pathfinding (advanced?)

You can describe your world as a series of 2D polygons where characters can (or cannot) go. The polygons are overlaid over the tiles and are invisible to the user. Then you just use a more free-form path-finding algorithm to move around.

Another way would be to do your 1-bit bitmap, but on a tile-by-tile basis, rather than over the whole map at once. That''d save a lot of memory and you could even get away with using the alpha channel of the bitmap for this.

If I had my way, I''d have all of you shot!

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codeka.com - Just click it.

Ok, that last suggestion sounds very good to me... that one with saving the info in the alpha chanel. But if I am right that would only work with 32bit color right? (of course i could use tiles like you said.. but alpha chanel would be the ultimate sollution^^)

Well, then it comes to what picture format I should use? I mean... bitmap''s and jpg''s don''t support alpha chanel right?
So what format am I supposed to use to use the alpha chanel?

thx!

TGA files...or you can make your own data format...think about it, it''s just an array of colors.

Brian

I use the alpha channel to store collision detection data for my game, so I can do per pixel collision detection. Works very well, and looks very nice, although it's a little slower than doing line segments or rectangles. Anyway, I'm just trying to tell you that this is possible to do.



digital radiation

[edited by - directrix on January 29, 2003 7:13:34 PM]

Thx guys!

I think you are worrying too much about everything working perfectly straight off. So what if a character cant walk right up to a wall? How often do you want them to do that? Good route finding will calculate the best path - and you will go there - when you are down to the final square handle anything that must be done in that square seperatley - for instance if a player is in one square have them route find to that square then move them to the players position.

Maybe a grid isnt the best option - maybe you should use waypoints. Go through the grid before the game actually starts and create way points for the accesable areas of your map. You can then also optimise by eradicating some waypoints - for instance down a straight narrow corridor you only need one at each end.

Look at first person shooters for instance.

If your bots have line of sight to the enemy they can move straight towards them - no route finding needed. If they have no line of sight they only need to route find until they do. This is simplified obviously. But u see what I mean?