Re: 3D Crossfire

[Ken Woodruff <woodruff@cadence.com>]

Karim (>) and Mark (> >) write:
> >  Also, going from 2D to 3D changes game play considerably.  In 3D mode,
> > you have forward vision with limited side vision.  in present mode,
> > you have all around vision.
> > 
> 
> Agreed. The game that I see in my head is a lot like Ulitma Underworld,
> but multi player.
>  
> >  Also, handling a client/server version of 3D would be a lot different
> > than the 2D model.  Also, 3D would require rewrites in major portions
> > of the code.
> > 
> [...]
> >  3D would be neat to see, but I am not sure how feasible it is.

The last version of Ultima I played (Ultima V, I think) had a 
limitied 3d--you explored the world in top view 2d, then you
wandered the dungeons in forward view 3d and the you entered
rooms in the dungeons and again got top view 2d.  The 3d
exploration was neat in the sense that it made you feel like
a rat in a maze, but you never had complex encounters in that mode.  
Overall the contribution to the game play was pretty minor,
but if people really like this I would suggest a similar 
approach for crossfire, namely have 3d exploration and 2d
encounters.

As for the possible performance, I have played a game on my
old PS/2 Model 30 (essentially a turbo-XT class machine)
I think was called Dragonquest? that was essentially
Wizardry/Bardstale part 400, it actually had 3d combat and you
could see the monsters coming.  The speed wasn't too bad but
there were definitely a very finite number of monster
types and I believe they always looked like they were facing you.
I do not remember if the game was real time (ala Crossfire) or
everybody got one move each time you moved (ala Wizardry--remember
running up and down the hall trying to regain hit points?).

--Ken

+------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Ken Woodruff           | "In every jumbled pile of person    |
| woodruff@cadence.com   |  there's a thinking part that       |
+------------------------+  wonders what the part that isn't   |
| Disclaimer: What tote  |  thinking isn't thinking of."       |
| bag full of $20 bills? |          --They Might Be Giants     |
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