New Algorithms for Computing Field of Vision over 2D Grids
This work addresses a domain-specific problem for video game developers by enabling high-resolution FOV-based games, but it is incremental as it builds on existing algorithms.
The paper tackles the problem of computing Field of Vision (FOV) in 2D grids for computer games by proposing new algorithms that improve running time, especially at high resolutions, with substantial speed-ups compared to existing methods.
The aim of this paper is to propose new algorithms for Field of Vision (FOV) computation which improve on existing work at high resolutions. FOV refers to the set of locations that are visible from a specific position in a scene of a computer game. We summarize existing algorithms for FOV computation, describe their limitations, and present new algorithms which aim to address these limitations. We first present an algorithm which makes use of spatial data structures in a way which is new for FOV calculation. We then present a novel technique which updates a previously calculated FOV, rather than re-calculating an FOV from scratch. We compare our algorithms to existing FOV algorithms and show they provide substantial improvements to running time. Our algorithms provide the largest improvement over existing FOV algorithms at large grid sizes, thus allowing the possibility of the design of high resolution FOV-based video games.