Learn · Game design
The camera decides how a game looks at its world; the grid decides where things can stand and what counts as one step. Here is the same house, tree, and hero on six kinds of space, with the places the hero can reach in one step lit up.
The map is cut into equal cells, and everything stands in one of them.
Also called tile grid, rectangular grid
The map is cut into squares. Each cell touches four others side to side, or eight if diagonals count. A diagonal step covers about 1.4 times the distance of a straight one, so 8-way movement needs care.
Also called hexagonal grid
The map is cut into hexagons. Every cell has six neighbors, all equally far, so range and movement feel fair in every direction. Hexes come point-top (drawn here, where each row sits half a cell over from the last) or flat-top (where each column does).
Also called diamond grid, iso tiles
A square grid seen through an isometric camera: turned 45° and squashed into diamonds twice as wide as they are tall. Underneath, it works exactly like a square grid.
Instead of a whole map of cells, the world is a few rows or a set of stops.
Also called rows, tracks
The world is a handful of parallel rows. Things move along their own row and only meet what's in it, so choosing a row is most of the decision.
Also called graph, route map
The world is a set of stops joined by paths. You only ever stand on a stop, and the paths decide where you can go next.
Things can stand anywhere.
Also called free movement, continuous space
Positions are continuous: things stand anywhere and move in any direction. Enemies still need a way to find a path, usually a navigation mesh or a hidden grid.
| Grid | One step reaches | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Square grid | 4, or 8 with diagonals | Almost anything; the simplest to draw and to code |
| Hex grid | 6, all equally far | Strategy and war games, overworld maps |
| Isometric grid | 4, or 8 with diagonals | City builders, tactics |
| Lanes | 2 along the lane; changing lanes is a move of its own | Tower defense, auto-battlers, one-screen idle games |
| Node map | Whichever stops the paths connect | Roguelike runs, world maps, choosing a route |
| No grid | None; anything within reach | Action games, shooters, physics toys |