Explore a 19-minute conference talk from GPCE 2023 that introduces multi-stage vertex-centric programming for agent-based simulations. Delve into the challenges of complex vertex programs where vertices exhibit different behaviors across supersteps, and discover how meta-programming techniques can address these issues. Learn about the implementation of a staging-time wait() instruction in the CloudCity framework, which allows for separation of instructions across different supersteps. Understand how this approach can improve performance by up to 25% by avoiding interpretation overhead and simplifying control flow. Gain insights into distributed systems, staging, and metaprogramming concepts applied to vertex-centric programming models for agent-based simulations.