Overview: The simulation creates a dynamic system that simulates the behavior of slime mold using agent-based modeling.
Agent Properties and Behavior:
Number of Agents: 100,000 agents, each represented by an Agent class instance.
Movement: Agents move with a customizable speed (moveSpeed) and can turn based on sensory data and random steering.
Sensory Mechanism: Agents sense their environment using offset sensors and react to trails and "oats" (food sources).
Environment:
Trail Map: An off-screen buffer (trailMap) is used to draw trails left by agents.
Oats: Food sources (Oats class) randomly placed in the environment, affecting agent behavior.
Diffusion and Evaporation: Trail substances diffuse and evaporate over time, with adjustable speeds for both processes.
Simulation Dynamics:
Agents evaluate their surroundings and make decisions on movement and direction.
Trails left by agents influence the movement of other agents.
Agents can find and consume oats, represented by circles.
User Interaction:
Control Panel: Implemented using the ControlP5 library, allows real-time adjustment of parameters like movement speed, turn speed, evaporation speed, and diffusion speed.
Visual Feedback: The simulation provides visual feedback, including a display of the frame rate.
Setup and Execution:
Initialization of agents with random positions and directions.
Continual updating of agent positions and trail map in the draw() loop.
Processing of the trail map to implement diffusion and evaporation effects.
Graphics and Display:
The trail map is scaled up and displayed on the main canvas.
Agents leave colored trails on the trail map, visually representing their movement and interactions.
Below are some pictures of patterns that the slimes have made so far!
