Vote for CPU Build-off Settings

[PaukkuPalikka]

The build-off will be happening next weekend (30.-31.3.2019). Please vote in the poll above for restrictions and rules (see below for additional explanations about the options).


Current suggestion for rules and other things (post objections below):

• You have the whole weekend to build.
  
• Teaming will be allowed in any case. If you want to have a maximum team size, post below.
  
• You are allowed to program and debug the build the following week. Big changes are not allowed during that time.
  
• The winner is chosen on the 8th of April (next week's Sunday).
  

Speed is the primary goal, but you can aim for compactness too. This does not mean pure clock speed, but rather the speed of executing certain test programs. While the details of this have not been decided yet, here are some possible test programs  (in rough order of difficulty):

• Calculating the nth fibonacci number
  
• Calculating the square of a number (sequential squares)
  
• Collatz sequence starting from a given number
  
• Multiplication, division
  
• List comparison or sorting
  
• Computing Ackermann's function
  

Resources for the test programs:
to be added


Block options

Alpha Redstone Only

• Only redstone dust, torches and blocks are allowed in the build.
  

Alpha Redstone + Repeaters

• Like the previous one, but repeaters are also allowed.
  
• Should repeater locking be allowed?
  

Repeaters Only

• Only redstone dust, repeaters and blocks are allowed in the build.
  

No restrictions for building blocks

ISA options

Stack based ISA
1-operand ISA
No restrictions for the ISA


Size restrictions

4 chunks

• Keep in mind that this is quite small.
  

No restrictions for size

[Nickster258]

Ya'll are boring.

[Aerodynamic Brick]

Worst functioning CPU buildoff? Someday perhaps.

[Nickster258]

It just makes for a really boring buildoff. We've had quite a few buildoffs that are just people throwing together a generic CPU that works and Staff judging them based on an arbitrary rubric. Obscure/Unique requirements add to the challenge of it. Buildoffs, in my opinion, should be structured much like Iron Chef America where people sign up for it and the parameters and requirements are given at the start and they are judged at the end by how they utilized the requirements.

[ItsChimp]

I do know what Nick is talking about. You are not really restricting the way someone builds a CPU. Now that I think about it a build off contest should be something where everybody is very restricted and has to come with very unique ways of working around those restrictions. This way it's fair for everybody.