hexigons or squares?

[Cyrusblack]

so im making a new RTS based on the old Beyond Protocol concept (based on, its already quite different). and im trying to deside whether to use squares or hexigons for caculations (visual refference point) of firing range, radar, and map designs... ive heard before that both squares and hexigons have different and valid reasons for usage in games... im jsut wondering what people, who have already played ALOT of various sifi games would think.

[sscadmin]

After recently playing 10min Space Strategy (http://spacesimcentral.com/?p=288) I seem to like the hegagon for a grid than squares myself.

[Cyrusblack]

yeah, well with squares, its easyer to code up, but if your trying to go with oribits and "circular" designs for graphics and general asthetics, hexigons are where its at, while using squares has problems with movement in / (sideways directions) hexigons do not, however hexigons seem to break down a bit when you start amping up there sizes. you cant do spheres with purely hexigons either aperantly, they dont "zip" up, squares do. the game is to be RTS, so the hexigons are merely used as a refference point for distances and ranges. as well as structure and parts lock in points. for instance, speed calculation are in hexigons per second, and weapon ranges are in the number of hexigons distance. i can make subsquares in square designs, i cant do that in hexigons. its trying to deside at what point calculations become unbalance between stats (some stats wouldnt translate well on the same size squares hexigons), so thats why i have been considering subsquares for weapons and things so better distances and what not can be calculated (you cant sub "square" hexigons)..... lots of stuff to mull over. this is one of the reasons i havent started to code up the game, too many variables to conder first, i need to finish writting up the concept paperwork...... sorry if im rambling a bit.

[Guest]

For me hex is better

[bertipa]

Even in the war-game world the best one are done on nice tables full of miniature, no square, no hexagon, just a ruler and possibly a goniometer.That was an inconvenient system if you wanted open the hobby toward the mass public and square and hexagon were born.Moving to a virtual world in the computer screen the inconvenience can be just dropped on the CPU shoulder so… why square and hexagon at all?