PathFinder status

[LogicParrot]

...The cPathFinder should have a cPath object in it that should wrap the path being calculated, it should return a const reference to that internal object in GetPath() (and GetPath should not modify it). Calling StartPathfinding (former findPath) should clear the path and start calculating, calling Step (former isCalculationFinished) will calculate a few steps of the path and return true if the calculation is finished. Calling Step after the calculation finishes is not an error; calling StartPathfinding before a path is found resets the current path and starts another search....

xoft you proposed API would have issues and I think the pathfinder will need to create a new path object each time. The problem is that if you have a zombie pathing to a player from a distance, then you want to be continually recaclulating the path. But you want to continue along the old path until the new one is finished, or else you get weird pauses. So the old path can not be deleted until the new one is ready. So using an internal path object is problematic.

How about creating a cPathFinder for every single path?

That way, cPathFinder can be thought of as a "non inflated path", it would receive the src and dest when constructed, StartPathFinding would no longer exist. Step would be called until the cPathFinder is ready, then its internal cPath would be used, and the client is free to store or discard cPathFinder when finished. (Along with its internal path)

In that sense, we could actually rename cPathFinder to cPath, (And former cPath would be an invisible internal class).