Pathfinding: Difference between revisions

From Heroes 3 wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
← Older edit
No edit summary
Tapani (talk | contribs)
18 edits
Added background for pathfinding changes in HotA 1.7.x
 
(27 intermediate revisions by 9 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Secondary skills}}
{{Secondary skills}}
{{Secondary skill
{{Secondary skill
  | B_effect = reduces the movement penalty for rough terrain by 25%.
  | B_effect = reduces the movement penalty for rough terrain, reducing the cost of moving one tile by 25 movement points to a minimum of {{swh|95|100}}.
  | A_effect = reduces the movement penalty for rough terrain by 50%.
  | A_effect = reduces the movement penalty for rough terrain, reducing the cost of moving one tile by {{gt|50}} movement points to a minimum of {{swh|{{gt|90}}|100}}.
  | E_effect = reduces the movement penalty for rough terrain by 75%.
  | E_effect = removes the movement penalty for rough terrain, reducing the cost of moving one tile by {{gt|75}} movement points to a minimum of {{swh|{{gt|85}}|100}}.
}}
}}


'''Pathfinding''' is a [[secondary skill]], that reduces the [[movement penalty]] for rough [[terrain]]s. A hero with expert pathfinding secondary skills treats all terrains as [[grass]], which means that the hero suffers no penalty for crossing [[rough]], [[sand]], [[snow]] or [[swamp]] terrain types. Penalty reductions from the skill level are tabulated below.
{{TerrainPenTable|float=right}}
{| cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 style="border: 1px solid black; text-align: center; background:#{{Grey 2}};"
|+ style="text-align:left" | Terrain penalties with different levels of Pathfinding:
|- style="background-color:#{{grey 3}};"
! Terrain
! width=50px| None
! width=50px| Basic
! width=50px| Advanced
! width=50px| Expert
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[File:Dirt (s).gif|link=]] [[Dirt]]<br>[[File:Grass (s).gif|link=]] [[Grass]]<br>[[File:Lava (s).gif|link=]] [[Lava]]<br>[[File:Subterranean (s).gif|link=]] [[Subterranean]]<br>[[File:Highlands (s).gif|link=]] [[Highlands]]{{-}}{{withhota}}|| 100%|| 100%|| 100%|| 100%
|- style="background-color:lightgray;"
| style="text-align:left; "| [[File:Rough (s).gif|link=]] [[Rough]]<br>[[File:Wasteland (s).gif|link=]] [[Wasteland]]{{-}}{{withhota}}|| 125%|| 100%|| 100%|| 100%
|-
| style="text-align:left; "| [[File:Sand (s).gif|link=]] [[Sand]]<br>[[File:Snow (s).gif|link=]] [[Snow]]|| 150%|| 125%|| 100%||  100%
|- style="background-color:lightgray;"
| style="text-align:left"| [[File:Swamp (s).gif|link=]] [[Swamp]]||175%||150%||125%||100%
|}


'''Heroes with Pathfinding as a starting skill:'''
'''Heroes with Pathfinding as a starting skill:'''
* {{H2|Clancy|Ranger}} (Basic)
* {{H2|Clancy|Ranger}}
* {{H2|Gretchin|Barbarian}} (Basic)
* {{H2|Gretchin|Barbarian}}
* {{H2|Korbac|Beastmaster}} (Basic)
* {{H2|Korbac|Beastmaster}}
* {{H2|Andal|Navigator}} (Basic) {{withhota}}  
* {{H2|Corkes|Captain}}{{-wh}}
* {{H2|Corkes|Captain}} (Basic) {{withhota}}
* {{H2|Leena|Captain}}{{-wh}}
* {{H2|Leena|Captain}} (Basic) {{withhota}}
* {{H2|Andal|Navigator}}{{-wh}}
* {{H2|Celestine|Artificer}}{{-wh}}


==Chance to get==
==Chance to get==
{{Secondary skill chance explanation}}
{{Secondary skill chance explanation}}
{{ZET SEC SKILL CHANCE TABLE| 4| 2 (lowest)| 7| 5| 4| 2 (lowest)| 4| 4| 4| 6| 5| 2 (lowest)| 8 (highest)| 4| 8 (highest)| 2 (lowest)| 6| 2 (lowest)| 8 (highest)| 6}}
{{ZET SEC SKILL CHANCE TABLE| 4| 2 (lowest)| 7| 5| 4| 2 (lowest)| 4| 4| 4| 6| 5| 2 (lowest)| 8 (highest)| 4| 8 (highest)| 2 (lowest)| 6| 2 (lowest)| 8 (highest)| 6| 7| 3}}
|}


{{user commentary|
{{user commentary|
The usefulness of the Pathfinding skill depends on the terrain of the map. If you walk primarily on your home soil, [[Logistics]] is sufficient. However, if a map has vast territories very hard to pass (e.g. [[swamp]]), Pathfinding works decently. Playing against [[Tower]] or [[Fortress]] is a reason to use Logistics and Pathfinding.
{{Max tile movement}}
The usefulness of the Pathfinding skill depends on the terrain of the map. If you walk primarily on your home soil, [[Logistics]] is sufficient. However, if a map has vast territories very hard to pass (e.g. [[swamp]]), Pathfinding works decently, potentially even better than [[Logistics]]. Playing against [[Tower]] or [[Fortress]] is a reason to use Logistics and Pathfinding.


