Co-evolution of Pursuit and Evasion II: Simulation Methods and Results

Abstract

In a previous SAB paper [10], we presented the scientific rationale for simulating the coevolution of pursuit and evasion strategies. Here, we present an overview of our simulation methods and some results. Our most notable results are as follows. First, co-evolution works to produce good pursuers and good evaders through a pure bootstrapping process, but both types are rather specially adapted to their opponents' current counter-strategies. Second, eyes and brains can also co-evolve within each simulated species - for example, pursuers usually evolved eyes on the front of their bodies (like cheetahs), while evaders usually evolved eyes pointing sideways or even backwards (like gazelles). Third, both kinds of coevolution are promoted by allowing spatially distributed populations, gene duplication, and an explicitly spatial morphogenesis program for eyes and brains that allows bilateral symmetry. The paper concludes by discussing some possible applications of simulated pursuit-evasion coevolution in biology and entertainment.