3D battlemats with DI?

Meloncov said:
I can't think of any situation where you would need more than the Pythagorean Therom, assuming you know both altitudes.

I know, but IME it's still too much. (Try to do a battle with all PCs flying and many flying monsters, all at different altitudes)
 

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Meloncov said:
I can't think of any situation where you would need more than the Pythagorean Therom, assuming you know both altitudes.
If the varing rules of math were used in WotC D&D for spell areas, fireball would have cover 8 more squares. Instead the radius is measured along and across grid lines, using 2 for one when moving diagonally across the 2-d grid.

TBH the rules are not kind to area effects. One does not get measure area to determine what is effected. One has to count squares. We already have a three for two rule when going diagonally in 2D. For 3D, we have to first figure out what standard of square counting to use. The amount that gets clipped may wind up increasing once a third dimension is introduced.

Left seems to follow the pattern of how much are is lost to grid counting, the right is more generous, though even that one is about 32 5'x5'x5' cubes short of the old 33 10'x10'x10' 1E & 2e Fireball swelled up too. Click image below to go to thread where this came up before...

 

If DI was able to manage 3D encounters, then I would consider using it, probably with video-projector. This would be the only real enhancement to traditional erasable battlemap.
If you can't use "fly" with the DI, then I have no reason to use it.
 


frankthedm said:
Somehow i expect DI to handle flight and multi elevations as most D&D PC games do. By ignoring them.

It's sad, because a 3d grid is not that hard to design. Neither is a 3d interface : use the wheel of the mouse for z axis, and the xy axis of the mouse for the xy axis. When creating rooms, just specify the floor and ceiling heights. Add "stair" and "ramp" functions that works as a connector when used between two rooms with various floor heights.

Oh, and this would make the design of complexe 3d map by WotC something that could be sold without that much moaning and groaning. I'm ready to pay 1$ if I can use good 3D ship designs for a pirates adventure. Place the sea, place the ships, place the PCs, place the NPC, zoom, unzoom as need be and let the battle begin !
 


frankthedm said:
Somehow i expect DI to handle flight and multi elevations as most D&D PC games do. By ignoring them.
They most definitely will. Since 4th edition is all about getting rid of uneccessarily complicated rules, the rules for aerial (or in general 3d) combat are most probably gone.
 

Aloïsius said:
It's sad, because a 3d grid is not that hard to design. Neither is a 3d interface : use the wheel of the mouse for z axis, and the xy axis of the mouse for the xy axis. When creating rooms, just specify the floor and ceiling heights. Add "stair" and "ramp" functions that works as a connector when used between two rooms with various floor heights.
If it's so easy, why don't more games use it?

Remember when the first real time strategy titles using 3d technology came out?
Almost everyone was confused and disoriented because you could place and rotate cameras every which way.

The next generation used fixed perspectives again - for good reason.
 

Jhaelen said:
They most definitely will. Since 4th edition is all about getting rid of uneccessarily complicated rules, the rules for aerial (or in general 3d) combat are most probably gone.

So, will they cut the dragon's wing ?
That's silly. In a world where paladins mounted on giant eagle can fight evil dragons with the help of a flying wizard, you need rules for 3D combat.

f it's so easy, why don't more games use it?
Homeworld.

Anyway, this does not have to be video game. I repeat : this should not be a video game. All I want is some sort of 3d grid, like the one I found in age old 3d-Tetris, so that I can use the z axis on a 3d map. Zooming and moving camera will not be a problem, because this is not about frenetic Real Time action. It's about visualizing the relative position of your virtual figurine in space.
 
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takasi said:
MapTool is a thousand times better than drawing on a tabletop map or using tiles, and it's 2D.

I hope WotC keeps it simple, or I'll just keep using MapTool.
I hope they just hire the guys who developed that, take that ogl and put it in DI ... then again what if they've already contacted them.

Maybe I'm just suspicious but i feel like a lot of d and d books and tools may be ways of alpha testing stuff.
 

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