What should vegs not be allowed to do?

[Sprotiel]

I agree completely with EricL. Actually, I've had the same idea in the back of my mind ever since I heard of the C++ port. To answer AGP's objection, I think these dummy bots should be immune to viruses, but they should probably respond in a limited way to info shots and ties.

[Numsgil]

I'm liking Eric's idea too.

You might even have them not be really plants, but simply be 'food" that is plopped into the sim, without any abilities at all.  They wouldn't reproduce, see, or do anything.

After all, if you're after reproducing veggies, you're probably after evolution, mutation, and DNA.

While I'm slashing concepts, they could be made of a substance that responds as nrg if it's hit with -1 shots and responds as body if it's hit with -6 shots, so bots don't have to learn to use particular shots.

They're just used as emergency and boot strapping food sources.

Also, you could add a cost field that charges bots nrg every cycle that their eyes are turned on.  This would encourage bots to remain blind if they don't use their eyes.

[Anonomous Guest Person]

Also, you could add a cost field that charges bots nrg every cycle that their eyes are turned on.  This would encourage bots to remain blind if they don't use their eyes.

I like that idea a lot. The cost could be based on WHICH eyes are turned on, giving programmers more of a reason to limit the number of eyes they used as opposed to just using all nine, which will hopefully result in more performance. It's like social evolution! Sort of.

Eye5 might be additionally expensive, and I propose that it have an additional cost (ref vars) if it's turned on... just because I want to see someone make a bot that's entire design purpose is to avoid this extra cost.

[Jez]

Veg's should not allowed to be not veg's.

What is the natural state of things? A virus that can attack an animal can't attack a plant?

Are there any animals that use photosythesis?

I have always tried to imitate the natural way of things with my ideas. You can do anything with a program but there are fixed rules, whether we understand them or not, within the natural world.

How many organisms that use chloroplasts have eyes?

[Numsgil]

There are some primitive organisms that hunt other organisms and photosynthesize, depending on the circumstances.

Then, of course, you have the carniferns.  They're not really eating for nrg, of course, but they're still trapping and digesting animals.

Generally, nature has some pretty strange possibilities.