Hex to Squares! (and vice-versa!)

[Pine Towers]

Hello there, guys (and gals).

I really want to adapt some old hex maps to my game, since I find them more organic than squares for an overworld.

Example:

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I'm no artist (or mathematician) to know the best way to adapt this to squares. I know I could just shift one row to square-fy it, but I want to know if there's a way to keep the hexes, and the only way I can think of is making the squares "big" (3 hexes inside each default square) so I can fit the points of interest inside.

Also, want to know if hex maps are still "trendy".

So, what do you think of hex maps? Unnecessary work? Ugly? Not viable in a square-based game like RPG Maker?

Thanks!

 

[HexMozart88]

I came as soon as I heard my name. I actually like the little hexagons, although maybe I'm biased because I have a weird obsession with hexagons. For your other question, I don't know how you're planning on working this map, whether it be events or scripts, but if you're eventing it, I'd stuff one square in the centre of each hexagon.

 

[Sarlecc]

When I saw this topic I thought that perhaps the best way to portray the hex grid would be to parallax it (paint.net has a handy tool for instantly drawing polygon grids). Now here is a problem rpg maker is based on a square grid, meaning that some of your tiles will have grid lines intersecting them no matter how you do it (not a problem if your character won't actually move on that map).

If you want maps based on a polygon grid that the character can move on, well then you might need to rewrite several classes (I am unsure completely how much you would need to rewrite as I haven't really done that much programming in that part of the engine yet). The PIXI library might come in handy for this as it supports polygons.

 

[Sharm]

This seems like it might end up being an editor question and not a resource question, depending on if this ends up being a question of how to get the resource altered to fit the engine or if it's about altering the engine to make the resources work. If you want to use the default map editor I think this would use up the room on your tilesets quickly. You'd need to have one square for the center and one square for the intersection lines. That would mean a tile for each terrain type and one for each variation of intersections. With three ways to interact that will get complicated fast. An external map editor is much more reasonable way to do it, either through parallax mapping or importing the map from something like TileD. Sarkecc is right though, this leads to problems sorting out collision.

The real question is: What kind of game are you trying to make with this? If you're going for a traditional RPG and just wanted some more organic edges to your terrain than this isn't the way to do it. Hexes would make detailed maps of man-made structures like interior maps unnecessarily difficult, and there are simpler ways to make the terrain look good. If you're not wanting to do an RPG at all and want to do a strategy game or something I have to wonder why you're trying to do this in RM.

 

[mogwai]

This is roughly the right position you'll want. This is kind of rough because I resized it a bit.

 

[Pine Towers]

@Sarlecc and @Sharm , the idea is not modyfing the editor, but how to use hexes on a square editor. The idea is using a parallax image or use @mogwai attempt (nicely done! thanks by the way) so the overworld is in hexes (outside/interior/dungeon are still squares for reasons @Sharm already said)

Tha main problem is collision, as said before, and making character move. I think this can be made with moving through a menu, where player choose a location from a menu and then the party moves following a route (although this breaks a great deal - or all - the exploration/discovery part of the game) to their location.

Is it possible, in a square movement, move through hexes? The template of @mogwai is quite nice but the character can't move to the nearest southeast hex. Maybe making the hexes larger can do (like fitting 4 squares inside a hex?)? I posted in Resource Support because it is more of a way to how build the resource around those limitations than to modify the editor.

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If impossible, the only way I see this working is making the map as only a map, while characters move through Outside maps

Thanks all for your kind answers.

 

[Sarlecc]

When I said engine I was referring to the JavaScript files i.g: TileMap, Game_Map, Game_Character, etc. These don't modify the editor but the game its self.

Is it possible, in a square movement, move through hexes? The template of @mogwai is quite nice but the character can't move to the nearest southeast hex. Maybe making the hexes larger can do (like fitting 4 squares inside a hex?)? I posted in Resource Support because it is more of a way to how build the resource around those limitations than to modify the editor.

If you use octagons vs hexagons you could use the 8 directional movement instead of 4 directional. This still wouldn't solve the intersecting grid on certain tiles though.

 

[Sharm]

I think the only way to make a hex pattern like this work in a square editor is going to be by making each hex need 9 tiles to complete. Like this:



Tiles are 48x48. Here's the actual tiles:



Anything smaller and the movement won't be centered within the tile.

The problems of movement and collisions really would need to be solved in a editor support thread, not here. That's a programming problem (eventing is a type of programming), not something changing the art is going to do anything about.

You still haven't answered my question about what type of game this would be for. That would make a difference on what types of solutions would work or not. If you just wanted the hex lines for some sort of mini game, for example, it could be accomplished with an overlay to put the lines in instead.

 

[Pine Towers]

When I said engine I was referring to the JavaScript files i.g: TileMap, Game_Map, Game_Character, etc. These don't modify the editor but the game its self.

I understood that, I just didn't wrote clearly. Thanks.

You still haven't answered my question about what type of game this would be for.

Thanks for the hex tile and I'm sorry for not having answered you before, there was too much posts with so much good information. The game is aimed to follow a main quest line, but side quests most of the time are found while exploring the overworld (not much side-quests, but points of interest, like founding a Troll Bridge or a Witch's House). The hex map is to convey the feel of old school tabletop exploration, and while it is nice for the theme, it isn't a core feature (and, while squares can work roughly the same, hex are more suited for long range explorations, as said before).

The main idea of the thread is: is it possible? Or impossible, from an editor side (trying to fit square move into hexagons).

 

[Pine Towers]

Eureka!

I did it! Thanks all who replied to this thread. Off course the RTP graphics will be switched out for one more akin to the image of the first post of this thread, something more cartograph-y in style. These hexes occupy 5 squares in the tileset, and connect in such way the player (and the props) don't feel awkward, with room to spare as to signal an hex with both forests and a village or, in the example, a mountain range with a ruined tower.

Again, thanks all.

Sorry for not waiting 48 hours before making another post (or editing the last post), I thought the progress made was worthwhile the bump.

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