Class Nibbler

java.lang.Object

Animal

Nibbler

All Implemented Interfaces:

Agent

public class Nibbler
extends Animal

Nibbler agent demonstrates how to implement behaviour, check and alter an environment, and communicate with other agents using method calls. The nibbler will move around randomly, but checks that its percieved neighbourhood doesn't contain any other agents by running through all the agents asking where they are and checking if they fall in its percieved area. This is the root of a partial knowledge system (we only interact with those we have 'knowledge' of because they fall in our perceived area). Once the nibbler has found a safe spot, it checks whether there is any value in that location in the Environment, and nibbles it down if there is.

Note that the spatial x, y, and neighbourhood details are inherited from 'Animal'.

To do: Crowded nibblers with nowhere to move to will currently loop forever. Need a stopping condition adding. See "run()".

Version:

1.0

Author:

Andy Evans

Field Summary

Fields inherited from class Animal

agents, world, x, y

Constructor Summary

Constructors

Constructor and Description
Nibbler(Environment worldIn, java.util.ArrayList<Agent> agentsIn) Constructor.

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
private void	interactWithEnvironment() Checks the value in the environment at the location, and 'nibbles' it down a bit if there is values to nibble.
private boolean	locationSuitable(int x, int y) Checks a prospective location for suitability.
private void	move() Moves the nibbler from its current location to a random position one step away.
void	run() Moves the nibbler from its current location to a random position one step away.

Methods inherited from class Animal

getNeighbourhood, getNeighbourhood, getX, getY

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Constructor Detail

Nibbler

public Nibbler(Environment worldIn,
               java.util.ArrayList<Agent> agentsIn)

Constructor. Sets a random x and y based on current world size, but otherwise defers to Animal.

Parameters:

worldIn - environment for the model

agentsIn - list of all the agents in the model

Method Detail

run

public void run()

Moves the nibbler from its current location to a random position one step away. The new location must be suitable. Then interacts with the environment.

Specified by:

run in interface Agent

Overrides:

run in class Animal

move

private void move()

Moves the nibbler from its current location to a random position one step away. The new location must be in the range of the associated environment.

locationSuitable

private boolean locationSuitable(int x,
                                 int y)

Checks a prospective location for suitability. In this case checks there are no agents within the potential percieved neighbourhood around the new location.

Parameters:

x - spatial x coordinate

y - spatial y coordinate

Returns:

whether the neighbourhood is suitable (i.e. doesn't contain another agent in its neighbourhood)

interactWithEnvironment

private void interactWithEnvironment()

Checks the value in the environment at the location, and 'nibbles' it down a bit if there is values to nibble.