Author Topic: Making a new evolution simulator.  (Read 3010 times)


can the wall be 2000 miles long?


Probably post a video tomorrow. I've gotten progress done on the gui as seen by the two new pictures in the OP.

Looking really good, I like the progress made. when can we play this mofo?

Looking really good, I like the progress made. when can we play this mofo?
Thanks. Anyway, There's a few more features like viewing/editing creatures genes and saving creatures I want to add first.


Very neat. Looks like editing the creatures' actual code (genome?) is pretty advanced.

How big have you seen the organisms get? Is it usually the case that one organism is totally dominant and the others die out/don't expand or is there usually a good competition?

Third video posted:
https://youtu.be/32TciKAWlOU
The diversity of cells in this video is very interesting. I think you may have created real life here.

If I'm understanding correctly, a global minima in this program would be a solution that is the optimal "eater" and "reproducer". How is a canididate solution represented using chromosomes/genetic sequences? This isn't a clear-cut optimisation problem and I'm struggling to understand the method you are going to use for selection. I imagine you'll tweak the mutation rate to combat local minima.

Convergence is impossible without crossover so it's going to be very interesting to see your program when you have it implemented.

Edit:

I read your earlier post, and you mentioned that there is no fitness function which is why I'm curious about this. A fitness function is a part the selection process needed for crossover.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2017, 04:46:40 PM by Meldaril »

Very neat. Looks like editing the creatures' actual code (genome?) is pretty advanced.
Thanks, yeah, it takes some getting used to. I have a google doc that contains all the details needed to know how to reprogram cells.
How big have you seen the organisms get?
They can get reasonably large, I haven't added protein food yet so there's no real downside to having a larger surface area. I'd say maybe 10-15 parts is common.
Is it usually the case that one organism is totally dominant and the others die out/don't expand or is there usually a good competition?
If you leave it long running long enough with no barriers eventually you do get a dominant species. That said, if you add barriers you can get completely different sets of species. Removing the barriers afterwards produces an environment where multiple species can compete for food for sometimes hours before one finally emerges dominant.
The diversity of cells in this video is very interesting. I think you may have created real life here.
Thanks!
If I'm understanding correctly, a global minima in this program would be a solution that is the optimal "eater" and "reproducer". How is a canididate solution represented using chromosomes/genetic sequences? This isn't a clear-cut optimisation problem and I'm struggling to understand the method you are going to use for selection. I imagine you'll tweak the mutation rate to combat local minima.

Convergence is impossible without crossover so it's going to be very interesting to see your program when you have it implemented.

Edit:

I read your earlier post, and you mentioned that there is no fitness function which is why I'm curious about this. A fitness function is a part the selection process needed for crossover.
I've seen and examined plenty of programs that intend to use genetic algorithms (neural networks seem to be pretty hip these days as well) to accomplish a specific task like moving as fast a possible, or forming a picture picture, or playing video games or whatever. This isn't that. This is meant to exhibit evolution as it is in real life, the result of completely random things happening that just happen to establish order and patterns. There is no 'goal' but producing as many eggs as possible and all other functions the creature can do (seeing, mating, moving around, fighting) are optional.

The whole thing with having body parts able to be damaged and removed has caused so many bugs.
Trying to get it to work I basically forgeted up the whole program. It sucks because I haven't made progress this week because nothing I do works.
This weekend I'll have to rewrite a decent amount of the code to try and get it working again. I really should make backups of the code.

Haven't posted here in a week.

Will probably make new video soon and release an early version of the simulator for other's to try.