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Suggestions / Solar Fun
« on: October 01, 2005, 07:41:32 PM »
I read that thread, and there are similarities, though it seems that Zelos's idea is much more fleshed out. Seasons and whatnot. I think something like that really should be implemented, as the sun and seasons and that sort of thing have a massive impact on all life!
The reason I liked Evolv-o-Matic so much was mainly because it was a hella impressive way to introduce other people to artificial life. It was always fun to watch these blind bugs go from random movements to orchestrated swarming, or nocturnal behavior, or that sort of thing. The bugs in DB do the same thing to some extent, but the moving sun (even if it's not visible) gives a very "real" feeling to a sim, and helps you feel like it's not just some cells in a petri dish. The more that is done with the sun, the better, imho.
EoM had an extremely simplistic way of dealing with the sun, but it did it in a unique way that overwhelmed its simplicity with sheer neatness. Good modeling of the sun (such as described by Zelos, or maybe not quite that complex), combined with the enormous flexibility that DB already possesses, is a really exciting prospect! Lots of potential for interesting emergent behavior.
The reason I liked Evolv-o-Matic so much was mainly because it was a hella impressive way to introduce other people to artificial life. It was always fun to watch these blind bugs go from random movements to orchestrated swarming, or nocturnal behavior, or that sort of thing. The bugs in DB do the same thing to some extent, but the moving sun (even if it's not visible) gives a very "real" feeling to a sim, and helps you feel like it's not just some cells in a petri dish. The more that is done with the sun, the better, imho.
EoM had an extremely simplistic way of dealing with the sun, but it did it in a unique way that overwhelmed its simplicity with sheer neatness. Good modeling of the sun (such as described by Zelos, or maybe not quite that complex), combined with the enormous flexibility that DB already possesses, is a really exciting prospect! Lots of potential for interesting emergent behavior.