Possibly unique tool suggestions for view layers

[YSimulInfotime]

Lots of underground work sometimes tough seeing proper perspective in the isometric...same old gripes i reckon. 

idea 1: toggle invisible footpaths, except the continuous path set being currently worked on.  Story: I enabled underground view, hid rides, hid supports, hid footpaths, and relied on the occluded silhouette to construct my path, because had i not made paths invisible, I would have not seen the in-progress path area whatsoever. 
 // initiate hidden paths function. 
// when [present path] being constructed, all continuous (adjacent) path planes in (x,y,z) toggled back from hiding. 
(maybe not any adjacent, but longitudinally adjacent. (so a transverse adjacent entrance queue remains hidden for e.g.)) 

It seems easy to code, because it's just a 6 or 4-sided true/false loop terminating upon all false return, and the functions to display and hide paths are already written. 

Idea 2:  Might be out of rct2 scope to increase amount of view rotation angles, especially in the ZX and ZY planes, but what about orthographic projections? 

This is already done simplistically in plan view map, but without ability to toggle through depth layers, and orthographic side views would help perspective troubles and layer occlusions. 

Idea 3: A la carte object view toggle for when you need to hide only a small portion of objects to see what you're building, and actually require the remaining elements be visible.  (kinda opposite of idea 1) 

BIG thank you to all folks coding up all the knick knacks we all longed for decades ago.  The fastforward feature permits enhanced understanding how guests respond to ride and park parameters. 

 

[X7123M3-256]

12 minutes ago, YSimulInfotime said:

Might be out of rct2 scope to increase amount of view rotation angles, especially in the ZX and ZY planes, but what about orthographic projections? 

I don't think this could ever work (it is certainly not possible unless we get a new object format). The developers want to keep the ability to use vanilla assets, so even if we introduced replacement sprites I doubt they would want to add extra view angles, as the vanilla graphics don't have the sprites for them.

16 minutes ago, YSimulInfotime said:

Idea 3: A la carte object view toggle for when you need to hide only a small portion of objects to see what you're building, and actually require the remaining elements be visible.  (kinda opposite of idea 1)

I'm not sure what this means. It sounds similar to the cut away view?

[joshmarsilio]

There would be no way to display more than 4 angles of view during game play, unless every ride, track piece, and object ever created were re-drawn by hand from those new angles. And still, the game itself would have to be remade to display more than 4 angles of view.

-It sounds like maybe you need to learn how to use the "cut away view". Select the cut-away view in the "eye"/view icon, then slide the slider left and right to see under, through, and inside things while you build. Also, use the tile inspector's x/y axis to move to new squares left,right, up, or down precisely and one by one by clicking the up or down arrows next to the x or y axis's.

These techniques may help you get around blocked views etc...

[AirplaneRandy]

Cross section view ala Dwarf Fortress. A special mode that'll let the player view everything at a certain layer and below it. Hills would be cut away as if the shovel tool was used to flatten them revealing underground objects. I can totally see this being implemented 5 years from now ;^)

 

[X7123M3-256]

How would that be any better than the existing cut away view?

[imlegos]

I thought by the "A la carte" thing he meant being able to zone a certain area so no tiles on it appear, to make it easier to build up something behind another structure.