# GOL-038: Pursuit

Cells pursue random living targets, wait at obstructions, then try a rotating compass for escape. Explore waiting time and one-to-three-square pursuit with complete presets.

[Open simulation](https://100gol.com/experiments/038) · [Directory](https://100gol.com/experiments)

## The question

How do simple random-target pursuit and a rotating escape compass produce clusters and wandering breakaway groups? Explore two parameters—blocked wait and pursuit distance—while population, targets and the angular rotation rules remain fixed.

## Rules, update order and replay

Each cell receives a uniformly random other living target, a cardinal pursuit heading, an independent random eight-way angular heading and a permanent random clockwise/counterclockwise sense. One Step permits one to three synchronous cardinal advances along the initial pursuit heading. Each advance checks frozen occupancy and competing claims; accepted moves commit before the next advance. Any obstruction ends that cell’s turn and preserves partial progress. Angular escape never occurs on the turn that first discovers a blockage. Blocked wait zero permits an angular attempt on the next turn; N adds N complete waiting turns. On a later turn, a still-blocked cell whose wait has elapsed may try its current angular square, always one square. Count all remaining cardinal and angular claims together: only uniquely claimed empty destinations move. A free cardinal route takes precedence. Full pursuit or angular success clears waiting; partial travel ending in a new block restarts the wait. After all movement, update every pursuit heading and rotate every angular compass exactly 45 degrees once. No births, deaths, retargeting, swaps, capture or same-turn retry.

## Compass and geometry

Pursuit chooses the cardinal step of minimum remaining Euclidean distance, using shortest wrapped distances when wrapping is enabled. Retain a best previous heading at ties, otherwise use private seeded choices. Angular escape checks its diagonal or orthogonal destination only. Frozen occupancy is per advance: a departing cell blocks that same advance, and no long move tunnels through it. Wrapping is enabled by default for both movement types. A single cell has no target and stays put while its angular compass rotates.

## Controls and inspection

The Rule composer offers Blocked wait 0–16 and Pursuit distance 1–3. Edits pause and clear blocked waiting history while preserving positions and compasses. Initial condition offers Random Life, 15 classic occupancy patterns, field and target seeds, and density 0–100%. Use seeds or Reset applies pending seed/density edits; selecting a pattern rebuilds immediately. Presets save complete starting conditions and rules, support favorites and commentary, and restore the designated public default. Inspect a cell to see both compasses, rotation sense, blocked streak, delay, first proposal, final forecast, travel distance and conflicts. Cyan marks pursuit and amber angular movement. The mobile shortcut randomizes both parameters, resets and plays.

## Reproducibility

Version six records blockedWait and movementDistance plus field profile, pattern, density, field/target/angular seeds and topology. The default Hive & Wander preset is wait zero, distance one, 10% on a wrapped 160-square field, with seeds 3800038/3800039/3800040. Patient Pursuit and Long Strides compare waiting and distance with the same complete opening. Randomize wait, distance or all rules preserves the opening. Field, targets and density have separate randomizers; everything changes both parameters, field/target seeds and density. Every randomizer preserves angular seed, 45-degree turn rate, rotation-sense assignment, profile and topology, then resets and plays. No angular randomization control exists. Reset reconstructs all hidden state. Version six rejects older timing contracts explicitly.

## Reproduce a starting configuration

[Download example JSON](https://100gol.com/api/experiments/038/configuration). Import it using Share & reproduce in the simulation controls. It starts paused at Step zero. Files contain rules and initial conditions, not evolved boards or manual edits. See [format, limitations and automated access](https://100gol.com/agents).