Conspec recognition

Bots use various methods to identify others of their species.

In and Out

Bots can use the numbers stored in in/out to identify conspecs.

Advantages:

- Easy to implement

Disadvantages:

- Very, very easily fooled

Example: Step 1-Initialize IO port

cond
*.robage 0 =
start
100 .out1 store
stop

Step 1-Check In against out. note that if nothing is visible, the in values default to 0, which might screw up bot behavior. It's usually best to add *.eye5 0 != to be sure.

cond
*.in1 *.out1 !=
start
...

More Complicated I/O

However, you can set one I/O channel to a value and the other to a random number. If both I/O channels match, then you have either realy, realy bad luck or the other bot just failed in fooling you.

Example Step 1- Initialize I/O ports

cond
*.robage 0 =
100 .out1 store
32000 rnd .out2 store

Step 2

cond
*.in1 *.out1 !=
*.in2 *.out2 =
xor
start
'Put code for non-friendlies here
...

To check if a bot is a conspec

cond
*.in1 *.out1 =
*.in2 *.out2 !=
and
start
...

Memloc and Memval

Bots can use Memloc and Memval to read a location in another bot's memory. This can be used for conspec recognition.

Advantages:

- More secure than In and Out

Disadvantages:

- Can be fooled

Example: -Using the length of DNA as conspec Step 1: Set memory location to read to DNA length

cond
*.memloc .dnalen !=
start
.dnalen .memloc store
stop

Step 2: Read the value of the other bot's DNA length. This may not work if no bot is visible, so add *.eye5 0 != to be sure.

cond
*.memval *.dnalen !=
start
...

Refeye and Myeye

By far the most popular form of conspec recognition.

Advantages:

- Can't be tricked passively

Disadvantages:

- Can be tricked if .myeye is altered by an info shot, venom or a virus

- Some bots can change these values to match, usually with .delgene. BlueOnBlue in the Bestiary can do this.

Other RefVars

Other RefVars such as .refshoot can be used to identify members of your species too.

Advantages:

- Can't be tricked passively

- Rarer than Refeye and Myeye and so less likely to be targeted

Disadvantages:

- Most bots may only have one instance of the command in their DNA

Example:

-For all refvars, including .myeye; remember to check if there is a bot with *.eye5 0 !=.

cond
*.ref__ *.my__ !=
start
...

Other

Some other forms of conspec recognition have been thought up, but most are very impractical.