This is why I need to make a GUI in Unity

Here you can see all the debug information for my system. The node labeled '0' is the Root node. (I forgot to add the edge from grounds to "get grounds", sorry).

As you can see, this is difficult to parse, even for me. When this system becomes larger, a text-based interface will not be sufficient for debugging. A visual interface will not only make it easier to create the knowledge base, but could also allow for debugging by creating activation traces or passing in a sentence and seeing the activation. Starting this week, I'm going to start working my code into Unity, and continue with the code from there. I hope to have the interface done by the Alpha review.

My plan for the interface is to use Unity spring joints to connect spheres representing the nodes. This should provide a tidy representation for navigating the graph in 3D space. Eventually I will implement a 2D projection for the 3-dimensionally challenged.

Some features I will have to implement:

1. Camera control to center on nodes and activations
2. Visualization system to analyze activations (will probably use colored lights)
3. Graph editing system (add/remove/edit nodes and edges)

I got AND gates working. You can see the results at the bottom: makeCoffee is dependent on both having grinds and water, and so the sequence of actions incorporates both.

Also, I solved my problem of specifying constraints. Instead of trying to saturate the activation of the specified constraint (which doesn't work when one method of completing the task is much easier than the other), I use a message-passing system. If the input sentence specifies a constraint, such as "make coffee with water", I'll add a constraint activation on the water node. This is a short range activation, but it's enough that the action "Get Water" now has a constraint activation. Any root activations (which determine the path the agent will take) passing through a constraint activation will pick up a constraint message.

Activations with constraint messages take priority over activations with fewer satisfied constraints. This means that activations that pass through the constraint will be chosen for the final sequence of actions. This system could easily be extended to allow for priorities (I've noticed agent planning systems seem to like priorities).

The great thing about this method is it can be reversed to indicate impossible or failed procedures. If an agent gets a failure state from a function, that node will be marked with a Failure message, and any activations passing through that node will receive a lower priority than those with fewer failures. Recomputing the possible paths will provide an alternate low cost path for the agent to take.

Once I get the Unity editor working, I hope to start making my system more state-based rather than procedure-based. This means that instead of having actions as preconditions, there will more often be states that are preconditions, and actions that trigger those states.