Hi, I have a question relating to AI in particular and wondered perhaps whether any of you bright sparks might know something about it. The background is an FPS game, and the bots use jetpacks. I'm looking for a way you can make an AI bot, in addition to automatic pathfinding much like the Quake 3 Arena Bot, be able to find an optimal path through the air to any given surface above ground in a level. Basically, instead of making a straight line through the air where the bot has to go, it has to jet with some accuracy through an arc. The idea is not to follow a preset path but for the bot to follow an optimal path to a point x, y, z from x, y, z. This is an out there question, I know, but as a challenge, I wonder if any of you can rise to it. Regards Asher

Sure.. calculating free body trajectories is all pretty straight forward. So when you're generating your A* path network nodes, link nodes via which you can use the jetpack to traverse height deltas. Then give it a traversal cost equivalent to the distance traveled and at runtime your bot will automagically use jump points when appropriate. You then just need your pathfollowing implementation to note when it arrives at a jump node and activate it's jetpack.

This of course assumes uniform ballistic jumpiness with the jetpack. =) If your jetpack can jump to various heights you should still be able to determine mathematically at build time if the jump is possible and with what initial force. Then just encode that force into the node so that when the entity uses it they know how long to use their pack for.

-me

Quote: Original post by awbrowne
Hi, I have a question relating to AI in particular and wondered perhaps whether any of you bright sparks might know something about it.

The background is an FPS game, and the bots use jetpacks.

I'm looking for a way you can make an AI bot, in addition to automatic pathfinding much like the Quake 3 Arena Bot, be able to find an optimal path through the air to any given surface above ground in a level. Basically, instead of making a straight line through the air where the bot has to go, it has to jet with some accuracy through an arc.

The idea is not to follow a preset path but for the bot to follow an optimal path to a point x, y, z from x, y, z.

This is an out there question, I know, but as a challenge, I wonder if any of you can rise to it.
Regards

Asher

Probably one of the 'portal' systems of subvivision of your world geometry to predetermine chokepoints and open areas (those areas becoming coarse waypoints for an A* pathfinder). The fine scale pathfinding would determine the curve trajectories (or lack of them) for your optimal flightpaths withing a areas limitations.

Since this is 3D you would have extra constraints on movement.

Also if you want your simulation to be a more realistic you will have velocity differences (acceleration deceleration curves) and turn radius vectorings which greatly increase the number of limitation testings (and combinations which need to be checked while seraching the maneuvering options in a give terrain).

Special cases for takeoff and landing ( I assume you want to land onto the persons feet -- a transition which has fairly strict limitations)