Re:Dungeons & Dragons ruled a threat to prison security
by jlesk on Monday January 24, 2011 @02:40AM
(#2134602)
Normally I'd agree with you, for those exact reasons, and my first prototypes were all generally flat (also being a fan of the Ultima series.)
But when I tried the current isometric style on a whim, it managed to solve all of the problems I was trying to address. Probably because I use a hybrid approach: only the underlying battlemat tiles are isometric. The miniatures are flat, slightly-transparent stand-ups and always face the player.
From a UX standpoint, the best balance is "iconic" perspective - most things rendered flat with low occlusion, like an Egyptian painting, much of medieval art, or Japanese woodblock prints. All the boundaries can remain clearly delineated with this style, but aesthetics can be retained through careful composition of each icon.
I did exactly this style for the game I'm working on. My reference points(within video games) are Ultima 1-5, Heroes of Might and Magic, and Battle for Wesnoth. In these games you are never wondering what something is, because you can always make out what it looks like.