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diagram, with axes virtual-x and virtual-y. Clicking any tile on the central axis of the board where (x, y) = (tileMapWidth / 2, y), will produce the same tile value for both world-x and world-y which in this example is 3 (0 indexed). Selecting the tile that lies one position on the right on the virtual grid, actually moves one tile less on the world-y and one tile more on the world-x. This is the formula that calculates world-x by taking the virtual-y and adding the virtual-x from the center of the board. Likewise world-y is calculated by taking virtual-y and subtracting virtual-x. These calculations measure from the central axis, as shown, so the results must be translated by half the board. For example, in the C programming language:
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depending on where it is clicked it should map to different coordinates. The key in this method is that the virtual coordinates are floating point numbers rather than integers. A virtual-x and y value can be (3.5, 3.5) which means the center of the third tile. In the diagram on the left, this falls in the 3rd tile on the y in detail. When the virtual-x and y must add up to 4, the world x will also be 4.
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651:. This means that static pre-rendered isometric graphics often look better compared to their contemporary real-time-rendered counterparts, and may age better over time compared to their peers. However, this advantage may be less pronounced today than it was in the past, as developments in graphical technology equalize or produce
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with "smoothing", without re-rendering the game's sprites. The results were a certain "fuzziness", or lack of "crispness", compared to the original game's graphics. This does not affect real-time rendered polygonal isometric video games, however, as changing their display resolutions or aspect ratios
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One of the most common problems with programming games that use isometric (or more likely dimetric) projections is the ability to map between events that happen on the 2d plane of the screen and the actual location in the isometric space, called world space. A common example is picking the tile that
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Another way that is less computationally intensive and can have good results if the method is called on every frame, rests on the assumption that a square board was rotated by 45 degrees and then squashed to be half its original height. A virtual grid is overlaid on the projection as shown on the
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A well-executed isometric system should never have the player thinking about the camera. You should be able to quickly and intuitively move the view to what you need to look at and never consider the camera mechanics. Trying to run a full-3D camera while playing out a real-time tactical battle is
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Note: the blue vectors point towards the camera positions. The red arcs represent the rotations around the horizontal and vertical axes. The white boxes match the ones shown in the images at the top of the article. Notice how in the left image the camera vector passes through the two opposing
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This method might seem counter intuitive at first since the coordinates of a virtual grid are taken, rather than the original isometric world, and there is no one-to-one correspondence between virtual tiles and isometric tiles. A tile on the grid will contain more than one isometric tile, and
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that originally produced the isometric view in reverse to turn a point in screen coordinates into a point that would lie on the game board surface before it was rotated. Then, the world x and y values can be calculated by dividing by the tile width and height.
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Also, not all "isometric" video games rely solely on pre-rendered 2D sprites. There are, for instance, titles which use polygonal 3D graphics completely, but render their graphics using parallel projection instead of perspective projection, such as
1249:. Both Obsidian Entertainment and inXile Entertainment have employed, or were founded by, former members of Black Isle Studios and Interplay Entertainment. Obsidian Entertainment in particular wanted to "bring back the look and feel of the
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The term "isometric perspective" is frequently misapplied to any game with an—usually fixed—angled, overhead view that appears at first to be "isometric". These include the aforementioned
1950:
It was a big challenge because all of the Baldur's Gate original assets like the 3D models that make up these sprites, the 3D models for the levels in the original game, these archives were lost.
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Corresponding 3D camera rotation angles for true isometric projection (at left) and the form of dimetric projection commonly found in video games and pixel art (at right). The expression
1129:(2000) used fixed-perspective 2D perspective like its predecessor, it optionally allowed for perspective scaling of the sprites in the distance to lend it a "pseudo-3D" appearance.
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over other near-isometric perspectives, is that objects fit more snugly within non-overlapping square graphical tiles, thereby potentially eliminating the need for an additional
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597:
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877:. It allows the player character to traverse non-scrolling isometric levels, including three-dimensional climbing and falling. The same is possible in the arcade title
759:, earlier computer graphics did not support enough colors or possess enough CPU power to accomplish this. Instead, a 2:1 pixel pattern ratio would be used to draw the
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games were released as early as the 1970s, but the first video games to use the distinct visual style of isometric projection in the meaning described above were
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2D graphics can possess a higher fidelity and use more advanced graphical techniques than may be possible on commonly available computer hardware, even with
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directions would not follow a neat pixel pattern if drawn in the required 30° to the horizontal. While modern computers can eliminate this problem using
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In the present day, rather than being purely a source of nostalgia, the revival of isometric projection is the result of real, tangible design benefits.
