We discuss here the characteristics of a software environment appropriate for the development of a bio-inspired cognitive architecture, which can emulate the behavior of autonomous intelligent agents. First, it is reminded that, while the focus is often set on the more abstract aspects of cognitive abilities, studying the fundamental bases of intelligence that allow for autonomy is a prerequisite for well defined intelligent systems. Secondly, we highlight functional loops associating cerebral structures including the basal ganglia in the brain of most species along the evolution. They are dedicated to the organization of behavior under the constraint of reinforcement , corresponding in their simplest expression to the selection of action for survival. Lastly, concerning the simulation of such models, we describe a software environment to study such relations in a more controlled way than hardware implementations, by adapting a platform built on the top of a video game for the development of classical artificial intelligence models. We explain here how our neuronal model exhibits bodily and internal characteristics necessary for survival tasks and how these characteristics are plugged in the simulation platform. Some scenarios of survival are reported as an illustration of this environment.