View source for AI:HughsUnitGroupingHeuristic

= Unit grouping heuristic =

== Summary ==

The goal of this heuristic is to concentrate units together, to concentrate firepower optimally.  In addition, the units will automatically retreat when necessary to reorg.

This heuristic can be given a group of units, a target, and will automatically:
*group the units together physically
*move the units to the target
*fall back to reorg when necessary
*continue the attack

This heuristic was created by Hugh Perkins

== Details ==

*Select a target to attack
*Find the 5 attacking units closest to the target
*Measure the distance between the 5th and the 1st closest unit
*If the distance is more than some threshold, order the tanks to move to the position of the third unit
*Otherwise order the units to move to the target

The behavior is to form a pack of 5 which pushes into the enemy. Other units will move towards it over time. If the two leading tanks are destroyed, new tanks will keep moving towards the remaining pack. If a third tank is destroyed, the pack will retreat towards the new third-closest unit, which is probably back at base somewhere.

*Computationally it runs in Od, where d is number of attacking units
*Memorywise, it uses constant memory O.

== Example implementation, C# ==

See packcoordinators/AttackPackCoordinator.cs in CSAI
[[Category:AI Dev]]