Choosing the Right Pathfinding Algorithm for a Browser-Based Tactics Game

The article discusses the choice between Dijkstra's algorithm and A* search algorithm for pathfinding in a grid-based game. It explains the pros and cons of each algorithm and why A* is typically the better choice for game development due to its faster performance.

Details

The article discusses the choice between two classic graph traversal algorithms, Dijkstra's algorithm and A* search algorithm, for pathfinding in a grid-based game. Dijkstra's algorithm explores outward from the starting point in all directions equally, guaranteeing the absolute shortest path, but it is uninformed and wastes a lot of cycles exploring tiles in the completely wrong direction, which is too slow for real-time responsiveness in a large JavaScript grid. In contrast, A* search algorithm uses an estimation function (heuristic) to guide its search, prioritizing tiles that move it closer to the destination, resulting in significantly faster point-to-point pathfinding. While the path found by A* is not guaranteed to be perfect if the heuristic is flawed, it is almost always optimal in a standard grid game. The article concludes that for game development, where performance is crucial, A* is the standard and the better choice compared to Dijkstra's algorithm.