Netlogo Mekka Model - need directions

Question

I'm working on this assignment for my university with Netlogo and I'm really stuck. I just started out using Netlogo and I'm trying to recreate Mekka, together with some pilgrims.

I've been trying out a lot of different codes, adding new ones, trying it out, deleting some, but this is what I came up with this far:

 turtles-own
[direction                ;;  1 follows right-hand wall, -1 follows left-hand wall
 way-is-clear?            ;; reporter - true if no wall ahead
 checked-following-wall?]

globals [halfedge]

breed [agents agent ] 

agents-own [ around visible ]

to setup
  create-agents 500 [
    set color green
    set size 2
    ; distribute agents randomly
    setxy pxcor = halfedge pycor = halfedge 
    set heading random 360
    ; ensure that each is on its own patch
    while [any? other agents-here] [ fd 1 ]

  ]
end

to bounce 
  if [pcolor] of patch-at dx 0 = blue [
    set heading (- heading)
  ]
  if [pcolor] of patch-at 0 dy = blue [
    set heading (180 - heading)
  ]
end

to go 
  ask agents [ count-those-around ]
  ask agents [ move ]
end

; store the number of agents surrounding me within
; local-radius units
; and the agents that I can see within visible-radius

to count-those-around
  set around count agents with [self != myself] in-radius 
  local-radius
  set visible agents with [self != myself] in-radius 
  visible-radius
end

to move 
   ;; turn right if necessary
  if not wall? (90 * direction) and wall? (135 * direction) [ rt 90 * direction ]
  ;; turn left if necessary (sometimes more than once)
  while [wall? 0] [ lt 90 * direction ]
  ;; move forward
  fd 1
end

; face towards the most popular local spot 
to face-towards
  face max-one-of visible [around]
end
; face away from the most popular local spot
to face-away
  set heading towards max-one-of visible [around] - 180
end 

to setup-center
   clear-all
  set halfedge int (edge / 2)
  ask patches[
    if (pxcor = (- halfedge) and pycor >= (- halfedge) and pycor <= (0 + halfedge) )
      [set pcolor blue]                                ;; ... draws left edge in blue
    if ( pxcor = (0 + halfedge) and pycor >= (- halfedge) and pycor <= (0 + halfedge) )
      [set pcolor blue]                                ;; ... draws right edge in blue
    if ( pycor = (- halfedge) and pxcor >= (- halfedge) and pxcor <= (0 + halfedge) )
      [set pcolor blue]                                ;; ... draws bottom edge in blue
    if ( pycor = (0 + halfedge) and pxcor >= (- halfedge) and pxcor <= (0 + halfedge) )
      [set pcolor blue]                                ;; ... draws upper edge in blue
    ]
end

• The idea is that first, a square is setup resembling the kaaba.
• After that, the turtles are set up.
• They are supposed to all walk around the wall in a counter-clockwise direction.
• There's supposed to be one 'leader' that would lead all the pilgrims around the kaaba.

Right now the kaaba is successfully drawn, the only problem is that turtles are not supposed to be spawn in there or run into it (therefore the bump code). Also, they are randomly going around, and I have no idea how to make them move in a Counter-Clickwise formation, following one differently coloured leader.

Could any of you guys help me out? I would be eternally thankful!

Answer 1

You may be trying to learn too much all at once by writing a big program all at once.

Start by writing a really small program; get it working; attempt to make a very small improvement to it, and get that working; and so on. If at any point you get stuck, come here, show your code with has at most one thing broken about it, and ask one question about the one issue in particular that you're currently stuck on. That's the most effective way to get help.

A few random coding tips:

This isn't valid code:

setxy pxcor = halfedge pycor = halfedge

setxy expects two numbers, but you're passing it two booleans: pxcor = halfedge is true or false, and pycor = halfedge is true or false, too. I think you might mean just setxy halfedge halfedge.

agents with [self != myself] can be replaced with simply other agents.