RTS Pathfinding like AOE

[Vuen]

I need to know how to pathfind just like AOE does. See I can't really use that A thing or whatever that other dude was talkin about cuz I mean it doesn't work well if your telling the guy to go through a complicated maze of obstacles and such. For example:

* is unit
X is destination
Lines are walls or whatever

                    |     |
    *               |     |
                    |     |
                    |     |                X
                    |     |
                    |     |
     ---------------/     |
                          |
                          |
               -----------/   

a path with that "A" mode would be:

                    |     |
    *--------------\|     |
   /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\||     |
   ||||||||||||||||||     |       ---------X
   ||||||||||||||||||   /\|      /
   \\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/|   |/|     /
    \---------------/ /-/ |    /
     ----------------/  | |   /
              /---------/ |  /
              |-----------/ /           
              \------------/

a path by AOE would be:

                    |     |
    *               |     |
    |               |     |
    |               |     |       ---------X
    |               |     |      /
    |               |     |     /
    \---------------/     |    /
     \                    |   /
      \                   |  /
       \       -----------/ /
        -------------------/

See how AOE would find the perfect path instantly? I want to know how to do that cuz I need that for my game.

[Edited by Vuen on 10-09-2000 at 09:08 PM]

[/\/\isanThr0p]

go to my thread Pathfinding, posted in the last few days.

PaulLewis gave an VERY good eplanation of A* it is extremely fast and still finds the way like you want it!