Waypoint system vs Mesh systemHonorBuddy is the only public bot at the moment that uses a navigation mesh instead of a waypoints as we know them - IIRC.
Since many are in doubt what this actually means I have been trying to figure out how to describe it and i fell over a blog that describes it well.
Since there is no reason to invent the wheel twice I will just copy most from that blog.
This is taken from the AI blog and ALL credit goes to that Game/AI: Fixing Pathfinding Once and For All
The example he uses is for NPC's that wanders around, the waypoint system is a bit different than what we are used to see in most bots, but I think you will be able to get the point.
At least it made me understand it.
With a waypoint-based system, we need to place a waypoints to get full coverage. Our NPCs will end up doing a lot of zigzags during movement unless we specify a the waypoints in a direct line, this is not an option most of the time.
With a navigation mesh, on the other hand, we can describe the same area with a handful of convex polygons:
Honorbuddy use a pointbased navigation mesh, as explained by Apoc:
Using a waypoints, the NPC will have no other option than to follow the waypoints we have set. Hence we will have a nonhuman looking movement.
Since we know where a character can safely walk, we can smooth out the path in any way we like, so long as the smoothing keeps the path on the navigation mesh.
Taking a look at how HonorBuddy would take its way from A-B:
Another article for more info on navigation, thank you namreeb
Map representations
Apoc also posted about the current navmesh system in HB
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