Top Down vs Isometric View [poll added]

[Burt Gummer]

I'd have to see some concept screenshots of both perspectives before I could decide which one I liked better.

This is the crux... A 2D game can look isometric, or even first person; and so can a 3D game. What matters ~the only thing [these days] that matters, is how the data is structured ~the artwork is almost irrelevant to the point. It is the benefits of having the 3D data that is key... and that you can display that data however you wish; and produce different results [images!] 'on the fly' for just changing engine variables.

With 2D, you must absolutely illustrate every single art asset down to the last animation frame ~you cannot use the engine to interpolate ~yet if it's done well, the final 2D or 3D results could be indistinguishable from each other but for the 3d version having easy access to near unlimited animation and color effects.

This should be pinned or something.

[krellen]

Pretty much exactly the answer I expected. But perhaps you show us what you have in mind for Wasteland 2.

Already have.

[Burt Gummer]

Pretty much exactly the answer I expected. But perhaps you show us what you have in mind for Wasteland 2.

Already have.

Afraid to post a link and make yourself look like a fool ... again?

Completely understandable.

[Gizmo]

...

This should be pinned or something.

In fact... Maybe it should be moved over to here:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=147&start=9999

[krellen]

Afraid to post a link and make yourself look like a fool ... again?

It's in this thread. I figured you'd have read the thread, since you're replying to old posts in it. I'm not going to post a link to this thread in response to this thread. No one's that lazy.

[theadam]

I personally much prefer isometric.

[valcik]

Let's hope there will not be any camera moving, rotating, zooming or such in the W2. Or even bloom. My poor eyes are begging for some neat 2D environment without any flashing effects.

[alexlovesinxile]

I dunno... I would say that Gauntlet is pretty classic 'top down'; and it pre-dates Wasteland and did not have flat (prone looking) characters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mMJio2MO6w

I'll concede my argument that classic top down necessarily involved a combination of diorama-style and mixed-projection elements.

However, the consistent projection and drop shadow used in Gauntlet is in itself distinct from the look of Wasteland or Zelda.

I'm not averse to the Gauntlet approach to top-down. Actually, I'd prefer it to the Wasteland approach.

[Burt Gummer]

Afraid to post a link and make yourself look like a fool ... again?

It's in this thread. I figured you'd have read the thread, since you're replying to old posts in it. I'm not going to post a link to this thread in response to this thread. No one's that lazy.

I assume you mean this:

Because 2D top down looks like this:

Notice the decided lack of staring at the top's of people's heads.

So, you want Wasteland 2 to look EXACTLY like Wasteland. After 25 years.
If that's not retarded, I don't know what is.

[moomoos]

Fargo has said the game will be isometric.

[krellen]

So, you want Wasteland 2 to look EXACTLY like Wasteland. After 25 years.

I wouldn't be opposed to higher-resolution sprites. Given the realities of monitor resolutions these days, that would only be expected.

[TimeTrx]

By way of example... TimeTrx's Wasteland avatar is 2D (ripped from the game), but it's easy to make one just like it that's 3D... but (in addition to less images needed, and being easier to make the rotating blades), you could just as easily rotate the whole robot ~~You cannot do that with 2D hand drawn sprites without designing an entirely new set of animations... A completely new sprite; an additional project.

.

Nice!

[CodeFire]

The game needs an isometric view. A true top down view would be uninteresting, and really boring to look at. It would also feel cheaper, like a cheaply made flash game, if it was truly top down.

[TheEmissary]

I think the view really depends on the scope of the game. Top-Down is good for games like Civilization where what is represented is simply too big to be displayed/managed any other way. Isometric is better in lot of ways for small to medium sized regions like a room or block of rooms with a nice perspectives. It really depends on what they have planned and what they feel would work best.

I would love to have a Isometric view for exploring and another view for planning and controlling party members. If the game is fun and well presented it doesn't really matter about the technicals.

[abe]

I'm all in for isometric. I recently played Bastion, and an isometric view with modern graphics sounds more appealing to me, simply because it shows more detail.

[Anarkopsykotik]

Anyway, like it will most likely be 3D engine, people will probably be able to move the camera around and get the top down or isometric view depending on what they prefer.

[The_Scorpion]

2d isometric, rendered from 3d models for those elements that need to be done over and varied countless times, while haddrawn for iconic individual designs. Please no camera-rotating and tilting stuff and no cheapo 3d with fixed camera

[dmazz]

In Fargos recent interview, I got the impression that combat will be from a top down perspective, but exploration will be isometric.

A couple of reasons for top down combat are that it speeds up combat on a purely mouse click dexterity level, no more hard to click on isometric characters. And also because it will save on CPU graphic processing power which will be redirected to the A.I. It will also provide less screen clutter for the display of crucial combat data.

[krellen]

In Fargos recent interview, I got the impression that combat will be from a top down perspective, but exploration will be isometric.

Funny, I got the idea it was going to be the other way around.

[Burt Gummer]

And also because it will save on CPU graphic processing power which will be redirected to the A.I.

Hahaha, what?
What kind of CPUs are we talking about here, that this would be anywhere near of an issue? A Pentium 200 MHz?