Required Software

To view agent models, we'll link the page in HTML.

Each model links to a page with three options: Play, Design, and Edit.

To start the model, we'll play it on the page, and demonstrate how we built the model. To stop the model, we will press the stop button. Groundbreaking stuff, we know.

Model 1: Caterpillar Life Cycle

In this model, caterpillars and ants move randomly in the world.

Caterpillars are represented by green squares, and as they go through the chrysalis process they turn more turquoise and mysterious-looking. When they emerge from their larvae, they turn orange like monarch butterflies. The world itself is represented by white squares.

There is an age variable which determines how long the caterpillars will take before going through the chrysalis process or from the process to becoming a butterfly. After a certain age, the butterflies will die off. However, to simulate birth, they have a certain percent chance to spawn in new caterpillars.

At different scales, it takes longer for the caterpillars to flood the world.

Model 2: Caterpillars Affected by Ants

Caterpillars, butterflies, and ants move randomly in the world.

Our representations stay the same but with the introduction of ants, which are represented by black squares. The black square have a rule to simulate the consumption of caterpillars- if they are next to a caterpillar, they will eat them.

At different scales, it takes longer for the ants to find the caterpillars, therefore substantially boosting the growth of the caterpillars.

Model 3: Hunger Variable Added

All the previous models stay the same except with a new variable added: the hunger variable. Caterpillars are voracious eaters and need a large amount of leaves to eat in order to survive.

In this model, hunger increases every time step. Every caterpillar has a hunger variable that needs to be quenched by eating leaves, which spawn in the world every time step with an 1 percent chance. Every time they are next to a leaf they will consume it and lose hunger until they are old enough to go through the chrysalis process. If not, well, too bad buddy, that's how nature works, and they erase themselves, dying of hunger.