Optional change to Pathfinding

[Jayim_Duinara]

Hello all,

 

I did a search on as many terms I could think of and didn't find anyone with this idea yet. But, of course, I could have missed it. My suggestion is an option for the pathfinder. Currently, if I was in WSC and wanted to get to a house in Tirnwood, the pathfinder does something like this:

 

 

 

My suggestion is to make use of the paths in-game so that it works something like this:

 

 

 

This would add some realism to the game, and would be great for role-play purposes. I know next to nothing about programming, so I don't know how feasible this is. I thought it could use something like the path-finding from Sid Meier's Civilization games: road squares have a resistance of 1, small path squares a resistance of 2, non-path squares a resistance of 5 (or whatever numbers work). When map-walking, the pathfinder just calculates the path of least resistance. I don't know whether path-finding is done by the client or by the server. Like I said, I'm not a programmer. I believe it would solve a few visual problems in-game though. For example, currently when map-walking through various towns you wind up walking behind/half-way-inside a house. My suggestion would fix the problem by taking the path of least resistance, i.e. the path. If it is done by the client, then I don't see how this could create a problem. If it takes a little while to calculate, just have an animation where the character pulls a map out of his pocket and looks at it for a few seconds.

 

What with all the new graphics in-game, I would really like to see a way of walking through it that sets it to good advantage. Let's all go on walking tour of Draia! =D

 

[Aislinn]

http://www.eternal-lands.com/forum/index.p...l=path++finding

[Jayim_Duinara]

Oh. I only searched the suggestions forum. Sigh, I didn't understand most of that, but what I gather is that it isn't possible...

 

Thank you for your answer.

The_Saxman (Jayim_Duinara)

Member of TAG

[Aislinn]

You would need to line each path along each edge with rocks and hedges and things with height to block the character from crossing over it and guide it along it. Also again the pathfinder would have the character most likely taking the path of least resistance to avoid all that mess altogether and circle around the edge of the map to get to point B. The paths you see are just flat map decorations basically, with no effect on mapwalking.

[Entropy]

99% of the people want to get to a destination as fast as possible. Some even count the number of the steps involved. So I am not sure how much use this would have.

[Atlantis]

With different walking speeds coming into the game, it would be interesting if you could walk faster on paths than on grass

[Sphere]

That would have an interesting "busy streets" sort of effect.

 

I've seen something similar implemented for fake AI. Instead of physically limiting the pathway though, there are different types of invisible tokens dotted along the center of the path that the AI has an affinity for.

 

It would require a new object as a token, edits to all of the maps to place the tokens, changes to the pathfinder code, and of course, a million other things I haven't thought of. Teh God is messing around with that stuff now though...

[robotbob]

With different walking speeds coming into the game, it would be interesting if you could walk faster on paths than on grass

 

Same is true for load. Use up most of your emu, you cant run.

So someone will a full ore load, or Heavy Armors\Weapons\etc, can't run, but the ranger\mage can

(perhaps just for longer)

Edited October 10, 2008 by robotbob

[Cycloonx]

It's a great idea, but those walking paths would get blocked very fast because EL characters walk very strange when they are walking close to eachother. In no time your character will be blocked constantly by other people using those roads too.