Evolving 2D Cars

[xSilverPhinx]

Okay, so I decided to try the 666 world seed (default settings). 221 generations in they haven't even gotten past the first slope, about midway. 

I'll wait until it reaches around 500 generations. Then I'll probably try world 777, maybe it's more forgiving.

[xSilverPhinx]

So, I recorded a snippet just to show that I'm not lying, my little cars really are all failures (dramatic soundtrack included).

Generation 236 and they still can't get past a small slope.

[Recusant]

  That's a fun video, xSilverPhinx. Well done, and thanks for posting it!

[xSilverPhinx]

Glad you liked it. 

[xSilverPhinx]

Ok, so I ended the previous race because it was an evolutionary dead end but since I'm not willing to give up I started yet another one. After 677 generations it seems the little cars are stating to make some progress (they have gotten two thirds through). Their wheelbase has grown shorter and they've evolved a bigger front wheel. I'm hoping that by generation 1000 they will have completed the course.

[xSilverPhinx]

[Recusant]

  Wow, over 2,000 generations passed without any of the little monsters doing better than their ancestors in the first 1,000. I'm sorry, xSilverPhinx. 

However, I see that you have the mutation size set to 5%, while the default setting is 100%. That has to have some effect.

[xSilverPhinx]

I've started another one and set the mutation rate back to default, this time we'll see how well these creatures do in world 123. 777 is diabolical. 

10 000 generations is the limit, if they haven't evolved wings and completed the course by then... 

[Recusant]

  Do the cars have their own computer? On my computer, the program will only proceed while it's actually on screen. If I click to another tab in the browser, it pauses. They'll keep going when a screen saver comes up, but if they had the computer all to themselves I suppose I'd turn off the screen saver.

[xSilverPhinx]

No. I leave it running in the background while I use other programs. For me the tab has to be open and the browser window maximalised, otherwise it pauses too. When I'm away from the computer I turn off the screen and let it run, that way it completes around 400 - 500 generations in a day. I could use another internet browser to surf the web and leave the tab with the genetic cars sim open in the background, but I would have to download another internet browser in order to do that.

First thing I do when I turn on my computer is to restore the population last saved so that it can continue. Yeah. I'm obsessing over this...just a little.