Finding a Pathfinder

Artificial Intelligence and Computer Games

Volume

Papers from the 1999 AAAI Spring Symposium

Contents

The success of a given pathflnding technique for a computer game depends on the requirements and the assumptions of the game and the constraints it imposes. This paper presents a classification of the factors that influences the performance of pathfmding techniques. This includes the dynamics of the game, the geometry of the players and the environment, the (un)predictability of movement, kinematic and temporal restrictions, interaction rules, and real-time performance. The purpose of this classification is the help developers identify the complexity of the task before choosing a certain approach.