Getting stuck on A* + how to get better performance. + targetting ghosts

Newbie & Debugging Questions
#1

Hi there JGO, it’s me again.

I am working on a small AI script from the villager that has the woodcutter job. But sometimes it is attacking air/ghosts and I guess also targetting them. I don’t know how this is happening. Most of the times it works, some times he is stuck because my A* pathfinding isn’t that good, nor positioning of the Villager.

Screeny: (The grey plate with the sword on it is that he is attacking, because I couldn’t show you the animation in a pic).

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/8254/qtge.png

(this one’s positioning is really terrible. I guess it is a small variable that is wrong(My cutprogram likes to add a white border :P).

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/2335/33ch.png

Codes
Fighting:

public void fighting() {
		if(x < fightTargetCon.x){
			movingDir = 3;
		} else {
			movingDir = 2;
		}
		if(fightTargetCon.isDestroyed()){
			wonFight = true;
			isFighting = false;
		} else if(attackSpeedTimer >= attackSpeed){
			attackSpeedTimer = 0;
        	Random hitChance = new Random();
            if(hitChance.nextInt(100) <= accuracy-1){
            	yourHitHit = true;
            	hitMissed = false;
            	yourHitIconShowTimer = 0;
            	Random randomCriticalChance = new Random(); 
            	if(randomCriticalChance.nextInt(100) <= criticalChance -1){
            		attackDamageModifier = 2;
            		criticalHit = true;
            	} else {
            		attackDamageModifier = 1;
            		criticalHit = false;
            	}
            	Random damageChance = new Random();    
            	fightTargetCon.healthChange((minAttackDamage + damageChance.nextInt(maxAttackDamage-minAttackDamage)) * attackDamageModifier, false);
            } else {
            	hitMissed = true;
            	yourHitHit = false;
            	yourHitIconShowTimer = 0;
            }
		} else {
			attackSpeedTimer++;
		}
	}

The AI (searching for the tree, walking to it and then targetting + attacking):

public void working() {
		if(job == "VILLAGER"){

		} else if(job == "WOODCUTTER"){
			if(!wasLooking && !isMovingOnPath && !wasDoingjob){ //searching for trees.
				int eX = 0; int eY = 0; int lowestXY = -1;
				boolean negativeX = false; boolean negativeY = false;
				for (Entity e : level.getEntities()){ 
					if (e instanceof ConstructionTree){
						
						if(x <= e.x && e.x-x <= jobRadius){
							eX = e.x-x;
							negativeX = true;
						} else if(x > e.x  && x-e.x <= jobRadius){
							negativeX = false;
							eX = x-e.x;
						}
						if(y <= e.y && e.y-y <= jobRadius){
							negativeY = false;
							eY = e.y-y;
						} else if(y > e.y && y-e.y <= jobRadius){
							negativeY = true;
							eY = y-e.y;
						}
						if(lowestXY != -1 && lowestXY > eX + eY || lowestXY == -1 && eX + eY != 0){
							targetCon = (Construction)e;
							lowestXY = eX + eY;
							if(!negativeX){
								jobX = x-eX + 8;
							} else {
								jobX = x+eX - 8;
							}
							if(!negativeY){
								jobY = y+eY - 8;
							} else {
								jobY = y-eY - 8;
							}
						}
					}
				}
				wasLooking = true;
				if(lowestXY != -1){
					findPath(new Point(this.x >> 3, this.y >> 3), new Point((jobX >> 3), (jobY) >> 3));
				}
			} else if(!wasDoingjob && !isMovingOnPath && wasLooking){ //Targetting trees
				fightTargetCon = targetCon;
				isFighting = true;
				if(wonFight == true){
					wonFight = false;
					isFighting = false;
					wasDoingjob = true;
					findPath(new Point(this.x >> 3, this.y >> 3), house);
				}
			} else if(wasDoingjob && wasLooking && !isMovingOnPath){ //Waiting in his home
				home.occupied = true;
				isInsideBuilding = true;
				if(jobTimer > 400){
					jobTimer = 0;
					home.occupied = false;
					isInsideBuilding = false;
					wasLooking = false;
					wasDoingjob = false;
				} else {
					jobTimer++;
				}
			}
		}
	}

NOTE:
-There is probably nothing wrong with the attackingscript.
-I think it is a small bug/wrongplaced variable as many times it is working.
-Better performance things are always welcome!
-Ask for thing u want to know.

