ID:2949469
 
Resolved
Built-in pathfinding had multiple issues, and a fallback designed to avoid choking the server in worst-case scenarios was persisting across reboots.
BYOND Version:516.1642
Operating System:Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Web Browser:A bag of kittens on a string
Applies to:Dream Daemon
Status: Resolved (515.1645)

This issue has been resolved.
Descriptive Problem Summary:

So uh, lotta folks been complaining about the pathfinding being broken for years. I finally found the exact conditions in which it is breaking, and have ruled out user error. I also found that this pathfinding issue is something that persists after a reboot once it has been triggered.

If I had to speculate, this indicates that the issue is some kind of junk data in the pathfinding algorithm itself, as it affects both walk_to, step_to, and get_steps_to identically.

I have a test case, and a video demonstrating the exact steps to reproduce this issue in the discord. I will post a link to the video and the test case once the bot registers this post.
Lummox JR resolved issue with message:
Built-in pathfinding had multiple issues, and a fallback designed to avoid choking the server in worst-case scenarios was persisting across reboots.