dy : -1 .. 1
    if dx = 0 and dy = 0 then    % We only want to check around the spot, not the spot itself
    else
      %check using the coordinate (x + dx, y + dy)
    end if
  end for
end for


I took this and then furthered it by, instead of constantly determining how many buddies each cell has, only update the tally when a change is made around the cell. Here's the code:
Turing:

var life : int := Window.Open ("graphics:200;200, title:Conway's Game of Life, noscrollbars")
View.Set ("offscreenonly")

type organism :
    record
        populated : boolean
        buddies : int
    end record

var cell : array 0 .. maxx, 0 .. maxy of organism
for x : lower (cell, 1) .. upper (cell, 1)
    for y : lower (cell, 2) .. upper (cell, 2)
        cell (x, y).buddies := 0
    end for
end for


proc drawcells
    for x : 0 .. maxx
        for y : 0 .. maxy
            if cell (x, y).populated then
                drawdot (x, y, 7)
            else
                drawdot (x, y, 0)
            end if
        end for
    end for
    View.Update
end drawcells

proc step_buddies_around (x, y, step : int)
    for dx : max (1, x - 1) .. min (x + 1, maxx - 1)
        for dy : max (1, y - 1) .. min (y + 1, maxy - 1)
            if dx = x and dy = y then
            else
                cell (dx, dy).buddies += step
            end if
        end for
    end for
end step_buddies_around

proc cycle
    for x : 0 .. maxx
        for y : 0 .. maxy

            %if populated
            if cell (x, y).populated then

                %with less than 2 buddies, or with more than 3 buddies
                if cell (x, y).buddies < 2 or cell (x, y).buddies > 3 then
                    %die
                    cell (x, y).populated := false
                    step_buddies_around (x, y, -1)
                end if
            end if

            %if has 3 buddies
            if cell (x, y).buddies = 3 then
                %spawn new life
                cell (x, y).populated := true
                step_buddies_around (x, y, +1)
            end if
        end for
    end for
end cycle


% Code for generating Random Start
for x : 0 .. maxx
    for y : 0 .. maxy
        if Rand.Int (1, 4) = 1 then
            cell (x, y).populated := true
            step_buddies_around (x, y, +1)
        else
            cell (x, y).populated := false
        end if
    end for
end for

var current_time := Time.Elapsed

loop
    View.Set ("title:" + realstr (Time.Elapsed - current_time, 0) + " ms")
    current_time := Time.Elapsed
    drawcells
    cycle
end loop


My computer does a cycle every 450ms or so, though mine behaves a little different than yours. For some reason mine seems to create a "mat" of life, rather than distinct "clumps". Perhaps it has something to do with the way I've handled the edges? In any case, it begins in the same manner as yours and has a cycle every 900 ms, whereas yours started around 1150.

Good work. +15 bits.
EDIT: Modding/Donating bits isn't working now. I owe you. Smile

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