Tilemaps

Note: This project has not been updated to support recent Unity3D versions. YMMV

Purpose

• Improve knowledge of Unity and its toolset(s)
• Sharpen C# and game dev coding knowledge
• Learn best practices or various ways to optimize for 2D tile-based games.
• Test ideas outside the box (tile selection with heights, 3D primitives for 2D game, etc)
• Learn to use Unity's various design patterns (entity-component, event + message passing, coroutines, etc)
• Learn what doesn't work well for small/large/streaming/iso/hex tilemaps and data structures in Unity
• For now to collect all thoughts on Game Dev (mainly with Unity atm), to separate out later into specific examples/tutorials

Overview

Various example code and research for working with orthogonal, isometric, hexagonal tilemaps. Some of the ideas currently in the Unity-Isometric example were developed based on the Voxel rendering in Unity tutorial series: http://studentgamedev.blogspot.com/p/unity3d-c-voxel-and-procedural-mesh.html

(Note: unfinished, ideas currently in comments will be fleshed out into tutorials or posts.)

NOTES

Don't Write too Much that has already been written better elsewhere. For example: http://www.redblobgames.com/. Focus on "2D" selection of tiles in a map with height. Maps with ability to move underneath tiles (multiple ground tiles at the same coord) allowing for bridges and other effects or map functionality.

BUGS (to be fixed before features)

• Chunk size should be >= mapZ, zOrdering/positioning is off otherwise (didn't notice, always testing with 1 chunk in map's data z-axis)
• Entity is trying to moving on diamond isometric, but map is in staggered format
• Refactor the chunking code to actually be suitable for tilemap game, right now it's mostly a test case for efficient instantiation and rendering

---

TODO

• Comment TODOs, move any necessary here if action cannot be taken effectively
• Look into various components on Asset Store for doing any or all tasks of any example.
• Test different approaches regarding code-only, unity-editor-only, and hybrid
• Test using unity's Sprite systems, and without.
• Test using cocos2d-js both WebGL and Canvas renderers
• Test performance of map sizes, chunk sizes, and chunk layout
• Discuss options for hit testing both using physics, colliders, and raycasts, as well as using general algorithms and pure math instead whether by choice or necessity.
• Discuss rendering options regarding Meshes vs GameObjects/Sprites, pros/cons, gotchas
• Discuss making generic map interface that can have plugin concrete classes for any time whether orthogonal, isometrcic, diametric, nav mesh behaving as grid, etc
• Look into whether nav mesh discussion makes sense in this context. It's much better suited for games architected in 3D, even if the camera perspective is 2D or fixed.

Unity Tilemap Packages (some can parse .tmx from Tiled - mapeditor.org)

• http://www.wyrmtale.com/products/unity3d-components/orthello-pro
• http://karnakgames.com/wp/unity-tiled-tilemaps/
• https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/17260/
• http://www.seanba.com/introtiled2unity.html
• https://bitbucket.org/PolCPP/unitmx/overview
• http://www.seanba.com/Tiled2Unity
• http://www.seanba.com/mega-man-in-unity.html
• http://www.seanba.com/megadadadventures.html
• http://www.seanba.com/tiled2unity-edge-collider-support-in-tiled-layers.html
• http://www.seanba.com/controlling-tiled2unity-scale.html

Ideas

Multiple input schemes:

• click to move (RTS),
• move toward touch (Mobile)
• key/gamecontroller direct movement (Platformers, Final Fantasy)

Open Assets

• http://opengameart.org/sites/default/files/goblin_shaman.png
• http://www.lostgarden.com/2007/05/dancs-miraculously-flexible-game.html
• http://opengameart.org/content/isometric-tiles-cubes
• http://www.lostgarden.com/search/label/free%20game%20graphics
• http://www.pioneervalleygames.com/free-resources.html

Resources (Either as research or for reference writing tilemap tutorials)

Game Development Code Patterns

• http://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/

Unity Execution

• http://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/ExecutionOrder.html

Iso Tile Picking

• http://www.xnaresources.com/default.asp?page=Tutorial:TileEngineSeries:7

Isometric "2D" rendering using actual 3D cubes

• mapping top,front-left,front-right faces with correct UV coordinates
• http://www.gamedev.net/topic/629496-dynamic-objects-in-isometric-map-drawing-algorythms/

Hex

• http://www.redblobgames.com/grids/hexagons/#map-storage
• http://www.settworks.com/pages/tools/hexkit

Behavior

• http://angryant.com/

Pathfinding, Following, Steering, etc

• Open Steer
• AStarPathfinder Aron ?Garber?
• Unity's Nav Mesh system

Mini Maps Examples

• http://learningsc2.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Minimap-300x275.jpg
• http://www.wsgf.org/f/u/imagecache/node-gallery-display/contrib/dr/119/ingame_16x9.jpg
• http://cdn3.raywenderlich.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/tilegame_minimap.png
• http://www.sfml-dev.org/tutorials/2.0/images/graphics-view-minimap.png

Visibility Culling for Minecraft Caves

• https://tomcc.github.io/2014/08/31/visibility-1.html

Shaders

• https://github.com/mattdesl/lwjgl-basics/wiki/ShaderLesson6