Changes
/* Links */ Fixed link to list of isometric games on CPC-Power
[[File:Graphical projection comparison.png|right|320px|thumb|Projections, courtesy from wikipedia]]
[[File:3diso.jpg|ightright|320px|thumb|samples courtesy from www.olivierleborgne.com games :Head Over Heels, Batman, Super Hero, Sweevo’s World and Hydrofool.]]
''This page is intended to complete the Category:Isometric 3D, check the categories at the bottom of this page to get more related links.''
[[Pac-Mania]] for example is not really "isometric" but actually "Oblique".
Yet the term Isometric is the most commonly used, as it suit for most of those pseudo 3D -looking games, so we'll use it as a whole, despite sometimes unproperlyun-properly.
==Inaccuracy on with old school Computers==
The isometric and most parallel projection originate from engineering, Architecture, design and technical drawing.
==Types of pseudo 3D "Isometric"==
X and Z axis form different angles with Y axis.
X and Z axis form an equal angle with Y axis
==Masked Sprites and Elements==
A proper isometric render always need to get masked sprites so they may appear upon or behind other elements.
Head over Heels is notable because when your Sprite (mostly "Head" who could glide in the air) was in "altitude" you may not easily see were it is actually in the X,Z plane.
**Hydrofool : as you float in an Aquatic environment, the game would be unplayable without this shadow (just look at the picture, yellow shadow...) to see your coordinates in the X/Z plane and judge at which height you are swimming.
==Video Modes==
The square pixels from Mode1 was usually preferred for real Isometric.
In Mode1, the limited set of inks (only 4 ink) need a proper colour management.
***The doors actually manage to fit well in the background.
***Sprites and Scenery elements (objects, doors, platforms...) : they use only 3 colours and the 4th ink (ink number0) is used to get the transparency mask.
The floor-tiles and background walls are masked, the "4th colour" (grey, actually ink0) is nearly never used inside those except for the "empty floor" or the "Mouse cursor"...
[[File:Heroquest possible colour variation.png|frame|none|What was, what could, what should.]] A more clever use of the transparency/mask ink with the Floor/Wall tiles could enable to display this '''background grey''' in those floor/wall tiles but it wasn't done... which is a serious graphical limitation alongside a poor colours choice, which leads to the sprites and scenery being quite blurred into a blue messy hell as the background can't differenciate differentiate properly through the use of an additional different colour.
It is also to notice that some basic floor tiles use only 2 inks+transparency (Blue and dark blue) the "light cyan" seen in the jointed floor-tiles being then obtained by the pixels-crossing from 2 different Floor-tiles.
Many [[Speccy Port|Speccy Ports]] in "isometric Mode1" actually still use 1bpp coded graphics.
* Some remains in Monocolour Mono-colour display as lazy ports, be it only in gamefield game's playfield (HUD often display other colours anyway).
'''Examples :'''
**[[Alien highway / Highway]] **[[Highway Encounter ]] **[[H.A.T.EHostile All Terrain Encounter]]**[[Pac-Mania]]PacMania **The Great Escape **Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes **Gauntlet III **Molecule Man (also a bad game...)
'''Examples :'''
[[File:Iso mode1 comparison.png|frame|none|Gauntlet3, FireTrap, HeroQuest, Head Over Heels. Notice that Gauntlet's HUD is in proper 2bpp graphics to add insult to injury.]]
Due to the larger set of ink, there is no problem to find one ink to get the mask.
By the way because of the wider pixels, you need bigger sprites to get some details with them, so those games are quite heavy to manage and often quite slow, but delightfull to the eyes...
==Level design==
The background elements being obscured by the foreground elements, a proper level design is needed so most crucial elements remain visible.
==HUD== A problem with Isometric was the need to put HUD in corners of the screen.
As a problem with Isometric result, it was the need rarely possible to put add extra colours thanks to raster interrupts because the oblique HUD in corners of often cross the screengames windows.
*This is of course not a problem in Mode0 as the 16 colours on screen are enough to get a coloured feeling.
Head over Heels and many Mode1 games deal well with this lack of colours with many palette changes from room to room. While the game only display 4 colours at a time on screen, those colours change often when you explore the levels
==Scrolling==
*Few Isometric games actually included proper multi-scrolling as an Isometric engine is already quite heavy for the system.
