Baldurs Gate engine question
Hi!
I''m thinking strongly about making a Isometric engine. Spend alot of time in the "Isometric land" forum But I have one question that I thought I post here.
What kind of engine does Baldurs Gate use? It''s kinda isometric... Is it tile based? I''m heasatating since it doesn''t look like the same tiles all over the place. IF it is tiles based, are they using hex tiles?
Was something changed with Baldurs Gate 2?
Hope you can answer!
}+TITANIUM+{
as far as i know, baldur''s gate uses pre-drawn maps. not tiles. I think it says this right on the BG website.
Scott
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"If you try and don''t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried."
Scott
Website
"If you try and don''t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried."
quote:From the Interplay website:
Every location is unique since our backgrounds are rendered rather than tiled
hehe... wooops! Thanx for the answer!
How different is it to code an isometric engine compared to making it like BG? How does one set up the collision detecting for a prerendered map?
}+TITANIUM+{
hehe... woops again!
OK, let me explain my question better then!
I was thinking of making an RPG with my friend. I''ve ordered TANSTAAFL''s book "Isometric Game Programming" (I don''t have to book yet), it''s on how to make an Isometric game engine using tiles. For me (the programmer) it''s easier to make it tile based *I think* But my friend (the artist) wants to use a pre-rendered map. Like in BG.
How different is that? Since you can set tiles to collision or not, like wall/water/etc. But how do you do that with a pre-rendered map??
Is there some good tutorial for this?
}+TITANIUM+{
quote:From the Interplay website
Isometric, top-down view gives a birds eye view of the action
OK, let me explain my question better then!
I was thinking of making an RPG with my friend. I''ve ordered TANSTAAFL''s book "Isometric Game Programming" (I don''t have to book yet), it''s on how to make an Isometric game engine using tiles. For me (the programmer) it''s easier to make it tile based *I think* But my friend (the artist) wants to use a pre-rendered map. Like in BG.
How different is that? Since you can set tiles to collision or not, like wall/water/etc. But how do you do that with a pre-rendered map??
Is there some good tutorial for this?
}+TITANIUM+{
What''s stopping you from having a pre-rendered map for the visuals and a virtual tile-based map for your collision detection. Your tile map can be something as simple as an array containing different values indicating the different obstacles on your map.
e.g.
0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1
0,1,1,0,0,0,2,0,0,1,0
0,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,1,0
0,1,1,1,0,0,9,0,0,0,0
0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
Where:
0 - Empty travel space
1 - Tree
2 - Monster
9 - Player
Hope this helps.
borngamer
e.g.
0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1
0,1,1,0,0,0,2,0,0,1,0
0,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,1,0
0,1,1,1,0,0,9,0,0,0,0
0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
Where:
0 - Empty travel space
1 - Tree
2 - Monster
9 - Player
Hope this helps.
borngamer
yes, that was exactly as I was thinking. Until I thought of my artist friend...
He will still have to make an tile based _first_ and _then_ render a "better looking one". For example, there has to be a special distance between two trees to have the proper collision detecting. By rendering the tree a little offset, the character will go through half the tree and "bump into it" halfway to it.
How does one create a map like that? Thinking both on the artist (that''s gonna use the tool) and the programmer (that''s gonna make the tool).
thanx for all your help! keep it comming!
}+TITANIUM+{
He will still have to make an tile based _first_ and _then_ render a "better looking one". For example, there has to be a special distance between two trees to have the proper collision detecting. By rendering the tree a little offset, the character will go through half the tree and "bump into it" halfway to it.
How does one create a map like that? Thinking both on the artist (that''s gonna use the tool) and the programmer (that''s gonna make the tool).
thanx for all your help! keep it comming!
}+TITANIUM+{
IIRC Baldur''s Gate is using a "search map" for this. That is, your character will never go out of a path. I think they''re also using vectors for some items (like tables etc).
Finally, and I''m still not sure about anything, I believe they''re using a virtual tile map (64x64 squares) for collision with NPCs etc.
Hope this helps.
Finally, and I''m still not sure about anything, I believe they''re using a virtual tile map (64x64 squares) for collision with NPCs etc.
Hope this helps.
I think I''m slow in the head
Is there somewhere where I could learn more about this? The only book I know about isometric engines is the one I''ve ordered, the one written by TANSTAAFL. Are there some tutorials or other info on the net?
What is this type of map engine called?
I can imagine the virtual tile-map below/ontop of the rendered map, but how does the designer draw the map? With a papper with big squares?
thanx for all the help, I''m feeling that I''m close to an answer. Just not quite yet :D
}+TITANIUM+{
Is there somewhere where I could learn more about this? The only book I know about isometric engines is the one I''ve ordered, the one written by TANSTAAFL. Are there some tutorials or other info on the net?
What is this type of map engine called?
I can imagine the virtual tile-map below/ontop of the rendered map, but how does the designer draw the map? With a papper with big squares?
thanx for all the help, I''m feeling that I''m close to an answer. Just not quite yet :D
}+TITANIUM+{
Well I''m making a similar type of engine, well not really, it uses tiles to make different layers, then puts then all together to blend tiles together, apply lightmaps, etc. Anyway, from this point is where the engines become similar. Basically what I have is one big bitmap is memory. To render it with the best speed what I have to do is place pieces of the map in video memory as the player travels along the map. Then I render these pieces the same way you would render a tile based game. The only difference for you would be that you already have this big bitmap, drawn by your friend, in a file, and you just load it into system memory.
For collision, and limiting where characters can go they could have used virtual rectangles (virtual b/c you don''t actually see them, you only have coordinates) at places on the map that limit the character''s movement. What I mean by this is that the map contains rectangle structures (top, left, bottom, right) with coordinates on the map. You can then check if the character''s coordinates are inside the rectangle coordinates, if they are then you perform some action on the character - kill them, block them, etc. They could have also used tiles to do this, but it seems harder because the tiles would have to match specific locations on the map.
Also, remember isometric has to do with how the map is viewed. If you want your game to be isometric you friend will have to draw the map with an isometric perspective.
Well that''s my ideas, I really have no idea what the game looks like, how it''s made, or even played it - either gonna buy it or play the demo soon. I don''t think there is any official name for this type of engine, you could call it a big bitmap engine. I have never found any kind of tutorial.
Digital Radiation
For collision, and limiting where characters can go they could have used virtual rectangles (virtual b/c you don''t actually see them, you only have coordinates) at places on the map that limit the character''s movement. What I mean by this is that the map contains rectangle structures (top, left, bottom, right) with coordinates on the map. You can then check if the character''s coordinates are inside the rectangle coordinates, if they are then you perform some action on the character - kill them, block them, etc. They could have also used tiles to do this, but it seems harder because the tiles would have to match specific locations on the map.
Also, remember isometric has to do with how the map is viewed. If you want your game to be isometric you friend will have to draw the map with an isometric perspective.
Well that''s my ideas, I really have no idea what the game looks like, how it''s made, or even played it - either gonna buy it or play the demo soon. I don''t think there is any official name for this type of engine, you could call it a big bitmap engine. I have never found any kind of tutorial.
Digital Radiation
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