3 ms·
In CoreWars, which used assembly-like language to create programs fighting each other, one of the most powerful strategies was to inject a SPL instruction (basi
by skocznymroczny 7y ago
In CoreWars, which used assembly-like language to create programs fighting each other, one of the most powerful strategies was to inject a SPL instruction (basically fork) into an enemy program, preferably jumping to the SPL instruction itself. As a result, the enemy program would quickly be split into 64 processes (usual maximum number), so the actual logic would be running at 1/64 speed, bogged down by the dummy processes.
- flir 7y agoIf you could successfully do that, why wouldn't you just bomb a DAT in instead?
- brazzy 7y agoBecause the opponent could already be running multiple processes - killing one would only speed up the others. The programs that uses the SPL-bomb tactic usually tried to catch all the enemy processes (slowed down to uselessness by the SPL-bomb) in the same place before finishing them off with a DAT.
- flir 7y agoI see. I don't think the original version of CoreWars had multiple program counters? Got to admit it's been a while.
- brazzy 7y agoYou're right, the version described in the original article in the Scientific American did not have the SPL instruction, but the first "Core Wars Standard" proposal in 1988 introduced it. You can see the different versions collected here: https://corewar.co.uk/standards/ https://corewar.co.uk/standards/