How to found nearest npc?

[ars899 (RaCc0oN)]

How can I optimally implement the function of teleport to the nearest NPC?
the folder with the NPC - game.workspace.Enemy.W1.Friendly
I want to make a button on the screen, which will give the player autofarm a mob. Both the button and the choice of enemy I have made, but how to search for the closest to the player?

[TheFinnishOne]

You could loop through the folder with the NPCs, and check which one has the slightest difference in the position vector

if you don’t have any idea on how to start scripting this, then reply to this and I can give you an example

[ZayerRBX (Stickman)]

Hi, when implementing the function to teleport to the nearest NPC in Roblox, there are three common approaches to consider. The first involves a brute force method, iterating through all NPCs to find the closest one. The second utilizes Roblox Pathfinding to calculate the actual path length to each NPC. Lastly, the third approach involves spatial partitioning using an Octree data structure. Each method has its advantages and limitations.

At least those are the three methods I’m currently thinking of.

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Brute Force Method:
This method involves iterating through all the NPCs in the workspace, calculating the distance between each NPC and the player, and then selecting the NPC with the minimum distance.

local Players = game:GetService("Players")
local Workspace = game:GetService("Workspace")

local LocalPlayer= Players.LocalPlayer

local npcsFolder = Workspace.Enemy.W1.Friendly
local closestNPC = nil
local minDistance = math.huge

for _, npc in ipairs(npcsFolder:GetChildren()) do
	local distance = (LocalPlayer.Characer.HumanoidRootPart.Position - npc.Position).Magnitude
	if distance < minDistance then
		minDistance = distance
		closestNPC = npc
	end
end

Spatial Partitioning (Octree):
In this method, you can divide the game world into smaller regions using an octree data structure. This allows you to efficiently narrow down the search for the closest NPC to the player’s current region and its adjacent regions, instead of iterating through all NPCs in the game.

Implementation using Octree is more complex and I don’t have enough time to do it.
You can find existing Roblox Octree modules or implement one yourself.

After setting up the Octree, you can search for the closest NPC in the player’s current region.

Use Roblox Pathfinding:
Roblox provides built-in pathfinding services, which can be used to find the path to a destination. You can use this to find the path to each NPC and choose the one with the shortest path.

Using Roblox Pathfinding allows for a more accurate determination of the distance to each NPC by considering the actual path length (≠ straight line distance). However, it can lead to a significant loss of performance, especially when dealing with a large number of NPCs, as pathfinding calculations can be computationally intensive.

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Among the three methods discussed, using an Octree for spatial partitioning is recommended when dealing with a large number of NPCs. While Roblox Pathfinding provides accurate distance calculations, it can cause significant performance issues when faced with a high NPC count. Octree’s efficiency in narrowing down the search to nearby regions makes it an optimal choice to maintain performance while teleporting players to the nearest NPC.

If you are looking for ease, however, orient yourself towards the first technique, which will be less efficient, but if it is a question of occasional research, the player should not feel this.

The first two techniques use Magnitude as suggested by svirkstaz.