quote:
Originally posted by Mike Mayday:
<STRONG>
Please allow me to repeat that an isometric sprite tileset would not increase the CPU strain in any way compared to what we have now.
I still think graphics should be the last thing to do. UI- not so much, but that's because I don't know if postponing the "un-hard-coding" doesn't make it more and more difficult to do, as new features are implemented with the hard coded UI in mind.</STRONG>
I would like to also point out, that an isometric sprite tileset is NOT a 3D engine. Sure, while turning the game into isometric sprites wouldn't show much of an hardware hit, turning it into a full fledged 3D engine, like the person Mike was quoting was suggesting, would have a massive hit.
That being said, I personally would enjoy 3D more, rather then 2.5D Sprites (as in what you would get with isometric type stuff), simply because of the ease of randomizing. I suppose when some people here think of dwarves, they always think of them as the same size. I personally don't. Each dwarf, to my mind, looks different and individual. Some are taller, leaner, maybe more feminine, while some are shorter, burlier, kitty-killin machines. Either way, rigging a 2D system to be able to pull off 'individuality', would be a lot harder then its 3D counterpart, which if used effectively with a skeletal system, could achieve 'variance', without over-work.
All of that mentioned, I would rather wait until Toady is absolutely finished with all the possible features he could ever want in Dwarf Fortress, to implement anything even remotely synomynous with a 3D engine. Which, for anyone who knows better, pretty much means never. At least, to me.
Thats all I had to say.
Kayla.
Edit: In relevance of this post, I just realized Mike may have not been mislead into thinking that 3D equals isometric sprites, but was instead suggesting it as an alternative. If this is true, then I apologize for what will apparently be seen as some aggressiveness. That is all.
[ January 23, 2008: Message edited by: Kayla ]