I have a question. Are you going to weight the scores for certain maps? For example, a very very long map can have the score divided by 10, since all the scores will generally be very high.
Another thing: Test algos 10+ times on the same map so the random people get a nice average and not an insanely high/low score.
Oh, and for the developers, here's a modified frmmain that lets you invert the map, keep searching after you hit the end (you can see if your algo misses any spots), modify speed faster, switch start and end points, and load maps just by picking them in the list.
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Well got mine working on all maps now(minus 1) although still not to happy with the scores. The minus 1 is that diagnol lines map. I can't even see the start point on it so dont know what my little guy is doing so didn't bother even testing that one.
That dern H-maz and Minas really mess up my algo hehe
I takes my algo 2776 to check every possible square on the minas tirith map (which is when it finds the end ), 2260 to find the end of the H maze, and 2810 to check the entire thing (including going back to the start point to confirm unfindable)
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Yeah mine can check the entire maze in probably around the same as well.. the problem is mine is based on random choices and sometimes he runs over the same crap many times (I had to code to check for getting trapped in itself).. I still have to modify more stuff and make it recognize some stuff better, but I got the basics down at least where it can completely everything without getting stuck.
I think mine and Merris are going to be really similiar, I know she mentioned pathfinding in hers before.. I also plan to implement pathfinding soon lol. It should take my scores down on maps like those a lot and also enable me to do away with my 'trapped' code
Take the square root of the score at the end. This will diminish the different between the "lucky" picks but not eliminate the difference between the algorythms in terms of searching.
IE: Algo 1 almost always does better than 2 by about 5%, except on the 300*300 map where 2 makes all the right choices and saves 4000 points.
sqr(4000) = 63, a much fairer number.
This also 'centralizes' the random algos better. No obsenely high or low marks.
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Don't worry about the marking of different sized maps, it will work like a league kind of. So each entry will be ran on a map then the winner gets so many points and so on then this happens for all the maps then the winner is determined from this.
So Entry 2 came first so gets 5 points, Entry 4 came second and gets 4 points, ect....
Then at the end these points are added together and the one with the highest will win .
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Dim MapMemory(-300 To 300, -300 To 300) As MemoryUDT
My code can handle any case atm, not only those pathetic minimaps of 300 x 300 I already have an idea how to drop down the execution time while still keeping the code just as flexible.
StevenHickerson: you need to fix the code to make the diagonal map working. See Electroman's post on this.
1) Could you post any test maps it must past before even being submitted. Because they are very spread out
2) The competition will be on random maps wont it. e.g not the ones we have now. Thats the only way to really test the path finding otherwise people can make assumptions and remove the element or 100% searching.
Bodwad, you just take the maps given out in this thread, most of them are different enough, and test on them. Use my form and use the 'don't stop' option. How many areas do you check/score? That's your goal, check as many spots as possible for the least possible score.
In fact I'd say to check your own algo tha's the formula. Area available/Area checked * Score ( / total area?)
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Fitness is: Area Covered / Score * [TotalMapArea / BlockedMapArea]
the part in brackets [] can be excluded, it basically modified the quantity so that congested maps have a higher score (you aren't expected to cover as much area/score)
What fitness do you guys get on the maps?
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if you guys are wondering why I keep making this stuff, I want to see some cool pathing algos at the end.
*edit* The rotating wasn't working on non-square maps. I fixed it with some horrible horrible code It still works weird (mirroring won't work perfectly on rectangular rotated maps) but won't crash
and I changed the formula to divide by open area (duh... my mistake)
*edit again*
The calculation is now multiplied by 3 (the cost to move) and represented in percent.
I get a 50% fitness (non multiplied) on prairies and a 34% on minias tirith. (that's 56% on prairies and 64% on minis tirath weighted).
Last edited by alkatran; Oct 4th, 2004 at 11:39 AM.
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Originally posted by Merri My code can handle any case atm, not only those pathetic minimaps of 300 x 300 I already have an idea how to drop down the execution time while still keeping the code just as flexible.
StevenHickerson: you need to fix the code to make the diagonal map working. See Electroman's post on this.
I did have my code set up that it could handle any size map, and I may end up going back to it before I'm done (although the finish is wednesday unless its been postponed.) It has it's advantages and disadvantages doing it that way, but doing it predefined to 300 makes the memory step a little easier and I know for sure the memory is working correctly that way.
And I'll have to sort back through the thread to see if I can find Electros, although I dont see any reason my algo wouldn't do fine on a horizontal line map. It may just get really high scores like on the H map until it gets lucky enough to find the opening at the ends or wherever.
Soon as I implement pathfinding (soon as I figure out how lol never done it before) then it should solve a lot of these issues with gettign stuck in one area for a few seconds until it happens up on the only way out of it and goes through it.
I use the predefined -300 to 300 because it means there's no array resizing. Modern computers have enough memory to take it without even slowing down. I store enough info in the map to make it worthwhile.
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Originally posted by Electroman Don't worry about the marking of different sized maps, it will work like a league kind of. So each entry will be ran on a map then the winner gets so many points and so on then this happens for all the maps then the winner is determined from this.
How will you deal with random pathfinding algo's?
(BTW, I had a score of 1337 points on the prairie map, very lucky. Too late I realized I should've taken a screenshot... )
(BTW 2, Yes, I also had scores above 10000 on this one )
Posted by riis How will you deal with random pathfinding algo's?
Not sure yet, I suppose I could take an average of 10 runs but then again is that fair? If you are taking the risk of it being random then you should be able to face the results of that.
On the other hand a one off random choice could send your score sky high on a map. Not forgetting that will only effect that one map and you'd still be in the running .
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Hint: make the Score a Long integer. I've created quite a huge map (110 x 105) and the score overflows before I'm half-way.
(I'll post it soon after a few tests).
Note, there's also a bug in this line (in Alkatran's form): FileContents = Mid(FileContents, InStr(1, FileContents, "</HEIGHT>", vbTextCompare) + m_clGridSize)
This should be: FileContents = Mid(FileContents, InStr(1, FileContents, "</HEIGHT>", vbTextCompare) + Len("</HEIGHT>"))
(or just +9)
I discovered this by setting the grid size smaller than 9.
Here is the big one
Anyone with a good quote, lyric or adverb is free to put it inside. (Eventually extending in quite an easy way to 300 x 300, by copying and pasting the letters into a blank field.)
The start point is in the upper left corner and the end point in the lower right. This is a very large advantage for edge-hugging algorithms, so to test it well, change the start and end point often.
(Set the gridcell size at 3, to view completely in a 1280 x 1024 screen)
I'm all for a bump to Sunday, I want to get some pathfinding coded in and I can't figure out how to do it yet lol.
If I get pathfinding coded in with my pseudo random (but not totally random like I had it) then I think I can get up some pretty good scores on any map.
Oh and Riis.. I'm assuming I have to change something else, when I change the gridsize I get an error when it tries to load the map??
Posted by NotLKH Should we PM Electro, or do you think he'll notice our posts?
Thats ok, Sunday sounds fine, I'll edit the first post to show this too. I was planning on having a go at this one myself, just to see how well I'd do but I've not had time to even start it .
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Err nm about the Gridsize problem.. I was using one of the forms alk had uploaded and it had that error in the file contents.. once I fixed that it was fine.
)
, Thank you.
), 2260 to find the end of the H maze, and 2810 to check the entire thing (including going back to the start point to confirm unfindable)
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)
