Welcome to the AntWars simulation! This complex ecosystem models the behavior of three ant colonies competing for resources in a dynamic environment. The simulation showcases the intricate balance between cooperation, competition, and adaptation in nature.
Ant Types and Behaviors:
Explorers (20% of population): Specialize in finding food and enemy nests. They leave stronger pheromone trails (3x strength) and have enhanced wandering behavior (2x willToWander), making them crucial for expanding the colony's territory. Their food detection radius is 1.5x larger than other ants.
Guards (20% of population): Protect the nest and other ants. They're slower (0.8x speed) but tougher, with double fighting strength and 50% more energy. They can throw formic acid, dealing significant damage to enemies. Guards have 3 formic acid charges that deal 20 damage each to enemies or spiders.
Foragers (40% of population): Efficient at collecting food. They're 20% faster, have a 30% larger food detection radius, and can carry 50% more food than other ants. They're more likely to avoid combat when carrying food.
Thieves (20% of population): Steal food and eggs from other colonies. They're 50% faster and have double the avoidance capability, but carry 30% less food. Thieves can steal food directly from enemy ants they encounter.
Environment and Resources:
Food: Limited to 100 sources at a time (excluding flowers). Four types with different nutritional values:
Sugar Cube (40% spawn rate): Basic food, 1 nutritional value
Fruit Slice (30% spawn rate): Better food, 2 nutritional value
Seed (20% spawn rate): High-quality food, 3 nutritional value
Carcass (10% spawn rate): Rare food, 0.2 nutritional value but spawns in larger quantities
Flowers: Limited to 20 at a time. Provide nectar with varying nutritional values. There are three types of flowers:
Dandelion (50% spawn rate): Common flower, 1 nutritional value
Tulip (30% spawn rate): Moderate flower, 2 nutritional value
Orchid (20% spawn rate): Rare flower, 3 nutritional value
Ants can carry pollen between flowers, facilitating pollination and the growth of new flowers. Flowers grow over time, produce nectar, and have a limited lifespan of up to 2 minutes, varying by species. Only two ants maximum can occupy a flower at any given time.
Pheromones: Ants leave trails to guide others to food or the nest. The strength decays over time and is affected by weather. Pheromone strength is higher when ants are carrying food.
Environmental Factors:
Weather: Rain reduces ant speed by 30% and affects pheromone dissipation. Wind influences ant movement and pheromone spread.
Day/Night Cycle: Alternates between 2 minutes of day and 1 minute of night. At night, nocturnal predators (spiders) spawn.
Seasons: Cycle through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, each lasting 10 minutes. Seasons affect ant energy consumption and speed.
Resource Spawn Rates:
Food Spawn Rate: 10 food sources per minute (default), spawning in clusters.
Flower Spawn Rate: 10 flowers per minute, spawning in clusters.
Enjoy exploring this complex ecosystem and discovering the emergent behaviors that arise from these simple rules!