Re: FAQ questions

[Frank Lin]

Hi, Roger,
   Thanks so much to respond to my question.  As you indicated, there is no 
such source codes in the current distribution to show the multi-level swarms 
feature.  Is that possible you can send me those files having the feature, so 
that I can have idea to make use of it.  Thanks again.

Frank Lin

> 
> >From Benedikt Stefansson's message, and also in answer to Frank Lin's
> questions earlier this week:
> 
> > Are you thinking of including any chapters in the FAQ on Swarm  
> > objects and libraries? I have been waiting for some clearer  
> > indications on how to use Swarm to create recursive swarms, i.e.  
> > where agents (or the behavioral unit being simulated) are themselves  
> > societies of units. For example, can each individual have his own  
> > space of objects and scheduling?
> > 
> > Examples or hints for these kinds of simulations would also help  
> > those who want to use Swarm to model hierarchies and other nested  
> > societies/economies (re Frank Lin's question to this list earlier  
> > this week)
> 
> Yes, the use of Swarm objects will be documented, not just informally
> in a FAQ, but as part of both reference and tutorial docs.  Initial
> reference docs are currently in progress for the upcoming release.
> 
> Meanwhile, we're also in process of implementing at least two-level
> nested swarms just to manage the display processes of an experiment
> separate from the model being simulated.  This means that examples
> of multiple swarms will be close at hand in the base simulation
> framework.  As part of finalizing how to do this, however, we revamped
> and simplified the Swarm startup procedure more than before, so if
> there had been documentation before it would now be out of date.
> 
> As far as I know, the only running examples which used multi-level
> swarms before were grid9.m and mousetraps.m in the grid test program
> directory (not the mousetraps application), but I don't think this is
> currently being distributed since we split out the apps from the
> library releases.  But all the machinery for multi-level swarms is
> already in place and working, at least as exercised by these earlier
> tests.  And they're very much at the core of what Swarm is intended to
> be, so it's important that we have what you're asking for.
> 
> Roger Burkhart
>