Mini Challenge #7 - Results

Neo's Corewar Mini Challenge #7 is over and the results are in.

Mini Challenge #7 - Part 1

In part 1, 6 players discovered a 1 line solution with 100% ties. In all of the entered solutions, the imp overwrites the wimp and the wimp's process becomes an imp.

Roy van Rijn and Rashnok found the following solution:

    mov.i #1, }1

Neogryzor and S. Fernandes discovered the following:

    mov }0, }1

And finally, Ilmari Karonen and I entered the following:

    mov.i #1, *1

Mini Challenge #7 - Part 2

In part 2, 5 players found a 2 line, 1 process solution with 100% ties.

Ilmari Karonen was first to submit an optimal solution. Ilmari's imp stops when it reaches the wimp and the process enters the DJN loop:

    mov.i }0, *1
    mov.i }1, *1

Rashnok and I both found the following solution. Our imp overwrites the wimp and the wimp's process becomes an imp:

imp mov.i #3,*-1
    jmp imp,{0

I also entered a slight variation:

    mov {2, }0
imp mov.i #3,*-1

S. Fernandes discovered the following. The imp's process enters the DJN loop:

imp mov.i #4, *1
    djn.a imp, #0

Finally Roy van Rijn used his evolver to discover 58 solutions! Here are Roy's 58 entries.

Thanks to Neo for organising the challenge.

Roy's Modification to Mini Challenge #7

Roy suggested an interesting modification to Neo's Mini Challenge #7 in rec.games.corewar. Create an imp capable of passing through the following code:

djn.f #0, >-5

The aim is to tie as often as possible.  Lines of code and the number of processes should be kept to a minimum.

• Newbies should aim for >95% ties in 7 lines or less.
  
• Intermediate redcoders should be able to discover a solution with 100% ties in 5 lines.
  
• Corewar pros should aim for a solution with 100% ties in 4 lines or less!

Mini Challenge #7 - "Harmless Overrun"

Neo has proposed a mini challenge in which players have to create an imp capable of passing through a wimp with imp-gate.  Both warriors must survive the encounter.

jmp 0, <-5 

For more details, see the mini challenge homepage.

More Semaphores in Redcode

While not as elegant as the solution found by Neo and Roy, the following has the advantage of only requiring one DAT.

semaphore: dat    1
        ....
reset:     mul.ab semaphore, semaphore
wait:      djn    reset,     semaphore
           mov.a  #0,        semaphore
        ....
signal:    mov    #1,        }sema

The second technique kills waiting processes, then respawns them when signaled.

semaphore: dat    1
        ....
kill:      dat    0
        ....
wait:      djn    kill,      semaphore
next:
        ....
signal:    mov.a  #1,        semaphore
           add.x  semaphore, semaphore
           seq.a  #1,        semaphore
           spl    next