Topics

31

Off Topic / how to turn off tracking?

« on: October 27, 2005, 11:07:46 AM »

my mailbox is filled with notifications from this DB forum.
I have checked my email settings and tracking settings ...
and I have nothing selected that should be sending these.
at least not that I can find.
what's up with that?!?!

I guess I can block the address ... but would rather find a way
to not have them sent in the first place.

32

Bugs and fixes / Debugging

« on: October 27, 2005, 07:57:16 AM »

a proposal:

that we go about this in a logical and orderly way.

that we use the wiki in an effort to coordinate our efforts at debugging 2.37.4
as it is now, here on the forum ...
it is nearly impossible to follow/keep up/not be distracted by all of the posts
that are not specific to debugging.

check out the following wiki pages:
http://www.darwinbots.com/WikiManual/index.php?title=Senses
http://www.darwinbots.com/WikiManual/index...tle=Bug_Reports
(we can construct a page and bugpage for any modual)

here I propose we might have a central spot where these efforts may be
concentrated ... where one and all may have access to what we are finding
and what corrections we might apply.
and for those of us just beginning to play with VB ...
this will provide an opportunity to see how it works and why.

in addition, those of us attempting to find errors and bugs ...
won't have to keep reinventing the wheel and duplicating our bug finds ...
which get lost here in the forum.
this will also give PY and/or Nums a central location to check out ...
WHEN they have time to do so ...
rather than try to respond to us as we post here ...
or leave us hanging wondering if they got the reports.

this page is only an 'alpha' version ... ;)
we can set it up to do whatever we need to do.

so I suggest using something like this ...
reporting the bugs on the bug report page ...
along with suggestions for fixes perhaps ...
and then the experts taking a looksee ...
to give us amature bug hunters some pointers ...
and/or purposing a fix that works.
then those of us experimenting can copy/paste those into our own program ...
test them ... and keep moving forward.
whatever works.

comments?

33

Bot Tavern / db anim

« on: October 25, 2005, 05:15:18 PM »

didn't know where else to put this ...
made it as small as I could ... it's still large for its size. huh? what'd he say? ;)
that's 'cause I made them of glass so one could see the interior.
full size ... 400x400 and 1.5MB ... uploaded to the wiki,
http://www.darwinbots.com/WikiManual/index...e=Image:DB1.gif
anyway ... just playing around ...
getting Nums excited about dropping 2.4xxx and moving to a 3D version ...
you know ... the next big thing. :D

hmmmm ...  never mind ... forum said it I couldn't upload this type of file.
a gif????

anyway ...
the small anim is at the wiki as well
http://www.darwinbots.com/WikiManual/index...age:DB1_100.gif
and at the RoundTable
http://www.darwinbots.com/WikiManual/index...itle=RoundTable

34

Bugs and fixes / 2.45

« on: October 23, 2005, 11:29:02 PM »

lifted from announcements ... re: ver 2.45

excellent. (haven't tried it yet tho]
I'm just hoping for a stable version ...
then I'll stop bad-mouthing you Nums. ;)

did you try out Bot's bot placement rountine?
if I download the source for 2.45 ... is it possible to add it?

Oh, and veggies will now repopulate inside their little square like they're supposed to. So you can run your high gravity sims where vegs repopulate blocked in the upper half...
It's actually a pretty cool idea.

yeah. I'm not a complete fool, you know ...
and am capable of having revelations every now and then.
not often but .... ;)

35

Bot Tavern / bot search

« on: October 23, 2005, 04:47:25 PM »

anyone have any copies of either E_Diplo or e_diplomaticus ...
some bots Carlo talked of using in his ND version?
Shvraz ... did you play with this version ... set up some experiments?
any info will be appreciated.

speaking of searches ...
does the search function here on the forum work for anyone?
I can't get it to locate anything.

thanx

36

Darwinbots Program Source Code / concerning leagues

« on: October 21, 2005, 02:22:02 PM »

playing with both 2.36.5 and 2.36.7 ...
finally figuring out how to get leagues to work.
how-some-ever ...
is there some way to limit the number of cycles in a round?
if I have two bots of similar 'skill' ... this contest can go on forever.
now that wouldn't be too bad ... to wait it out but ...
if it goes on too long I will eventually get a runtime error ...
maybe too many bots generated ... who knows?
and then the whole thing crashes in the middle of my league run!
so all my work is lost!!!  read: waste of time.
I don't know how any leagues ever got run ...
when bots with similar skills are involved.

