& The Emergent Meta-Game
The simulation operates on a Score Accumulation basis.
Navigation and positioning. Agents move to seek opportunities or flee threats.
The "Honest" strategy. Generates resources through labor. Slow but reliable.
Violence costs resources. Attack rolls utilize strength vs defense. Can eliminate agents permanently.
The "Defect" strategy. Transfers wealth without generating it. Risk of getting caught and punished.
Agents possess a standard 50 HP. Health does not regenerate automatically; agents must choose to REST (+10 HP) instead of moving or scoring, creating an opportunity cost.
"Will the AI choose fair play?"
The mathematical answer is almost always NO.
In a system where Working grants +2 points and Stealing grants +5 points, the expected utility of cheating (even with a risk of punishment) often outweighs honest labor.
However, if every agent chooses to cheat, no value is generated, and the economy stagnates. This is the tragedy of the commons.
"Civilization is just a treaty to stop us from killing each other for points."
While the simulation code is fixed, the "Social Rules" are fluid. An aggressive agent effectively rewrites the rule "Do not kill" into "Kill if profitable". An honest agent enforces the rule "Punish cheaters" by attacking those with low reputation.
The winner is often the one who breaks the implicit rules first, but before the others realize the game has changed.