An example system and process with operations that include determining, for constrained variables of an optimization problem, compliant values that comply with a constraint condition that mutually constrains the constrained variables. The operations further include generating a population of candidate solutions for the optimization problem. The candidate solutions use a subset of the compliant values such that each of the candidate solutions comply with the constraint condition. The operations further include, while running a computer-based simulation with the population of candidate solutions, determining that a mutated candidate solution, created from mutating one of the candidate solutions, fails to comply with the constraint condition. The operations further include modifying the mutated candidate solution to use at least one value randomly selected from the compliant values for a corresponding one of the constrained variables resulting in a constraint compliant mutated candidate solution that complies with the constraint condition.