RoleplayNovel Chapter 155 Hexagonal Grid
Chapter 155 Hexagonal Grid
Chapter 155 Hexagonal Grid
"Combining city building with turn-based strategy —"
Sid attempted to extract the usable parts from them and combine them with the "4X strategy" concept that Lin Lixin just mentioned.
GAMENOVA has accumulated technical expertise in both of these areas in the past.
Urban development happens to be Will's comfort zone.
Turn-based strategy, on the other hand, was already well-designed in Fire Emblem.
Strategy games are one of the things he wanted to do.
Lin Lixin stood in front of him, looking at the rough content on the screen that had been modified from SimCity.
"Since we're going to do it, let's do it thoroughly and not use a checkerboard pattern."
"No need for squares?"
Will and Sid were both stunned.
The checkerboard is undoubtedly the most regular graphic structure in the world.
Closely arranged and completely repeated.
"Why not use a grid system? What about urban planning then?"
Will Smith personally designed "SimCity" and has a particularly clear understanding of the importance of grids in planning.
The design of roads and areas, the placement of buildings—these are all things that only a grid system can achieve.
While Sid's new game is primarily a strategy game, it also includes elements of "management and expansion," meaning it will undoubtedly have its own base-building component.
"Because the grid pattern distorts the distance."
Lin Lixin smiled and drew a chessboard pattern directly on the whiteboard.
He had already noticed this point back in Fire Emblem.
He pointed to the center of the 3x3 grid, then pointed to the four corners.
"The four diagonal corners are in a very awkward position within the grid."
"In Fire Emblem, only the top, bottom, left, and right positions of a tile are considered adjacent," while diagonal angles are calculated as a distance of one tile.
"In Minesweeper, the number of mines displayed on a grid is determined by the eight surrounding grids, with the eight surrounding grids serving as adjacent grids."
""
Why do you think there's this difference?
The understanding of the eight squares surrounding a square varies greatly in different games.
"Because of the different numbers of enemy engagements."
Carmack's voice came from the side, interrupting Will and the other's thoughts.
This was the first time he had spoken to the two of them since they met.
"When there are only melee units, a unit will only be adjacent to a maximum of four enemies, making it easier to utilize obstacles and terrain."
"If all 8 tiles are considered adjacent, the ranged attack windows will be reduced, while the risk of melee units being surrounded will be higher."
"This turns battles from strategic deployment into a contest of who has more units, making the game boring."
.
He looked at the grid drawn by Lin Lixin, paused, and said, "However, in Fire Emblem, characters cannot move diagonally, and I think that's actually due to another problem."
"Distance traveled".
Lin Lixin smiled and nodded.
"That's right, that's the most crucial point."
"In Fire Emblem, if a character wants to move diagonally, it costs 2 action points and can only do so by moving twice in one of the four directions: up, down, left, or right."
This is because in a square with a radius of 1, the distance to the angle is not 1, but √2.
Will and his companion immediately understood.
This is actually a problem that is not easily noticed.
Even though they can easily make a character move diagonally in the program, visually, the distance to move diagonally is indeed significantly farther than that of the four adjacent squares.
To solve this problem, they need to find a shape in which the distance from the center of the grid to the center of any adjacent grid is equal.
At the same time, in order for it to be arranged like a chessboard, it must also be able to be stacked as densely as possible.
In that instant, the answer to the question appeared in everyone's mind.
"hexagon!"
Instead of the Manhattan distance from Fire Emblem, Chebyshev distance is used, and hexagonal grids replace square grids.
In this way, no matter which of the six adjacent squares you move to, the distance is always the same, always an absolute standard of 1.
This makes all distance-based strategic planning very easy to calculate and absolutely fair.
"But—if we use hexagonal grids instead, what about urban planning?"
Will imagined it in his mind and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
My OCD is acting up, it's so uncomfortable!
No matter how you repair this road, it's not suitable!
If the site cannot be planned in a rectangular shape, no matter how the shape is pieced together, it will never be as comfortable as the original.
"This is where the 'regional' system comes in. We plan on a regional basis, not on the micro-level of the city itself."
Lin Lixin pulled out a stack of hexagonal magnets from the junk box.
Amidst the puzzled looks of the others, he wrote different labels on each of the magnets.
[Mountains] [Rivers] [Forests] [Rainforests] [Industrial Zones] [Commercial Zones] —
"Ahem, shall we play a little game? Let's see who can come up with the optimal solution."
"For every adjacent mountain tile of the Academy, it gains +1 production; for every adjacent river tile of the Commercial District, it gains +1 production."
As Lin Lixin listed the rules one by one, the eyes of the group grew brighter and brighter.
"The center can give all adjacent areas a +1 bonus, so my academy district can get a +5 bonus. It's invincible, the ultimate feng shui treasure land."
"But then you'll have no hope of getting the Holy Land bonus. If the mountains surround the academy, the Holy Land will only be two adjacent mountain ranges at most."
"Then I'll just abandon the Holy Land and dedicate all my resources to the Academy and the Theater—"
The group of people were having a great time playing around with the stack of magnets, arguing for half an hour without reaching a definite conclusion.
Without Lin Lixin needing to explain further, they already fully understood what he meant.
The geometric properties of hexagons are brought to their fullest potential through the concept of regions.
Finding the right areas to maximize bonuses has become a gameplay mechanic that's just as fun as planning a city in SimCity.
Adjacent bonus.
This simple mechanism alone is enough to change many things.
Keep in mind that this is only when there are a limited number of options.
Once these are actually made into a game, the completely randomly generated terrain and different development options will make this seemingly simple planning game extremely complex.
Every game will be a completely different experience.
"Don't dwell on the issue of holy sites. As I've already said, victory is achieved through technology, culture, and conquest."
Religious victory is an option, and abandoning the Holy Land to maximize research points is also a viable path.
Lin Lixin looked at the group of people who were already mesmerized, his expression inscrutable.
They've only been there a short while, and they're already so engrossed in it.
They are far from grasping the true core essence of the game "Civilization".
Another round of the most terrifying time-devouring device in the gaming world.
With just a simple click to start the game, the time will miraculously change from 8 a.m. to 7 a.m.
An hour appeared out of thin air; it's amazing.