[Freeciv-Dev] alternate topologies: isometric map

[Jason Dorje Short <jasondorjeshort@xxxxxxxxx>]

Being without internet access for a while, I found
myself back in Windows playing Alpha Centauri.  I
guess I'd never noticed before that in addition to
using a isometric tileset (which, unlike FreeCiv's
current isometric tileset, I found quite nice) it also
uses an isometric map.  I assume CivII probably also
uses an isometric map, although it's been a really
long time since I've played that game.

Just to reiterate (read: skip this paragraph), an
isometric map is like this
  X
 XXX
XXXXX
 XXX
  X
and wraps along the diagonals (just one of them, in
the case of Alpha Centauri).  Under an isometric
tileset, it will look flat.

This has given me new enthuisasm to make such a
topology possible in FreeCiv.  Unfortunately, there's
a long way to go.  Some of the steps include:

(1) remove all use of map_adjust_[xy] and replace with
calls to normalize_map_pos (or the equivalent);

(2) remove all accesses to map.[xy]size;

(3) make all map accesses independent of the map
storage structure;

(4) change the backend map storage structure away from
being the rectangular array it is now; and

(5) add (or extend) data to the server, client, and
communication protocol to allow everyone to know what
topology is being used.

(1, 2, 3) are the first steps (and are mostly cleanup
in any case, good in their own right); (4, 5) needn't
come until the end.


As a side note, another benefit of the isometric
tileset+map is that the cardinal directions of
movement also become the fastest.  The fast means of
travel is of course along the diagonals, which for
current FreeCiv means it's fastest to always travel
diagonally.  It's much prettier IMO to always prefer
to travel in cardinal directions.

jason short



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