Invasion of the Iso Casual Games

I'm noticing more and more the plethora of isometric style casual games appearing at BFG. They seem pretty popular! Maybe this is the next direction the playstyle is taking as opposed match3 / hidden object?

isometric is an art style not a play style. Perhaps you are looking at the time management games? Do you have any examples?

Look at the BFG top 10 and you'll see what I mean. Isometric style games are tearing up the charts. Call it art style or call it sim city-esque style games....they're still doing really well lately.

ah okay so that clarifies things. As grey pointed out, isometric refers to how the graphics are set up, not the gameplay. It's that sort of angled top-down point of view in games like The Sims, Diablo, etc. When you said "isometric style casual games" I assumed you meant puzzle games with an isometric view like Bloxorz.

Can you describe the games you are referring to? On the BFG top downloads the only isometric game I noticed was the home design one (great idea that one) but I only took a cursory glance really.

Agreed. A couple of the others have a skewed top down view: one is time management/sim (the Farm one) and one is an RPG.

Ok, the isometric art style seems to be getting popular, regardless of the gameplay...

I don't really think it's an invasion, or even a trend. Just the usual. (Although they might be more visible if match-3 games weren't blocking the sun.)

match-3 games aren't blocking the sun any more, they don't even make it into the top 10 on most sites. Hidden Object games and time management games (most are skewed top down view like Aveyond 2 and Diner Dash, NOT isometric: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isometric_projection ) are flooding all the charts.

Well I doubt people are running around calling them skewed top down view....they're probably generalizing them as Isometric Style. But you go girl!

You still don't get it do you? Isometric is at a *single* fixed angle like this:



I've no idea what the "official" term for skewed top down is (I'm not even sure there is one) but they are NOT isometric because the ANGLE is not the same. People won't be generalsing them as isometric because they are not - only YOU are generalising them as isometric. Please God, let this information penetrate the tiny portals through which Chroma perceives the world.

This is only a sampling of two people obviously, but it is the first two people who replied to your thread so note that I didn't apply the term to anything other than the one game with the technical definition of isometric.

Incidentally, when you say "people" in your last post, what people exactly are you referring to? That is a vague word. If you mean the term will be misused by consumers who don't know any better then of course, but you are a game developer and should be using terms correctly.

Heading off your potential argument, it wouldn't be a good idea to market using the term "isometric" because that word is too difficult. Use terms like "simulation" or "time management" because not only are they more correct, they are easier to understand and remember.

Hmm...I do believe I used the words Isometric STYLE. I'm quite aware of what the single word Isometric refers to. I have the book Isometric Game Programming with DirectX 7.0. Isometric Style means any skewed top down game. My term usage is valid. Noel knew what I was refering to...

It's very easy to pick apart someone's post and reply with endless babbling about how you thought they didn't use a term right. My advice is maybe rationalize a bit and use common sense. If I had used the word Isometric by itself then fine, you got me. But I didn't. ;)

The gist of my post was that Isometric Style games are making a comeback IMO. If you want to continue to bleat incessantly about terminology then knock yourself out. /shrug