[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Isometric view

[Jules Bean <jmlb2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Apr 06, 2000 at 03:37:22PM +0200, Thue Janus Kristensen wrote:
> On Thu, 06 Apr 2000, Jules Bean wrote:
> > I still think we could use a client just like the Civ2 in that
> > screenshot, without changing any server code.
> > 
> > Populous, for example, used a sqaure map that they rotated 45 degrees
> > for a nice isometric effect.
> > 
> > Jules
> 
> I still think that the civ 2 way would look/feel nicer. But yes, for
> compatability the simple tilting is best.

Just to really hammer this into my thick skull: the only two
differences are the shape of the map and the location of the poles?

#######       #
#######      ###
#######     #####
#######      ###
#######       #

(as seen from an old client; from a new client the left one would
appear 'diamond' shaped while the right one would seem square).

> 
> Maybe if we have to make freeciv incompatible with earlier versions at some
> point we could change it to the civ 2 way.

It could be a server option.  And old clients could connect to new
servers, given minimal code changes to deal with a non-parallel square 
map (a so-called 'diamond').

So we'd have two choices:

1) old-style map, which appears rectangular to the old-style clients
   and slightly 'skewed' to new-style

2) new-style map, which appears a slightly more natural shape to
   new-style, and 'diamond-like' to the old style.

Doesn't sound like a very big issue to me.

Jules

-- 
Jules Bean                          |        Any sufficiently advanced 
jules@{debian.org,jellybean.co.uk}  |  technology is indistinguishable
jmlb2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx              |               from a perl script