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by having to constantly manage an unwieldy 3D camera. I.e., the player can focus on playing the game itself, and not on manipulating the game's camera.
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and Jeff Lee began programming the concept around April 1982. The game's production began in the summer and then released in
October or November 1982.
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could, however, yield different angles, including "true" isometric.) Therefore, this form of projection is more accurately described as a variation of
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systems, and as video games began to focus more on action and individual characters. However, video games using isometric projection—especially
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966:, many isometric titles were seen on home computers – to an extent that it once was regarded as being the second most cloned piece of software after
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Lastly, there are also gameplay advantages to using an isometric or near-isometric perspective in video games. For instance, compared to a purely
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was released. It was generally regarded as a revolutionary title that defined the subsequent genre of isometric adventure games. Following
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730:(1998). Beamdog were lacking the original developers' creative art assets (the original data was lost in a flood) and opted for simple
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continue to evolve, static 2D images need to be re-rendered each time in order to keep pace, or potentially suffer from the effects of
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831:, which was significantly more popular and influential; it was released in Japan in December 1981 and internationally in April 1982.
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shows a static pyramid in an isometric perspective, with the player controlling a character which can jump around on the pyramid.
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on personal computers and gaming consoles, games previously using a 2D perspective generally started switching to true 3D (and
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1984:
1197:. In some cases, these role-playing games became defined by their isometric perspective, which allows larger scale battles.
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In 1983, isometric games were no longer exclusive to the arcade market and also entered home computers, with the release of
1311:. Among 3/4 views, the presence of one or more 90° principal angles is often a good indicator that the perspective used is
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1403:(2007); games which use a combination of pre-rendered 2D backgrounds and real-time rendered 3D character models, such as
406:", and "pseudo 3D" are also sometimes used, although these terms can bear slightly different meanings in other contexts.
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1511:// some display systems have their origin at the bottom left while the tile map at the top left, so we need to reverse y
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1287:(2014), have been crowdfunded using Kickstarter. These titles differ from the above games, however, in that they use
996:(1987). Isometric perspective was not limited to arcade/adventure games, though; for example, the 1989 strategy game
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The form of dimetric projection commonly used in video games and pixel art. Only two of the angles separating the
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1415:(2017); and games which combine real-time rendered 3D backgrounds with hand-drawn 2D character sprites, such as
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The projection commonly used in video games deviates slightly from "true" isometric due to the limitations of
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953:, consequently awarded it 100% in the graphics category for this new technique, known as "Soft Solid 3-D".
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Isometric projection has seen continued relevance in the new millennium with the release of several newly-
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Note: The 2:1 pixel pattern in the near-isometric image allows smoother lines than in the isometric one.
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objects do not change in size as they move about an area, there is no need for the computer to scale
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video game, they allow you to more easily field and control a large number of units, such as a full
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1178:(1997) carefully emulated an isometric or parallel view, but actually used perspective projection.
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of parallel projection can sometimes be a problem, good game and level design can alleviate this.
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axes are not necessarily oriented 120° to each other. Instead, a variety of angles are used, with
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686:. Further, they may alleviate situations where a player may become distracted from a game's core
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717:. Re-rendering a game's graphics is not always possible, however; as was the case in 2012, when
2012:
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to create an environment where the player could freely rotate the camera. Other titles such as
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axes are the same, and only some of the lengths of the cube's edges are equal. The expression
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was said to be the second most cloned piece of software after the word- processing program
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and a 2:1 pixel ratio being the most common. The terms "3/4 perspective", "3/4 view", "
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lies right under the cursor when a user clicks. One such method is using the same
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2D (at left) and 3D (at right) coordinates of a typical dimetric video game sprite
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Once common, isometric projection became less so with the advent of more powerful
2358:"Diablo II Nears Completion As Blizzard Prepares For Final Phase Of Beta Testing"
2213:
655:, and current levels of graphical fidelity become "good enough" for many people.
