Here’s something for anyone interested in making maps for Driftmoon. It’s the editor interface for AI paths. Some of you may remember that Driftmoon’s predecessor Notrium didn’t have any path finding abilities, and as such the AI was really idiotic in closed areas. In Driftmoon the map maker can define paths that the AI can take if it wants to get from one room to another. The reason we need to have a good pathfinding system is not just enemies, but also your companions. They need to be able to follow you intelligently, and not get stuck somewhere.
My original pathfinding system was based on a very thick grid, and the game would check which points were accessible from which. Unfortunately that wasn’t good for open areas, as there could be up to hundreds of points within a very short path, and it wasn’t good for dungeons, as the automatic points tended to be too sparse for thin corridors – the game thought they were solid rock. So now we have to place the points manually, and the paths between the points are made automatically. It only takes a few minutes time, and the AI behaves much better, so I think it’s worth the time spent.
A look at paths.
Sounds awesome. In making Aleryon Betrayal I’ve seen a fair amount of AI stupidity in close-quarters.
… I think I see the physics puzzle door from the preview video.
This is bound to help a whole lot when making indoor maps. I wonder if they can walf off the path, though? Like, say, that side room there, if the player hides in a corner? Presumably they do
…er, walk, not walf. The keys arent even near each other.
Yeah, they can just walz off the path. The path is actually more of a guideline for the AI to find a way around obstacles. So if you’re hiding in a room where the map maker hasn’t made a path for the AI, it won’t find its way there. But no worries, the paths are really easy to set up.
Oh!, another interesting feature. I agree completely with the fact of “take a few minutes and do it” because where I have seen such system, it worked pretty well. I mean, “generic” pathfinding is ok for open areas, but a path system is really helpfull when things get narrow, if you get my point.
One question, thought: It looks like in rooms there are many paths. These, I guess, are for provinding the AI a “way around it” if an obstacle is encountered?
Anyway, each new update is appretiated. Keep up the good work!
Some rooms have multiple points, and you’re correct in that the AI can use them to get around objects the player has put there. For example you could drag a heavy stone block to one side of the room, then the AI will need to either push it away or go around it.
One more reason to have more than one point in a room is that the AI can use them to go from door to door smoother without going through the center of the room. So if your room has two doors, you would put a point to each door and the AI can go directly from door to door.
Wow, looks great!
I’m really stoked over Driftmoon… it’s awesome!