Assignment 1 Randomness

Link to Project

Initial Thought

I started experimenting with simulating something in nature. In the beginning, I tried to simulate the random trail of a fly flying. After making one, it is easy to create a bunch of flies flying around. However, the randomness only shows from the random flying trail without any order. Giving them traits. I wanted to simulate “nervous,” “chill,” “aggressive,” and “playful” flies, each with different movement patterns, and explore how personality traits could lead to emergent behaviors in a simple system.

Creation Process

I started by implementing a basic random walker but quickly moved to a vector-based movement system using p5.Vector for smoother, more organic motion. I created a Fly class where each instance had different personality traits affecting its speed, direction changes, and jumping behavior.

To refine the motion, I experimented with different probability values for turning and jumping, adjusting them to balance realism and variety. I also added color-coding for each fly type to make their behaviors visually distinct. Finally, I ensured they could wrap around the canvas instead of getting stuck at the edges.

Resources

• Daniel Shiffman’s “Nature of Code” examples on randomness, Perlin noise, and autonomous agents.
• Previous random walker exercises, which helped me understand movement randomness.
• Real-world animal behaviors, particularly insects like fruit flies and bees, to model erratic or smooth motion.
• ChatGPT-o1 for debugging problems.

Problems

• Too much randomness felt unnatural – Early on, my flies moved too chaotically, which made them seem unrealistic. Adding probability-based movement constraints helped differentiate personalities.
• Tuning probabilities was tricky – Finding the right balance for how often a fly should change direction or make a big jump took trial and error.

Future Improvements

I’d like to explore fly interactions, introduce environmental elements like food sources, and experiment with mood changes based on surroundings. Even introducing more organisms into the ecosystem.

Screenshot