==Control and Gameplay==
Parallel projection is quite suitable for many kind of games.
*'''Beat'hem All :''' a clever way to get good looking backgrounds.
*'''Shooters :''' diagonal shooters were quite popular yet despite being more difficult to play than Horizontal or vertical ones, they have a special graphical flavour.
*'''Platformers :''' they more rely on exploration than manic reflexes.
*'''Strategic games or RPG :''' parallel projection is perfect for good looking turn based games, the turn based element being also a good point as such engine may be quite heavy for a realtime action game.
A Projection based environment can be used as 2D or 3D environment/engine.
*'''Horizontal Oblique Cavalier Perspective :'''
Because it still have some traditional Horizontal and vertical axis, this projection often stick to the up/down and left/right way to move the Player's sprite. as As a result, this projection if more than often only cosmetic : the background looks like 3D but the game and the sprites are clearly 2D.
**'''2D :''' As in most Beat'hem'all like Renegade. Or even some shooters like MagMax. They are indeed 2D games. The vertical axis being only limited to jumps on the X axis (left/right) if available.
The problem often happens in action 2D games and in many 8-directional games (square grid).
**'''2D :'''Gauntlet 3 is some precursor of Diablo-like games.
The backgrounds Scenery elements are in "3D" (isometric oriented) and but you can't use the Y (3D vertical) axis(no jump), therefore you can move on the horizontal plane (X/Z) in 8 directions.
This leads to a strange and odd sensation as the levels are designed in "diagonals" on screen but the player would instinctively move mostly in up/down/left/right 2D fashion (X+Z axis at the same time).
==List of Amstrad "Isometric" and "Oblique" games :==
you can visit CPCpowers to get a list thanks to the "3d iso" keyword.
**Batman
**[[Head Over Heels]]
**[[Alien Highway]]
**[[H.A.T.EHostile All Terrain Encounter]]
**[[Hero Quest]]
**Marble Madness
**[[Revolution]]
*'''Mode0 :'''
**[[Bactron]]
**Crafton & Xunk (Get Dexter)
**Desqpotik Design
[[File:Mode0 iso games1.png|thumb|960px|none| A panel of different sort of Mode0 isometric games.]]
===='''135x135x90'''====
===='''Flattened Dimetric examples :'''====
(an even more flattened isometric, diagonal ratio for the X/Z plane is 4x1)
**Zaxx
**[[Black Land]]
===various symmetric=Various Symmetric====
Those can tend to look messy, especially in Mode0.
**Binky : ratio = X12xY4 (mode0 : X=2+2+1+1pixels, Y = 4)
===ASYMMETRIC===
===='''Horizontal Oblique examples Cavalier perspective :'''====
(X Axis is horizontal on the screen, Y axis is vertical on the screen, Z axis is oblique/diagonal on the screen)
*'''Mode1 :'''
**PacMania[[Pac-Mania]]
**Dragon's Lair
**[[Paperboy]]
[[File:Cavalier perspective mode0.png|thumb|1024px|none| A panel of different sort of Mode0 cavalier perspective games.]] ===='''Various Oblique /Trimetric examples :'''====
(X and Z axis are both oblique but with different angle = asymmetric...)
**Crystal Castles (Diamond Plateaus In Space).
==Pixel Artrenewal and Isometric==
Isometric is often used in classic Pixel Art and is emblematic of it as it was the best way to display good looking pseudo 3D FX on old computer 2D systems.
(in opposition to the modern full-real-3D).
Hence, "PixelArt" and "Isometric graphics" are often merged nowadays in the younger ignorant generations' mind. ==Modern day isometricuses of Isometric Graphics==
Isometric 3D is still used in modern day, mostly to get an old-styled "Pixel Art" flavour.
*'''Baldur's Gate''' (and some spin-offs like Planescape Torment) featured perhaps the last great 2D engine ever produced for a Commercial super-production game : the '''Infinity Engine'''.
===Wikipedia articles===
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_projection Graphical projection]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_projection Parallel projection]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isometric_projection Isometric projection]
[https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=database&lemot=3D%20iso List of isometric games on CPC-POWER]
[[Category:Isometric 3D| *]][[Category:3D]][[Category:Stub]][[Category:Graphic]]
