[PAID] z33z Pathfinding Object Port

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  • I would like to request a multi-platform port of z33z's Pathfinding Object. It is by far the most overlooked extension with more possibilities than it is given credit for. Thanks to this extension I was able to make this: Please login to see this link.. Imagine making games like Fieldrunners on mobile/HTML5. There are heaps of other possibilities using its built-in LoS feature etc.

    z33z has disappeared and the whereabouts of the source code are unknown. Perhaps someone has a clue? I don't know what the usual fee for an extension is but I'm willing to pay whatever is fair. This extension would be for everyone so if you would like to contribute we could have ourselves a party!

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  • There have been much better path finding extensions released since then. The original path finding object is terrible in comparison. For example, there is this one: Please login to see this link.

    And here is another one, which is essentially a direct replacement for/sucessor of the original path finding object, though it requires the .net framework for whatever reason, making it less likely to get ported to other runtimes than the other one I mentioned: Please login to see this link.

    My Please login to see this link., my Please login to see this link.. If there are awards for "'highest number of long forum posts", then I'd have probably won at least 1 by now. XD

  • You could try sending a message to z33z via the Clickteam forum (Please login to see this link.) and/or e-mailing him at his last known e-mail address (the_znail (at) hotmail.com according to Please login to see this link.).

    .:::.Joshtek.:::.

    Visit Please login to see this link. to publish your freeware Click games and play games made by others or check out Please login to see this link. to enjoy or contribute to our archive of over 3,200 older Click games.

  • Joshtek: Thanks, though someone mentioned his PM is full. I'll try the e-mail.

    @frog: I'm aware of these extensions. As you say, APF is difficult. z33z's object is great for simple pathfinding/LoS and is highly efficient if used properly. IPP is Fusion 2.5 Developer only, why not make pathfinding available in standard? I read through the doc but I still don't know if IPP does simple line of sight, or if it's multi-platform.

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  • Neither of those extensions are multi-platform, but they are more likely to get ported to other runtimes since they are newer. I personally have found those other pathfinding extensions easier to understand then the original pathfinding object, just so you know. They, in my opinion, were better-designed, and they were designed with multiple objects at once in mind. As a result, I think it is more ideal to either port one of those two objects to other runtimes, or to make a new pathfinding extension, specifically designed with being cross-platform in mind.

    EDIT: Also, why make an extension for something when people have already made a cross-platform version of it without extensions?: Please login to see this link.

    My Please login to see this link., my Please login to see this link.. If there are awards for "'highest number of long forum posts", then I'd have probably won at least 1 by now. XD

  • Using strings tends to be slow, especially with a lot of calculations going on. I doubt this could manage 2000+ objects. Have you tried my example?

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  • Actually, I've noticed that it can find the path instantly, though that may be because of the map size instead of it simply being a quick process. Also, where does the example use strings? If you mean those numbers all over the grid, then those can be deleted. It's actually using the arrays to handle that stuff without the string objects. Those are just to give you a visual representation of the "path finding map" (so to speak). Also, MuddyMole is the one who made the example that stores the path as a string, not crusher, and I linked to crusher's example, so if you downloaded MuddyMole's example, then you should instead look at crusher's example. If you are talking about MuddyMole's example, then yes, that isn't designed to handle multiple objects, so yes, it will run slow with multiple objects. However, crusher's example seems like it would work well at finding multiple paths at once, and be able to do it without lagging too much at that. As a matter of fact, thanks to the way it works, the "path" technically doesn't need to be found at all. To get the pathfinding done, you instead simply have each object look at the surrounding tiles, and then pick the one with the next number in the sequence. Then it won't find the whole path all at once, which could improve performance, especially in situations where the path can change (such as a tower defense game).

    EDIT: Also, I have two screenshots that prove two things:

    1. The pathfinding object is buggy (they did eventually find their way around the turrets, but it took them a while, and yes, I did highlight the area where this was happening):

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    2. Your example doesn't support 2000+ objects at 60 frames per second either, so it doesn't matter whether or not the example I listed does (though it might just be because the debugger adds a little extra lag. However, you didn't give me any way to see how many objects were on screen at once without using the debugger, so that probably means that is how you were looking at the number of objects yourself):

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    My Please login to see this link., my Please login to see this link.. If there are awards for "'highest number of long forum posts", then I'd have probably won at least 1 by now. XD

    Edited 2 times, last by happygreenfrog (June 27, 2014 at 3:48 PM).

  • What you suggest re pathfinding sounds really interesting but I'm not quite sure what you mean. Crusher's example seems like it can? Do you think you can make an example to show me? I've tried lots of things but if you can put something together that would be great. The one thing I know is that any kind of looping not handled by an extension will slow everything down, but you are free to try!

    1. Of course it's going to break with that many objects so close together. On a bigger map where units are more spread out this will probably not be a problem. Also there's two ways of pathfinding in my example, the second should be more stable (but much slower). I mentioned that the first was experimental.

    2. Yes it's the debugger. The example here doesn't have an object count, could you have added it yourself? :)

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  • z33z has kindly agreed to provide his source code for the port. I've never requested an extension, what would be a fair amount to pay for this? z33z says it's not a lot of work so it should be a quick job. I'm moving this thread to the extension section.

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  • If you know the conversion math it will work with anything, I have it working on an isometric map atm.

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