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1099:) instead. This can be seen in the successors to the above games: for instance
639:, and then displayed many times on less powerful consumer hardware, such as on
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axes, as well as the equal lengths of each of the cube's edges. The expression
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to reveal facets of the environment that would otherwise not be visible from a
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27:"Isometric graphics" redirects here. For isometric projection in general, see
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2021:] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. pp. 35, 115, 131.
382:. Despite the name, isometric computer graphics are not necessarily truly
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Also during the 1990s, isometric graphics began being used for
Japanese
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game, they add a third dimension, opening up new avenues for aiming and
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systems) to portray large game areas quickly and easily. And, while the
52:
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972:, according to researcher Jan Krikke. Other examples out of those were
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Further, though not limited strictly to isometric video game graphics,
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Krikke, J. (July–August 2000). "Axonometry: a matter of perspective".
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True isometric drawing of a cube. Note the 120° angles separating the
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1144:, many of which still use isometric graphics today. Examples include
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levels. It is also one of the first video games to display shadows.
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Some disadvantages of pre-rendered isometric graphics are that, as
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1091:(1996) used a fixed isometric perspective. But with the advent of
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772:
565:, the technique has become popular because of the ease with which
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36:
2573:"I'm Glad They're Still Making Games Like Divinity: Original Sin"
540:
in new players as they are quickly overwhelmed by the mechanics.
2707:
2367:
822:
403:
79:
2621:
2600:
The classic 8-bit isometric games that tried to break the mould
2436:
1909:"Video Games With The Most Memorable Pre-Rendered Backgrounds"
2242:
Retro Micro Games Action – The Best of gamesTM Retro Volume 1
2098:
2019:
Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas
Edition (1971-2005)
1979:
1661:
767:
axis lines, resulting in these axes following a ≈26.565° (
1935:"The Struggle To Bring Back Baldur's Gate After 17 Years"
771:) angle to the horizontal. (Game systems that do not use
417:—have seen a resurgence in recent years within the
1840:"Retronauts: The Continued Relevance of Isometric Games"
807:
The use of isometric graphics in video games began with
2463:"Has Origin Created the First True Online Game World?"
2047:
Perron, Bernard; Wolf, Mark J. P. (12 November 2008).
1181:
Isometric, or similar, perspectives become popular in
1061:
Throughout the 1990s several successful games such as
1269:". Lastly, several pseudo-isometric 3D RPGs, such as
588:
or do the complex calculations necessary to simulate
1980:"Treasure Island (Registration Number PA0000187784)"
498:
is equal to 30° and forms a pixel ratio of ≈1.732:1.
3037:
2992:
2859:
2748:
2706:
2678:
2655:
631:, graphics can be rendered one time on a powerful
1798:Commons:Category:Isometric video game screenshots
526:is equal to ≈26.565° and forms a 2:1 pixel ratio.
1123:(2012) all use 3D polygonal graphics; and while
533:
873:was released, running on the same hardware as
2633:
2257:"Game Graphics During the 8-bit Computer Era"
2240:"Ultimate Play the Game – Company Lookback".
1866:
1864:
1800:: gallery of isometric video game screenshots
1438:in calculations, and requiring fewer pixels.
1021:A television set drawn in near-isometric 2:1
839:where the player flies a space plane through
332:
8:
1786:Category:Video games with isometric graphics
1355:(2002); and games that use a combination of
739:Differences from "true" isometric projection
2244:. Highbury Entertainment. 2006. p. 25.
2099:"Zaxxon (Registration Number PA0000135301)"
2703:
2640:
2626:
2618:
2187:"Sculptin the new shape of Spectrum games"
1833:
1792:Category:Video games with oblique graphics
339:
325:
47:
1831:
1829:
1827:
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1823:
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1299:Use of related projections and techniques
943:. The views can also be changed around a
2042:
2040:
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2461:Greely, Dave; Ben Sawyer (1997-08-19).
2287:IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications
2006:
2004:
2002:
1809:
1706:
1676:
1622:
64:
41:Screenshot of the isometric video game
1162:(1997)—the latter of which used
1025:(enlarged to show the pixel structure)
2053:. Taylor & Francis. p. 158.
7:
3045:List of computer graphics algorithms
3066:Video games with isometric graphics
2546:McDougall, Jaz (November 4, 2009).
