AntSimulator

Very simple ants simulator.

Installation

Prerequisites

In order to compile this project you will need to:

• have SFML installed on your system. If you don't know how to do it see this link.
• have CMake installed

Please note that you might need reasonably modern computer in order to run this simulator at the intended framerates.

Compilation

Detailed explanation here

On Linux with install.sh

• Go in the repo folder

cd the/repo/location

• Execute install.sh script

./install.sh

On Windows with CMake GUI and Visual Studio

• Install the right SFML version or compile it (see this)
• Run CMake
• Select the repo location

• Click on Configure, if you have installed the x64 version of SFML, in the pop up window select x64 in the Optionnal platform for generator drop down

• Click on Finish
• Click on Generate

• You can now open the generated project and build it.

How to run

After building the project, populate the configuration file config.xml as follows:

<?xml version="1.1" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<antsim>
    <gui>
        <!-- GUI activation -->
        <!-- Options: "true", "false" -->
        <activate bool="false" /> <!-- activate GUI -->

        <!-- Fullscreen mode activation; only relevant if GUI is activated -->
        <!-- Options: "true", "false" -->
        <fullscreen bool="false" />
    </gui>
    <simulation>
        <!-- Path to the food map image, relative to the working directory (where you run the simulator from) -->
        <map path="/home/kchin/hacking_the_colony/map.bmp" />

        <!-- Number of simulation steps (1 * dt per simulation step) -->
        <steps int="50000" />

        <!-- Number of trials to repeat -->
        <iterations int="20" />
    </simulation>
    <total_ants>
        <!-- Number of total ants (malicious and not) to simulate -->
        <number int="1024" />
    </total_ants>
    <patience>
        <!-- Counter/patience/cautionary pheromone activation by the non-malicious ants -->
        <!-- Options: "true", "false" -->
        <activate bool="true" />

        <!-- Period for the patience pheromone to fill up from 0 to max (without any interruption) in units of update cycles (8 * dt per update cycle) -->
        <!-- Options: a single floating point value or a list/array of space delimited floating point values -->
        <!-- E.g., str_arr="100", str_arr="1.0 5 10 20 25.0", etc. -->
        <refill_period_range str_arr="1000" />

        <!-- Maximum value of cautionary pheromone -->
        <!-- Options: a single floating point value or a list/array of space delimited floating point values -->
        <!-- E.g., str_arr="15.0", str_arr="5 10 12.5 20 25.0", etc. -->
        <max_range str_arr="1000" />

        <!-- Evaporation rate of patience pheromone in units of simulation steps (1 * dt) -->
        <pheromone_evaporation_multiplier float="1" />
    </patience>
    <malicious_ants>
        <!-- Fraction of malicious ants out of the total number of ants -->
        <!-- Options: a floating point value between (inclusive) 0 to 1 -->
        <fraction float="0.125" />

        <!-- Directional focus (by malicious ants, towards the food source) activation -->
        <!-- Options: "true", "false" -->
        <focus bool="false" />

        <!-- Minimum number of simulation steps of headstart before malicious ants begin their attack -->
        <timer int="100" />

        <!-- Intensity of fake food pheromone -->
        <pheromone_intensity_multiplier float="1" />

        <!-- Evaporation rate of fake food pheromone in units of simulation steps (1 * dt) -->
        <pheromone_evaporation_multiplier float="5" />

        <!-- Tracing pattern of malicious ants: do the ants follow food, home, or neither pheromones? -->
        <!-- Options: "FOOD", "HOME", "RANDOM" -->
        <tracing_pattern type="FOOD" />
    </malicious_ants>

    <!-- Output CSV data file prefix -->
    <csv_output prefix="output_folder/output_prefix" />
</antsim>

Once the configuration file is prepared, run the simulator in the same directory where config.xml resides. (If your installation in the above steps was successful, you should have the executable in the build directory of this repository.)

$ build/AntSimulator

The simulator will now start and the output data will be available in the location you specify in csv_output.

In the CSV files, there will be four columns. They describe

• column 1: the average food bit collected by all the ants.
• column 2: the average food bit delivered by all the ants.
• column 3: the fraction of cooperator (non-malicious) ants that collected food.
• column 4: the fraction of cooperator (non-malicious) ants that delivered food.

Commands

Command	Action
P	Pause/Unpause the simulation
M	Toggle markers drawing
A	Toggle ants drawing
S	Toggle max speed mode
W	Toggle Wall mode
E	Toggle Wall erase mode
Right click	Add food
Left click	Move view
Wheel	Zoom