Slow Conway Life

[stan cartwright]

It's life Jim but not as we know it. ( ran faster on a zx81 :) )
https://youtu.be/geaXNmXHyd4

;life...the slow version :)
#chip mega328p,16
#option explicit
#include <glcd.h>
;
    #define GLCD_TYPE GLCD_TYPE_ILI9341
    'Pin mappings for SPI - this GLCD driver supports Hardware SPI and Software SPI
    #define GLCD_DC   portb.2 ;    DIGITAL_10         'HW Data command line DC
    #define GLCD_CS   portd.7 ;    DIGITAL_7          ' Chip select line CS
    #define GLCD_RESET   portd.4 ;      DIGITAL_4         ' Reset line Tie high..not needed
    #define GLCD_DO   portb.3 ;   DIGITAL 11          'HW Data out | MOSI SDI
    #define GLCD_SCK   portb.5 ;   DIGITAL_13          'HW Clock Line SCK
    #define ILI9341_HardwareSPI    ' remove/comment out if you want to use software SPI.still slow
    'GLCD selected extension font set. ASCII characters 31-254, the extended font uses 1358 bytes of program memory
    #define GLCD_EXTENDEDFONTSET1
    GLCDfntDefaultsize = 2
    GLCDRotate (landscape)
;
dim ii ,tmp , pointer , cycle  as word
dim d1 , rnd , readchar , printline as byte
cycle = 0
DIM w1(300) as byte ;15*20
DIM n1(300) as byte
dim p1(8) as byte
for tmp = 1 to 300 ;fill arrays with spaces
  w1(tmp) = asc(" ")
  n1(tmp) = asc(" ")
next  tmp
;
for tmp = 1 to 50 ; 50 random cells to start
  rnd=random : rnd += 30; in 300 cells
  w1(rnd)=asc("O")
next tmp
;
glcdcls ILI9341_BLUE
GLCDPrint (232,0,"CYCLE",ILI9341_SILVER)
do
  FOR ii=22 TO (300-22)
    d1=0
    ; get 8 surrounding cells into p1 string
    p1(1)=w1(ii-1) ;1st cell
    p1(2)=w1(ii+1)
    p1(3)=w1(ii-21)
    p1(4)=w1(ii-20)
    p1(5)=w1(ii-19)
    p1(6)=w1(ii+19)
    p1(7)=w1(ii+20)
    p1(8)=w1(ii+21) ;p1 filled with surrounding cell values
    n1(ii)=w1(ii)
    FOR tmp = 1 TO 8 ;p1 is test occupied space around cell
      IF p1(tmp) = asc("O") THEN
      d1 ++
      end if
    NEXT tmp
;test cell state
    IF (w1(ii)=32) AND (d1=3) THEN
      n1(ii)=asc("O"): GOTO done
    end if
    IF (w1(ii)=asc("O")) AND (d1<2) THEN
      n1(ii)=32: GOTO done
    end if
    IF (w1(ii)=asc("O")) AND (d1>3) THEN
      n1(ii)=32
    end if
done:
    NEXT ii ;tests done
;; print new generation
    pointer=1
    for tmp = 0 to 223 step 16 ;print 15 lines 0 to 223 ypos down screen :chars 16 pixels high
      for rnd = 1 to 189 step 10 ;print 20 w1(x) chars across screen
        GLCDPrint (rnd,tmp,chr(w1(pointer)),ILI9341_YELLOW)
        pointer ++ ;next char in w1(pointer)
      next rnd
    next tmp
;
    GLCDPrint (232,16,str(cycle),ILI9341_WHITE)
    cycle ++
;
    for tmp = 1 to 300 ;refresh w1()
      w1(tmp)=n1(tmp)
    next tmp
loop

[Anobium]

Note. The code in the posting may required a version of Great Cow BASIC greater than v.0.97.01. The array handler may need adapation in earlier versions of Great Cow BASIC, and early version of Great Cow BASIC did not support large arrays.

Recommend v0.98.00 or greater.

[Anobium]

Consider these changes.

• asc("O") = this equates to 0x4F in ASCII code. Replacing all method calls to asc() with a constant assignment.
• GLCDPrint is a string print. Use GLCDDrawChar as this will be faster for single characters.
• Create a buffer array as a buffer and only print changes in the output buffer.
• The IF - THEN tests could be optimised.

:-)

[stan cartwright]

It is a straight conversion of a ZX Spectrum program https://rosettacode.org/wiki/Conway%27s_Game_of_Life Unclear Basic is "unique". You can say Dim w$(300):Dim n$(300):w$=n$. It was easier to convert to GCB than say bbc basic.
I've changed it so it wraps around one end of the array to the other ie top and bottom of screen wrap around.
I'll try to speed the display up. Life ran at a few fps full screen on a zx81 in machine code.
Compiler Version: 0.97.<<>> 2017-04-09 Program Memory: 8016 bytes RAM: 805/2048 bytes (39.31%) Chip: MEGA328P

[stan cartwright]

Anobium, "Create a buffer array as a buffer and only print changes in the output buffer."
Good idea. So I tried

; print new generation
    pointer=1
    for tmp = 0 to 223 step 16 ;print 111 lines 0 to 223 ypos down screen :chars 16 pixels high
      for rnd = 1 to 189 step 10 ;print 20 w1(x) chars across screen
        if w1(pointer) <> n1(pointer) then
            GLCDDrawChar (rnd,tmp,w1(pointer),ILI9341_YELLOW)
        end if
        pointer ++ ;next char in w1(pointer)
      next rnd
    next tmp

but it didn't work, paper and pen says it should..only print cell in w1(xx) , old generation , if it's different to corresponding cell in n1(xx) , the new generation. The screen fills with "o"s after a while.
There's a 1024 dim array in include ssd1306 glcd so large arrays must be ok in this .97 version.