Recursive Route Calculations for longer journeys

[VR Jay Le Chardon]

Hi -

A quick QOL improvement suggestion for long range route plotting... I am led to believe that the reason route calculations in the galaxy map are capped to 1000LY is to stop the route calculation grinding the computer to a halt calculating longer routes as distance increases possible routes to calculates exponentially. what I'd like to propose is a workaround for that limitation / exponential growth that could bypass it while still allowing CMDR's to more easily plot longer routes. I call this new algorithm Recursive Route Calculations...

At its crux, Recursive Route Calculation would be an algorithm to calculate longer routes (eg: Jacques) automatically by:
Noting the coordinates in galaxy map that the CMDR is currently in
Noting the coordinates in galaxy map of the system that the CMDR has set as destination
Plotting a vector from Origin to destination
Noting every sector the vector passes through (divided up into 1000LY sectors)
Calculating distance from point of origin, and dividing it by 1000LY saving this value as WAYPOINTS
Proceed 1000LY along the VECTOR
Nominating the nearest system as waypoint 1
Plotting a route to Waypoint 1
Saving that route as route stage 1
setting active route to route stage 1
Showing route calculation as "waypoint 1 of WAYPOINTS"
Pilot / CMDR then jets to start jonking along Active Route

Meanwhilst routing calculations are still running in the background along the lines of a do while loop
[DO:
Find the next waypoint system (roughly 1000LY further along the calculated vector)
Setting it as waypoint(STAGE)
Plotting a route from waypoint (STAGE-1) to waypoint(STAGE)
Saving that route to route stage (STAGE)
Increment STAGE
While STAGE < WAYPOINTS-1]

When STAGE = WAYPOINTS -1; Plot route from waypoint(STAGE) to DESTINATION

 

[trollson]

Reasonable suggestion...

However there is nothing to say whether a waypoint is reachable. It also assumes that a feasible route exists in roughly a straight line, and could general doglegs to reach the waypoints which would be better bypassed.

Also, while path algorithms are sensitive to the volume (number of systems), this approach would also require the game to load/generate multiple sectors of the galaxy at once. A limit on the maximum range may also coincide with the volume of stars for which the game engine holds positions for - presumably encompassing a sphere of 1000Ly radius. Each 1000Ly leg would presumably require another half-such bubble to be loaded.

 

[NW3]

Great idea! Rep++