A-Star Algorithm Tutorial

Introduction to A-Star (A*) Algorithm

The A-star algorithm is a popular pathfinding and graph traversal algorithm. It's widely used in computer science for finding the shortest path between two points. 🐸✨

How It Works

The A-star algorithm calculates the cost of a path by considering both the actual distance from the start point and the estimated distance to the goal. This combination makes it both optimal and complete.

Applications

Game Development
Navigation Systems
Robotics

Algorithm Steps

Initialize the open list and add the starting node.
Repeat the following:
- Find the node with the lowest F cost on the open list, call it the current node.
- Switch it to the closed list.
- For each neighboring node:
  - If it's not walkable or it's on the closed list, skip to the next node.
  - If it's not on the open list, add it. Make the current node the parent of this node. Record the F, G, and H costs.

Example in Action

Consider a simple grid where a froge wants to hop from one leaf to another. We'll be using the A-star algorithm to find the best path!

            Initialize grid[10][10];

            Set start = grid[0][0];

            Set goal = grid[9][9];

            // Execute A* algorithm

For deeper insights, check out Pathfinding Algorithms Guide.

Interactive Demo

Try our interactive A-star demo to visualize the process.

Discuss and Learn

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