LOS Report (recap)
JOSEPH NATHAN HALL
I have a report of about 80 pp. (incl. cover) describing techniques for
computing line-of-sight (LOS) on square AND hex grids.
There is about 25pp. of double-spaced, proportional font text, followed
by about 50pp. of source code and other stuff.
The contents were summarized in previous postings, but here we go again
(wish I had saved a copy of that first post):
Integer algorithm for finding LOS from one point to another point
on a square grid. Similar to integer-based line-drawing algorithms
(check your graphics book).
Integer algorithm for finding LOS from one point to another point
on a HEX grid. A nifty transformation makes computation only slightly
more involved than for square grids.
"En masse" techniques for finding LOS from one point to all nearby
points. Useful if you're building a Rogue-like game with "realistic"
LOS and lighting. The best of these routines is 4-8 times faster than
using the ordinary point-to-point technique to test the
individual lines of sight.
The report is a DRAFT and has some warts.
I am currently distributing it in paper form only. The document exists in
MS Word on a Mac, but IT DOES NOT PRINT RELIABLY. Until I can fix this or
until someone on the net converts it to [La]TeX (or something like that),
I will not distribute the electronic version, since I do not have time to
nurse people through the printing process. For similar reasons I will not
distribute a PS dump.
IF YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER TO CONVERT THE DOCUMENT, think long and hard,
then send me e-mail. You must be an experienced user of TeX or LaTeX and
you must be a real whiz with illustrations. I will mail an 800K floppy
containing the file to the ONE person who seems most qualified. I really
would like to see the finished product to put my "stamp of approval" on
it, since I have gone to some trouble to make the report look half decent
in its current incarnation. If you volunteer for this you are volunteering
to maintain the TeX version for some time, since I plan to revise and
expand the report as time permits.
The report carries my copyright, and may be reproduced freely and quoted
for non-commercial use with proper attribution. The source code in the
appendix is public domain.
The source code is not yet available electronically, but it is my intention
to post and/or archive it as soon as I have it in a form that I think makes
it a complete and self-sufficient unit.
You may order a copy of the complete report by sending a check or your
favorite easily-negotiable instrument in the amount of $10 to:
Joseph Hall
4116 Brewster Dr.
Raleigh, NC 27606
The "order" must be postmarked before July 20th. I will be graduating and
probably leaving at the end of the summer, and I won't have time to keep
up with late orders. (This was discussed in the "FAQ about LOS Report..."
posting a few days ago.) If your handwriting is questionably legible,
TYPE your address. Overseas orders, include $20 US. I will ship via
1st class US mail, or best method for overseas. Unfortunately I do not
have time to ship via a different method. Unfortunately, I will also
have to return orders that arrive too late.
The $10 covers the costs of copying, packing and mailing the report.
If I make copies at Kinko's, the total cost is just slightly under $10
after envelope, mailing, etc. (I think >$9.50). If I find a place that
will make a decent copy for significantly less, I may be able to shave a
dollar or two off of the cost. In that case I will send you a slip of
paper asking you what you want to happen with the excess dollar or two, which
will go something like this:
(1) Send the leftover money to me
(2) Keep it to help cover the cost of sending free copies
to Jim Wilson, Stan Shebs, etc.
(3) Use it to mail me an update when it's available
I've received a couple of orders and will probably be sending out the
first batch early next week.
Address questions to:
j...@eceugs.ncsu.edu
(or j...@ecemwl.ncsu.edu)
Mail to jnhall@eos goes to the bit bucket, sorry.
This will be the final posting. Thank you, and hope you find the report
useful.
-joseph hall
-j...@eceugs.ncsu.edu
Gary Arnold
In article <1991Jul11....@ncsu.edu> j...@eceugs.ncsu.edu writes:
>I am currently distributing it in paper form only. The document exists in
>MS Word on a Mac, but IT DOES NOT PRINT RELIABLY. Until I can fix this or
>until someone on the net converts it to [La]TeX (or something like that),
>I will not distribute the electronic version, since I do not have time to
>nurse people through the printing process. For similar reasons I will not
>distribute a PS dump.
Who says you have to "nurse" anyone through printing it? Yeah, I know how
hard it can be to print an MS Word document! :-)
So?
Gary Arnold
ga...@plague.berkeley.edu