I know what you mean I have tried to make on desame way a multibot. With genetic memory, just storing before reproduction a value inside it and that way make a little id for each bot. The multibot doesn't work jet, have to look some more inside tie stuff, now I've got a 4 headed multibot looking like this, and they're all in the inside looking at each other , and they can't turn somehow.
O___O
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O___O
The ant-bots simply work by putting in a value with a tie anywhere in the memory of a new born young and that way programming the workers.
My multibot in the starting gate, works with a very simple id-system,
1 No ties, now I am the head and reproduces to make a tail.
2 A tie, I am the tail.