Hi, Im sure this question has been asked before, but i have been unable to find a solution anywhere . I have attempted to render maps of isometric tiles before and simply offset every second row by half the tilewidth and half the tile height, producing a jaggered rectangular map. What im trying to do is keep the map stored in a 2d array but interpret the map in-game as diamond shaped. Can someone please explain to me a method used to do this, or any hints about problems i may face? Thanks in advance, Michael Cleaver.

look at the articles about tile/iso programming on here.

the type of map you describe is what i refer to as a diagonal or diamond iso map, and it is the type used in sim city, aoe, etc.

the x and y axes go in diagonal directions, which is probably what''s giving you trouble.

make the top corner of the map tile (0,0) -- actually, any corner will do.

pick a direction for x to increase (either southeast or southwest, i usually pick southeast), and the other direction is the direction for y.

now, assuming you are using 64x32 tiles, to move in the x direction you add +32,+16, and to move in the y direction you add -32,+16.

so, to render your tiles...

int tilex;
int tiley;
for(int y=0;y<mapheight;y++)
{
for(int x=0;x<mapwidth;x++)
{
tilex=x0+x*32-y*32;//x0,y0 is a reference point for the upperleft corner of tile (0,0)
tiley=y0+y*16+x*16;
//use tilex and tiley to blit your tile
}
}

this will give you the map shape you are looking for.

fyi-the type of map you wound up with (the jagged rectangle) is what i refer to as a staggered map. it is used in games like civilization.

Thanks for your help, I tried the method you showed me and it was just the kind of thing i was looking for. I have the tiling working fine now. Thanks for your time!