Please vote for this change

[Wingflier]

http://www.arcengames.com/mantisbt/view.php?id=9885

I've lost yet another game due to bad pathfinding and the misfortune of forgetting one time to make a complicated and arduous shift-clicking path for my dumb units to figure out not to fly through heavily congested MKIV worlds or worse.

I'd love to see this for the next patch.

[Mánagarmr]

Agreed. Voted.

[KDR_11k]

Also nice would be if ships would automatically pass through as few hostile planets as possible. I have one outpost that's two enemy planets out from the nearest planet in my home area but the shortest path from my homeworld (where I produce units) to that outpost goes across three enemy planets. Of course I've only neutered the less hostile path but this means units prefer to take the more dangerous route.

[zoutzakje]

units usually prefer to take the quickest route, whether that's through enemy worlds or not. I'd like to be able to select a path on the galaxy map the way I like, not the way the AI likes.

[TechSY730]

Copied from my comment on the issue:

I'd like to see some improvements on the path finding in general.

The hostile firepower consideration boosting vertex "cost" is a good one.
It would be nice to see something like 2x vertex "cost" if the planet is hostile,
1.25x "cost" if the planet is nuetral, and 1x if the planet is allied.


Even more considerations can be made too (additive or multipictive based on what seems appropriate for each case), like for planetary speed boosts, planetary gravity, any sort of planetary or cross planetary effects in general like AI eyes and raid engines, etc.

But technically, this is outside the scope of this suggestion.

[zoutzakje]

techsy beat me to it, but I was gonna copy my comment as well

wouldn't it be possible to implement a hold and drag system for manual pathfinding on the galaxy map? Like clicking on the starting point and then dragging your mouse to create the route you want. I'd like to be able to easily select the route my ships will fly. Your solution would certainly work Wing, but it would require a lot of clicking in the controls tab in a large galaxy and everytime your empire changes

[Toranth]

Copied from my comment on the issue:

I'd like to see some improvements on the path finding in general.

The hostile firepower consideration boosting vertex "cost" is a good one.
It would be nice to see something like 2x vertex "cost" if the planet is hostile,
1.25x "cost" if the planet is nuetral, and 1x if the planet is allied.


Even more considerations can be made too (additive or multipictive based on what seems appropriate for each case), like for planetary speed boosts, planetary gravity, any sort of planetary or cross planetary effects in general like AI eyes and raid engines, etc.

But technically, this is outside the scope of this suggestion.

Pathfinding gets really complicated when you start taking other factors into account.
Remember, the fastest way is not necessarily the least number of wormhole hops.  Three hops through close together wormholes can easily be faster than two through widely seperated wormholes.
Now, add in things that affect travel times:  Enemy held, BHGs, Grav Drills... Or, for that matter, Gravity Guardians, Spire Gavity Drains, etc.
Should auto-pathing include, exclude, or ignore factors like: core world / Homeworld status, presence of Eyes and/or Raid Engines, barracks, Ion Cannons, OMDs, Warhead Interceptors, etc.
There are so many factors that things would quickly get out of hand.


Wingflier's Mantis suggestion is a good way for the human player to prevent issues.  It has my vote.

[KDR_11k]

units usually prefer to take the quickest route, whether that's through enemy worlds or not. I'd like to be able to select a path on the galaxy map the way I like, not the way the AI likes.

If there's a route that consists entirely of friendly planets the ships will take it but as soon as one enemy planet is in the way they stop caring.

IMO for a start the distance through a non-friendly planet should count double because there's no speed boost from the command station there.

[LordSloth]

Simply being able to forbid accidental travel to a system on the galaxy map would be a huge boon to playing against a Golemite AI. Ticking off an Armored Golem with MK2 Fleet Ships and five systems is not recommended.

[Drjones013]

Voted for it.

[Wingflier]

I'll give you another huge reason to vote for this:

Gravity Drills.  It is so ridiculously stupid to take a planet with a Gravity Drill, because you spend the rest of the game tediously making sure your units never go through it.

If they DO go through it, it's another 10 minutes to get them where they need to be, which can literally cause you to lose during an exo-attack or a huge wave.

Seriously, please implement this option.