diff --git a/src/pipelines/agents/agent.wgsl b/src/pipelines/agents/agent.wgsl
index d06066c..8aec868 100644
--- a/src/pipelines/agents/agent.wgsl
+++ b/src/pipelines/agents/agent.wgsl
@@ -53,11 +53,7 @@ fn main(@builtin(global_invocation_id) global_id: vec3<u32>) {
     agent.angle += 3.14159265359 + random - 0.5;
   }
 
-  textureStore(
-    TrailMapOut, 
-    vec2<i32>(newPos * settings.size),
-    vec4(1)
-  );
+  textureStore(TrailMapOut, vec2<i32>(newPos * settings.size), vec4(1, 0, 0, 0));
 
   agent.position = newPos;
   agents[id] = agent;
@@ -67,7 +63,7 @@ fn sense(agent: Agent, sensorAngleOffset: f32) -> f32 {
   let sensorAngle: f32 = agent.angle + sensorAngleOffset;
   let sensorDir: vec2<f32> = vec2(cos(sensorAngle), sin(sensorAngle)) / normalize(settings.size);
   let sensorPos: vec2<f32> = agent.position + sensorDir * settings.sensorOffsetDst;
-  return textureLoad(TrailMapIn, vec2<i32>(sensorPos * settings.size), 0).x;  
+  return length(textureLoad(TrailMapIn, vec2<i32>(sensorPos * settings.size), 0)); 
 }
 
 fn random(state0: u32) -> f32 {
diff --git a/src/pipelines/brush/brush-pipeline.ts b/src/pipelines/brush/brush-pipeline.ts
index e5afdc4..ada27d0 100644
--- a/src/pipelines/brush/brush-pipeline.ts
+++ b/src/pipelines/brush/brush-pipeline.ts
@@ -75,11 +75,15 @@ export class BrushPipeline {
             format: 'rgba16float',
             blend: {
               color: {
+                operation: 'add',
+                srcFactor: 'zero',
+                dstFactor: 'one',
+              },
+              alpha: {
                 operation: 'max',
                 srcFactor: 'one',
                 dstFactor: 'one',
               },
-              alpha: {},
             },
           },
         ],
diff --git a/src/pipelines/brush/brush.wgsl b/src/pipelines/brush/brush.wgsl
index b6319c0..071845e 100644
--- a/src/pipelines/brush/brush.wgsl
+++ b/src/pipelines/brush/brush.wgsl
@@ -45,5 +45,6 @@ fn fragment(
       discard;
     }
 
-    return vec4(clamp((settings.brushWidth - distance) / settings.brushBlurWidth, 0, 1));
+    let strength = clamp((settings.brushWidth - distance) / settings.brushBlurWidth, 0, 1);
+    return vec4(0, 0, 0, strength);
 }
diff --git a/src/pipelines/render/render-pipeline.ts b/src/pipelines/render/render-pipeline.ts
index 94cc75d..a0384d3 100644
--- a/src/pipelines/render/render-pipeline.ts
+++ b/src/pipelines/render/render-pipeline.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { RenderSettings } from './render-settings';
 import shader from './render.wgsl';
 
 export class RenderPipeline {
-  private static readonly UNIFORM_COUNT = 4;
+  private static readonly UNIFORM_COUNT = 16;
 
   private readonly pipeline: GPURenderPipeline;
   private readonly uniforms: GPUBuffer;
@@ -48,11 +48,24 @@ export class RenderPipeline {
     canvasSize,
     deltaTime,
     time,
+    brushColor,
+    speciesColorA,
+    speciesColorB,
   }: CommonParameters & RenderSettings) {
     this.device.queue.writeBuffer(
       this.uniforms,
       0,
-      new Float32Array([...canvasSize, deltaTime, time])
+      new Float32Array([
+        ...canvasSize,
+        deltaTime,
+        time,
+        ...brushColor,
+        0, //padding
+        ...speciesColorA,
+        0, //padding
+        ...speciesColorB,
+        0, //padding
+      ])
     );
   }
 
diff --git a/src/pipelines/render/render-settings.ts b/src/pipelines/render/render-settings.ts
index efa387a..99ff690 100644
--- a/src/pipelines/render/render-settings.ts
+++ b/src/pipelines/render/render-settings.ts
@@ -1 +1,7 @@
-export interface RenderSettings {}
+import { vec3 } from 'gl-matrix';
+
+export interface RenderSettings {
+  brushColor: vec3;
+  speciesColorA: vec3;
+  speciesColorB: vec3;
+}
diff --git a/src/pipelines/render/render.wgsl b/src/pipelines/render/render.wgsl
index 878e28e..18c8d82 100644
--- a/src/pipelines/render/render.wgsl
+++ b/src/pipelines/render/render.wgsl
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ struct Settings {
   size: vec2<f32>,
   deltaTime: f32,
   time: f32,
+  brushColor: vec3<f32>,
+  speciesColorA: vec3<f32>,
+  speciesColorB: vec3<f32>,
 };
 
 @group(0) @binding(0) var<uniform> settings: Settings;
@@ -10,6 +13,15 @@ struct Settings {
 
 @fragment
 fn fragment(@location(0) uv: vec2<f32>) -> @location(0) vec4<f32> {
-  return vec4(textureSample(TargetTexture, mySampler, uv).rgb, 1.0);
-  return vec4(0, settings.deltaTime * 0.0, 0.0, 1.0);
+  let traces = textureSample(TargetTexture, mySampler, uv);
+
+  let speciesAStrength = traces.r;
+  let speciesBStrength = traces.g;
+  let brushStrength = traces.a;
+  return vec4(
+    settings.speciesColorA * speciesAStrength +
+    settings.speciesColorB * speciesBStrength +
+    settings.brushColor * brushStrength,
+    1
+  );
 }
diff --git a/src/settings.ts b/src/settings.ts
index d51adb2..057a637 100644
--- a/src/settings.ts
+++ b/src/settings.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,15 @@ import { DiffusionSettings } from './pipelines/diffusion/diffusion-settings';
 import { RenderSettings } from './pipelines/render/render-settings';
 import { rgb255 } from './utils/colors/rgb255';
 
+const palette = {
+  blue: rgb255(0, 110, 202),
+  red: rgb255(232, 141, 122),
+  green: rgb255(90, 188, 94),
+  purple: rgb255(161, 90, 188),
+  yellow: rgb255(255, 204, 0),
+  beige: rgb255(229, 204, 175),
+};
+
 export const settings: GameLoopSettings &
   AgentSettings &
   BrushSettings &
@@ -23,15 +32,10 @@ export const settings: GameLoopSettings &
   sensorAngleDegrees: 30,
   sensorOffsetDst: 0.025,
 
-  decayRate: 0.01,
-  diffusionRate: 0.8,
-};
+  decayRate: 0.005,
+  diffusionRate: 0.9,
 
-const paletteMap = {
-  blue: rgb255(0, 110, 202),
-  red: rgb255(232, 141, 122),
-  green: rgb255(90, 188, 94),
-  purple: rgb255(161, 90, 188),
-  yellow: rgb255(255, 204, 0),
-  beige: rgb255(229, 204, 175),
+  brushColor: palette.beige,
+  speciesColorA: palette.yellow,
+  speciesColorB: palette.green,
 };