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Multiple Levels

Started by UschkinRedSunshine Aug 31, 2000 at 3:03 PM 3 replies 600+ views

Original Post

UschkinRedSunshine

Aug 31, 2000 at 3:03 PM

First, thanks for every upcoming answer

I''ve a problem with my Isometric Engine. I wanted to make it like X-Com, with multiple Levels, but i think it must be in a different way as is do! I simple draw the bottom level, then the next above, then above and so on, but it''s getting high performance lost, cause i overdraw too much tiles. I can''t figure out, which tiles can be seen and which not! For example: In Level3 is a hole in the bottom, so you can see through it to level2... How can i figure out, which tiles/walls (walls are left and top of a tile) can be seen in an isometric engine ?!?

SteveBrown

Aug 31, 2000 at 3:16 PM

If this is an indoor type view, then anything that is 3 or 4 levels above or below the players current floor/level would probably not be seen anyway. If you are doing outdoor scenes, then just leave out things 3 or 4 levels below the ground.

As for the holes in the floor, you can either keep track of where all the holes are on the players current level, or scan the level data for holes then draw only the sections below the holes on lower levels.

Did this help any?

cyberben

Sep 1, 2000 at 1:53 AM

Or don''t use layers at all. Use 3d co-ords for each tile... maybe a couple layers, but no more than like terrain layer, object layer, units/buildings layer, maybe 1 or 2 more....
This is what I do... But I only got 1 layer, then a linked list for units and buildings... still decidng about where to place trees and such...

See ya,
Ben

UschkinRedSunshine

Author

UschkinRedSunshine

Sep 1, 2000 at 4:18 AM

Well, cyberden... i think, you didn''t understand me... i want to create a 3d-world... e.g. Trees are 4 levels heigh, men 1 level and so on... but i still get performance loss, if my character is standing on level 8 (top of a house), and i want to paint everything arount that what the player (not character) can see...

how did x-com (ufo:enemy unknown, x-com II - terror from the deep, x-com III - apocalypse) manage that?!?

Leprosy

Sep 1, 2000 at 9:22 AM

Have your tile structure point to another tile, each tile also contains a level number, and create a linked list of levels. Every time you render traverse the list x number of times (depending on your level). If the pointer is null that tile doesnt not have any more levels. If the pointere level is greater then current level, blit the tile b4 it. (for the case you have a level 9 but no level 4,5,6,7, or 8 and you are rendering level 6.

hope it helps
Lep

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