[Suggestion] Big Idea!!

[kcbosco]

Okay,so here is my idea. Obviously it wouldn't be possible at the moment.But this would be really cool if you could make it work. The game is currently 2D. Keep it that way. i like it! But when and if you implement multiple floors then make it able to zoom into the building and see it as a 3D game play. Then you scroll out of the building and it goes back to 2D. If this was able to work, i feel it would greatly expand the purchasing amounts and looks of the overall game!

[Rufus]

That would be pretty awesome, and probably not too hard for them - but there'd need to be limits for sure.

[kcbosco]

It could be easily implemented just working on the graphics would take some time

[planettop92]

can you elaborate? are you talking about an isometric view? a layering system? a popup perspective? et al. It's not whether or not it can be easily implemented, it's how it should be done. Otherwise, this big idea has been suggested before:

Z-levels, both above and below ground.

[Rufus]

I would think like it is now; but you Crtl+Scroll to change layers of the prison.

[planettop92]

I'll just quote what I've said on a different post: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=46705

[it'll] probably [be] really hard [to implement] considering there's already a lot of pathfinding problems now with only one level. Additionally, it might be difficult from the player's standpoint keeping track of what the prisoners, staff, etc. are doing on each floor.

[xander]

Gah!

*xander runs screaming from the room, shouting*

Why! Won't! They! Stop?!

xander

[CplHenderson]

Gah!

*xander runs screaming from the room, shouting*

Why! Won't! They! Stop?!

xander

Agreed. This isn't a new idea by any stretch of the word, it's been brought up countless times since Alpha 1. It is the consensus that multiple floors wouldn't be added to the game for a long while, if at all. Would it kill people to use the search function?

[planettop92]

Why! Won't! They! Stop?!

probably because when you first join the forums, you're thrown into so much information that you don't notice the most obvious "How to post a suggestion or question" and "Current Suggestions Compilation List" posts. and if you do notice them, you're either too lazy or too overwhelmed to actually read through all of them. It's easier to just hit "new topic," and go along from there since nothing's really being enforced otherwise.

I, myself, almost made a post with all my different ideas until I actually read the list and noticed, wow, all of my "big ideas" were already thought of. >.> if the moderators can go through the entire forums and remove all the old and/or redundant posts as well as remove any new also redundant posts and give the people who's made those new redundant posts a pm, I'm sure more people would feel enforced to follow the general community guidelines. unfortunately, it seems like a huge effort no one's really willing to put in.

This isn't a new idea by any stretch of the word, it's been brought up countless times since Alpha 1.

a "big" idea isn't necessarily a "new" idea, but I agree, it can be quite annoying. although I haven't been around as long as say, our veteran xander here, I can already see the problem.

[Master-Guy]

As a programmer (not for PA!) I can tell you all that transforming a 2D game into 3D is a HUGE change and would require re-writing the ENTIRE game.
This suggestion is not do-able!

[planettop92]

As a programmer (not for PA!) I can tell you all that transforming a 2D game into 3D is a HUGE change and would require re-writing the ENTIRE game.

*most of the ENTIRE game

things like the regime and bureaucracy which does not involve architecture will probably not be affected as much. the entire game doesn't need to be reprogrammed, but a good majority of it will in order to get it to work properly (see below)

This suggestion is not do-able!

I like to keep the perspective that anything is doable, as long as you have a good plan for implementing it, but I may just be overly optimistic. Plus as a discussion forum, I like to discuss things.

there could be a global variable indicating what current level you are on which affects what is seen on screen and what can be done, and for every single object/room that currently exists add a local variable for what level they were placed on. then you would just add more conditionals for placing foundations, objects, etc. to see if what you're placing is actually placable. A stairs object of some sort can be used for the AI to get from level to level. If a level does not have stairs, it'll be designated no access. then I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of other stuff that needs to be accounted for such as utilities, pathfinding, and the like.

It's a huge undertaking which I don't believe IV's going to do.

[xander]

I like to keep the perspective that anything is doable, as long as you have a good plan for implementing it, but I may just be overly optimistic. Plus as a discussion forum, I like to discuss things.

It is doable (at great cost, where cost is measured in things other than money, such at time and effort). It is simply not reasonable to expect that it will be done.

xander

[bandon41]

would it take alot of effort, possibly, but that doesn't make it impossible

the idea is pretty cool, and doesn't even go against the current idea of the game, therefor the amount of effort needed would be the only big objection, and since you aren't making the game, nor do you know how it was coded you can't decide if it is possible

the creator of the game would be the only one cappable of deciding if it can be done, and if he/she will ty to do it, this is just an alpha, he might have forseen a possible update that adds multiple floors, but we just don't know it because we don't see any of those preperations