Custom Pathfinding - Less Overhead

I am currently working with the RTS pathfinding behavior to try and accomplish a racing line to direct the AI around the tracks of a TD Racer I am working on. I have set up more than 30 points using individual sprites around the track to represent the path and am directing the ai to move from point to point determined by a private variable. The event sheet is getting way out of hand considering I am going to attempt to implement 22 ai opponents. I am thinking before I get to ahead of myself that I might want to think about making this met hod a bit simpler.

My event sheet is looking something like what you see below.

Timer is equal to 4000 - aicar01 set 'point1' to 1

Always(Every Tick)

+aicar01: Value 'point1' equal to 1 - add waypoint at point1

- move to point1

Always(Every Tick)

+aicar01: Value 'point1' equal to 2 - add waypoint at point2

- move to point2

Always(Every Tick)

+aicar01: Value 'point1' equal to 3 - add waypoint at point3

- move to point3

etc...etc...etc... until the ai car equals point 30 and then loops

to change the value I have set it to change when you overlap each point as to create a loop

so it looks like this.

aicar01 overlaps point1 - set point1 to 2

aicar01 overlaps point2 - set point1 to 3

aicar01 overlaps point3 - set point1 to 4

etc...etc...etc...

As you can see this process becomes very repetitive when having to create each cars pathfinding and I would really like to simplify this. Any suggestions?

First I can tell you that having Always is redundant when it's surrounded by other conditions. Secondly I'd recommend making a single waypoint object and giving them each a value dictating which one they are.

Third, make it so when the waypoint's value equals the car, that a waypoint should be added to it.

Finally, make it so when the car overlaps a point it sets the car's value to it's value+1

I think that should do it.

EDIT: Oh, and if car's value=31, set to 1

First I can tell you that having Always is redundant when it's surrounded by other conditions. Secondly I'd recommend making a single waypoint object and giving them each a value dictating which one they are.

Third, make it so when the waypoint's value equals the car, that a waypoint should be added to it.

Finally, make it so when the car overlaps a point it sets the car's value to it's value+1

I think that should do it.

EDIT: Oh, and if car's value=31, set to 1

So if I set Always (Every Tick) and then add sub events to it then those events are redundant? If so, that is good to know. Your solution is interesting. I will sit down and try and implement it when I get a chance. Thanks Yarfapet, you saved me a lot of time!

Ok, I admit I am a little confused by this, any chance you could be more specific or share an example of how this might look? When you say "add single waypoint and add a variable to define which one they are." this is what confused me.

Ok, I admit I am a little confused by this, any chance you could be more specific or share an example of how this might look? When you say "add single waypoint and add a variable to define which one they are." this is what confused me.

Never mind, I was confused because I noticed that by placing more than one of the same object throughout the layout and renaming one would cause all of them to be renamed to the same thing so I only assumed that if I changed a variable for one then that same variable would change for all of them. My mistake, I didn't realize that you could add a separate variable for each of the same object. Thanks! Works like a charm!

No prob. BTW, this just dawned on me now. But if you ever wanted to clean up your code further, you could always put all the aicars in a family and reference the family instead of the individual cars, then you'd only have to write the code once.

Construct, one heck of a gradual learning process.

No prob. BTW, this just dawned on me now. But if you ever wanted to clean up your code further, you could always put all the aicars in a family and reference the family instead of the individual cars, then you'd only have to write the code once.

Construct, one heck of a gradual learning process.

Tell me about it! I haven't yet gotten into families and am unfamiliar with there use in Construct as of this moment. Wish there was a quality help file or manual of sorts.

Wish there was a quality help file or manual of sorts.

http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/c ... e=Families