Topic: Barbarian Trainingscamp Remodel

Here is a peek at what I've been doing for the trainingscamp.
Original: working model:
Now before you start with your observations, this is by no means near done (and I know it looks crowded.)

As I said above, I'm hungry for land, just compare these two graphics as proof!
However, in my quest to make the most use of the land available, I've encountered the notorious "z-layering" issue with a vengeance.

This map gauge shows the positions of the possible roads around a building site and the potential area I can fill (shown to scale):

Small and medium buildings are allotted the area in the red hexagon, while the area for big buildings is indicated with the green.

Translate that onto the map, however, and the current impact of z-layering logic on animation on the roads reduces the usable area considerably.

[Please excuse the following if it is slightly "off-topic".]
The "magic" happens when a worker travels "north" of the building hot spot (yellow dot).
This next series illustrates the problem. Notice the worker on the road to the "east" of the building site:
1) 2)
3)
In (1), the worker is shown traveling northeast as he approaches even with the building hot spot (at the front door where the builder is standing). In (2), the worker has traveled "higher" than the hot spot and is obscured by the graphic. (3) shows the worker returning and layered properly at that same spot on the road.
Things can be even more unpredicatable to the west of a building site.

It seems to me that if the game engine can identify a worker's direction and position relative to the hot spot of any adjacent building site, the following logic should address our z-layering difficulties.
Example:
The yellow lines in the example mark the path on which it is desirable to layer the building graphic "under" worker and "critter" graphics. The red lines indicate roads whose traffic should be layered under the building. Both of these conditions should be independent of the direction in which the worker/critter is traveling.
That is to say, relative to a building's hot spot, IF a worker/critter:

• is on an east-west road and the road is immediately SOUTH of the hot spot, OR
• is on a northeast-southwest road and the road is immediately EAST of the hot spot, OR
• is on a northwest-southeast road and the road is immediately WEST of the hot spot, THEN display the worker/critter ABOVE the building.

Conversely, IF a worker/critter:

• is on an east-west road and the road is immediately NORTH of the hot spot, OR
• is on a northeast-southwest road and the road is immediately WEST of the hot spot, OR
• is on a northwest-southeast road immediately EAST of the hot spot, THEN display the worker/critter BELOW the building.

And that is as close as you are going to see me get to coding.

Now back to the model. The hot spot of the original trainingscamp , was placed at the "front gate" and thereby its design lost use of the area "south" of the hot spot. To exploit that unused area, I plan to place the main building at the hot spot where it makes sense for deliveries and arrival/departures. This leaves the rest of the area to depict the nature of the camp.
If we look at the current battlearena, , it, like the original traingscamp, was pushed to the northwest due to its hot spot at the gate. I mention this because, the track I'm taking with the trainingscamp gives the possibility to show the buildings at a larger scale.

My question to the community is:

• Should I keep the trainingscamp buildings to the relative scale as shown in the battlearena, or pursue a larger scale as in the working model (and subsequently re-work the battlearena)? In either event, I intend to use as much of the area as I reasonably can.

Okay, it's your turn. What do you think? (BTW-those are supposed to be melons on top of the practice dummies at lower left. They sort of look like turtles from here, don't they? Like I said, "WORKING MODEL")
EDIT - A hot spot of 115 81 should work well if you want to try THIS working model in a game.

I see little people.

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Thanks, Astuur. Yes, it pretty much boils down to what will "work" taking all things into consideration.

I took a compromise position with the scale of my second version of the trainingscamp: , not as large as the first working model in order to reduce the claustrophobia and fit in another building. Still, the scale is not as small as the battlearena. (Do you see the ox who thinks he's an ostrich?) The eye still has to make a "leap of faith" when the "small" buildings are in such close proximity.

I prefer this model over the first working model for a number of reasons, but there is still much room for improvement. Even after pulling in the perimeter further in from the roads to the east and west, z-layering remains a big issue.

Here is this model for test driving with a hot spot of 113 76:

Comments and ideas are always very welcome.

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Personal_Joke wrote: I like how you added the practice dummies to the trainingcamp. Without the dummies, you can't really tell which is which between the original trainingcamp (upgrades attack and health) and battlearena (upgrades evasion) simply by looking at them.

You're right. It is difficult to tell which building is which at a casual glance.
I have made up my mind to re-visit the battlearena to give it a similar chance to use more room and a better identification. Any ideas for little details that would further help to tell the two apart are welcome.

A related question: Does anyone know how the various barbarian axes might be stored and shown? You can't really stack them in a pyramid like rifles. Hang them on a rack on pegs?

Details, details...

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I did a test drive with the hotspot you supplied.
It's really nice to have something big on the map for a change.
I think, positioning the hotspot to the center was really a brilliant idea!
I can't see any real problem with the scale. Looks good for me.
The main building, while keeping the scale, could be a smaller one perhaps, to save some space for other things visible in the yard.
Surrounding roads and delivery are fine for carriers, but there are still some problems with those bulky oxen. Watch an ox deliver some ware; he's almost onto the roof of the main building.
I don't know... maybe they are a bit too big anyhow, those oxen. The fact that they always turn south east when grazing, doesn't help either.
The weapons and armor delivered to the training site appear too big by far, but that can't be helped.
You will have no chance to display the set of axes at the scale they have as wares, no matter what. The same goes for the masks/helmets.
I remember having seen axes displayed on a tetraeder (a triangular pyramid formed of tree trunks) with receptacles that made it look like the axes were hewn into the trunks.
But that may be hard to do.

Being no programmer, I apologize for all my suggestions that imply undue workload and for other misjudgements due to lack of expertise or relevant skills.
I am on Win32, have no means to compile, and rely on prefabricated distributions (Thanks to Tino).

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Re: tetraeder - Oh! A tetrahedron in English. Got it!

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