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[Albert the Absentminded]

I kinda left DF after the new release, because the Z-Levels were driving me crazy. I'm trying to get back into it (a nice new computer definitely helps), but I still don't like how the Z-axis works, especially for outdoor views.

So . . . is anyone working on an interface that would take the data provided and create a display that merges all the outside areas into one display, using false perspective, perhaps?

-Albert

[BurnedToast]

There is a 3d visualizer program in the general discussion forum, but it's not real-time because it's too slow (or something, I forget). If you just want to get a general idea of what your fort looks like, it's great, but it's no good for a minimap type thing.

you can press.... shift-v? or something like that while playing and get a sort of a visualization but it's not super useful yet. It might help you a bit though.

Otherwise, I don't think we can make an in-game false perspective display just yet and you will have to wait for toady to improve the shift-v visualizer.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Or just make the non-perspective top-down layer visibility like I suggested in the thread about GPUs.

The suggestion was about using the same sequence of frames that is used for rock being mined, as an alpha-transparency mask for normal tiles that are different amounts of Z-levels down. DF uses OpenGL anyway, so at least technically, it is not impossible, or difficult. And fairly simple to understand at a glance, in my opinion. I think I should try and compile an image of how it would work....

There:

Not as impressive as I'd like,but the texture is a distinct enough difference from mere light/dark color variants. The dwarf wagon was pasted from elsewhere to show how it looks. Anything on lower levels is overwritten by anything on an upper level - like upward ramps under downward ramps.

[ January 27, 2008: Message edited by: Sean Mirrsen ]

[Albert the Absentminded]

quote:Originally posted by BurnedToast:
<STRONG>There is a 3d visualizer program in the general discussion forum, but it's not real-time because it's too slow (or something, I forget). If you just want to get a general idea of what your fort looks like, it's great, but it's no good for a minimap type thing.

you can press.... shift-v? or something like that while playing and get a sort of a visualization but it's not super useful yet. It might help you a bit though.

Otherwise, I don't think we can make an in-game false perspective display just yet and you will have to wait for toady to improve the shift-v visualizer.</STRONG>

Many thanks for pointing out the visualizer. It's a big help.

-Albert