{"id":603,"date":"2025-02-02T14:46:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-02T14:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/?p=603"},"modified":"2025-02-02T14:47:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-02T14:47:23","slug":"hive-mind-progress-update-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/?p=603","title":{"rendered":"Hive Mind Progress Update #9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ant Nest Navigation System<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

For ants to successfully navigate through the nest, I have developed a system that consists of Tunnel Actors<\/strong>, Chamber Actors<\/strong> and a Tunnel Manager<\/strong>. Each tunnel has an entrance and an exit, and to define these positions, I use Trigger Spheres<\/strong>. This means that each tunnel consists of two Trigger Spheres\u2014one marking the entrance and one marking the exit. Additionally, each tunnel holds a numeric reference to indicate which chambers it connects. This allows it to dynamically link tunnels and chambers to form a structured underground navigation system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Underground nest with all its actor components to support navigation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colony-Specific Nest System<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All components, including tunnels and chambers, have a Colony ID<\/strong>. This ensures that when the game spawns multiple colonies, each colony uses its own distinct ID. To manage this, each colony has its own Tunnel Manager<\/strong>, responsible for directing ants through their respective tunnels and chambers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Path finding and Route Planning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When an ant needs to move from the outside to a specific chamber<\/strong>\u2014such as the larvae nursing chamber\u2014the Tunnel Manager determines the required route. Since a route consists of multiple entrances and chambers, the Tunnel Manager finds the best sequence of tunnels and chambers for the ant to reach its destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Future Enhancements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the future, i plan to introduce additional mechanics such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Congestion Rate<\/strong> \u2013 Tunnels will track how many ants are using them, helping the AI avoid overcrowded paths.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Danger Level<\/strong> \u2013 Some tunnels may be more hazardous due to enemies or flooding requiring strategic decision-making.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Travel Time<\/strong> \u2013 Certain tunnels may be shorter but riskier, while others are longer but safer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    This will allow the AI to make more intelligent routing decisions, balancing speed, safety, and efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Next Steps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    For now, i am working on the basic version, ensuring that ants can successfully travel from Point A to Point B<\/strong>. While the concept sounds simple, i still need to programmatically connect everything so that a proper route can be generated and visually represented in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I am excited to see the ants finally move through the tunnel system smoothly and connect the surface navigation mesh with it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Stay tuned for more updates as I refine the system, making navigation a key component of the AI’s strategic decision-making using reinforcement learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Ant Nest Navigation System For ants to successfully navigate through the nest, I have developed a system that consists of Tunnel Actors, Chamber Actors and a Tunnel Manager. Each tunnel has an entrance and an exit, and to define these positions, I use Trigger Spheres. This means that each tunnel consists of two Trigger Spheres\u2014one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-progress-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=603"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":605,"href":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603\/revisions\/605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hivemind.science\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}