Anara Rubric: AI Pathfinding
Pillar Overview
The intent of navigation. This rubric assesses how the project handles agent movement, path-calculations, and world-awareness through Godot's navigation server.
Analytical Performance Matrix
| Criterion | Weight | SLOP (0-2) | FUNCTIONAL (3-5) | PROFESSIONAL (6-8) | ELITE (Visionary) (9-10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Path Fidelity | 35% | Units walk through walls; uncalculated paths; jagged, unoptimized movement. | Basic A* or NavigationAgent usage; path is found but lacks 'Smoothing' or 'Cornering'. | Robust Navigation Link integration; multi-agent navigation; smooth path-following (Curves). | Anticipatory navigation; agents avoid each other dynamically; 100% terrain-aware. |
| Performance (Calc) | 25% | Calculating paths for 100+ units on the main thread every frame; massive stutter. | Basic use of NavigationServer2D/3D but lacks path-caching or batching. |
Async path-requests; optimized NavMesh partitioning; high-speed agent updates. | Zero-latency navigation; hierarchical pathfinding (HPA*); compute-baking of nav-zones. |
| Agent Steering | 20% | Agents overlap or 'vibrate' when colliding; no separation or avoidances. | Basic avoidance_enabled use in NavigationAgent; functional but simple. |
Context-steering algorithms; smooth avoidance curves; group-coherent movement. | Fluid swarm intelligence; zero-collision navigation; organic steering-behaviors. |
| World Awareness | 20% | NavMesh is static; cannot handle moving obstacles (doors/bridges) without re-baking. | Use of NavigationObstacle, but results are clumsy or cause agent clipping. |
Real-time NavMesh updates; dynamic region-toggling; agents adapt to world changes. | Smart-environment navigation; agents 'understand' the world's topology; predictive moves. |
Visionary Diagnostic Hooks
- Does the agent know 'Where' it is, or just 'What' it hit?
- When the door closes, does the vision find a new path or a wall?
- Is your path a line or a flow?
🌟 Visionary's Final Decree
To reach Elite status, pathfinding must be 'Proactive'. The agent shouldn't wait to hit an obstacle; it should perceive the world and adjust its steering in advance. Use NavigationLayers to ensure agents stay on the right path for their soul. Slop is an agent that gets stuck; Vision is an agent that finds its way home.
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