connor-brooks / ecosim, Hacker News

An ecosystem and evolution simulator

GNU / Linux

make
gcc
libglfw3
libglew2.0
libglfw3-dev
libglew-dev
ffplay (optional)
python3 (optional)
matplotlib (optional)

(How To Use)

Install dependencies

$ sudo apt-get install libglfw3 libglew2.0 libglfw3-dev libglew-dev ffmpeg


 Grab the code: 
 $ git clone https://github.com/connor-brooks/ecosim.git  

 Enter source directory: 
 $ cd ecosim / src 
 Build: 
 $ make 
 Run the simulation: 
 $ ./ecosim 

 Controls 
 

 Zoom: ctrl   scroll wheel  

 

 Pan: scroll wheel Pause: space ) Quit: q  

 
 Insert agent: (left click   Cycle agents: (left click ) (hold)  
 Behavior of agents 
 Agents within the simulation constantly loose energy over time, as moving around in the environment causes energy to be burned. The only way energy levels can be increased is via consumption. 
 Dietary preferences of agents vary, but fall into two main categories: 
 
 Primary consumers - Agents which only take energy from non-living entities. 
 Secondary consumers - Agents which only take energy from living agents, killing them in the process. 

 If an agents energy drops below a threshold, death occurs. In contrast, passing above a another threshold causes the agent to split into two copies of itself (asexual reproduction). 
 When an agent splits, it doesn't always make an exact copy of itself. Sometimes mutation occurs. This means that the genetic code (DNA) that dictates the agents behaviors is slightly modified. 
 These genetic traits are as follows: 
  Metabolic rate Vision range 
 
 Rebirth rate 
 Dietary preference 
 Flocking strength 
 Wobble frequency
 Over time, only the most successful agents are able to pass on their DNA, causing the population of agents to slowly evolve. 








 However, it is important to note that there is no one-size-fits-all perfect agent. For a well functioning ecosystem to exist, balance is essential. For example: the existence of carnivores is essential to the existence of the herbivores in order to prevent overpopulation, which would result in mass-starvation and extinction of the herbivores. 

 Traits in detail 
 (Metabolic rate) 
 The metabolic rate is the rate which an agent transforms stored energy into kinetic energy. This has both pros and cons. Being able to move around the environment faster allows agents to consume food faster, but also causes the agent to eat more frequently. 
 
 This trait dictates how far an agent can sense other entities. A larger vision range is generally beneficial. However, this trait has some minor downfalls, especially for herbivorous agents. For example: hypersensitivity to other agents causes fleeing from non-dangerous situations, which in turn results in reduced ability to consume. 
 
 Rebirth rate controls how much energy is stored within an agent before splitting (asexual reproduction) occurs. This is especially useful for agents with low metabolism, as it allows them to navigate the environment for a longer time without depleting their energy. 
 
 Dietary preference  
 Agent's dietary preference influences what food source an agent will pursue and consume: living or non-living. For an ecosystem to be stable, the need for agents of both these groups is required. 
  
 Flocking is a behavior in which agents form groups, or clusters, whilst navigating the map, forming "multicellular life". Paradoxically this offers both safety and vulnerability. By sharing information whilst flocking, a group increases it's memebers knowledge of other potential dangers or food. In contrast, if the group fails to avoid a potential danger the whole group suffers. 
 
 Whilst moving around the screen, agents speed up and down in a sinusoidal pattern, creating a "crawling" effect. The frequency of this movement is dictated by the wobble trait. Wobbling has both advantages and disadvantages, with a lower frequency resulting in longer periods of increased speed but also longer resting periods. 


 


 Tweaking the simulation 
 Ecosim provides a way to configure the mechanics of the simulation via editing the (config.h) file. The process of doing so is as follows: 
 
 Enter the 
 src directory 
 
 Edit the config.h  file with the text editor of your choice 
 
 Run make clean  
 Run make  

 What to change 
 This is entirely down to personal preference, however, most people will only be concerned with two sections of the configuration: The general agent settings, and the agent DNA settings. 
 
 In order to use the population / trait logger, change the  LOGGER_ENABLE setting to 1 , recompile, and run: 
 ./ ecosim_with_log.sh 
 Note, python3 and matplotlib is required in order to plot logged data. 
 







 
 Main world settings 
 DEV_AGENT_COUNT 
 - The amount of agents to spawn when the simulation runs 
 
 DEV_GAME_FPS - Frames per second (FPS) of the simulation 
 DEV_GAME_FOOD_SPAWN_FREQ - How often (in seconds) to spawn food 
 
 DEV_GAME_FOOD_SPAWN_INIT - How many items of food to spawn when the simulation runs 
 DEV_GAME_FOOD_SPAWN_MAX / DEV_GAME_FOOD_SPAWN_MIN - The maximum and minimum amount of food that is spawned each food spawn 
 DEV_GAME_FOOD_ENERGY - The amount of energy a piece of food provides when consumed

 
 Agent general settings 
 
 AGENT_RGB_ALPHA 
 - Transparency of agent's inner cell 
 
 AGENT_VIS_ALPHA - Transparaney of agent's vision field 
 
 AGENT_MAX_VELOCITY / AGENT_MIN_VELOCITY - Agent velocity maximum / minimum 
 AGENT_ENERGY_DEFAULT - Default energy of agents spawned at startup 
 (AGENT_METAB_ENERGY_SCALE) x)  - The rate of which energy is burned over time, with respect to the metabolic rate of an agent ( where x is metabolism)
 AGENT_ENERGY_SIZE_SCALE x)  - How large an agent is, with respect to their energy (where x is energy)
 AGENT_MAX_SPEED - The maximum speed any agent can move 

 AGENT_ENERGY_DEAD 
 - The energy level which an agent dies 
 
 AGENT_TIME_FACTOR - How fast the process of ageing occurs 
 AGENT_DIET_BOUNDARY - Herbivore / Carnivore boundary

 
 AGENT_DNA_MUTATE_RATE - The maximum amount a trait can change if mutation occurs 
 
 AGENT_METAB_MAX / AGENT_METAB_MIN - The maximum and minimum metabolic rates allowed 
 AGENT_VISION_MAX / AGENT_VISION_MIN - The maximum and minimum vision field sizes allowed 
 AGENT_REBIRTH_MAX / AGENT_REBIRTH_MIN - The maximum and minimum amount of energy stored in an agent before splitting occurs

 

 AGENT_DIET_MAX / AGENT_DIET_MIN - The maximum and minimum diet values allowed 
 AGENT_FLOCK_MAX / AGENT_FLOCK_MIN - The maximum and minimum influence flocking has on agents 
 AGENT_WOBBLE_MAX / AGENT_WOBBLE_MIN - The maximum and minimum amount an agent can wobble per second

 
 INPUT_SPAWN_DELAY 
 - How often to respawn agents when the mouse is held down

 

 INPUT_SCROLL_AMT - Input sensitivity (Effects scroll and zoom) 
 
 

 (LOGGER_ENABLE  - Enable / disable logging 

 

 (LOGGER_FILE) - Filename to log to 
 (LOGGER_FREQ) - Logging sample rate  
 If you'd like some background noise to play whilst running the simulation, install ffmpeg, otherwise it's not required