a different look

ID:10145
 
Mar 22 2006, 2:11 pm (Edited on Mar 22 2006, 4:46 pm)






i don't know if i really like the way it looks, but it does look different. its a simple switch too, except it can mess some things up (view, step, etc.). for the sake of testing it i made pressing up move you up and right, and down move you down and left. i suppose you could keep up and down the same and that wouldn't really mess up view and step, but it might seem weird.

it doesn't really require a lot more icon states either, just three states per turf. it does bring up some layering issues. there are some cases where a mob should be drawn above an object, and then there are other cases where the mob should be below that same object. the problem isn't really figuring out what the layer should be, but changing from one value to another.

here are some pictures of what it looks like with nicer graphics. these screenshots are from an older version where it worked a bit differently. mostly the same result, but it didn't display the tops of walls.





edit:

to illustrate how the icon states work...



each floor tile has a left and right half, which go together to form a single 64x32 turf. but since each half just takes up half of the icon, each turf is taking up the same amount of space as normal 32x32 icons would.

the "template floor" icon state shown there is a combination of the left and right halves. that icon is used to spare overlays. to display a turf i'd need to have the turf's icon set to one half of the tile and give it an overlay with an offset to show the other half. that way each floor turf needs one overlay. if there are serveral floor turfs in a row of the same type you can use that first icon state. so each turf displays its own left half and it also displays its neighbor's right half. that way you don't have to give every turf an overlay, just the ones when it changes from one type of floor to another.

the walls are rather straightforward. each wall turf has an associated floor used to display the top of the wall. the tops of the walls are handled just like floors are. the sides of the wall don't always need to be displayed. if there's a wall below it then its front section would be blocked, so it doesn't need to be drawn. if there's a wall to its right then its side would be blocked, so you don't need to add those overlays.

it sounds more complicated than it is, really.
Mar 22 2006, 3:46 pm
that looks realy good OFD keep up the good work :).
Mar 22 2006, 3:46 pm
wow do I wish I could do something like that...
Mar 22 2006, 3:48 pm
What's this going to be used for?
Mar 22 2006, 3:53 pm
only 3 icon states per turf?

I remember TRN where it took like.... 24 icon states.
Mar 22 2006, 4:05 pm (Edited on Mar 22 2006, 4:48 pm)
only 3 icon states per turf?

tiles are 64x32, so its has to use at least 2 icons (a left half and right half). the third icon state is just used to make some things easier, but that's kinda hard to explain with words. (edit: i edited the blog post with a section at the bottom showing what the icon states look like, how they are put together, and an explanation)

I remember TRN where it took like.... 24 icon states.

actually, it used as few as 4 icon states for a turf. however, it could use as many as 16 or 18 icons per turf.

What's this going to be used for?

in keeping with my personal tradition, i'm going to use it for something that will never be finished.

wow do I wish I could do something like that...

its not terribly difficult, it just shifts each row of turfs to the right. the amount it shifts the row depends on the y coordinate of the row (the higher it is, the more its shifted over). it also gives turfs overlays with offsets to make them appear larger than 32x32.

one thing i forgot to mention is that it also has some problems with opaque walls. they technically work, but it doesn't look nearly as nice as they normally do.
Mar 23 2006, 6:47 am
The pics at the top make me feel sick... they look like he's about to fall and that gravity is somewhere to the side of the screen... just looks odd, to me. The ones with the better graphics look a little better but it still causes a bit of nausea... :S

(it's impressive but looks like when you're in a shoe shop and look down one of them mirrors along the bottoms of the walls, and you look down and you think you're about to fall forwards :( )
Mar 23 2006, 7:17 am
That's pretty neat, but I bet it does cause some problems for the basic movement and visibility/luminosity procs and routines. I wonder how well this would work with Shadowdarke's lighting lib.

Did you shift the mob icon any or he he aligned based on the default?
Mar 23 2006, 10:47 am
Sounds complicated as hell to me. Looking very impressive though, OFD.
Mar 23 2006, 4:46 pm
The ones with the better graphics look a little better but it still causes a bit of nausea... :S

yeah, i know what you mean. sometimes it looks nice, other times it looks weird.

but I bet it does cause some problems for the basic movement and visibility/luminosity procs and routines

yeah, which is why i don't like it too much. it might not work well for every game, but its a simple effect to do. it seems like the easier it is to make, the worse it works.

I wonder how well this would work with Shadowdarke's lighting lib.

i tried it, it didn't look terrible. it looked worse than usual, but you could probably adapt it to look decent.

Did you shift the mob icon any or he he aligned based on the default?

the mob icon is shifted something like 20 pixels to the right and 8 pixels up, so its more centered in the tile.
Mar 24 2006, 11:21 pm
I reckon it looks bloody excellent ;)
interested in submitting something for the BYONDWORLD comp, ofd?
Mar 25 2006, 6:22 am
i hadn't planned on it. its not really a game, there's nothing to do besides walk around and i don't have time to work on it now.
Mar 25 2006, 6:50 pm (Edited on Mar 25 2006, 7:06 pm)
hmm... I was also wondering if you would be willing to work for an agreed price? (something decent)

I have been thinking about asking you this for some time, since you are one of the, if not THE leading isometric game designers here.

Do you use MSN?

Just to clarify, I wouldn't get you to do the whole game; just programming.
Apr 3 2006, 7:39 pm
Care releasing this as a library or demo?
I would love to use this... I have billions of ideas for it.
Apr 10 2006, 7:51 am


D4RK3 54B3R wrote << Care releasing this as a library or demo?
I would love to use this... I have billions of ideas for it.

i would like to see this as a demo or library aswell but i doubt onefishdown will release it as a demo or library.

Jun 24 2006, 1:42 am
good work, i can't belive all these people are excepting you do give away how you did it, it's quite obvious you even say right there in your blog. Good stuff, i'm going to use it in my game. GAIA.
Aug 6 2006, 5:02 pm
Dude this is great keep it up man, I give it up to you, your the best 3D game maker on BYOND period.
Mar 12 2007, 3:48 am
the one with the little head in it reminded me of "Persona"...