Hi! I''m thinking of either making an iso engine or an 3D. This talk about 3D iso (going in the threads) is very interesting. I tried to think of how it would look. Then it hit me! Is GTA (GrandTheftAuto, the game, you know? ) a 3D game or ISO? Since the buildings "move" in perspektive, and it zooms in and out depending on your speed. So it''s obiovsly 3D, made to look like 2D. Kinda the opposite of iso? }+TITANIUM+{

Right !
GTA is a 3D game. It looks 2D because the camera angle is about 90°. If the camera were behind the player it would look like a real 3D game like Tomb Raider

*hmmmmmm*

Making an RPG like GTA (the camera angle in 3D), but rotate it to be like . Would that be very difficult?

It would be like 3D isometric... So what should I buy, an Isometric book, or an 3D one? Need the 3D one more I think.

But how should I start? First make a "normal" Iso engine in DX8, then change some classes/functions here and there so it becomes a 3D one?
Is it possible to devide the engine like that?? All the extra things like fighting, story telling, etc, and all that "fun stuff" are completed and working with the 2D iso. Then just change the graphics part (and maybe the path-finding algorithm to work in 3D) without changing anything else in the program?

Because that would be great! Do a 2D iso game, then change the graphics to 3D. (using DX8 from the start, it''s actually is 3D when it''s 2D. right?)

}+TITANIUM+{

Umm,
GTA uses a height map engine. There are 64*64 ints. These ints are the height of ech square. The difference between two height makes a wall. This is all the 3D stuff. Use BSP or QuadTree to speed up your coede and then use simple 2D sprites for the people, weapons and cars and place them above the 3D objects. That''s it.

aaaight!

The maps in GTA, were they tile based??

and if not, or either way plz explain, how does a "non tile based" engine work? How do one import a pretty picture of say 500x500 and make the character walk around it with proper collision detecting?

}+TITANIUM+{

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How do one import a pretty picture of say 500x500 and make the character walk around it with proper collision detecting?

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Do you mean a pre-rendered background like in Resident Evil? One way of doing it is to show the picture and then use a low-detail 3d-model of the background to perform collision detection and depth test.

No, I actually meant more like Baldurs Gate. Resident Evil uses different camera angels for every screen. I''m going for the birds-eye-view

}+TITANIUM+{

DOH!!!!

Not 500x500, that''s smaller than the screen =)
I meant 5000x5000, forgot that extra 0

a biiig map that has to "scroll" when the character walks around on it, like Baldurs Gate. (yeah, I know. It''s gone from the topic GTA to BG, since GTA _is_ 3D and BG is _not_)

}+TITANIUM+{

Baldur''s Gate (at least, the original) still uses square tiles for rendering. however, this is for rendering only. it just splits up the larger bitmap into bite sized pieces to aid with rendering speed. the map also has 2d polygons to separate passable areas from impassible areas, and for the location of traps and for "foreground" areas where you can "go behind" a building.

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No, I actually meant more like Baldurs Gate. Resident Evil uses different camera angels for every screen. I''m going for the birds-eye-view

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Hmmm, I just realized that this is the isometric forum. Sorry. I''m an idiot