What is '2-Dimensional' pixel art?
Two-dimensional graphics are much more commonly seen than isometric graphics in computer games (obviously I am excluding all the 3-D games as they don't use pixel art, just painted textures). They include 'side view' (e.g. platform games such as "Super Mario", puzzle games such as "Tetris" or fighting games such as "Streetfighter") or 'top view' (e.g. games such as "Gauntlet", "PacMan" or "Xenon").
Still using a 2D tiling engine, some games will add an apparent extra dimension by making the 2D graphics (either predominantly top view or side view) seem to have extra depth (e.g. many RPG games such as "Legend of Zelda", shoot-em-ups such as "The Chaos Engine" or action games such as "Golden Axe").
Most two-dimensional games use a regular tiling engine and the display is pieced together from a collection of square tiles - unlike isometric games which used a combination of diamond or triangular shaped tiles.
Example of 'top view' tiles (with a pseudo height dimension)
Example of 'side view' tiles (with a pseudo dimension of depth)What is it used for?
Two-dimensional graphics have a very wide range of uses in games. Almost any genre of game can and has use two-dimsional graphics.
There are numerous advantages to using a 2D display engine over an isometric one:
- It is easier to program.
- There are often (though not always) fewer directions of movement to consider than with an isometric engine (side view tends to just have left / right / jump / crouch, top view tends to four or occasionally eight directional movement but no jumping or height related movement).
- Regular square tiles take up less memory than isometric tiles.
- You often need far fewer tiles.
- Re-drawing the screen and occlusion is less of an issue than with isometric.
- It takes less screen space to display a map of a given size (seeming as screens are rectangular not diamond shaped).
- It is far easier to design user interfaces to fit around a regular 2D display than an isometric one.
- Movement controls are far simpler.
- and probably plenty of other various reasons....
However, and this is only my opinion, isometric views tend to look far richer and more interesting than their two-dimensional counterparts.
Show me some!
The following few pages show examples of two-dimensional pixel art and have been broken down into a few basic categories:
