Optics

[Numsgil]

I'm going to start on this idea.  I'll keep it real simple, ignoring bioluminescence, and just have light levels decrease as you get deeper in pond mode, and increase as your surface area does (bigger thigns are easier to see).

I think this might be the impetous to see speciation develop naturally in pond mode.

[PurpleYouko]

That was the kind of thing I always had in mind for pond mode anyway.

Go for it.

[Zelos]

thats a good start, maybe later we can take the other stuff

[Numsgil]

I'll probably start on it in earnest after 2.4 is up.

[Zelos]

so very very sweet, but nums, could we have Biol (bioluminescence) later?

[PurpleYouko]

I would think that bioluminescence would be a feature of allowing bots to (temporarily) change their own color. Should be straight forward enough.

[Zelos]

thats basacly what ive been saying, they change color temporary and can keep bioling fo aslongest they want, of course with a energy cost.

[PurpleYouko]

And on the opposite side of the coin they would be able to hide against the background color of the screen (also at a cost)
The actual cost should be proportional to the amount of R, G and B that they want to change by and should be charged per cycle with the default (no changing) to revert to normal color for the species.

I also would like to see the visibility of a robot being proportional to the difference between its color and that of the background screen.

In addition to this we should have controls that can change the background color (with day/night cycles, polution levels from the e-grid etc.) so that programmers don't design their bots to be "invisible" from the getgo.

Or possibly only allow sight differences in certain types if sim like pondmode or for mutations to find the best color.

[Zelos]

persinaly im not very happy with RGB idea, I rather have frequens or wavelenght. like the bots have a standard color and then can biol different and then we give a mathematical propotion of the cost

[Numsgil]

RGB vs. wavelength/frequency is immaterial.  All visible colors can be made from RGB just as easily as with wavelength or frequency.

RGB has the benefit that that's how computers display color anyway.

[PurpleYouko]

All robots already have RGB values stored in their data files already. It is the only way that VB can display them.

If we were to use wavelengths then..

first. we would have to convert them to RGB in order to display them.

Second. some colors like Brown and Pink would not be possible without mixing several wavelengths and displaying them simultaineously.

RGB is way simpler to use and implement.

There could also be an intensity value which is effecively R, G and B added together so that 765 (255+255+255) would be maximum intensity (pure white) and zero would be minimum. Almost all intensities would have several RGB combinations that could make them.

[Greven]

Actually PY there is 256 * 256 * 256, which is := 16.777.216 colors... Some very alike, but still another nuance (or whatever it is called in english, same color only slightly different and to the human eye really no difference)

[Numsgil]

PY was talking about Black to White light intensity.

Like if you have a Black and White monitor displaying RGB, what intensities will each color be.

[PurpleYouko]

Actually PY there is 256 * 256 * 256, which is := 16.777.216 colors

I know that but there are only 766 intensities, one of which is 0 therefore 765 is the highest possible intensity, bright white, while zero is the lowest possible intensity, black.

[Greven]

Oh sorry, I didnt read the whole post, just scan it and saw 3* 255 which didnt fit into my world...

I am truely sorry!