Safe Pathfinding Using Abstract Hierarchical Graph and Influence Map

Pathfinding is widely used in virtual environments, such as computer games. Most pathfinding types involve shortest pathfinding, which explores the fastest path, but tactical paths can also be searched for using various properties. This paper provides a method for finding safe paths that maintain a balance between path length and risks from hostile elements, as well as a method to reduce computation time using a hierarchical search strategy to enhance operational efficiency. Safe pathfinding uses the A* algorithm, referring to the influence map, which addresses the degree of risk in the terrain. The searched path represents its attributes regarding total length and cumulative risk.