I was playing some RPG and I’ve been thinking about how much better they could be if they could utilize depth in their maps, but there was no way to do so directly, so I decided to make a proof of concept with a system for doing so.
The idea is that you separate different parts of the map using color-coded tiles and traverse the different parts using a ladder tile which then updates the sprite’s depth and the different color-coded tiles update their state to match. This project also uses sprites as stand-ins for tiles at certain depths to give the illusion that a player can be behind some tiles. it is also the system that allows for tiles to be in front of the player that can allow for visual sprites to be created to cover the color-coded sections and make natural-looking terrain, which will be my next priority. (Also because of depth I may be able to add overhangs you can see another sprite below) Everything is subject to improvement and certain parts will need to be rewritten to meet certain needs, such as a way to scale different depths w/o the need for a ladder block. Would like to receive feedback!
2 Likes
Sounds awesome, this is an amazing concept!! You could use the scale setting to make the player sprite look like it’s getting higher / closer to the camera as well.
1 Like
Update:
I have finally made an algorithm for generating terrain. Better yet, it can generate custom grass blocks depending on location in conjunction with other grass blocks. The next hurdle would be making steps and then figuring out how to generate custom exceptions to make houses or trees or other things of the like. I have already put in the work to separate tiles of differing depths using sprite kind so this shouldn’t be too hard.
2 Likes
Super cool!! I can’t wait to see whats next 