IMO isometric grids are the better cousin of hex grids:
I'm not talking about using isometric grids in the traditional sense of creating a squished square grid with an additional axis for horizontal use:
Rather, I intend for the use of this grid as a topdown view, which effectively forms 3 offset and overlapping hex grids:
Characters have their centre at intersections, and can move along the axes to other intersections.
I think this works better than a hex grid, because things scale more nicely, for instance, here would be the various character sizes (tiny, small/medium, large, huge, gargantuan), which I think looks much nicer than getting jagged edges for larger enemies. The areas of these sizes these also scale in the exact same way as the areas on a square grid do.
And I also think the areas of effect you can create look pretty good, and they scale up well:
And lastly, I think it just generally gives more creative freedom for map makers to design their maps than with a regular hex grid, as parts of hexes would still actually be usable on an isometric grid due to the offset overlapping hex grids that are embedded in it.
So, what do you think? If you're already a hex map enthusiast, do you like this idea, or is there a reason you prefer sticking to hex maps? If you're not a fan of hex maps, have the additional benefits of this over a hex map convinced you to give this a try, or do you still prefer to stick with your square map, exact measurements, or theatre of the mind?
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IMO isometric grids are the better cousin of hex grids:
I'm not talking about using isometric grids in the traditional sense of creating a squished square grid with an additional axis for horizontal use:
Rather, I intend for the use of this grid as a topdown view, which effectively forms 3 offset and overlapping hex grids:
Characters have their centre at intersections, and can move along the axes to other intersections.
I think this works better than a hex grid, because things scale more nicely, for instance, here would be the various character sizes (tiny, small/medium, large, huge, gargantuan), which I think looks much nicer than getting jagged edges for larger enemies. The areas of these sizes these also scale in the exact same way as the areas on a square grid do.
And I also think the areas of effect you can create look pretty good, and they scale up well:
And lastly, I think it just generally gives more creative freedom for map makers to design their maps than with a regular hex grid, as parts of hexes would still actually be usable on an isometric grid due to the offset overlapping hex grids that are embedded in it.
So, what do you think? If you're already a hex map enthusiast, do you like this idea, or is there a reason you prefer sticking to hex maps? If you're not a fan of hex maps, have the additional benefits of this over a hex map convinced you to give this a try, or do you still prefer to stick with your square map, exact measurements, or theatre of the mind?