Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Author Topic: Burrows + Pathfinding  (Read 4667 times)

Josiwe

  • Bay Watcher
  • Bay Champion
    • View Profile
Burrows + Pathfinding
« on: May 12, 2010, 02:08:59 pm »

Will burrows make pathfinding take up fewer resources?

For example, if I wanted a map with 500 dwarves that didn't grind to a halt, would that be possible using burrows? It seems if I make several small areas and put a hundred dwarves in each, there's only a limited amount of pathfinding to do for each dwarf.
Logged

expwnent

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Burrows + Pathfinding
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2010, 02:26:21 pm »

It should help a bit, but I doubt it would be effective up to that scale. Pathfinding isn't the only processing cost to having a large population.
Logged

o_O[WTFace]

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Burrows + Pathfinding
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2010, 06:52:43 pm »

Yes, but only marginally or in specific situations.  The algorithm DF uses is pretty smart and in general it won't go searching all through the caverns and surface looking for a faster way to get to the dining room.  It might stray into the rooms lining a hallway, but for the most part a traffic designation will take care of that. 

You could try it though, FOR SCIENCE!
Logged
...likes Dwarf Fortresses for their terrifying features...

Narmio

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Burrows + Pathfinding
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2010, 09:41:16 pm »

I have not yet seen evidence that the pathfinding algorithm respects burrow designations natively, rather than just searching the entire fortress then discarding paths that end outside the burrows.  Concave burrow designations allow dwarves to go outside the burrow to reach points inside it, I believe.  But that doesn't prove ther's *no* interaction.  Maybe someone could do some proper tests?
Logged

Duane

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Burrows + Pathfinding
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2010, 10:42:28 pm »

Designate burrows. Make the major hallways 3 tiles wide. Add the HIGH COST to the center path. Watch as they effectively path.
Logged

opsneakie

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Burrows + Pathfinding
« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2010, 10:48:31 pm »

Why put the high cost in the middle? Will that help establish some kind of two-laned system, with the middle lane used only for passing?
Logged
Collosal bronze man
With titanic strides he comes
Dwarves he will harvest

DF Twitter

Greep

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Burrows + Pathfinding
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2010, 01:48:38 am »

I rarely see them use the middle anyways, so I just go with 2 width halls
Logged