Hi everyone! It’s time for another bi-weekly update on the Hive Mind project. This time, we’ve got a lot of exciting progress to share—and even a video to show how the ants are shaping up in their tiny digital world. Let’s dive in!

Building the Brain: New Components for FireAnts

Over the past two weeks, we’ve been hard at work adding some brains (and brawn) to our ants. Each FireAnt now boasts four shiny new actor components:

• Agent Component: This will handle communication between the ants and the machine learning system. It’s like the ant’s connection to the Hive Mind itself—but we’re saving this one for last to make sure it’s perfect.
• Health Component: Tracks vital stats like energy and (soon) hunger.
• Combat Component: Because defending the colony isn’t all about food and naps!
• Search Component: The ant’s way of exploring the world and sniffing out resources.

With these in place, our ants are ready to start making smarter decisions. But what’s an intelligent ant without a game plan?

AI That Works (and Naps!)

We’ve added an AI controller, complete with a behavior tree and its own blackboard, to keep our ants on task. Right now, they’re pretty focused on energy management, thanks to a new energy system in the Health Component.

Here’s how it works:

• Ants lose energy while exploring the world.
• When energy runs low, they take power naps at the nearest resting spot.
• Resting spots could be under a leaf, a stone, or inside the nest.
  Pro tip: The nest is the safest and fastest for recovery, but it’s not always nearby!
• After recharging, the ants get back to exploring.

Safety will soon become a factor as predators join the ecosystem. For now, the ants can rest without worries, but soon they’ll have to weigh their options more carefully.

Watch Them Go!

In the video, you’ll see four ants with randomized health scurrying around the world, navigating obstacles, and taking breaks at the resting spot when their energy runs low. It’s a small start, but it’s exciting to see them act independently—and intelligently!

What’s Next?

Our short-term roadmap is shaping up nicely:

1. More Resting Spots: We’ll add diverse locations with varying recovery rates, so ants can make smarter choices about where to recharge.
2. Ant Cameras: Managing the free-moving camera has been tricky because the ants are so small. To fix this, we’re adding a camera to each ant and a toggle feature to switch between their views and the overall scene.
3. Hunger and Food: The next big feature! Ants will need to find food to stay alive, and we’ll introduce food-searching patterns and mechanics to make this a true survival challenge.

Stay Tuned!

This journey is just beginning, and we’re thrilled to share it with you. Check out the video for a sneak peek, and as always, let us know what you think!