Enhancing touch-driven navigation using informed search in Ms. Pac-Man

Abstract

This short paper highlights an investigation into the application of A* search to facilitate forms of input for games on touchscreen mobile devices. We focus this work specifically on navigation games such as Ms Pac-Man. This project proposes two alternative methods for touch-control that utilise A* pathfinding for navigation purposes - a touch to destination and a `sweep' input. We then assess whether these methods lead to improved performance and user experience through human participation.