Feedback talk:User/Morgaine

Give me feedback here! :-)

Z-axis in the GW game engine

 * Guild Wars has no z-axis, so coordinates can only be given by x,y. [[Image:User_Felix_Omni_Signature.png]]elix Omni 12:44, 15 March 2011 (UTC)
 * I know that it  appears  to have no z-axis, as evidenced by traps being triggered regardless of height for example. But that's not actually the case, it's just a simplification often made to explain the game mechanics to people.  The reality is that at graphics level the z-axis has to be present in the scenegraph for the mesh content to be rendered correctly.  What ArenaNet has done is merely not externalize that z-axis data, and it's not present (or ignored) in the events engine too.  In case you're not acquainted with how graphics engines work, let me give you a little conundrum to highlight the issue.  In the Thunderhead Keep mission there are bridges over the entrance paths into the Keep.  If there were no z-axis, how would the game engine distinguish between you being on the path (and hence only being able to move in/out of the Keep) or you being on the bridge (and hence only being able to move at right angles to the path)?  Furthermore, despite a ranger's trap triggering regardless of height, the graphics engine clearly knows that you are higher up when you're on the bridge, otherwise it wouldn't be drawing you higher up.  The z-axis data really is there, it has to be there for the graphics to display correctly.  And so, it can be made available as I suggested as well. Morgaine 18:30, 16 March 2011 (UTC)