The focus of this update has been on improving sensor functions for the purpose of evolution simulations.
One can force the creatures to mark their targets beforehand, both for movements and for attacks. In addition, sensor cells can be individually configured to recognize potential predators, food, barriers or peers. One can try out these features in the new simulation "Deep Down Below".
There are also some additions in the statistics window (e.g. ecosystem diversity), concerning rendering (attack visualizations, cell glow and configurable cell size), a finer control of the maximum cell age (new add-on "Cell age limiter") and more.
Added
- engine: sensor and reconnector cells can be restricted to only sensing/connecting to certain type of mutants (same, other, nutrient, handcrafted, less and more complex)
- engine: sensor cells can tag detected cells for attacking if parameter 'Sensor detection factor' is above 0
- engine: sensors can not penetrate handcrafted structures when restricting to scanning for certain mutants
- engine: possibility to force muscle cells to obtain movement angles from nearby sensors (+ simulation parameter under addon 'Advanced muscle control')
- engine: possibility to redefine max age of permanently inactive or of emergent cells (+ simulation parameters under addon 'Cell age limiter')
- engine: possibility to reset age after cell switches from 'Under construction' to 'Ready' (+ simulation parameter under addon 'Cell age limiter')
- engine: allow to disable radiation sources in spots
- gui/statistics: diversity and average genome complexity plots added
- gui/statistics: throughput statistics
- gui/simulation view: attack visualization (+ simulation parameter)
- gui/simulation view: cell glow (+ simulation parameter under new addon 'Cell glow')
- gui/simulation view: configurable cell radius via simulation parameter
- gui/mass operation, engine: mass operation for randomizing mutation ids
Changed
- engine: replace continuous mutation rates (which are applied in each time step) by genome copy mutations (which are only applied when genomes are copied)
- engine: make certain mutation rates (all except for translation, duplication and color mutations) dependent on the genome size
- engine: avoid that creature is able to eat its offspring when it is currently under construction
- engine: parameters 'Cell max force' and 'Maximum distance' are now color-dependent
Fixed
- gui/simulation view: visibility of cells with low energy increased
- gui/browser: apply text filter to all workspaces and resource types
- serialization: load/save real-time counter in autosave
- engine: avoid genome bloating (with separated parts) due to mutations
- engine: incorrect construction processes based on single cell genomes with multiple branches and/or repetitions fixed
