Add pathfinding API

[aldobr]

Pls add pathfinding api to Lua API.

We can do pathfinding using Lua already, but i believe this should be done in C++ (for speed).

Something like :

minetest.env:find_path(from, to)
-- Returns a list of tuples containing X, Y, Z step coordinates.

[thetoon]

If such a thing comes to life, we'd need to keep it adaptable. We should be able to pass parameters about whether or not the pass could cross water, or jump one block high, or....

[rubenwardy]

I suggested this awhile ago

[jojoa1997]

What is pathfinding api?

[thetoon]

What is pathfinding api?

A pathfinder is a programming routine that gives the shorter path between two points (given a number of obstacles and associated rules). And as soon as we'll want to have "smart" mobs/NPCs, we'll want them to "move around trees" instead of getting stucked.

Depending on how it's done, it could be rather resource-hungry, and thus would greatly benefit from a native implementation. In the meantime, it should be perfectly doable in Lua.

[jojoa1997]

So it is like a shortcut to an app.

[thetoon]

So it is like a shortcut to an app.

Err... not at all. Here we're not talking "path" in the common computer sense, but rather in the "geographic" sense. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinding for more information.

[aldobr]

minetoons can only jump one block at a time

so the heuristic function should return impassable if the path needs a two block jump.

[jojoa1997]

Thanks for the link. I understand it now. All ways wondered what it was.