The game of life

[AtomicFeline]

WARNING!!!
If you're not interested in C or programming, leave this thread now. This is for computer geeks only.

Anyway, the school I'm currently attending gave out a cool project in my CMSC 201 class where I had to make a "Game of life." For a complete project description, visit this page, http://www.csee.umbc.edu/courses/und...2/projects/p2/ . Now I'm not asking you guys to help me (besides, it's too late to give in the project). I just want to know if anyone can reproduce some nifty looking code using the program. BTW, you are gonna need a file full of ones and zeros. I want to see who can come up with the best algorithim.

Good luck! And don't go off-topic! (No pun intended)

[AtomicFeline]

hehe... Can I get a moderator to move this to the Programming Section?

[Kellicros]

>> hehe... Can I get a moderator to move this to the Programming Section?

Done.

[Ninjaa]

Looks interesting. If I hadn't spent 10 hours coding today already, I might be breaking out my compiler right now.

But alas, my assignment was due, and I spent a long time working on it. Now I am tired and sleepy.

[AtomicFeline]

Would it help if I posted my completed code?

[EDIT] - How would I go about attaching it?

[AtomicFeline]

Nevermind. I found out. And don't be afraid to look at the code; it's well commented.

[SnakeBite]

is this something like that ooooold game/application called "GenLife" for Windows 3.1? looks very similar... and interesting...

[AtomicFeline]

Actually, yes. The "game of life" has been made a billion times, but it is still fun to make. You may have heard it by the name of Lifegen, NextGen, or simply the "game of life." I want to see if someone can make some mean looking code.

[SnakeBite]

yeah! it was called Lifegen! I knew I had heard that before...

[ammoQ]

bad style:
<pre>
int boolean = FALSE;
</pre>

boolean is a type (like int or float) in other programming languages, should not be a variable name.

ValidateNeighbors does next to nothing, but takes a whole page on the screen.

AddNeighbors takes 73 lines for something that could be easily written in 2 lines.

Instead of using 2 arrays alternately, you copy the whole array for every iteration.

Sorry if this is a bit harsh, but it looks like someone was very busy creating lots of code, as if you were paid per line of code.

Look at ammoqlife.c: Granted, I was a bit lazy with comments, but it's a total of 91 lines.

I use 2 arrays alternately, so I don't have useless copy operations.
My arrays are larger so they include an invisible border of zeroes; this way I don't need range checking for the board.

Input is done in strings like that:
<pre>
X
X X
XXXX
</pre>
This way I can use the output of the game as an input for the next game. Maximum number of cycles and output interval are command line parameters. (You see, I arbitrarily changed the input format a little so a non-programmer cannot use it unmodified for your assignment. There is nothing wrong the way your program does the input.).

[Ninjaa]

ooh.. I am afraid to compete with the master programmer now...

[ammoQ]

100000 iterations on my machine (output to /dev/null)
AtomicFelineLife - 17,7 sec
ammoQLife - 5 sec

[AtomicFeline]

Good job, AmmoQ. But then again, I'm still in college, and I haven't been in a course that teaches optimization.

BTW, the array with zeros as the boarders was probably the thing that sped up the program the most. By doing that, you had the right to simply add all the neighbors without checking.

I didn't get it when you use two arrays alternatly. Can you explain a little? (My class webpage said that the program required copying arrays. Although I wish I thought of several of the things you did.)

[EDIT] - Oh, I get it! You made the calculations and applied it right into the array that you are going to print. That way, you don't need to copy the changed array into another one. It makes me wonder why I got a good grade on the project. And you're right about the boolean thing. I at least have potential, right?

[ammoQ]

Hey, you did a good job! Your program works well and it is readable and well documented.
It's just that in some parts you wrote lots of code for very simple operations. But sometimes it takes a lot of experience to see the short way. Keep on learning, I'm pretty sure you have potential!

[ammoQ]

Originally posted by AtomicFeline
Oh, I get it! You made the calculations and applied it right into the array that you are going to print. That way, you don't need to copy the changed array into another one.

Not only; in the next iteration, the roles of the two arrays are exchanged, so while in one iteration, I calculate Array 2 from Array 1, in the next iteration it's the other way round. So i never have useless copy operations for whole array.

[AtomicFeline]

How do you know which array to display then? First you change one array using the original and then you change the original using the changed one, do you modulus the amount of times you use the algorithm by two and if it's one then display one array and if it's zero then display the other? (Sorry for reviving the thread, but I really want to understand).

[ammoQ]

it's these lines:
<pre>
s=!s;
...
output(currentTime, b[s]);
</pre>

the first line toggles s between 1 and 0; the second generates the output from the array choosen by s.

[AtomicFeline]

Interesting. If 's' is 1, then !s would be zero, right? Pretty cool.

[SnakeBite]

I was able to create something in Delphi. and it works! if anyone wants the source, then ask me. I added a random button to generate X-es (1's and 0's) at random.

[AtomicFeline]

Delphi? Never used it. Can you show a bit of the source code?