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[Novocain]

I included 7^3 as part of my math because I assigned each inner cube its own material data, which I assumed required a full byte due to the number of options available. I tried to make a comparison between wanting smoother scaling and just picking a larger map and scaling everything down mentally, if it helps.

[Decorator]

Stronghold castle building game has nice isometric view. But would it be possible for DF i dont know, i just would like it

[G-Flex]

Um...Gflex, for awhile I've been mentioning how we would still be capable of stripping away levels to view stuff (e.g. Xcom); another option could be to do like Age of Empires 2 did and have outlines of stuff occluded by walls/trees/etc.

It doesn't matter if you can strip away levels if objects on the same level can have varying "height" to them. Unless every tile image  lies flat on the tile, it will be a problem.

Again, I refer you to that image. The mountain tiles can be on the same level as flat tiles. However, if the mountain tiles surround another tile on that same level, the surrounded tile will be occluded by the mountains. They exist on the same level of the map, so it doesn't matter which layers you do or don't strip away.

[Draco18s]

Clearly none of the proponents of this suggestion have ever played 3D Tetris.

[Soadreqm]

Um...Gflex, for awhile I've been mentioning how we would still be capable of stripping away levels to view stuff (e.g. Xcom); another option could be to do like Age of Empires 2 did and have outlines of stuff occluded by walls/trees/etc.

It doesn't matter if you can strip away levels if objects on the same level can have varying "height" to them. Unless every tile image  lies flat on the tile, it will be a problem.

Again, I refer you to that image. The mountain tiles can be on the same level as flat tiles. However, if the mountain tiles surround another tile on that same level, the surrounded tile will be occluded by the mountains. They exist on the same level of the map, so it doesn't matter which layers you do or don't strip away.

I think The Sims had an option to not show wall tiles at all, or show a shorter wall, or something like that. I don't actually HAVE the game or anything, but I've seen it. A kitten might hide behind a wall, but you don't necessarily have to stop viewing the walls and the kitten at the same time. Just having creatures and walls in their own layers would help quite a lot. Or else, transparency. This issue has been solved a hundred times in other games. It's certainly not a trivial thing to add overnight, but neither is it the impassable obstacle you make it out to be.

[Soralin]

Clearly none of the proponents of this suggestion have ever played 3D Tetris.

Yeah, that's a really poor implementation of isometric stuff.  Although, look at something like xcom as has been mentioned before:




Everything above the current layer that you're on is completely stripped away, so even in the worst case, you'd at least be able to see everything that's on the current layer you're on, like DF is now.  Camera might have to be a bit higher up then in the screenshots to make sure it can see at least part of the floor tiles on the near side though.  And you'd know that if you can see something, that it's on your current level or below.  And the 3d box frame cursor, like seen in the upper right of the first picture, with faded box frames beneath it from the cursor to the ground, can be used to easily see where exactly your cursor is in 3d space, and what's directly beneath it.

[Draco18s]

Oh, yes, it can be done properly.  However, in those nice screenshots you realize that you're looking at MAYBE 15x15 tiles?  The original DF window with the map and menu on was bigger than that (15 by 23 or so).

Sure, you can show more information about a tile, but you lose the ability to show lots of tiles.

[G-Flex]

Yes, and tall objects will still largely obscure other tiles near them (even in those screenshots they do; see the walls and stuff), which would make playing a game like DF frustrating as hell, unless all the tiles are sort of flat, which would defeat much of the purpose.

[Tormy]

Oh, yes, it can be done properly.  However, in those nice screenshots you realize that you're looking at MAYBE 15x15 tiles?  The original DF window with the map and menu on was bigger than that (15 by 23 or so).

Sure, you can show more information about a tile, but you lose the ability to show lots of tiles.

Do you realize that it's a 640x480 screenshot + the tiles are quite big [bigger than 32x32 even]? Nowadays almost everyone is playing in 1680x1050 at least on their PC, even my laptop has that resolution.

[MuonDecay]

Oh, yes, it can be done properly.  However, in those nice screenshots you realize that you're looking at MAYBE 15x15 tiles?  The original DF window with the map and menu on was bigger than that (15 by 23 or so).

Sure, you can show more information about a tile, but you lose the ability to show lots of tiles.

Do you realize that it's a 640x480 screenshot + the tiles are quite big [bigger than 32x32 even]? Nowadays almost everyone is playing in 1680x1050 at least on their PC, even my laptop has that resolution.

This depends largely on the type of display (plenty of people still use CRT) and the size of the monitor when it comes to LCD.

On a 19" monitor like mine, 1680x1050 would look worse than the native resolution of 1440x900. I've had the thing a few years though... but that's understandable given the price of good LCD displays.

[Draco18s]

Do you realize that it's a 640x480 screenshot + the tiles are quite big [bigger than 32x32 even]? Nowadays almost everyone is playing in 1680x1050 at least on their PC, even my laptop has that resolution.

Why does everyone and their dog assume I upgrade to the most recent monitors on a yearly basis?  I'm lucky to have a CRT with 1024 for my desktop (only machine capable of running DF) and my laptop has an LCD at 1024 as well.  I like 1024, I really do.  When I upgrade I probably won't go farther than a 17" 1200x900 LCD.  Because, you know, I like being able to read single-pixel wide letters (i.e. the letter l is one pixel wide and 10 tall, the strokes of every other letter are one pixel thick).

[JoRo]

I like top down.  While I could get used to it in time, having "up" be "up" instead of "northwest" works a lot better for me.  I tried an isometric roguelike once, figuring out which direction I'd move on a given key-press was a problem for me.
I don't even get why people would want isometric.  If you just want to see your fortress all pretty like, we now have a real-time 3d render that is getting better by the day.

Somebody needs to mock up a top-down fancy-pants fake screenshot as a counterpoint.

[Ninjacrat]

Oh, yes, it can be done properly.  However, in those nice screenshots you realize that you're looking at MAYBE 15x15 tiles?  The original DF window with the map and menu on was bigger than that (15 by 23 or so).

Sure, you can show more information about a tile, but you lose the ability to show lots of tiles.

I think this could be worked around by the arcane hacker technique known as 'making the window bigger.'

[Soadreqm]

Oh, yes, it can be done properly.  However, in those nice screenshots you realize that you're looking at MAYBE 15x15 tiles?  The original DF window with the map and menu on was bigger than that (15 by 23 or so).

Sure, you can show more information about a tile, but you lose the ability to show lots of tiles.

You have a point. This is already the case when using a large tileset, and larger, prettier tilesets would take even more space to display, whether they are isometric or not.

[Draco18s]

Oh, yes, it can be done properly.  However, in those nice screenshots you realize that you're looking at MAYBE 15x15 tiles?  The original DF window with the map and menu on was bigger than that (15 by 23 or so).

Sure, you can show more information about a tile, but you lose the ability to show lots of tiles.

I think this could be worked around by the arcane hacker technique known as 'making the window bigger.'

Even when making the window bigger I can see more of what's going on with Vanilla DF on my 1024x768 screen than you can in iso-mode.