The feasibility of pathfinding rests heavily on the characteristics of the map. On a map with very few areas of rough terrain, pathfinding is useless, but on maps containing a lot of rough terrains it becomes extremely valuable - potentially even more so than [[Logistics]]. Pathfinding can always be recommended as a secondary skill for scout type secondary heroes, but it may also be valuable for the main hero(es). It should be noted that some factions' [[native terrain]]s include rough terrains, which may affect the necessity of pathfinding.
In vanilla {{homm3}}, Pathfinding is only better than Logistics on difficult terrain: Sand, Snow, and Swamp. The {{hota}} changes, by nerfing Logistics and buffing Pathfinding, makes Pathfinding better starting with Rough and Wasteland terrains.
 
Pathfinding can always be recommended as a secondary skill for scout type secondary heroes, but it may also be valuable for the main hero(es). It should be noted that some factions' [[native terrain]]s slow the enemy down very much, which gives the player a big advantage and therefore may affect the necessity of pathfinding.


=== Things that ruin Pathfinding ===
=== Things that ruin Pathfinding ===
* Roads
* An army on native terrain
* An army on native terrain
* [[Nomad]]'s on sand terrain
* [[Nomad]]s on sand terrain
* [[Dimension Door]]
* [[Dimension Door]]
* [[Fly]]
* [[Fly]]
* [[Angel Wings]]
* [[Angel Wings]]
* [[Trailblazer]] {{withhota}}
* [[Wayfarer's Boots]] {{withhota}}
* [[Wayfarer's Boots]] {{withhota}}
* [[Lodestar]] makes all terrains native to Cove armies {{withhota}}
* [[Lodestar]] makes all terrains native to Cove armies {{withhota}}
Allegedly a motivation for the HotA team to reduce movement below 100 MP/tile with Pathfinding was the observation that players in fast-paced online games tended to use fly to avoid terrain penalties, rendering Pathfinding a useless skill. With the change of below 100MP/tile, most terrains benefit from Pathfinding over Fly.
}}{{end of user commentary}}
}}{{end of user commentary}}


{{secondary skill 'see also'}}
{{secondary skill 'see also'}}
{{Movement navigational box}}


[[Category: Secondary skills]]
[[Category: Secondary skills]]
__NOTOC__{{keywords}}
__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 06:23, 4 November 2025

Secondary Skills
 Air Magic
 Archery
 Armorer
 Artillery
 Ballistics
 Diplomacy
 Eagle Eye
 Earth Magic
 Estates
 Fire Magic
 First Aid
 Intelligence
 Interference Horn of the Abyss
 Leadership
 Learning
 Logistics
 Luck
 Mysticism
 Navigation
 Necromancy
 Offense
 Pathfinding
 Resistance
 Scholar
 Scouting
 Sorcery
 Tactics
 Water Magic
 Wisdom
Pathfinding
Basic: reduces the movement penalty for rough terrain, reducing the cost of moving one tile by 25 movement points to a minimum of 95 Horn of the Abyss100 Shadow of Death.
Advanced: reduces the movement penalty for rough terrain, reducing the cost of moving one tile by 50 movement points to a minimum of 90 Horn of the Abyss100 Shadow of Death.
Expert: removes the movement penalty for rough terrain, reducing the cost of moving one tile by 75 movement points to a minimum of 85 Horn of the Abyss100 Shadow of Death.
Terrain penalties with different levels of Pathfinding
Terrain None Basic Advanced Expert
Dirt
Grass
Lava
Subterranean
Highlands Horn of the Abyss		 100% 95% Horn of the Abyss100% Shadow of Death 90% Horn of the Abyss100% Shadow of Death 85% Horn of the Abyss100% Shadow of Death
Rough
Wasteland Horn of the Abyss		 125% 100% 90% Horn of the Abyss100% Shadow of Death 85% Horn of the Abyss100% Shadow of Death
Sand
Snow		 150% 125% 100% 85% Horn of the Abyss100% Shadow of Death
Swamp 175% 150% 125% 100%

Heroes with Pathfinding as a starting skill:

Chance to get[edit | hide | hide all]

Out of total 112 for The Shadow of Death, and of (112 + Interference chance) for Horn of the Abyss Horn of the Abyss.
Banned skills change the probability.

