Friday, October 8, 2021

Path Finder( Travelling salesman problem Solution and Game)


 

Path Finder

1.      Introduction

Path Finder is a game and a problem-solving tool for TSP (Travelling salesman problem).  

Get App on google play store by clicking below button or search on google play store with this query "Path Finder Raph Ray".
Shortest Path Game will provide you with some points (let say stations) for you to find the shortest path to move around the points(to all points). Imagine a problem of vaccines to be distributed at various airports and back to the main station, with aim of trying to minimize the cost of transportation. Tip: when playing the game aim to form a cyclic path.

Find My Path (Solving tool for TSP) you will provide either the locations or distances between the locations (or cost) and the App will give you the shortest path to follow. If have an image of the map of locations you can easily load the map (snap or gallery) and point at the desired location to which want to find the shortest path.

Choosing input method:

·         Choose a location by typing if you have the coordinate and the distance (cost) equals the displacement (or distance by going by road is equal going by air) --- location important, graph important.

·         Choose a location by loading the image when you have the map image with the locations. Note locations generated are only equivalent to the actual location. 

·         Choose distance when the distances or costs are known and coordinate are unknown.  Cost is important, the graph is not important.

 

2.     Operation (User guide) 

A.         Playing the game.

Firstly open the app, if don’t like the sound disable it at the top right side icon. Press Shortest Path (game model) Select new for a game in the popup as a new user and the initial level will be started. If you are not a new user pressing new will take to place where you can start from a level that you have unlocked.  Press resume to continue from the previously played game. When a game is over you can only start new but have the chance of choosing a higher level than initial but the scores will not be gained.

Alphabets are indicating various cities. Click on city directly to indicate the interest in; starting or moving to it. The one clicked on will have a different circle colour round it and it moves from lower keys to top keys or left keys to right keys in the key list. Note the current location will always have its distinct colour apart from already visited.  Click the next destination and a path with being drawn. Click or already visited cities to undo (that means attempting to select an already selected city will cause it to deselect).  Continue to your desire points until you exhaust the points. After exhausting the points you will prompt with a win or lose; when losing up to three times, the game over will be replaced with loose. When you win, you can go to next or you can return to see your path before moving. When you lose, you try again or return like in the win.  Click the play button if you wish to resume after pressing return in lose, win or game over.

Menu (menu icon) have the preference setting about sound, keyboard, refreshing point on try again, and using timing. It also contains the highest score ever played.

Sharing a Game Stage: You can share your highest played game or current game to another person by press share in the Lose, game over, resume the game. The shared value will be in form of text. Once the text is received from the next user, he will highlight and share it with the game as it appeared. For example, using the Facebook web.

 

B.         Solving a TSP problem

Open the App and click Find My Path for the solution model will be visible to work on. Select your input method by click on the current input method which now helps you to toggle between “add by location”, “add by loading map” and “add by distance”. After changing the desire input method click on the plus icon (top right) to add. You can always clear all by clicking on the clear icon (top left). After adding the problem click on the bottom right icon to get the shortest path. ). Clear data to start afresh problem when adding a new problem.

Adding by image is not incremental, which means when you add an image you are required to finish adding all the locations before clicking the finish icon (bottom right). Also, note you load an image by press the map icon (bottom left first). Now toggle add switch (bottom left, second icon) to enable adding points. You can click on the desired position on the loaded image to add points. If you made a mistake click on the third icon to remove the previous point. When you are done adding the point you can then press the bottom right icon as the finish or fourth icon from the left, it will take you back to the main TSP solution with location extracted. Note once you click add (plus icon) when “add by Loading map” is active the exiting data will be discarded.

Adding Location select it to be active the click the add icon. Again click add icon (bottom left first). The next view will require you to put the latitude and longitude of the location and the location name. Click add button when done inputting the location. Again click add if you have another point. Once done adding location click the check icon (bottom right). It will take you back to the main where you can click on the right bottom icon to find the shortest path.

Adding by distances or cost, select add by distance. Next, click add icon and type the only city name in the next edit text and click finish when done just like in add by location. The next will require you to add the city name and its distance to the first.  The third will require you to add the city name and its distance to the first and second. Repeatedly you add all the cities and their distances as the number of distances increment.

Note a problem must have up to three cities at minimum.

Game images

              

 


TSP Solution Images

       

   

  

























 

Privacy

The App will not send your data to any one. Such data as map captured through camera, game played. This data can only be transferred through third app like Facebook or any that you authorised.










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