Top Down vs Isometric View [poll added]

[Flamekebab]

Fixed that for you:

[Brother None]

I think you may have mixed up isometric and top-down, Bonecrusher.

I'd say the way people use top-down is for it to include isometric. Helicopter view is what the old Wasteland, GTA and other old games used. Or top-down, sure. Kind of confused terminology. Which is why I'm curious to hear more of what InXile wants specifically.

[xbogx]

how can people prefer this
http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/118/1184857/dungeons-of-dredmor-20110728061022123-000.jpg
over this:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gumEstDHdWE/TKAfMgR760I/AAAAAAAAAtE/5I-ErXxoGMc/s1600/Fallout2-reactor.jpg?

to me, dungeons of dremor is a pretty ugly example of pixel art while fallout has some of the best looking pre-rendered graphics. I don't think your comparison is really fair

[Flamekebab]

I think you may have mixed up isometric and top-down, Bonecrusher.

I'd say the way people use top-down is for it to include isometric. Helicopter view is what the old Wasteland, GTA and other old games used. Or top-down, sure. Kind of confused terminology. Which is why I'm curious to hear more of what InXile wants specifically.

I meant because he starts off criticising top-down but uses the term "isometric" then later in the same post states that he prefers isometric to, uh, isometric!

[The Beast Man]

This is what I think of when I hear "top down view". And while many of us are asking for more descriptive text, I don't see that as an excuse to deprive us of a relatively rich visual experience like we had in Fallout.

[Dominus]

This is what I think of when I hear "top down view". And while many of us are asking for more descriptive text, I don't see that as an excuse to deprive us of a relatively rich visual experience like we had in Fallout.

Exactly!

[Flamekebab]

This is what I think of when I hear "top down view". And while many of us are asking for more descriptive text, I don't see that as an excuse to deprive us of a relatively rich visual experience like we had in Fallout.

Hear, hear!

[mit-mit]

I'd prefer isometric myself, but I wouldn't be against actual top-down either.

Same here.... Dungeonkeeper was both (actually it was top down, ISO, and first person ~no kidding), and I kind of think that could be rather cool no?

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj12 ... k/DK-1.jpg

I fully agree. If the game is developped in 3d, it is probably the best idea.

[Sobboth]

I think i would rather like a nice Top down view, it's better when you have to manage a big team and it's also the best for exploration.
An isometric would be ok though, but a bit more "top down" than in fallout then.

[Gregz]

Map Exploration: Top Down single avatar with ability to split party to use skills/attributes/item (original Wasteland)

Combat: Squad-Based Isometric (Jagged Alliance 2) and a quick combat option available before the encounter after reading the enemy composition (original wasteland style scrolling text and animated GIFs). So squad-based can be user selected before combat for fun or difficult fights, and quick combat can be selected for trash mobs and unwanted random encounters.

[Gizmo]

Map Exploration: Top Down single avatar with ability to split party to use skills/attributes/item (original Wasteland)

Combat: Squad-Based Isometric (Jagged Alliance 2) and a quick combat option available before the encounter after reading the enemy composition (original wasteland style scrolling text and animated GIFs).

I too want some close animated portrait art like in the original Wasteland; the interface and game screen has to be complementary though [IMO]. If you look at Fallout, its obvious nods to wasteland are in plain sight (including the animated close-up portraits).



I think they can't go wrong by closely studying the UI of Fallout and Fallout Tactics both; (go over it again I mean). Three months ago, I would have said that visually FO:Tactics seems very "Wasteland 2 like" in certain ways. Though I like Fallout's UI art better than FO:Tactics'.

I don't want cloned FO:Tactics in Wasteland 2 of course, but a modernized UI with small isometric figures does seem to lend itself well to a squad based game that lets you split up the party, and (perhaps) has a dedicated sidebar for examining things ~and with people & animals, it could show the close up portrait among the details. This UI need not be 4:3 either. Tactics has some cool (and appropriate) ideas in it I think; like the text box doubling as the auto-map with a button press; and IMO best TB combat engine in the Fallout series.

[Bonecrusher]

I think you may have mixed up isometric and top-down, Bonecrusher.

I meant because he starts off criticising top-down but uses the term "isometric" then later in the same post states that he prefers isometric to, uh, isometric!

yeah, you are right, because I was thinking about isometric view, I also write isometric instead of top-down there.
thanks.

let me to give some examples

1) 2D top down

Ultima, Wasteland, Dungeons Of Dredmor







2) 2.5/3D top down.

GTA, Mageslayer, Take No Prisoners







3) Isometric View

Diablo, Theme Park, Fallout

[Wanderer]

2D, isometric

[xbogx]

actually Fallout is not isometric, but trimetric ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimetric_projection ) which to me is more appealing. i find the symmetry in isometric projections a lot more artificial looking.

[Gizmo]

actually Fallout is not isometric, but trimetric ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimetric_projection ) which to me is more appealing. i find the symmetry in isometric projections a lot more artificial looking.

It's true, but lately the term Isometric has been commonly used just to describe a high angle third person view... Even the developers of the Witcher described it as Isometric.

[Brother None]

I'm surprised people even bother pointing out the "it's not isometric" thing anymore. There's a lot of awareness of it, but y'know, nobody cares.

A flexible camera would be great. Some of the best old games had different camera views for different situations. Like Realms of Arkania.

[Gizmo]

A flexible camera would be great. Some of the best old games had different camera views for different situations. Like Realms of Arkania.

I was thinking about that one myself ~not just for the art and the cameras, but for things like travel (where you travel unprepared and you arrive sick and shoeless ~if you arrive at all).

[Brother None]

A flexible camera would be great. Some of the best old games had different camera views for different situations. Like Realms of Arkania.

I was thinking about that one myself ~not just for the art and the cameras, but for things like travel (where you travel unprepared and you arrive sick and shoeless ~if you arrive at all).

It's a great classic. Offers a lot of lessons that have since been forgotten, like many games like it. You shouldn't be able to travel or dive into dungeons unprepared and go through fine, that doesn't make sense, especially in a setting like Wasteland 2.

[Scorpitron]

Top down! Don't we all want that classic RPG feel? Top down!

[Serge 13]

I would go for an isometric view, similar to that of Van Buren's tech demo. isometric/3d/rotatable