I know folks are busy spending time playing with 2.45.b.213.acv.4x ...
but just wanted to know about 2.36 as that's the only one I am
interested in investing time in at this point.

if no one wants to play with it ...
then at least can we eentually have control over the number of cycles
in a round of league play in version 2.4xxxxxxx

~griz~

37

Bugs and fixes / 2.44

« on: October 20, 2005, 11:19:22 PM »

2.44 totally freezes up my computer.

I'm done.

~griz~

38

Off Topic / Primodial Life

« on: October 16, 2005, 11:52:18 AM »

do check this out!!!!
I've been racking my brain ever since finding DarwinBots ...
(it's tough getting old ... but it's better than the alternative) ;)
trying to recall an ALife sim that I used to play with back in 1998-2000 ...
and even used as a screen saver ... it was so cool! :D
I figured DB had to have evolved  from this project ... that this was the seed ...
as I have been disappointed by every Alife sim I have come across in the
intervening years until I stumbled upon DB just a week or so ago ...
and the ideas behind DB reminded me so much of this.
but today I was able to hack into my old computer, which hasn't worked
correctly for a long time and find the links.
I found the site http://www.io.com/life/index.html
but figured it was just an old url that hasn't been deleted.
however! upon checking out this link to their interactive internet server:
http://www.io.com/~spofford/server32.php
I see folks doin' it even as we speak ... like right now!
so do check it out ...
as I have got to split for a week or so.

if nothing else ... we might get some ideas ...
PLife was/is very  visually pleasing  ... the bots evolving their shapes ...
which then affected how they defend and mate.
and ... being visually pleasing IS a factor ...
or there would be no point in even having a graphic interface ...
as the 'evolving' could be done purely with numbers ...
as a research project ... but we want folks to use/enjoy and get
hooked on it, eh? (you first simulation is free, kids!)
it made an excellent screensaver ... something I loved to start and just
watch evolve ... which may no longer be available ...
but I have my old files from the other computer so will check them out
and make them available should anyone want to play with them.
also have a version 4.0 beta  ... which I don't see at the site ...
I got from them at an old yahoo forum which is apparently defunct now.

ta ta boyz and girlz ...
no matter what it is you do ...
have fun doin' it, eh?

~griz~

39

Suggestions / links to DarwinBots

« on: October 14, 2005, 07:16:20 PM »

DarwinBots minions, non minions and other notables ...

stashed the DarwinBots links at a few places ...
and will continue to pass it along to those I know who are interested in
programming and graphics ... encouraging them to check it out and
spread the word as well.

http://peace.wikicities.com/wiki/Designers
http://creatures.wikicities.com/wiki/Creatures_Wiki_Homepage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_li...nism_Simulators
and added the new Wiki link to Wikipedia Darwinbots.

in the process I came across something I posted long ago ...
an excerpt from Steve Grand  which echoes my own
thoughts  on the difference between AI and ALife.
so here it be for your reading pleasure ...
followed by a link to some info on S. Grand.

"There's much more to intelligence than logic. Most of the AI pioneers were mathematical magicians
and philosophers and to them, thinking was about logic, about reason. But it has to grow out of more
primitive systems, and most intelligence is not logical. Most of the time we are not reasoning people.
Dogs tend not to argue about syllogisms, but they still seem bright. Chuck IBM's Deep Blue chess
computer and a dog into a pond, and see which one climbs out first. Which means that intelligence
is grounded in survival.
If you haven't got a reason to think, you won't think, and survival is what motivates us."
http://creatures.wikicities.com/wiki/Steve_Grand

~griz~

40

Off Topic / F1

« on: October 13, 2005, 07:24:21 PM »

finally have 2.37 working ...
and attempting to figure out the F1 matches.
 
it runs ... but I have no way of selecting how long a round or match runs ...
am not able to input number of cycles or times for either.

is there a tutorial or info on how to set this up ...
how the rounds and matches are supposed to work?

I was able to save all the surviving robots into a .snp file ...
I can read it with notepad ... but it's a jumble of numbers.
is there, or will there be ... a reader of some sort that can
pick out or sort the survivors by lifespan, number of offspring ... etc ...
some way to select individuals to move on to another match/round?
seems to me this might be a way to 'evolve' bots ...
use a bit of mutation and select the mutated 'offspring' that survive
and run them off against one another to futher evolve more efficient
bots.

as I say ... it runs as a simulation ...
but I have no control over rounds or time of match.

any help will be appreciated.
thanks.

~griz~