[casual_games] Pathfinding

[Austin Haas]

A* isn't the problem. If you want your paths to have a certain aesthetic value, then you need to program that into how A* calculates costs. For instance, you can add a higher cost to changing direction, or you can add a high cost penalty to changing direction several times within a set number of steps. If you want the character to change direction as few times as possible, then you might give each step a +1 cost, but each change of direction a +3 cost. Then you can manage the tradeoff between shortest distance and aesthetics by tweaking simple numbers.

-austin

-- 
Austin Haas
Pet Tomato, Inc.
http://pettomato.com

On Thu Aug 30 21:22 , Dimitrios Bendilas - ZEFXIS wrote:

> Hello everyone,

>

> I hope this post is not very off-topic.

> I have a programming question which I hope someone will be able to shed 

> some light on.

>

> We are building a click-management game. Its core mechanics resemble Diner 

> Dash's.

> We are trying to implement a pathfinding algorithm that makes sure our 

> heroine does not

> pass through "tables" (they are not tables actually, but similar concrete 

> objects).

>

> The main difference from Diner Dash in regards to pathfinding is that the 

> tables in our game

> are spread in the screen in a much more random manner. Our heroine has to 

> avoid tables

> and walk around them to go to the customers, who are located around the 

> tables.

> The game is not isometric and it's not tile-based. It's like most 

> click-management games,

> having a side-top "camera" view and some pseudo-perspective.

>

> We are trying to figure out which is the best pathfinding approach here.

> We tried A*, but the algorithm makes the sprite move in a zig-zag pattern

> too much and the movement seems very unnatural.

>

> Does anyone know what is a good approach for the pathfinding in such games?

> Maybe someone that has developed a similar game can give us a hint?

>

> Thanks a lot!

> Dimitrios

>

> -----------------

> Dimitrios Bendilas

> Game Designer/Lead Developer

> Total Eclipse Games

> www.totaleclipsegames.com

>

>

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