Already thanks.
-RoseSlayer

#2

I fixed it by just removing the booleans, still don’t know why but already thaught it was a small failure.

#3

That code frightens me. You’ve got names that end in “ing” and how many variables? How do you debug that? :frowning:

Also, if your path finding code gets the character stuck, you did not implement A*.

#4

I implemented A*. the only problem I’ve is easy to fix is.
And I am cleaning my scripts over time:

Search code:

if(!wasLooking && !isMovingOnPath && !wasDoingjob){ //Looking for trees.
				int eX = 0; int eY = 0; int lowestXY = workRadius * workRadius;
				for (Entity e : level.getEntities()){
					if (e instanceof ConstructionTree){
		    			if(e.x >> 3 >= (home.x >> 3) - workRadius && e.x >> 3 <= (home.x >> 3) + workRadius){
			    			if(e.y >> 3 >= (home.y >> 3) - workRadius && e.y >> 3 <= (home.y >> 3) + workRadius){
			    				Game.level.alterTile((e.x >> 3) - 1, e.y >> 3, Tile.POSIONGRASS);
			    				if(x <= e.x)
			                        eX = e.x-x;
			    				else
			                        eX = x-e.x;
			    				if(y <= e.y)
			    					eY = e.y-y;
			    				else
			                        eY = y-e.y;
			    				if(lowestXY > eX + eY){
			                        targetCon = (Construction)e;
			                        lowestXY = eX + eY;
			                        if(x <= e.x)
			                        	jobX = x+eX - 8;
			                        else 
			                        	jobX = x-eX + 8;
			                        if(y <= e.y)
			                        	jobY = y+eY - 8;
			                        else
			                        	jobY = y-eY - 8;
			    				}
			    			}
		    			}
					}
				}
				if(lowestXY != workRadius * workRadius){
					wasLooking = true;
					findPath(new Point(this.x >> 3, this.y >> 3), new Point(jobX >> 3, jobY >> 3));
				}
			}
#5

WELP your code makes me have strokes randomly but here is what I think YOU yes YOU should do to make it simpler for yourself and also stop their little computer brains bleeding everytime they try to find a tree.

Make a treemap array , when you generate a tree you add its spawn x and spawn y to the map maybe even just make it a boolean array. Then use a trial and error type pathfinding system to get to the tree.

#6

Your naming shows a lack of familiarity with Java. Most methods are in the form set, get, is, to, and . Such as getColor, setColor, isVisble, toString, sort, etc. Your code just looks like a lump of if statements and variable assignments. There is no self documenting naming, no separation of concerns, and no modularity.

That is not A*. Where is the open list? the closed list? The heuristic? The cost function? A* cannot get stuck on a uniform grid and will tell you if there is no path to a goal.

#7

That is a really good idea, going to do that for sure. the performance will be better!

The A* pathfinding was in an other topic and it is really in-efficient. If you wish to view it:
Pastebin.

The problem where this code will get stuck most times is the path it is returning.
and in the Villager tick() there is just a small code walking to the path array.

#8

Listen im currently working on pathfinding ais I like to call dumbpath , smartpath ,objectivepath. Dumbpath is for use with things like zombies they just run directly towards an x,y smartpath takes into account objects and chooses a random direction to go to avoid the object. objectivepath will be worked on for later use at is will develop its own personal knowladge map of collosions as it goes through.

#9

I’ve listened, but not sure how this can help me. I will never use dumbpaths in my game, as it looks weird and unprofessional. I am trying to always use the objectivepath. But I failed on how to find the G and returning the paht so my path is now more likely a smartpath but not the fastest because I am not calculating the G (correctly).