[Freeciv-Dev] Re: alternate topologies: isometric map

[Reinier Post <rp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Oct 02, 2001 at 03:04:17AM -0700, Jason Dorje Short wrote:
> 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.

Thue discussed this in detail when he added isometric view support:

  http://arch.freeciv.org/freeciv-dev-200008/msg00760.html
  http://arch.freeciv.org/freeciv-dev-200009/msg00003.html

> 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:

[...]

Care has to be taken not to destroy performance.

> 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.

It depends on whether you're a go/checkers player or a chess player.

-- 
Reinier