Variable Mesh Optimization with Niching (VMO-N) is a framework for multimodal problems (those with multiple optima at several search subspaces). Its only two instances are restricted though. Being a potent multimodal optimizer, the Hill-Valley Evolutionary Algorithm (HillVallEA) uses large populations that prolong its execution. This study strives to revise VMO-N, to contrast it with related approaches, to instantiate it effectively, to get HillVallEA faster, and to indicate methods (previous or new) for practical use. We hypothesize that extra pre-niching search in HillVallEA may reduce the overall population, and that if such a diminution is substantial, it runs more rapidly but effective. After refining VMO-N, we bring out a new case of it, dubbed Hill-Valley-Clustering-based VMO (HVcMO), which also extends HillVallEA. Results show it as the first competitive variant of VMO-N, also on top of the VMO-based niching strategies. Regarding the number of optima found, HVcMO performs statistically similar to the last HillVallEA version. However, it comes with a pivotal benefit for HillVallEA: a severe reduction of the population, which leads to an estimated drastic speed-up when the volume of the search space is in a certain range.
Niching Multimodal Landscapes Faster Yet Effectively: VMO and HillVallEA Benefit Together