[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Isometric maps

[Lino Mastrodomenico <mastro@xxxxxxxxxx>]

[a note for Ross: was this suppose to have gone to the list too? Because you 
only sent it to me.]

Ross W. Wetmore wrote:
> I've never actually looked at code for isometric maps. Do you have
> some real experience or know of good examples?
>
> It strikes me that in a native isometric model the storage arrangement
> for the trident example below would actually be rectangular with each
> column and all those right of it dropping down one in your picture.
> the corresponding shift in the isometric would be along the diagonal.
>
> The adjacent iteration or movement mechanics would be done through
> appropriate functions that took these transformations into account.
> They would probably reflect a diagonally based 2-D coordinate system.
>
> But this is sort of the opposite to the way the current cartesian
> map is projected onto trident, or your pictures below, no.
>
> Or maybe it is not, but the game mechanics are on the rectangular
> cartesian side and not the diagonally skewed isometric, currently.
>
> If one moved to this sort of storage arrangement, I can see it
> having a major impact on the codebase until the code is totally
> function driven for coordinates. And even then it might be
> conceptually dysfunctional to work there, as I find the current
> Freeciv isometric view (although I prefer isometric in real Civ2).
> There is a real disconnect when you need to move from a 2-D
> coordinate system to a standard map NSEW and they aren't trivially
> related.
>
> If you just followed the wasteful storage model, it would be far
> less impact, and maybe even trivial, but I think the disconnect
> is still there or has been shifted to the coding side from the
> viewing one. This is not such a bad thing, but it is the coders
> that have to do this :-).
>
> Given this do you think native isometric maps are a realistic
> possibility in the near future?
>
> Cheers,
> RossW

Well... i'm not sure of understanding all the possible implications of this 
(i don't know very well the code), but maybe it would suffice to use NE, SE, 
SW & NW as "cardinal" directions in isometric maps?

ciao

-- 
Lino Mastrodomenico
E-mail: mastro@xxxxxxxxxx