Artificial Life Experiment Set(ALES) v1.0 - Beta
By Mike Baharmast, MB Scientific-Feb,1996
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Contents:
1- Introduction to ALES 1.0
2- Installation of ALES 1.0 beta
3- Post release documentation addenda
4- BETA participants wanted
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Introduction

ALES lets you create artificial life. These "cyberbugs" can be
carnivores, herbivores or plants. They can be placed in a food chain
scenario or just fight head to head. They hunt, eat, get hunted,
have offspring, die,... in other words they do what basic life-forms do.

I've provided an introductory package to ALES: SUPERBUG/KING OF BEASTS.
Folks should try this first. It is set up as two sets of games/
experiments. You start out by playing SUPERBUG, there your carnivores,
the KILL STARS, are being destroyed by their enemy, the dreaded cannibal
JFISH. Through 4 experiments you'll alter the genetic makeup of your
bugs to eventually defeat the enemy. SUPERBUG is supposed to ease you
into predator-predator competition scenarios. 
Then you go on to KING OF BEASTS. You take the last SUPERBUG scenario
and create a food chain out of it. The first 3 experiments will guide you to
a stable, long (ever!) lasting food chain. The 4th experiment will let you
create eco system niches for competing predators thereby creating a web
of  life.
Once you are done with this package you can move on to ALES. There you
can have up to 8 species with your designed genetic makeup living it out
in life scenarios you create. You may play it light hearted and just 
have fun and for folks that are a bit more analytical I've set up data
outputs in ascii form so you can analyze, plot your experiments etc.

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Installation

1- This program does require BWCC.DLL to be in your \windows\system 
directory. If it is not simply copy BWCC.DLL from the ALES directory to 
\windows\system directory. If it is there go to 2.

2- after unzipping the package, run ALES.EXE, or SUPERBUG.EXE from
your windows MAIN MENU | FILE | RUN selection. Or Create and run it
from icon (choose a program folder to hold two icons, then
MAIN MENU | FILE | NEW, and in fill in the dialog box:

Description: ALES
Command Line: ALES.EXE
Working Directory: C:\ALES     (or whatever directory you opened)

to create ALES icon. For superbug icon:

Description: SUPERBUG/KING OF BEASTS
Command Line: SUPERBUG.EXE
Working Directory: C:\ALES     (or whatever directory you opened)



If you encounter dialog display problems or get an error message
complaining about BWCC.DLL, it means your existing version is an older
one. So, back that one up and replace it with the BWCC.DLL provided with 
ALES. 
NOTE:BWCC has Borland Windows Custom Control functions that is required
by a Borland c++ compiled program such as ALES. If you have other programs
, and many popular program are of this type, you already have a version 
of BWCC. So to avoid any version conflicts, back the old one up before
replacing it.


This release of ALES is in "Internet Purchasable" form. As provided,
SUPERBUG/KING OF BEASTS will run in a demo mode. If you decide that
this is for you and want to purchase it, click on PURCHASE on 
SUPERBUG's main menu. People in the BETA program will get a free
"registration/serial number" which will then activate ALES. In demo 
mode you may view ALES's menus and dialogs only. Purchase price for 
ALES is $25.

Online documentation is on ALES's HELP file, which is available in
the demo mode. SUPERBUG/KING OF BEAST documentation is a part
of each experiments "how to" guide, also available in demo mode.
SUPERBUG/KING OF BEAST canned experiments do run in demo mode, you
just can't freelance and alter them.

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ADDENDA

1- populations vs time for each cyberbug may be logged in ascii form.
To do so implement the following line in scenario file's (e.g. 4SPECS.CLS)
CONTROLS section:

population_log=1

At the end of each run you will get files: CYBPOP1.LOG, CYBPOP2.LOG,...
for all the cyberbugs in your running scenario. Make sure you are not
in want of disk space!

2- you can get real time report to screen, of form 

population(Feast Famine Cycles, Max population reached, Min Population reached).

for each cyberbug. To do so implement the following line in you running 
scenario file:

LogToScreen=1

3- size of the world is selectable. For example to make the ALES world
300x200, implement the lines:

world_xmax=300
world_ymax=200

in LDSYS.INI's CONTROLS section.

The default for these values is -1, which sets the world size to be the 
screen size (<=1200 pixels).

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ALES Beta Program

1- I'm looking for folks with windows, windows 95, NT and os2 
machines to run ALES through it's loops and give me feed back.
If you are interested drop be an email to 73143,1534@compuserve.com

2- I am particularly looking for educators and teachers that would
want to use ALES in an educational capacity. I am interested
in building a structured set of experiments for different lower and
higher education settings, in fact I setup SUPERBUG/KING OF BEASTS 
in that vein. Interested folks should email me at above address or write to:
Mike Baharmast/MBS, 736 13th Street, Miami Beach Fla 33139.

3- I am already planning the next set of upgrades to ALES. New features
on the book are: user supplied animated creatures, physical world models,
genetic propagation through selective mating, more robust mutations,
more control over genetic code,... to mention a few. Folks with combined
c programming and artificial life interests are welcome to collaborate.
If you are one, please email me. I am willing to provide source code 
within a collaborative environment.

If any one needs to talk to me I'm at (305) 534-5179, eastern day time
please.