1442:Mapping screen to world coordinates
956:A year later, the ZX Spectrum game
2011:Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006).
1873:"The Best-Looking Isometric Games"
1788:: listing of isometric video games
600:game systems (and, more recently,
576:graphics can be made to represent
25:
781:(≈116.565°, ≈116.565°, ≈126.870°)
306:List of text-based computer games
18:Isometric graphics in video games
2606:The Best-Looking Isometric Games
1794:: listing of oblique video games
1752:
1730:
1709:
1679:
1648:
1625:
1030:
1014:
899:
890:
846:Another early isometric game is
787:History of isometric video games
503:
471:
447:
438:
301:List of stereoscopic video games
51:
1846:. Gamer Network. Archived from
1307:Comparison of several types of
2612:The Best Isometric Video Games
2429:"SimCity 4: Rush Hour Preview"
2103:United States Copyright Office
2050:The Video Game Theory Reader 2
2014:アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005)
1985:United States Copyright Office
1933:Grayson, Nathan (2016-04-01).
286:List of four-dimensional games
1:
3002:3D computer graphics software
2571:Hamilton, Kirk (2014-07-03).
2515:O'Hagan, Steve (2008-08-07).
2261:Computer Graphics Newsletters
1838:Signor, Jeremy (2014-12-19).
1723:real-time strategy video game
682:, or an army of minions in a
580:gaming environments. Because
496:arctan(sin(arctan(sin(45°))))
380:three-dimensional (3D) effect
352:Isometric video game graphics
105:Isometric video game graphics
2817:Hidden-surface determination
1406:The Temple of Elemental Evil
1323:video games; games that use
1002:used isometric perspective.
947:. The ZX Spectrum magazine,
311:Category:Video game graphics
95:Full motion video based game
2517:"PC Previews: Silent Storm"
2491:"Divine Divinity goes gold"
2489:Walker, Trey (2002-07-12).
2427:Butts, Steve (2003-09-09).
2398:"GameSpot Preview: Arcanum"
1142:tactical role-playing games
735:is trivial, in comparison.
545:Trent Oster, co-founder of
415:computer role-playing games
251:First-person shooter engine
34:Type of video game graphics
3087:
2396:Green, Jeff (2000-02-29).
2374:. May 2000. Archived from
2322:"Looking for an old angle"
2263:. SIGGRAPH. Archived from
2214:"Soft Solid 3D Ant Attack"
1430:One advantage of top-down
1412:Torment: Tides of Numenera
1242:Torment: Tides of Numenera
680:computer role-playing game
666:. Secondly, compared to a
80:2.5D & 3/4 perspective
26:
2527:Future Publishing Limited
2522:ComputerAndVideoGames.com
2175:Killer List of Videogames
2129:Killer List of Videogames
2087:Killer List of Videogames
1968:Killer List of Videogames
1907:Vas, Gergo (2013-05-10).
1871:Vas, Gergo (2013-03-18).
1450:Finding world coordinates
1424:Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
1040:mimicking the video game
354:are graphics employed in
110:Side-scrolling video game
2145:"The Creation of Q*Bert"
1466:
1183:role-playing video games
1134:role-playing video games
621:3D hardware acceleration
610:depth confusion problems
559:computer and video games
3029:Vector graphics editors
3024:Raster graphics editors
1339:(2003); games that use
1229:series (2015-2018) and
865:isometric platform game
684:real-time strategy game
291:List of FMV-based games
115:Stereoscopic video game
2912:Checkerboard rendering
2437:IGN Entertainment, Inc
1703:Perspective projection
1451:
1378:Divinity: Original Sin
1357:perspective projection
1321:dimetrically projected
1316:
1289:perspective projection
1272:Divinity: Original Sin
1237:Obsidian Entertainment
1219:series (2013-2015) by
1209:role-playing games on
1097:perspective projection
863:In February 1983, the
623:. Similarly to modern
542:
378:, thereby producing a
366:, but which angle the
100:Graphic adventure game
45:
2867:Affine transformation
2846:Surface triangulation
2790:Anisotropic filtering
2579:. Gizmodo Media Group
2443:on September 20, 2003
2368:BNET Business Network
1941:. Gizmodo Media Group
1915:. Gizmodo Media Group
1897:vertices of the cube.
