Thanks for all the feedback!
Episode 2 is a good ways into development, but I won't be able to work more until weekend. Currently Near's Pathfinding is really causing a lot of "lag blips" sometimes when it runs, and while the tiny pauses are not very detracting, I Hate them none the less.
Due to the nature of mapping and this game in general, I'm taking a couple days now to write my own A* algorithm based path finding instead of a Dijkstra's algorithm based, which is going to give this 3 new distinct advantages.
First, I'll be able to use Terrain Tags as a "movement" modifier to make certain terrain types cost more stamina to move over. Second, I can cut down the necessary calculations for the pathfinding by basing a unit's path finding in the aggro range instead of the entire map. Thirdly, with path costing (certain terrain areas costing more to traverse) maps will give you an extra element of strategy to work with, as the A* algorithm uses a "best cost" path costing, meaning you can use areas that are hard to move THROUGH as a shield forcing other units to go around; or hide so deep inside/past that higher cost area that they are forced to trudge through, burning stamina and moving slower. (A definite advantage if you have a series of AGI based units which can traverse even costly areas much more cheaply!)
The second point is a bit dangerous; it makes units that are far away stupid enough to not know a direct path to you, but it makes units closer have enough of a speed advantage to move more often and more intelligently. I'm making this trade off mostly because I have distant units wait until you're within a certain range anyway before moving, to keep fights from being too hectic and messy.
Another useful advantage is that now I can ignore map sizes; with Near's Path Finding a larger map will cause a potentially longer lag time in the path finding, with this new approach be it a 20x15 or a 200x200, the speed will depend only on how high I set the aggro range for that fight, and the complexity of the mapping. Near's also has an issue because her script uses the directional passability; since I don't use that often, and it won't be an issue on combat maps, I can save a lot of effort by ignoring the 4-direction passability settings and rely only on the overall passability rating for the tile.
Again, sorry this will take a little longer, but with this I can up the AI refresh rate more, meaning enemies will act more smoothly in later fights where the "turn" speed is higher due to the greater number of units in play.
Episode 2 is a good ways into development, but I won't be able to work more until weekend. Currently Near's Pathfinding is really causing a lot of "lag blips" sometimes when it runs, and while the tiny pauses are not very detracting, I Hate them none the less.
Due to the nature of mapping and this game in general, I'm taking a couple days now to write my own A* algorithm based path finding instead of a Dijkstra's algorithm based, which is going to give this 3 new distinct advantages.
First, I'll be able to use Terrain Tags as a "movement" modifier to make certain terrain types cost more stamina to move over. Second, I can cut down the necessary calculations for the pathfinding by basing a unit's path finding in the aggro range instead of the entire map. Thirdly, with path costing (certain terrain areas costing more to traverse) maps will give you an extra element of strategy to work with, as the A* algorithm uses a "best cost" path costing, meaning you can use areas that are hard to move THROUGH as a shield forcing other units to go around; or hide so deep inside/past that higher cost area that they are forced to trudge through, burning stamina and moving slower. (A definite advantage if you have a series of AGI based units which can traverse even costly areas much more cheaply!)
The second point is a bit dangerous; it makes units that are far away stupid enough to not know a direct path to you, but it makes units closer have enough of a speed advantage to move more often and more intelligently. I'm making this trade off mostly because I have distant units wait until you're within a certain range anyway before moving, to keep fights from being too hectic and messy.
Another useful advantage is that now I can ignore map sizes; with Near's Path Finding a larger map will cause a potentially longer lag time in the path finding, with this new approach be it a 20x15 or a 200x200, the speed will depend only on how high I set the aggro range for that fight, and the complexity of the mapping. Near's also has an issue because her script uses the directional passability; since I don't use that often, and it won't be an issue on combat maps, I can save a lot of effort by ignoring the 4-direction passability settings and rely only on the overall passability rating for the tile.
Again, sorry this will take a little longer, but with this I can up the AI refresh rate more, meaning enemies will act more smoothly in later fights where the "turn" speed is higher due to the greater number of units in play.
