Binary Life

This, I suppose, is a better place for a blog relating to MUSHing than my previous forum--Livejournal--in which I so far have posted a total of two or three RP logs. So anyway, what's up?

Binary Life Simulator
Just 'cause I'm bored as hell.

The idea is to create an evolutionary algorithm based on binary variables, using uniform crossover to create new generations. (Really it's one variable; a 1-to-32-bit number--they will all be handled as 32-bit numbers, just with the first n bits turned off--expressed and handled in base 2)

Uniform Crossover
Basically a 'bit mask' is placed between two parents, for lack of a better term. A bit mask is a variable with an equal number of bits to those of both parents.

Each bit of the mask is examined, and if it's on the gene from the 'father' is taken. If it's off, the gene from the 'mother' is taken.

Example:
Parent 1: 10010011 = 147
Mask    : 00011101 = 29
Parent 2: 01010110 = 86

Child   : 01010011 = 83

After some thought on the matter, I decided that I will use such bit masks for other things: namely, a bit mask or multiple bit masks will be applied to determine fitness.

It won't work in quite the same way, of course. I suspect each 'environment' will have a variable defining which bits should work best for it. So if an environment has 147 (10010011) as its selective preference, and a creature happens in that has 146, that creature should thrive there and perhaps evolve into 147 eventually.

I have yet to think of anything as far as interaction beyond reproduction for the creatures goes.

More on this as I develop the idea. I've not begun coding it yet beyond a softcoded replacement for baseconv() that will convert 32-bit numbers correctly.