[CF-Devel] isometric graphic

[Andreas Vogl]

Mark W. wrote:

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      > I had think about this isometric changing in the past, so i can
     
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      > tell you that is will be easy to change client/server to this.
     
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      > 90% work are the gfx, the whole gameplay/server will be the same.
     
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      As I said in another message, I personally don't like isomorphic looking
     
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      games.  There also seems to already be a lot of those out on the market.
     
     
I think isomorphic graphics is the ultimate thing for CF.
That would be the only way to end the fuzz about perspective in the
current png sets: The standard set has a consistent tilted perspective
but some people don't like the hard-to-draw monsters. The alternate
set has inconsistend perspective but monsters are displayed straight.
Iso is the only way to have both correct perspective and straight
monster drawings.

It's true that a lot of games use isomorphic look. But why?
- Because it is best! Unless you have an awesome 3d-engine and
heaps of money to throw at professional artists.

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      However, I'm never really against giving the user options.  So would it
     
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      be conceivable that using isomorphic vs tile view just becomes an option
     
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      you supply to the client?
     
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      Would using isomorphic view actually require any real change in the
     
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      server side stuff?
     
     
The viewable area is simply rotated by 45°. The real change this brings
is that high obstacles overlap with the above square(s).
Hence multipart objects will differ. If we want to have a good
way to handle multipart objects we might need changes in the server
code. (E.g. Allowing to walk *behind* high obstacles is a thing
I would consider).

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      OTOH, if support for both iso and tile format, we're back to the
     
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      same complaint we have now - more than one format to draw for when
     
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      adding new objects.
     
     
I think if we go for iso-graphics we must drop all other perspectives
or we have chaos. But note that we could take over graphics of
monsters and items (Mainly from alternate set and xpm).

In other words, there should be a real big majority for iso-graphics
before we go that route.

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      So then realistically, we probably do need to decide what graphic form
     
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      we want to use.  But thats what this discussion is for.
     
     
Exactly :)


Andreas V.