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Isometric Pathfinding

Implement A* pathfinding on 2.5D isometric grids custom A* (NavMesh 3D alternatif), diamond…

A deterministic, high-performance A* pathfinding implementation for 2.5D isometric grids in Unity, where the built-in 3D NavMesh does not work. It covers diamond-cell traversal with correct Chebyshev distance, dynamic obstacles, Jump Point Search, and hierarchical pathfinding, targeting sub-4ms path computation on large maps.

$15 one-time
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Prices include 20% VAT. · Forged on real agency work · one-time, no lock-in

  • Type Skill
  • Category Game Dev
  • Delivery Email · instant
  • License One-time
Run preview
forgehouse, isometric-pathfinding

Inside the run · no black box

See the actual work before you buy it.

Unity's NavMesh is a 3D tool that simply does not fit diamond-grid maps. So walkability bakes into a native grid, Burst-compiled A* plans paths under a millisecond, and the amateur zig-zag gets smoothed away.

  1. Bakes the walkability grid first: tile costs come from the tilemap collision layer and CompositeCollider2D outlines into a cache-friendly NativeArray, where cost 0 means blocked and 1-255 is terrain weight (mud slow, road fast). When a designer adds or removes a collider, the grid re-bakes.
  2. Runs A* as a Burst-compiled Job with a binary heap open set and Chebyshev distance as the heuristic, the only admissible choice on an 8-way uniform diamond grid. Manhattan distance is explicitly banned because it overestimates diagonals and produces non-optimal paths.
  3. Smooths the raw path with line-of-sight checks (Bresenham across tiles), eliminating roughly 40 percent of waypoints and killing the zig-zag look that makes NPC movement read as amateur.
  4. Caches results keyed by start, end and an obstacle version counter with a 5-second TTL: a repeated request costs about 10 microseconds instead of a full recompute, and any obstacle change bumps the version to invalidate stale paths.
  5. Escalates by map size: paths over 100 tiles switch to Jump Point Search (about 4.8x faster on a 100x100 grid) and cross-chunk routes use hierarchical HPA*, where an abstract cluster graph plans the coarse route and local A* refines inside each cluster.
  6. Holds the runtime budget: all computation runs async on the Job System so the main thread never blocks, path cost stays under 1ms per frame on mobile, an unreachable target triggers visible NPC feedback instead of a silent fail, and a 10-concurrent-NPC stress test must hold 60fps.
Use cases · what happens when you plug it in

One power source. 6 lines out.

isometric-pathfinding · core

core active · 6 lines

  1. NPC wander and click-to-move on an isometric map

    ✓ npc wander and click-to-…
  2. Enemy AI chasing the player while avoiding dynamic obstacles

    ✓ enemy ai chasing the pla…
  3. Long cross-map quest waypoint paths needing Jump Point Search optimization

    ✓ long cross-map quest way…
  4. Cross-chunk paths in streamed open-world maps via hierarchical graphs

    ✓ cross-chunk paths in str…
  5. Fixing NPCs that move crooked after dropping a 3D NavMeshAgent into an iso scene

    ✓ fixing npcs that move cr…
  6. Weighted-terrain pathing where mud is slow and roads are fast

    ✓ weighted-terrain pathing…
Benefits · what you walk away with

Yours to keep.

Drag time forward. Watch what stays.

Forever

That's what owning means.

The rented stack

ai writing tool: subscription

expired · access lost

analytics suite: subscription

expired · access lost

design platform: subscription

expired · access lost

(nothing left)

Your forge

  1. Make NPCs look intelligent with smooth, non-zig-zag movement players trust

    license: perpetual
  2. Hold 60fps gameplay by moving path computation off the main thread

    license: perpetual
  3. Scale to large maps with Jump Point Search and hierarchical pathfinding speedups

    license: perpetual
  4. Cut server pathfinding cost in multiplayer with cache-and-version reuse

    license: perpetual

subscriptions expire · deeds don't

What's included · the full manifest

Everything in the box.

Pick a piece up. Watch it work.

Burst-compiled A* job with binary-heap priority queue and Chebyshev heuristic

part 01 of 06 · in the box

6 parts · one working system · ships instantly by email

Who it's for

This wasn't forged for everyone.

  • Not for you if you'd rather rent a tool than own one.
  • Not for you if you want someone else to run your stack.
  • Not for you if you're happy guessing.
Still here? Good.

Unity game developers building 2.5D isometric games who need fast, reliable grid-based pathfinding that the 3D NavMesh cannot provide.

then this was forged for you.

Works with

Universal by design: these run in any AI. Delivered in the open Agent Skills + MCP format (native in Claude); ChatGPT, Gemini, Cursor and Copilot adapt the same files their own way.

  • Claude Native format
  • ChatGPT Adapts via open standards
  • Gemini Adapts via open standards
  • Cursor Adapts via open standards
  • Copilot Adapts via open standards
Questions · still in the air

Catch what's on your mind.

the air is clear. nothing between you and the forge.
catch a spark: the forge will answer

  1. I already use Unity's NavMesh. Does this work alongside it?

    It replaces it for isometric grids. A 3D NavMeshAgent dropped into an iso scene makes characters walk crooked; this is a custom A* built for diamond-cell traversal with the Chebyshev distance metric the projection actually requires.

  2. How does it stay fast on large maps?

    Several layers: a Burst-compiled A* job with a binary-heap queue keeps computation off the main thread, Jump Point Search gives 4-to-10x speedups on open maps, and hierarchical cluster graphs handle very large or streamed worlds. A path cache with obstacle versioning avoids recomputing unchanged routes.

  3. Does it support flying units or true 3D terrain?

    No. The scope is 2.5D isometric grids, with traversal and heuristics designed for diamond cells. If your project needs genuine three-dimensional navigation, Unity's NavMesh remains the right tool.

  4. How is it delivered?

    By email right after purchase: ready to run, downloaded instantly, no setup wait.

  5. One-time or subscription?

    A one-time purchase; no subscription or hidden fees. VAT (20%) is included.

  6. Can I get a refund?

    As a digital product, it can’t be refunded once downloaded. That’s why we show exactly what’s inside and who it’s for, right here.