cs3210-course-project

Thanks for taking the time to view my final project for CS:3210! I have included a few notes about the project that are important to keep in mind when running/grading it.

Running the Project

• Compile the project with the following command: clang++ -std=c++17 -o main.out main.cpp Animal.cpp Environment.cpp Obstacle.cpp Organism.cpp Plant.cpp ViableUnit.cpp
• Run the project with the following command: ./main.out [path/to/map/file.txt] [path/to/species/file.txt]

Notes about the Project

• The animal movement algorithm is imperfect. Animals often make decisions that don't seem smart to an onlooker. However, this is (partially) by design. If animals always made ideal choices, the simulation would be incredibly boring.
• Because of the randomness included in the animal movement algorithm, writing functional tests for the code was basically impossible. In lieu of functional tests (such as those using catch.hpp), I have included more test inputs. Watching the extra inputs makes it clear that the project is functioning properly. Note that the extra tests are located in the /input folder. The test numbered 0 is that which was provided at the beginning of the project, but all other tests are my own.
• Due to some poor design choices on my part, unit tests are not realistically possible to implement (becuase I didn't decompose the problem enough). However, each individual function has been tested extensively during development through the CLion debugger, adding std::cout statements throughout the code, and by verifying that the test inputs work correctly.
• Sometimes it appears as though an animal is jumping back and forth between two spaces ad infinitum and never eating anything. This is an illusion. What is happening is that a plant keeps regrowing and the animal in question eats it instantly. Because the actions take place on the same iteration, you cannot observe it happening.