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spazzpp2
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Quote spazzpp2 Replybullet Topic: [Feedback] Biological game hex iso assets
    Posted: 14 September 2022 at 2:28am
I'm mocking up a game I invented years ago but didn't manage to start with.
It's a cell compartment economy simulation.

First, some quick hex iso tiles, the building blocks of a single cell:



The general challenge is the wet look while maintaining a structure. Also the lighting: I aim for a raster electron microscopy back-lit-ish look.

Any suggestions? I'm unsure about the dashed borders. I had the idea that blocks "interlock" softer when they have half-opaque border lines.

(edit: more explanations)
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eishiya
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Quote eishiya Replybullet Posted: 14 September 2022 at 8:11am
I don't think this is isometric, looks more like an oblique projection.

The idea is cool, but I think the overall visual result is rather underwhelming because each organelle(?) is so small relative to the tile. The tiles also have a lot of thickness but the organelles are confined entirely to the top surface, looking rather flat as a result. I think making them a little larger and letting parts of them be obscured by the front wall would look more impressive. I think more volume would be good too - this isn't going to be realistic anyway, so don't be afraid to exaggerate and stylise to make things pop and look more interesting.
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NancyGold
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Quote NancyGold Replybullet Posted: 15 September 2022 at 1:58am
They don't look very biological. Real life cells have a lot of stuff suspended inside the cytoplasm, including bubbles. And you don't need isometric or oblique projections unless your game's playfield is actually 3d and objects can have Z coordinate, or you're making an RPG game, and the angle is part of the genre and used to set up the mood (i.e. more mature Fallout type RPG, instead of light-hearted RPG maker games). I suggest getting rid of the hex prisms, while retaining the soft looking grid and some overlay to show stuff like bubbles. And instead of XY plane, use the XZ plane, and so it will look like this slime (not mine), but with hex organelles inside:



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spazzpp2
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Quote spazzpp2 Replybullet Posted: 15 September 2022 at 7:17am
Thanks for you feedback! I appreciate it so much, I made a restart.

You're right, that wasn't iso at all. Also, I tend to fear exaggeration, so thanks for the boost.

It probably needs more pop, still.

Update

- increased resolution
- larger organelles
- smaller walls
- GUI elements
-- Mouse cursor
-- Scale
-- Minimap
-- Side menu
--- Resources with spark lines
--- Genome (Research)
--- Actions
--- Tabs
- passing molecules



(edit: forgot about the mouse cursor)
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spazzpp2
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Quote spazzpp2 Replybullet Posted: 15 September 2022 at 7:41am
Nice idea fliping it to XZ and making the whole thing wobbly.

I choose iso to give "buidlings" an idea of height (Civ, C&C, Wesnoth). But maybe you're right.. you can't see the sides when microscoping anyway.

Until now, I'm still undecided on growth along the z-axis, though.
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NancyGold
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Quote NancyGold Replybullet Posted: 16 September 2022 at 4:40am
Originally posted by spazzpp2


You're right, that wasn't iso at all. Also, I tend to fear exaggeration, so thanks for the boost.

There is also a special kind of orthogonal projection, called skewed isometry. Basically it is a an isometric projection scaled 2x and rotated at 45 angle so that the diamonds become squares, which allows tiling them easily with the simpler RPGMaker like engine, without actual isometric engine, while at the same time directional movement is more intuitive: up is still up on d-pad, and north is north. It is a bit easier to draw some art assets in this projection, which gives the distinct artsy look, while maintaining the proper isometric engine 3d capabilities (Z-axis can be visualized easily). It is nauseating to look at for RPG games, but could work with a bio-themed game.

It can be produced in several ways. Another is rotating the proper isometric render by -15 degree, then skewing/sheering 2x (Nth scanline moved 2N pixels to the left).



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