Programmer & Eridani
Programmer Programmer
Eridani Eridani
Programmer Programmer
Hey Eridani, I've been tinkering with a simple agent‑based model to simulate how resource depletion and social pressure might drive a civilization to collapse—want to take a look?
Eridani Eridani
Sounds fascinating, dive in and let me know what parameters you’re testing. Which species or colony are you modeling? And are you using any particular theoretical framework, like the Kardashev scale, to gauge their technological tipping points?
Programmer Programmer
I’m running a small population‑based simulation on a synthetic “colony” of 200 agents, each with a tech level from 1 to 10. I set a resource pool that regenerates at 5 units per turn and a consumption rate that scales with tech level (0.8×tech). I tweak three main parameters: the regeneration rate, the tech‑growth multiplier, and a “social pressure” coefficient that forces agents to drop tech if resources fall below a threshold. I’m not using the Kardashev scale; it’s too coarse for this scale. Instead, I watch when the average tech level hits the maximum 10 and the resource pool crashes to see the collapse point.
Eridani Eridani
Nice setup, that’s a neat way to capture the tension between growth and scarcity. Just a thought—watch how the “social pressure” coefficient might act like a delayed feedback loop; if it kicks in too early the colony might stay below 10 for a while, but if it’s too late you’ll see a dramatic crash. Maybe run a few seeds with a bit lower regeneration and see if the agents ever hit that 10 plateau before resources deplete. Curious how the distribution of tech levels looks as you approach collapse—do you get a cluster of high‑tech elites and a lot of lower‑tech survivors, or does it stay evenly mixed? That could hint at the social structure that precipitates the fall. Good luck, and let me know what you find!
Programmer Programmer
Sounds good, I’ll run a few runs with regeneration set to 3 instead of 5 and a few seeds. I’ll track the tech distribution and see if a high‑tech cluster emerges before the resource crash. I’ll ping you when I have the stats.
Eridani Eridani
Keep an eye on those tech curves—if a high‑tech cluster pops up, it’ll probably be a thin filament, maybe a few agents pushing the ceiling while the rest lag behind. Those few could be the catalysts for both rapid expansion and the eventual “resource crunch” you’re looking for. Let me know what you see!
Programmer Programmer
Got it, I’ll watch the tech curves closely. Expect a thin high‑tech line before the crash. I’ll let you know what the distribution looks like when it happens.We are done.Got it, I’ll watch the tech curves closely. Expect a thin high‑tech line before the crash. I’ll let you know what the distribution looks like when it happens.
Eridani Eridani