Can dfhack affect pathfinding in any way?
Something to order dwarves to specifically build/dig from a particular direction would be massively useful. No more collapsing the floor they're standing on, no more walling themselves in, no more "creature occupying site" because they're standing where they're trying to build something.
Not really. We could mark to recalc the pathfinding (i think, but that happens every time you lock doors). And maybe paint connected path areas (that is quite useless)
Speaking of pathfinding; I know this may seem rather pointless at first glance, but could there be a DFHack plugin that can draw on screen the shortest path between 2 points? Or something of the sort?
Think of it like how the (D)epot Access key can show the pathfinding range of wagons accessing the fortress (to the depot, at least). But that's only scaled to the wagon's width. In a way, it would be a way of seeing the path that migrants and kobolds would likely take; and depending on how you're building your fort or the walls, a way of seeing if there are any holes in the system (besides the entrances) that they can sneak through that you overlooked. Would be especially useful for multi-Z-level defense building.
It would also be a good way to see if the path to your base is truly airtight, and the only way through (besides the front door) is the gauntlet of death in an alternative entryway. I dunno. Kinda sounds noobish, now that I look back at it.
EDIT:
Considering you can choose the 2 points for it to pathfind ("open spaces only" being optional; as well as building destroyer pathfinding)), it could alternatively help as a way of optimizing military pathfinding to good defense points and such, especially if you have a fancy layout (planned (registers designations like open spaces (up/down, ramps and etc. could be included)); sounds more useful than before)) for your fort. It could even tell you how many tiles (best case scenario) are being traveled. But I think it would be more of a hindsight tool, unless you can use an overlay mode for when you set a designation (but then you would need more points for it to map out with, since you're testing a pathfinding on designated squares for mining), and want to see the distance traveled between points; which alternatively can work as a measuring device as well.
EDIT EDIT:
Alternatively, to save on processing power, the pathfinder can choose the nearest available corner (in case you have rivers cutting off portions of the map), and project a line towards the pointer, drawing a pathfinding vector similar to military waypoint pathfinding (unless those are direct vector paths, then nevermind; but have a similar style of projecting overlay), or something. It can even be integrated with the Depot Access screen to make that function a tad more flexible. Actually, while on Depot Access, hit TAB to change display modes (Merchant, Invaders, Dwarves (which displays the pathfinding you assigned in D-O mode). Personally, it's better than getting a visual by watching migrants reach your fort interior in order to find the leaks.