habitue01/EvoFighters — Issue #5: Need to fold mating_phase and fighting_phase into a single "encounter"
Author: habitue01
Created: 2012-03-09 05:46:52+00:00
State: open

Currently, mating is outside the purview of natural selection. It happens randomly and the only increased access to mating comes from being alive when the mating happens. This doesn't encourage competition, as all of the creatures tend to just stop fighting each other so they can soak up the sweet sweet rewards of living forever.

This enhancement would move mating from a separate phase into a single "encounter" phase, where creatures would encounter another creature and then decide whether to fight or mate (or both). I'd like to not program in rape explicitly, but at the same time, I don't think these creatures will be able to decide mutually to mate in their initial random states. Eventually they would be able to agree to a "mating ritual" etc, but initially we'll be counting on one of them having the idea to mate, and it being very unlikely the other one has the same idea at the same time.

Maybe a prisoner's dilemma tradeoff for mating?

Agree on mating: both share costs
Disagree on mating: rapist forces mating cost only on other
Both don't mate: no mating happens