I would say that atleast you have very good start I mean that you use allegro (if you are newbie).... I simply think that Allegro is very nice for this kind of isometric designing... "easy" and good practise.
Actually, if someone "really guru" would like to answer, how powerful are this algorithms of Allegro ? Like pixel drawing and bitmap blitting, are those VERY SUPERB FAST, or just "ok... ye, you can create slow games but never quake" ?

And then to original question: HERE ! You can find lots of GOOD tutorials here at gamedev from under tilebased-games programming area. Actually I never found any tutorial with everything (like full source code and explanations), but I found lots of good docs for theorem. Also check Flipcode.com, they have some nice tutorials too.
Because you are using Allegro, I would like to suggest that you first try to go Allegros homepage and check "add-ons" section, and download FPS2 (or DPS2 or something like that) TILE-ENGINE add-on. It's VERY FAST (mhmm.mm... not fast enough for me, as some people already know from my question ...), atleast in 640x480 256 colors its good, and everywhere under 640x480 it works with whatever color depth.
So its very fast and easy to "build" under your program. It also includes mapeditor and very nice documents (even I understand that stuff .
If you want to build your own engine, I would suggest you to practise from this engine, because it has partly documented source code ! (open source project ?)

Hmm... What can I say ? Good luck ! I'm trying to create scrolling-engine which works with 16bit colors and 640x480 atleast 30fps, but haven't got luck so far
Maybe it's partly because I don't have right now computer which I could use to program anything

To add a shameless plug to paladin's good advice...

If you're making a 256 color game ala Zelda (i.e., directly overhead, not like Diablo), check out my tile-based level editor, Mapmaker 5, at my site.

Mason McCuskey
Spin Studios
www.spin-studios.com

16 bit color is hard to pull off in allegro (at any decent resolution) I programmed with allegro for awhile before switching to directx. I can tell you one thing (in my tile engine i went from 30fps at 640x480x256 in allegro to over 75fps at 800x600x16bit in directdraw fullscreen).

I was really shocked at the differnce when i ported it over.

Also as far as zelda goes its pretty easy(i could make it just not all the artwork) basiclly all it was, was a tile engine with 16x16tiles in something like 320x240. I think it had 2 layers(a ground then the rocks ect though they could have been sprites).

In allegro it shouldnt be that difficult to pull it off.

I am a newbie sick of making stupid text-based maths programs. I want to make a game like zelda, isometric i think its called. What do I need to learn/get? I use djgpp and allegro. Please help.

Thanks

I have read all the suggestions and can say that the information provided was and is invaluable. I have registered no I am convinced thie works!!!!

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One of my sites..

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DreaMWeaveR
-'he never changes...just evolves'