pic: A Star Path Planning

[SoftwareBug2.0]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

I noticed a lot of what looks like stop and turn moves. I think this is a function of finding the shortest path. But when dealing with the real world we need to remember that the shortest path is not always the fastest path.

A quick note on terminology: In discussions of path planning "shortest path" tends to be treated as if one were saying "optimal path" rather than as literally the shortest distance. Shortest is usually described as minimizing some objective function. Some common choices for the objective function include distance moved, time taken, and fuel used.

If he wants fewer turns one way he can adjust his algorithm is make the objective function minimize time instead of distance and then say that turns cost time.