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This thread is based on a hunch I had this morning. However, two earlier findings played a role, namely: Allard Höfelt's "The truth about civ2 squares" (which I mostly disprove, incidentally, even though the ideas are good), and my own map grid images (which this thread builds upon).
What happens if you put a transparent terrain square below a terrain square which extends below its diamond? (see attached image, top)
The result is clear. On the left you see the usual result, a black void which turns into rubbish if you start moving around the map. On the right you see how the red from the Desert graphic fills up the top transparent half of the Plains graphic. Also note that the red only appears over the semi-transparent Plains, while it isn't visible in any other squares.
This immediately disproves Allard's thread (not to mention his "assymetrical pixel" was a load of hokey), because this shows that graphics can extend below the diamond shape just fine. The lower edge of a tile isn't a fixed boundary beyond which everything disappears. It all just depends on what the tiles to the Southeast and Southwest of it look like.
The reason for this is that the map is drawn from top to bottom, row by row. With the usual "jagged" diamond shape, there is a thin line of overlap as Allard noted. This does indeed explain the gap in North/South road connections or the lower edge of a unit disappearing.
However, as my smooth new grid images and the transparent terrain test showed, there is no need to stick to this diamond shape. You just have to make sure you are consistent, or you may end up with a few stray transparent pixels.
In the attached image, on the right, you can see my newly suggested diamond shape guidelines. If you stick to these guidelines, there will be no overlap. Furthermore, there is no irregular "3-step" in the diamond, making for a smoother grid and more intuitive tile shape.
The left-most of the three is a single-tile high graphic for terrains, for instance. The next is a one-and-a-half tile high shape for Civ2 units. The far-right image is a 2-tile high graphic for Test of Time units. Note that I've used two slightly different shades of purple to add some further distinction. Due to the 15-bit nature of Test of Time graphics, both shades will be transparent in Civ2.
This same new grid can also be applied to the Ocean and coast graphics, so I've also added a new little diamond (as used for the coastal graphics in the Terrain2). In contrast with the original ones, all four little diamonds now have the exact same shape. Each little diamond is an exact quarter of a normal diamond, so much less of a hassle to figure out how they tile.
In the lower-left corner, I've added the smooth alternatives for the three standard grid shapes. The cursor, standard grid and city grid.
With this new grid, there will be no unexpected parts of your unit disappearing. The vertical road connection will look better, as long as they stay within the purple diamond, and the grid lines run smoother.
The attached image isn't in any appropriate Civ2 graphics format, but there's nothing a little cutting and pasting won't solve.
What happens if you put a transparent terrain square below a terrain square which extends below its diamond? (see attached image, top)
The result is clear. On the left you see the usual result, a black void which turns into rubbish if you start moving around the map. On the right you see how the red from the Desert graphic fills up the top transparent half of the Plains graphic. Also note that the red only appears over the semi-transparent Plains, while it isn't visible in any other squares.
This immediately disproves Allard's thread (not to mention his "assymetrical pixel" was a load of hokey), because this shows that graphics can extend below the diamond shape just fine. The lower edge of a tile isn't a fixed boundary beyond which everything disappears. It all just depends on what the tiles to the Southeast and Southwest of it look like.
The reason for this is that the map is drawn from top to bottom, row by row. With the usual "jagged" diamond shape, there is a thin line of overlap as Allard noted. This does indeed explain the gap in North/South road connections or the lower edge of a unit disappearing.
However, as my smooth new grid images and the transparent terrain test showed, there is no need to stick to this diamond shape. You just have to make sure you are consistent, or you may end up with a few stray transparent pixels.
In the attached image, on the right, you can see my newly suggested diamond shape guidelines. If you stick to these guidelines, there will be no overlap. Furthermore, there is no irregular "3-step" in the diamond, making for a smoother grid and more intuitive tile shape.
The left-most of the three is a single-tile high graphic for terrains, for instance. The next is a one-and-a-half tile high shape for Civ2 units. The far-right image is a 2-tile high graphic for Test of Time units. Note that I've used two slightly different shades of purple to add some further distinction. Due to the 15-bit nature of Test of Time graphics, both shades will be transparent in Civ2.
This same new grid can also be applied to the Ocean and coast graphics, so I've also added a new little diamond (as used for the coastal graphics in the Terrain2). In contrast with the original ones, all four little diamonds now have the exact same shape. Each little diamond is an exact quarter of a normal diamond, so much less of a hassle to figure out how they tile.
In the lower-left corner, I've added the smooth alternatives for the three standard grid shapes. The cursor, standard grid and city grid.
With this new grid, there will be no unexpected parts of your unit disappearing. The vertical road connection will look better, as long as they stay within the purple diamond, and the grid lines run smoother.
The attached image isn't in any appropriate Civ2 graphics format, but there's nothing a little cutting and pasting won't solve.
Attached Files
The smoothed diamonds will come in handy for unit creation, certainly.
I guess I did. After seeing that the transparent terrain thing worked and since my "smooth" grids worked earlier, I simply tried if straight edges on the diamond would still make the terrain fit.
This isn't some magical solution or anything, it just removes the overlap really. Unfortunately, the railroads use quite a few more pixels of real-estate. You will definitely see more of them, though.
), so this didn't occur to me at the time. 
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