Let me ask a question that many (um...yeah, right) have pondered... who''s into hex based games??? I''ve seen a few people (myself included) post up screenshots about their hex engine and even offered full source code. What was the response?? The general response (or none at all) was "yeah, that''s cool...but it bores the hell out of me!" However, when the most simple and bared boned isometric engine come out...bam! Ten plus posts about source code, questions, and techniques. What''s up with that!? Hex is cool. It''s with it. It''s hip. It''s all that and a SuperGrab of Lay''s potatoe chips! Why are hex engines treated like middle aged hookers? It doesn''t look dated and old like some accused it to be. It cannot be because iso is better for rpgs, or strategy, or simulations. Ok, isos have that "wall\room" advantage but hexes can do that with a few modifications. So what if the rooms would look funky and hexed. It''s cool! Is hex more complex? Hell no. The same math functions and formulas are used on both engines. The hex engine might even be faster since most hex tiles are larger than their isometric counter parts. FYI, larger hexes equals less blitting calls. Want elevated terrain? Use a larger array of tiles. Or bump up hexes to acheive terrain. SSI''s West Front accomplished elevated terrain with the most amazing amount of detail. Need a 3D perspective? Just distort the hex. Make it wider. Hex engines do not have to be at the top down Johnny old school perspective. Just look at Norm Koger''s Operational Art of War. His hex engine has TWO perspective: top down and isometric. What''s with this rant? It''s about time that hexes should get what they deserve. ---- Ðragun

Perhaps its the perception of hex-games by many people. Hex games were traditionaly war based strategic games.
RPG games like the Fallout series (Excellent games) which use hex squares I think seem to be the exception.

I''m glad to see your post since I''ve recently been considering changing my top down tile game from a square to a hex system. I was wondering what you thought the advantages or disadvantages of hex based tiles vs. square. I used to play a lot of war games that used the hex tile so I''m thinking it might have some advantages for a turn based war game.

Arrow

Hmm...the snowball effect..

The advantages of having a hex grid instead of a square one is that movement in all directions are equal. With a square grid there are 4 directions that are the same (N, E, S, W) and then the diagnals (NE, NW, SW, SE) which in length are shorter. These two different types of directions cannot be wieghed properly or is too time consuming. Also with a hex grid the map itself looks complex.

Actually, the distance along the diagonals is longer.

But, anyway, that''s kinda beside the point. =)

-Nick

The reason I dislike hex grids is that a character can only move in six directions instead of eight. To answer your question, I think most people react more to iso engines is that many people haven''t seen it used in a major commercial game so the engines they''re writing probably don''t use it. Ever compare the number of hex tutorials to the number of iso ones?

I remember a really good hex game.. I think its called Full Metal Planet, or Full Heavy Planet. It was an RTS, but still pretty fast. Hex games are really interesting. Where are you screenshots?

I''ll be using hexes (isometric hexes with elevated terrain) in my project, a Civ/Alpha Centauri type of strategy game. It''s a hobby project and I don''t have much spare time, so don''t expect screenshots any time soon. ;-)

I chose hexes primarily because I think they have potential to look better, especially at the grand scale I have in mind. Their good size/area ratio and grid structure make for a nice, rounded look with less obvious regularities. Hexes might be suboptimal, although workable, for indoor environments with walls and rooms and 90 degree angles.

Working with hexes tends to be be (just) slightly more complex, perhaps because we´re all so very familiar with the "grid of squares" paradigm. But I would agree with Ðragun - hexes are cool!

One thing that remains annoying and counter-intuitive about hex grids is that to move due east or west you have to continually change facing. This is especially more annoying if movement point costs apply for facing changes.

Elevated terrain? Does the hexes have slopes or is it just bumped up?