1879:. Gizmodo Media Group
1449:
1418:Final Fantasy Tactics
1306:
1159:Final Fantasy Tactics
923:Atari 8-bit computers
707:display aspect ratios
492:arctan(sin(≈35.264°))
461:is equal to ≈35.264°.
263:Virtual camera system
130:Tile-based video game
40:
1325:trimetric projection
1309:graphical projection
1247:inXile Entertainment
1213:. These include the
1049:trimetric projection
993:La Abadía del Crimen
883:, released in 1984.
813:DECO Cassette System
799:in the early 1980s.
372:top-down perspective
180:3D computer graphics
158:2D computer graphics
135:Top-down perspective
29:Isometric projection
3071:Video game graphics
2882:Collision detection
2810:Global illumination
2548:"Torchlight Review"
2195:(21). December 1983
1761:UFO: Alien Invasion
1665:strategy video game
1619:Dimetric projection
1293:parallel projection
1266:Planescape: Torment
1226:Pillars of Eternity
1221:Harebrained Schemes
1114:XCOM: Enemy Unknown
777:dimetric projection
732:2D graphics scaling
703:display resolutions
676:party of characters
653:diminishing returns
536:certain to cause a
400:dimetric projection
364:parallel projection
296:List of FPS engines
66:Video game graphics
60:Part of a series on
2932:Scanline rendering
2726:Parallax scrolling
2716:Isometric graphics
2408:CNET Networks, Inc
2222:(1). February 1984
1743:running in the 3D
1696:city-building game
1673:Oblique projection
1642:city-building game
1452:
1432:oblique projection
1341:oblique projection
1317:
1313:oblique projection
1175:Breath of Fire III
590:visual perspective
582:parallel projected
234:Real-time graphics
163:Parallax scrolling
46:
3053:
3052:
2994:Graphics software
2887:Planar projection
2872:Back-face culling
2744:
2743:
2688:Alpha compositing
2649:Computer graphics
2497:. CBS Interactive
2299:10.1109/38.851742
2060:978-0-415-96282-7
1764:2.4 tactical mode
1505:virtualTileHeight
1457:rotation matrices
1216:Shadowrun Returns
975:Highway Encounter
837:isometric shooter
793:three-dimensional
557:In the fields of
386:—i.e., the
349:
348:
229:Computer graphics
125:Third-person view
85:First-person view
16:(Redirected from
3078:
2979:Volume rendering
2851:Wire-frame model
2704:
2642:
2635:
2628:
2619:
2602:at Eurogamer.com
2588:
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1400:Depths of Peril
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1352:Divine Divinity
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1108:Civilization VI
1093:3D acceleration
1076:Civilization II
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2922:Path tracing
2907:Cone tracing
2902:Beam tracing
2822:Polygon mesh
2763:3D rendering
2715:
2581:. Retrieved
2576:
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2555:. Retrieved
2541:
2530:. Retrieved
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2445:. Retrieved
2441:the original
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2380:. Retrieved
2376:the original
2363:FindArticles
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2152:. Retrieved
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1876:
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1848:the original
1843:
1759:
1737:
1716:
1686:
1660:(2003) is a
1655:
1632:
1608:
1589:virtualTileX
1580:inverseTileY
1553:virtualTileX
1544:inverseTileY
1529:virtualTileY
1517:inverseTileY
1493:virtualTileY
1472:virtualTileX
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1260:Icewind Dale
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1153:Tactics Ogre
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1085:(1994), and
1080:
1074:
1070:SimCity 2000
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1038:3D rendering
997:
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867:arcade game
862:
857:
854:Warren Davis
847:
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815:arcade game
806:
797:arcade games
790:
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713:and require
700:
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672:third-person
657:
617:pre-rendered
614:
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419:indie gaming
408:
351:
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217:Digitization
185:3D rendering
104:
42:
2974:Translation
2927:Ray casting
2917:Ray tracing
2795:Cel shading
2769:Image-based
2750:3D graphics
2731:Ray casting
2680:2D graphics
2552:Games Radar
2305:Knight Lore
2293:(4): 7–11.