Town Class Chance to learn
Castle  Knight   4
Castle  Cleric   2 (lowest)
Rampart  Ranger   7
Rampart  Druid   5
Tower  Alchemist   4
Tower  Wizard   2 (lowest)
Inferno  Demoniac   4
Inferno  Heretic   4
Necropolis  Death Knight   4
Necropolis  Necromancer   6
Dungeon  Overlord   5
Dungeon  Warlock   2 (lowest)
Stronghold  Barbarian   8 (highest)
Stronghold  Battle Mage   4
Fortress  Beastmaster   8 (highest)
Fortress  Witch   2 (lowest)
Conflux  Planeswalker   6
Conflux  Elementalist   2 (lowest)
Cove Horn of the Abyss     Captain   8 (highest)
Cove Horn of the Abyss     Navigator   6
Factory Horn of the Abyss     Mercenary   7
Factory Horn of the Abyss     Artificer   3


User Commentary

Show User Commentary
Hide User Commentary

 Horn of the Abyss Shadow of Death Maximum tiles moved depending on tile cost  Horn of the Abyss Shadow of Death
Slowest unit speed
50
65
75
100
125
150
175
3 (1500) 30 23 20 15 12 10 8
3639 2730 2426 1819 1415 1213 1011
30 23 20 1715 1715 1715 15
4 (1560) 31 24 20 15 12 10 8
3740 2831 2427 1820 1416 1213 1011
31 24 20 1815 1815 1815 15
5 (1630) 32 25 21 16 13 10 9
3942 3032 2628 1921 1516 1314 1112
32 25 21 1916 1916 1916 16
6 (1700) 34 26 22 17 13 11 9
4044 3134 2729 2022 1617 1314 1112
34 26 22 2017 2017 2017 17
7 (1760) 35 27 23 17 14 11 10
4245 3235 2830 2122 1618 1415 1213
35 27 23 2017 2017 2017 17
8 (1830) 36 28 24 18 14 12 10
4347 3336 2931 2123 1719 1415 1213
36 28 24 2118 2118 2118 18
9 (1900) 38 29 25 19 15 12 10
4549 3538 3032 2224 1819 1516 1314
38 29 25 2219 2219 2219 19
10 (1960) 39 30 26 19 15 13 11
4750 3639 3133 2325 1820 1516 1314
39 30 26 2319 2319 2319 19
11+ (2000) 40 30 26 20 16 13 11
4852 3640 3234 2426 1920 1617 1314
30 23 20 2320 2320 2320 20
11+ &
(29003300) 		5866 4450 3844 2933 2326 1922 1618
6985 5366 4657 3442 2734 2328 1924
5866 4450 3844 3433 3433 3433 2933

This table shows how many tiles in a straight line (not diagonal) a hero can move, depending on how much movement points it starts with and the cost of movement. For each amount, the movement is shown for basic move (without any movement skill), with Expert-level Logistics (which increases by the hero's movement points by 20%30%, so instead of having e.g. 1500 points, the hero will have 18001950 points), or Expert-level Pathfinding (which reduces the movement cost down by 75 points down to a minimum of 85100).

  • Pathfinding is useless on roads. Obviously, it will not find better paths than the roads.
  • Logistics is slightly better on easy terrains, slightly better on rough terrain, and especially good on roads.
  • Pathfinding is better on rough and wasteland terrains, and markedly better on sand and swamp.

The usefulness of the Pathfinding skill depends on the terrain of the map. If you walk primarily on your home soil, Logistics is sufficient. However, if a map has vast territories very hard to pass (e.g. swamp), Pathfinding works decently, potentially even better than Logistics. Playing against Tower or Fortress is a reason to use Logistics and Pathfinding.

In vanilla Heroes of Might and Magic III, Pathfinding is only better than Logistics on difficult terrain: Sand, Snow, and Swamp. The Horn of the Abyss changes, by nerfing Logistics and buffing Pathfinding, makes Pathfinding better starting with Rough and Wasteland terrains.

Pathfinding can always be recommended as a secondary skill for scout type secondary heroes, but it may also be valuable for the main hero(es). It should be noted that some factions' native terrains slow the enemy down very much, which gives the player a big advantage and therefore may affect the necessity of pathfinding.

Things that ruin Pathfinding

Allegedly a motivation for the HotA team to reduce movement below 100 MP/tile with Pathfinding was the observation that players in fast-paced online games tended to use fly to avoid terrain penalties, rendering Pathfinding a useless skill. With the change of below 100MP/tile, most terrains benefit from Pathfinding over Fly.

See also:

Retrieved from "https://heroes.thelazy.net//index.php?title=Pathfinding&oldid=188084"