[casual_games] Pathfinding

[Dimitrios Bendilas - ZEFXIS]

Thanks a lot everybody.

We are developing our game on TGB and we are using a ready implementation of 
A*,
which didn't seem to offer much customization. We'll look into it further 
using your advice.

Thank you for your answers everyone.

Dimitrios



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Austin Haas" <austin at pettomato.com>
To: "IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List" <casual_games at igda.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 9:56 PM
Subject: Re: [casual_games] Pathfinding



>

> 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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