Yes, calculating with moving parts are how the first computers/calculators worked. Nowadays, you'll usually see them represented by relay computers, which are usually an educational experiment, or meant to be used in harsh environments where a modern computer couldn't function properly.
Digital (discrete, e.g. binary) is mutually exclusive with analog (continuous, e.g. voltage), but either can be either physical (existing in the real world), or virtual (simulated, represented).
A digital clock can be physical or virtual.
A virtual clock can be digital or analog.
Btw I don't think it makes sense to say redstone computers are "simulating binary", at least not any more than real computers do. It's just another digital computer, running in a virtual environment rather than a physical one.
People have built 16 bit and 32 bit computers in Minecraft, the tighter restraint is the limited clock speed (resulting from suboptimal simulation efficiency)
I feel like you need to give more details about what you mean by "do". It's a Turing complete system, but if you mean to advance gameplay objectives, that's a more complicated question. Especially because it's a fairly open-ended game in the first place.
This being Lemmy, everyone is going straight to computer science.
Not much, as the computer would be limited to something like 1000 transistors in total or something, if you build the computer flat on the landscape, because only around like 30K blocks of surface area are loaded at each moment (and therefore can contribute to calculations), and it takes around 30 blocks to build one transistor gate.
Someone made a whole series on how to build a general pupose redstone computer. You can program it to do anything you want with already written programs like a calculator, connect4, a maze generator or even Tetris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAZEXqWLTmY
21 Comments
kruhmaster@sh.itjust.works · 29 pts · 345d
Anything a real PC does, given infinite space and creativity. You're just simulating binary physically.
Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca · 11 pts · 345d
would it not still be digitally?
digitally physical?
my head hurts..
fartographer@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 345d
Yes, calculating with moving parts are how the first computers/calculators worked. Nowadays, you'll usually see them represented by relay computers, which are usually an educational experiment, or meant to be used in harsh environments where a modern computer couldn't function properly.
unwarlikeExtortion@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 344d
It is a bit confusing.
Minecraft is a digital simulation of a physical (albeit blocky) world.
If we treat minecraft as a physical world (one simulated, but that's beside the point), we can claim that it's a (simulated) physical simulation.
floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 343d
Digital (discrete, e.g. binary) is mutually exclusive with analog (continuous, e.g. voltage), but either can be either physical (existing in the real world), or virtual (simulated, represented).
A digital clock can be physical or virtual. A virtual clock can be digital or analog.
Btw I don't think it makes sense to say redstone computers are "simulating binary", at least not any more than real computers do. It's just another digital computer, running in a virtual environment rather than a physical one.
Goodlucksil@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 345d
Anything an 8-bit pc can do. There are technical limits to what Minecraft can handle and
NichtElias@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 345d
People have built 16 bit and 32 bit computers in Minecraft, the tighter restraint is the limited clock speed (resulting from suboptimal simulation efficiency)
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org · 3 pts · 345d
And by limited, we mean like, on the order of Hertz probably.
Pacrat173@lemmy.ml · 13 pts · 345d
Play Minecraft
Jimmycrackcrack@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 344d
Now use your simulation of Minecraft in Minecraft to build a computer to play Minecraft.
CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org · 9 pts · 345d
I feel like you need to give more details about what you mean by "do". It's a Turing complete system, but if you mean to advance gameplay objectives, that's a more complicated question. Especially because it's a fairly open-ended game in the first place.
This being Lemmy, everyone is going straight to computer science.
communism@lemmy.ml · 9 pts · 344d
Redstone is Turing-complete, so anything a regular computer can do. I remember building a 4 bit calculator in Minecraft when I was 12.
mesamunefire@piefed.social · 6 pts · 345d
I remember someone made a working gameboy emulator work in minecraft.
sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 345d
No fucking way?! Seriouslu
TribblesBestFriend@startrek.website · 5 pts · 345d
I’ve seen a scientific calculator
ving_thor@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 345d
Lose a lot of your time.
sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 345d
That kind of goes without saying lmao
gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de · 3 pts · 343d
Not much, as the computer would be limited to something like 1000 transistors in total or something, if you build the computer flat on the landscape, because only around like 30K blocks of surface area are loaded at each moment (and therefore can contribute to calculations), and it takes around 30 blocks to build one transistor gate.
melooone@feddit.org · 3 pts · 343d
Someone made a whole series on how to build a general pupose redstone computer. You can program it to do anything you want with already written programs like a calculator, connect4, a maze generator or even Tetris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAZEXqWLTmY
xilophor@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 340d
Late response, but Bitcoin Mining
monovergent@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 345d
Crappy DIY "ASICs"
meekah@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 343d