Fix to movement problem

[Marty Ward]

I don't know how hard hexes are to program, almost every traditional computer wargame uses them. The hard part would be 3-d hexes!

[Cyrus]

Hex's aren't all that difficult and they actually involve less checking for an AI, multiples of six rather than mulitples of eight. The only reason why I've never wanted to write one is that you can't use a simple data structure, like a two dimensional array, to hold a game board. You have to use something more complicated like a graph.

[Magnum357]

Then thats probably why MM wanted to only make it 2D with squares. I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, the game is a little out of scale anyway. Also, you don't get much more advantage out of a Hex gride system yet you do gain more program time, complexity and possible errors which means more patches to fix bugs. Although I would like to see Hex too, it is probably just not important enough and too much work for MM to do.

[LazarusLong42]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cyrus:
The only reason why I've never wanted to write one is that you can't use a simple data structure, like a two dimensional array, to hold a game board.

---

Actually, a hex board would could easily be stored in a 2-d array. One axis of the board is your first array subscript; another axis 60 degrees away is the second subscript. Any member of a regular 2-d tesselation can be described by only two coordinates; the coordinate axes, however, won't necessarily be orthogonal to one another.

The only problem then becomes that along one diagonal [i,j] --> [i+1, j+1], the distance is 1, while along the other [i,j] --> [i+1, j-1], the distance between hexes is two.

LL <-- shoulda majored in math.

[dogscoff]

I'm quite happy with the existing systm, but for those who aren't, I know of a cool freeware tactical combat game (on the amiga, calld simply "evil") which has a nice system: One movment point to rotate 45 degrees left or right, and then 3 or 4 points to move fwd.

Although that wasn't a space based game, this model works well for SE4 because in space it takes a lot of time and energy to change direction.

------------------
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"Uh, I think so, Brain, but balancing a family and a career ... oooh, it's all too much for me. "

[DirectorTsaarx]

I think there's a computerized Version of Star Fleet Battles that uses a hex system, plus firing arcs, turning radius (based on speed, even), shield facings (!), etc.

[Cyrus]

Lazarus Long,
I can't picture what you're doing with that brief explanation. Have a book or a website I can go to to see a detailed description?