This is a C++ implementation of the A* algorithm.
I wanted to learn C++ and I wanted to learn about pathfinding algorithms. I first implemented the A* algorithm in Python over here, but I wanted to see how much faster it would be in C++. (Spoiler: it's a lot faster)
Please don't. This is quite inefficient, literally the first thing I have written in c++. I'm sure there are better implementations out there. If you really want to use it, you can clone the repo use cmake(and make) to build the executable. Then run the generated executable to run the program. You can change the map in main.cpp to whatever you want. The map is a 2D array of integers. 0 is a walkable tile, 1 is a wall, 2 is the start, and 3 is the end. The program will print out the path it found and the time it took to find it.
For a detailed explanation of the A* algorithm, check out this youtube video from Sebastian Lague.(OK HOW DOES COPILOT KNOW WHICH VIDEO I WAS ABOUT TO LINK TO)
My implementation takes in a 2D array of integers(int**) and iterates through them to convert them into nodes.
These nodes are a class which have properties like their position, their parent, and their f, g, and h costs. (If you want to know what those are, watch the video)
Then it is arranged into a grid which is a class that has a 2D array of nodes and a few functions to manipulate them.
Finally, the algorithm class takes in the grid and runs the A* algorithm on it. It returns a vector of nodes which is the path it found, or an empty vector if it couldn't find a path.
Thank you for attending my ted talk.
I shall get this to run on an esp32 for an upcoming competition
That... Never happened :')