Path finding

[theTrav]

Just curious as to where you guys (J&L) are currently at with path-finding, what you're finding difficult and what you're thinking in terms of resolving it.

[kaka]

From what Loftar told me, he has the algorithm worked out and what's left is to implement it.
It's hard to tell how long that will take, though...

[loftar]

To be more precise, it's been a little hard to figure out a good algorithm. Obviously, I can't use a normal graph-searching algorithm (like A*) for pathfinding, since I have no graph to search (even if I could use the game objects as locative nodes directly and had a complete list of them, which I don't, I would still have no neighbor list or anything related). Therefore, I've had to figure out an algorithm that does wihout it. I think I've figured out a reasonable algorithm now which uses object corners as locative nodes and then find new nodes (lazily) in the process of trying to trace a path towards the goal.

As kaka says, I now only have to actually implement it. And then I have to re-implement players and animals a bit to be able to actually follow paths. I don't think I'll have to worry much about moving objects, however (in the way that RTS games often have to do), since collisions with moving objects will probably be comparatively rare.

[Ferinex]

since collisions with moving objects will probably be comparatively rare.

*horrified by rats and chickens and rabbits and toads*