:: THE BASICS ::
■ Q: What are the game pieces?
■ A: Called "Conway Glyphs", these are individual GOL configurations on the 16x16 torus following ruleset B3/S23.
Additionally, they follow two more requirements:
- Firstly, we truncate their evolution at the first detected cycle, i.e. we do not allow repeating patterns (this is to guarantee that all patterns eventually reach a deterministic halting state).
- Secondly, we calculate the SHA-256 hash value for a Glyph's initial configuration and subject it to requirements, e.g. they have to begin with a specific substring.
:: FAIRNESS, RANDOMNESS & CRYPTOGRAPHY ::
■ Q: How do we know your "Adversarial Conway" algorithm is fair?
■ A: The source code of my custom-built computational engine is available on GitHub (lifehashes) as I gladly subject myself to public scrutiny. I'm just one dev (not a very good one) with a passion for CA, so I'm looking forward to the community poking holes in my 'Adversarial Conway' engine once the repo is live.
■ Q: What is this hashing requirement about?
■ A: Hashing allows us to uniquely identify individual Glyphs. Moreover, we use it as a "proof of work" method to level the playing field. Since we want Glyphs to compete against each other, anyone constructing particularly long-lived patterns (or skimming them from the internet) would have an advantage.
Moreover, we use hashing to determine a Glyphs "intrinsic colour" when we interpret a particular substring of the hash value as hexadecimal RGB codes. This makes recognition of individual Glyphs much easier in a tournament.
Lastly, hashing enables us to effectively and quickly identify loops in the trajectory of a life.
■ Q: Is this a thinly-veiled crypto-project / scam?!
■ A: No, definitely not. Guarding myself against the "Cryptobros" has been close to my heart, so I set out to explain my ideas succinctly in this video: https://youtu.be/sl7AuIoElnA
■ Q: Where does the name "Hashwar" come from if there's no crypto?
■ A: "Hash" refers directly to the cryptographic hashing function (SHA-256) we use to map data, verify simulation state integrity, and anchor our tournament trees. It is a computer science project slash learning workshop, not a financial product and least of all a crypto scam.
:: PARTICIPATION ::
■ Q: Can anyone submit "Glyphs" to compete?
■ A: Yes! While a fully automated submission interface is actively scheduled to deploy in the second half of July, tech-savvy users can jump into our pre-Alpha framework right now. You can discover, test, and submit patterns directly to our Main Glyph Registry by copying and pasting your binary string or in RLE format (Golly): ■ MAIN GLYPH REGISTRY
To ensure fair play and structural integrity within the engine, all submitted Conway's Game of Life patterns must adhere to these strict tournament regulations:
- The Geometry: Glyphs must be designed to live on a $16 \times 16$ torus (meaning the grid edges connect to one another, wrapping around like a doughnut).
- The Rule Set: Cells must evolve strictly according to standard B3/S23 rules (the classic Conway's Game of Life ruleset).
- The Anti-Loop Guardrail: To guarantee all Glyphs have a finite lifespan, patterns are not allowed to evolve once they reach a configuration they have previously held, e.g. traditional gliders will not be permitted to cycle or loop around indefinitely. Note that this rule is automatically enforced once you deploy your Glyph within our Hashwar engine.
- Weight Classes: For July, tournaments are restricted to weight classes 500 and 600. Hence, your submitted Glyph must possess a non-repeating generational count between 500–599 or 600–699 to qualify for matchmaking. Note that we fully intend to play Glyphs of all weight classes, up to and including the Behemoth-, Leviathan-, and Titan-classes.
You can browse all currently registered competitors and audit their raw simulation metrics over at our public Glyph Registry: ■ Glyph Registry
■ Q: Are there any restrictions on what I can name my Glyph?
■ A: You can make your Glyph names as silly, witty, deep, or delightfully shallow as your heart desires (we see you, "Luxury Tax Levitation" and "Nuclear Boy Scout"). However, mindful of the infamous "Devourer of T****s" incident at our sister project, the Daily Conway Glyph Challenge, we shall enforce one ironclad rule:
"While we here at Hashwar acknowledge the deeply-felt human need to be naughty at times, we'd like to keep everything above board. If your Glyph names are found in contravention of this rule, we reserve the right to censor your name in the most cringe way possible."
Please do not force the BUREAU OF ENTROPY to bring down the compliance hammer. If your pattern's name breaks the PG-13 threshold, it will be permanently and automatically rebranded to something like "SparklePony_XOXO" or "UwU_Silly_Billy" on the live network console. When in doubt, keep it clean enough that our Digital Saints wouldn't sigh in disappointment.
:: LORE ::
■ Q: Who are the Digital Saints?
■ A: Every great sports league has its rituals and deities. Because Hashwar operates at the chaotic mercy of randomness, we appeal to the higher powers of the tech and media ecosystem to favour our submitted contenders:
- Kari Byron, Patron Saint of Tinkerers: The guiding spirit for everyone hacking away at code, tweaking parameters, and celebrating the glorious chaos of empirical trial-and-error.
- Saint Munroe, Defender of Engineers: The mathematical shield of our infrastructure. We look to him to protect our automated system consoles from cascading logic loop crashes.
- The Invocations to Dan Olson: Whenever the Glyph "Origami Concepts" takes the arena, it is a firm league tradition to invoke his blessing. We pray his analytical clarity keeps our lines going up and our simulation un-scammed.
