Hey all! I am moving fighter craft along a path broken into waypoints. My question is this...how would you guys inform the craft about what they should be doing (they operate on a thrust/inertia basis)? Yes, they need to pass through all the waypoints but it can''t look like they''re doing it. When they''re off a path (and chasing the player for example, or heading back to a ''home'' waypoint) they can just use deterministic thrusts. I don''t see a problem there, does anybody else? Do you determine a bezier curve in 3D for the whole path? How then do you link paths smoothly. Bear in mind these craft can be moving ''waypoint-to-waypoint'' or ''path-to''path'' Anybody have any thoughts or examples I''d like to hear them! thx

quote: Original post by Spiral Guru

Hey all!

I am moving fighter craft along a path broken into waypoints. My question is this...how would you guys inform the craft about what they should be doing (they operate on a thrust/inertia basis)?

Yes, they need to pass through all the waypoints but it can''t look like they''re doing it.

When they''re off a path (and chasing the player for example, or heading back to a ''home'' waypoint) they can just use deterministic thrusts. I don''t see a problem there, does anybody else?

Do you determine a bezier curve in 3D for the whole path? How then do you link paths smoothly. Bear in mind these craft can be moving ''waypoint-to-waypoint'' or ''path-to''path''


Anybody have any thoughts or examples I''d like to hear them!

thx

You may want to review Craig Reynolds web page on Steering Behavior (I forget the exact URL, something like www.red.cwr but you can easily do a search on Steering Behavior or Flocking with Yahoo/AltaVista and find it).

This form of navigation should produce smooth paths (even through a set of waypoints) if implemented appropriately. I tested Steering Behavior for a wrestling game, for movement out of the ring (in the locker rooms, the back stage and lounge areas) and it produced some very smooth and natually appearing paths, that IMO would look good for fighter craft in 3D space too.

Good luck,

Eric

The link is http://www.red3d.com/cwr/steer/gdc99/index.html

it''s a professional article, try to make good use of it

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I would think all you would need to do to ''fake'' it would be to use a velocity system, like anything else, and tell the computer-controlled ship to always ''thrust'' in the direction of the waypoint. This would cause it to ''swing out'' a bit when it turns (because it takes a bit for the thrust to change direction)