Pattern Formation Based on Potential Field in Real-Time Strategy Games

Abstract

Real-time strategy (RTS) game is a very popular genre of computer games. In RTS games, the units need to navigate the environment, surround the enemy, and attack targets. Pattern formation of the units plays an important role in the tactics of RTS games. In this paper, we propose generating the pattern formation based on potential field, which is widely used in collision avoidance. The proposed method controls the movement of units and adjusts their formation considering the number and types of targets. More specifically, once a unit detects the target, it will move in accordance with other units to surround the targets in an attacking distance. The simulation results on Star Craft show the capability of the proposed method to generate pattern formation and adapt to the number and types of enemies.