2170:Congo Bongo
2066:13 November
1844:usgamer.net
1421:(1997) and
1409:(2003) and
1397:(1997) and
1375:(2009) and
1349:(1997) and
1333:(1997) and
1291:instead of
1281:(2014) and
1278:Wasteland 2
1253:games like
1211:Kickstarter
1207:crowdfunded
1172:(1996) and
1164:3D graphics
1156:(1995) and
1136:(JRPGs) on
1117:(2012) and
990:(1987) and
964:Knight Lore
959:Knight Lore
933:ZX Spectrum
870:Congo Bongo
769:arctan(1/2)
664:platforming
649:smartphones
637:render farm
538:helmet fire
411:3D graphics
362:that use a
356:video games
256:Tile engine
222:Rotoscoping
200:Cel shading
140:Vector game
3060:Categories
3038:Algorithms
2892:Reflection
2583:2017-04-11
2557:2009-11-06
2532:2007-12-13
2501:2017-04-11
2475:2007-12-17
2447:2008-01-10
2413:2008-01-10
2382:2008-09-29
2372:Marketwire
2334:2008-09-29
2271:2007-08-16
2226:2008-09-29
2199:2009-03-02
2149:Coinop.org
1945:2017-04-11
1939:Kotaku.com
1919:2017-04-01
1913:Kotaku.com
1883:2017-04-01
1877:kotaku.com
1854:2017-04-01
1805:References
1693:tile-based
1691:(2008), a
1688:Micropolis
1639:tile-based
1637:(2005), a
1634:LinCity-NG
1372:Torchlight
1363:, such as
1343:, such as
1327:, such as
1284:Dead State
1245:(2017) by
1235:(2016) by
1185:, such as
1120:Diablo III
937:Ant Attack
928:Ant Attack
724:BioWare's
711:pixelation
574:tile-based
430:Advantages
3017:rendering
3007:animation
2897:Rendering
2468:Gamasutra
2309:Word Star
1336:SimCity 4
1126:Diablo II
1064:Syndicate
1047:s use of
1023:pixel art
841:scrolling
809:Data East
688:mechanics
563:pixel art
384:isometric
376:side view
368:viewpoint
360:pixel art
212:Animation
168:Pixel art
3012:modeling
2939:Rotation
2877:Clipping
2860:Concepts
2839:Deferred
2805:Lighting
2785:Aliasing
2779:Unbiased
2774:Spectral
2495:GameSpot
2403:GameSpot
1776:Clipping
1770:See also
1614:Examples
1574:isoTileY
1538:isoTileX
1427:(2003).
1391:(1996),
1381:(2014).
1369:(2003),
1275:(2014),
1150:(1995),
1111:(2016),
1105:(2013),
1079:(1996),
1073:(1994),
1067:(1993),
999:Populous
984:(1986),
978:(1985),
969:WordStar
931:for the
921:for the
918:Blue Max
660:top-down
627:used in
602:handheld
425:Overview
90:Fixed 3D
43:Daimonin
2944:Scaling
2834:Shading
2173:at the
2127:at the
2085:at the
1966:at the
1739:Freeciv
1657:FreeCol
1499:screeny
1478:screenx
1436:Z-order
1330:Fallout
1232:Tyranny
1188:Fallout
1102:SimCity
1043:Fallout
719:Beamdog
586:sprites
551:Beamdog
547:BioWare
421:scene.
190:Polygon
2964:Shader
2736:Skybox
2721:Mode 7
2693:Layers
2577:Kotaku
2433:IGN PC
2124:Q*bert
2082:Zaxxon
2057:
2025:
1747:client
1718:0 A.D.
1359:and a
1263:, and
1239:; and
1223:; the
1088:Diablo
1051:and a
981:Batman
941:Zaxxon
875:Zaxxon
858:Q*bert
849:Q*bert
835:is an
833:Zaxxon
828:Zaxxon
722:remade
668:first-
606:mobile
598:16-bit
572:- and
570:sprite
394:, and
205:Skybox
173:Sprite
152:Topics
2984:Voxel
2969:Texel
2670:Pixel
2327:CRASH
2219:CRASH
2108:5 May
2017:[
1991:5 May
1745:WebGL
1721:is a
1571:float
1535:float
1514:float
1490:float
1469:float
1201:2010s
1082:X-COM
1006:1990s
950:Crash
935:. In
803:1980s
791:Some
678:in a
594:8-bit
280:Lists
268:Voxel
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2156:2011
2110:2021
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