CoopSim - A Computer Simulation of the Evolution of Cooperation. User's Manual

Eckhart Arnold

Contents

5.2 Defining a new simulation

Now, you might think, what would happen if we add another strategy to our tournament? Nothing is easier than that! In order to do so, we have to create a new simulation setup. This can be done by selecting New Simulation in the Simulation menu or by clicking the New Simulation button in the toolbar (the button before the one with the wrench symbol). Selecting New Simulation opens a dialog where you can define a new simulation setup based on the current simulation setup. The dialog looks like this:

The dialog allows you to select the strategies you want to let take part in the tournament. You can see the list of available strategies on the left hand side. On the right hand side you can see the strategies that will play in the tournament.

Let us try to add the strategy TESTER to our tournament. In order to do so, select TESTER with a mouse click in the list box on the left hand side. (Hint: You may have to scroll the list down a little bit, before TESTER appears.) Notice that when you select a strategy, an explanation of the strategy appears in the text box below. When you have selected TESTER, click on the button “>” in the middle of the dialog box. This should transfer TESTER from the list of available strategies to the list of selected strategies.

Finally you should enter a name for your new simulation setup in the text entry widget at the top of the dialog box. Take “New Example”, if you do not know what to enter. Now click O.K. to see what happens. Well, since now there are four strategies in the tournament, there won't be a simplex diagram any more. Select the page Ecological Simulation in order to see what has changed. Obviously, this time TITFORTAT has come out at the top of the strategies. Although TESTER has not been very successful itself, it has changed the overall results dramatically.

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