[crossfire] Vertical map-tiling

[tchize]

Did not post for long, but i was one of the devs who played along with
this kind of thing:

1) There was a 'top' and 'bottom' map for each map, (tiles[4] and
tiles[5]), this part is easy to do. Even the handling of empty space
that would allow you to see ground bottom. Even handling loops in
perspective was easy.

I tried a few ways to implement this. Here are some highlight on why
this wasn't done

1) to give correct perspective, client must shift bottom-right rendering
of 'below' map, even more for below-below, etc. It's impossible to do it
properly using the current used pseudo perspective, especially to match
ground of level x+1 to walls of level X. The layering system used at
that time made it even more difficult.

2) there is a problem with giant monster, they look strange in this
laying out.

3) There was the technical problem of the falling and jump/levitate
spell to handle (can levitate or fly allow you to go higher of one level
above map? how?)

4) There was the general problem of line of sight. Can a player/monster
see someone on on level higher if he is distant engouh?

5) There was the problem of aiming monsters / player below you using you
spell? (Can be forbidden but doens't look natural)

To make it short, i tried several thing, i always got stucked by point
(1). Current wall displays does not stack properly in crossfire with the
tiles system. Maybe that now there are more than 3 layers visible to
client, we could mark some layers as needing shifting, then we could
solve problem. I would recommand first your draw 2 levels in editor,
then you use gimp or alike to see how client should stack them. Be aware
anyway that you can't do this without altering map client protocol.

PS: Hello everyone.


En l'instant précis du 10/06/07 18:48, Andrew Fuchs s'exprimait en ces
termes:
> On 6/3/07, Mark Wedel <mwedel at sonic.net> wrote:
>   
>> Nicolas Weeger wrote:
>>     
>>> Hello.
>>>
>>> I remember, quite a long time ago, discussion about "vertical" map-tiling,
>>> that is from eg the top of a tower see the ground below, belonging to another
>>> map.
>>> Anyone remember that, and how it was implemented?
>>>
>>> I think it was like the 4 other map tiles, except used in a different way.
>>>       
>>   Don't know if it was ever really done, but I know it was theoretically possible.
>>
>>   If we presume a square building with an interior courtyard, your first level
>> would have to consist of at least 5  maps:
>>
>>   123
>>   456
>>   789
>>
>>   With the 5 map being common to all levels.  You have to use 9 maps, because
>> when tiling, the map has to tile with a map the same size, and can only tile to
>> 1 map in each direction.
>>
>>   So for second level, you would do something like:
>>   ABC
>>   D5E
>>   FGH
>>
>>   And so on as you go up.  Note that you have the layers below visbile to the
>> next layer - perhaps the next layer, the main building doesn't go up, just
>> towers at the corners, so could do something like:
>>   IBJ
>>   D5E
>>   KGL
>>
>>   Note that you would basically use the inverse for layers 1 and 2 if you wanted
>> a central tower that could see the terrain around it.  and I believe I have a
>> simple example in the test directory of a two store house which is done as:
>> 12  and 13, where 1 is the common front yard, with 2 and 3 being the floors.
>>     
>
> Anyone want to do this to the balcony on variel's church in scorn?
>
>