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This project aims to delve into leadership dynamics within the context of Sugarscape, analyzing traits in combat scenarios to determine the most attractive leadership trait for followers and what traits lead to successful group formation. Using Sugarscape as a foundation, this study integrates a comprehensive combat system and traits, assigning intelligence to vision, strength to metabolism, and wealth to sugar metabolism. The group dynamics revolve around food sharing, with high metabolism agents benefiting from lower metabolism group members for protection. Combat involves a strategic equation, agent turnover, and combat tactics based on vision. The study examines group formation, leader selection, and decentralized group dynamics. Key areas of investigation include motivations for group formation, advantages of group combat, and leader selection criteria. The design involves testing with random trait agents in Sugarscape using the MASON version, aiming for simplicity without internal randomness. Development challenges include bugs in combat dynamics and group functionality coding. Notably, Robert Axtell, a creator of Sugarscape, has endorsed the project. However, testing progress is hindered by existing system bugs.
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By Alex McGuigan Examining Leadership Dynamics in Agent Based Modeling
Purpose/Goal • Explore leadership dynamics in Sugarscape • Analyzing leadership traits in combat • Ultimate goal to discover what leadership trait is most attractive to followers • What leadership trait forms the most successful groups
Scope • Use Sugarscape as a base • Add a more complete system of combat and traits • Same simplistic, interconnected style as Sugarscape • Intelligence = Vision • Strength = Metabolism • Wealth = Sugar
Metabolism Sugar consumed per turn Strength Higher metabolism increases effectiveness in combat Strong agents have a harder time gathering Traits • Vision • Sight, obviously • Intelligence • Evaluation of others • Lower vision underestimates strength of enemy
Traits • Sugar • Food • Groups are food sharing • Advantage for group gathering • High metabolism agents fed by low metabolism group members, protects them in return • Morale • Has been scrapped
Combat • The equation: Metabolism * 4 + Sugar • Agents drop 2 sugar when they die in combat • Agents will move to the highest value sugar spot they can see, sugar at site + 2 if there is another agent there • Agents don't seek combat specifically, only seek highest concentration sugar • Agents don't attack agents that they know are stronger
Combat • If the highest value sugar spot is occupied, check to see if the occupant is stronger • Your combat vs. theirs, tie to defenders • Vision influences this, low vision underestimates their strength • Your combat vs. their combat * Vision/4 • Vision maxes at four, 4 vision has perfect perception, 1 vision attacks nearly indiscriminately • If your's is perceived as higher, attack • Run combat formula, tie to defenders, loser dies, winner gains 2 sugar
Group Dynamics • Decentralized groups, emerge spontaneously • What motivates them to form groups? • Groups are beneficial, food sharing, shared vision • Group advantages to gathering? • Group combat?
Group Dynamics • Who will be the leader? • Highest Sugar person? • Highest total stats? • First member? • Leader advantages • Select new members – vision based • Limited command over group?
Design • MASON version of Sugarscape • Test by placing agents of random traits in Sugarscape, see what happens • No randomness inside actual mechanics • Simplicity is the goal
Development • Combat dynamic coded • Large series of difficult bugs remain in system of sugar and occupant detection • Group dynamic largely planned • Traits implemented, group functionality partly coded
Results • Robert Axtell, one of the two creators of Sugarscape approves of the project • Actual testing is held up by aforementioned bugs
