HexTech - Hexagon Tile Based Map Framework available on Asset Store

In 2017, this asset was deprecated by Unity, due to me not being able to maintain it at the time because of intense work at the time.

I'm finally getting back to making version 4, and it is better in every way. A built in editor, the terrain texture is shader-driven now instead of drawn on, making it look better and run faster, pathfinding and a basic unit template will also be included.

 

I am at work right now so I can't check the asset Store, how much is it?

 

$100.

Took me two months to create, I figure it'll save people at least that much time if they wanted to do it on their own.

 

If anyone who has ordered it has any problems, contact me here or at tasarran@electricrune.com; I'll be happy to help.

I guess the fact that nobody has had any problems yet means that I documented enough...

 

Several sales, no complaints or issues brought to my attention, I assume everyone is happy so far!

If you're looking to do any kind of hex-based game, with varying elevations or not, HexTech is the package for you!

 

Just a bump to bring this to the attention of any potential new wargame designers.

 

If any of my customers have any ideas about things that need to be added, please let me know.
If it's something I think is a good idea, it might become a standard feature...

 

I'd be interested to know how my customers are doing; I've had several sales over the last few months, and I'd be interested to hear any successes or even complaints.

 

I'm nearing completion on a game I made using the HexTech system.

Under Steel Skies; check the WIP thread here:
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/118456-Under-Steel-Skies-futuristic-hex-based-wargame-feedback

 

hi,
I'm toying with an idea I'm still in the very early stages (which means I might not even make the game)
but, I'm quite interested in your framework.
I have a few questions.

1) what are the hex tiles made of ? (3D model, a mesh the framework creates, a prefab that I define, or something different ?)
2) does it run on mobile devices ? iOS android
3) can it be used with some of the existing 2D frameworks ? (I guess that would work if I'm making the map then a prefab is set for each tile I make)
4) does it generate the map or do I create the map in an editor that you made ? (did you make an editor ?)
5) does it include path finding ? (e.g. I have a character in Tile A want it to go to Tile B, do i have to make the calculations ? or is it implemented ? if it is implemented, can I define obstacles or unwalkable tiles ?)

can you post a video of the workflow of how to make a map ?

it's quite weird that nobody commented here after buying the plugin !! I hope it really is that good

 

I also thought it was weird that nobody has commented, either up or down; I haven't had a lot of sales, but it's in the double digits...
A couple of guys have sent me emails with some questions about how to customize/extend the code, but nobody has had any kudos or curses...

1) The terrain part of the tiles are a mesh that I made in Maya.
It could be any sort of mesh you want to use, but you'll have to modify the script that deforms the vertices to work with the specific vertices of your mesh.
They have features (trees, rocks, grass) that are a combination of tree creator assets and meshes, again, you can sub your own stuff in as you wish.
Each terrain type has one hex prefab, and some randomization happens when the map first loads that makes each tile unique.
If you want to have cliff sides possible along the edges, the tile meshes are a hexagonal cylinder, if you want smooth joins all around, it can just be a flat hexagon mesh.

2) I don't know if it will run on iOS, but if you kept your tiles, and perhaps more importantly, the extra features, low in poly count; ans you kept the maps from being really large, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

3) I don't know anything about any existing 2D frameworks, so I can't speak to that question...

4) I haven't made an editor for HexTech yet, the way it gets the map data is from an image file (PSD).
The image is a staggered grid of squares, the color represents height, a colored area is read for the type of terrain, and certain pixels are read along the edge for roads and rivers. It sounds difficult, but when you see the map image, it will make sense.

5) Pathfinding isn't in the package as it exists, but all the needed info is there. The script that sets up the map assigns values on each hex, defining which hexes are connected, and assigns move values at that point.

 

HexTech will be updating to 2.0 before the end of August!

Adding large-scale terrain, with the option to fractalize the terrain.
See the WIP thread for the game I am currently developing, Glyph, for some preview screenshots.
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/143632-Glyph-Fantasy-4X-TBS

HexTech 1.0 uses individual tiles, that get distorted and placed around the map.
It uses sphere colliders on each hex to determine mousing over and clicking upon hexes.

The new map in 2.0 is made up of large meshes, and uses a raycast to determine the target hex.
This increases efficiency by a large margin, and allows much bigger map.

Soon after this, I will be releasing my GeoGlobe project, allowing the creation of hex-tiled spheres with the same kinds of features.
See this thread for some screenshots and webplayers.
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/137007-Geodesic-globe-WIP

 

HexTech 2.0 is ready for beta!

Please try out this link: http://www.electricrune.com/Glyph/WebPlayer.html

The texture map painting routine is still on the slow side; I have a plan to speed this up, but right now, depending on your computer GPU, it takes 15-30 seconds per map.
There is a progress message, so you will see progress, not just a blank screen.

This is a 128x128 map, but the upper limit is only defined by the amount of free RAM you have. Maps can be any size, but height and width must be multiples of 32. (considering changing to 16x16 for increased resolution)

Feedback greatly appreciated!

 

I'd love to check this out, but the webplayer crashes chrome every time I run it ;(

 

Hrm. OK, so I guess it doesn't work on Chrome.

The only other bug report I've had is that the textures go black if you are running a Flash player in another tab, and you switch while the textures are generating.
No idea why that one happens, but I suspect its something about Flash and Unity accessing the texture memory at the same time.

In any event, I can't do anything about Unity not playing nice with Flash and Chrome, can I?

 

I have no idea, but I would love to buy this, but not working in chrome (arguably the browsers with the largest market share) is a deal breaker for me.

 

I don't have a clue why it wouldn't work; I'm only making meshes and texture maps.

It's not like I'm doing 4D-physics or quantum mechanics...

I'm not dis-interested in trying to make it work on Chrome, but I'm at a complete loss to figure out where to attack it.

 

I am testing the same webplayer on Chrome without problems, at least not more than the ones I already pointed out in the WIP thread. This probably has little to do with the webplayer itself, it is most likely a configuration issue brought on by Chrome to the Unity player.

 

Yeah, I just checked my website statistics, and 46% of the hits are from Chrome, and nobody is complaining about it crashing...

I don't mean to blame the victim, but there might be a problem on your end, fholm.

 

Just to add to the feedback, I wanted to check it out too, but my Chrome crashed too, both times I tried (at "generating textures 1of 16"). Maybe you should try asking the Unity guys?

First thing that comes to my mind about what might be the cause... maybe you're having an intense operation running without breaks, and it's taking some seconds to execute, and as such Chrome deems the plugin non-responsive?

 

Hmm, that might be it, but I wonder why NandusMasta isn't having the same issue?

I can make a build that yields between each hex, rather than between each map, but that will slow it down even more...

Well, I suppose it's OK for testing...

But since I'm moving back to development, maybe it would be better to move back to the WIP thread?

 

I just tried again and it worked fine, although it did took a little more time for the map to load this time; it may be because I had a higher load on my system. I also find that any activity in other tabs will only delay the map generation even more, so it's advisable to just let it load completely; otherwise you get a unresponsive tab. Might that be what's going on? People find the tab unresponsive and close the application before the map loads?

 

I posted a testing version at [link deleted, beta fix worked into regular link above]

This one yields between each hex, so if it's a time-out issue, this should work.

 

No crashes with this version for me

 

OK, I guess it was the timeout issue... Good to know, I will be more aware of timing, going forward.

 

Updated the webplayer; now the texture maps are created on my end, and saved.

This cuts the map creation time from 2-5 minutes to about 20 seconds, at the cost of increasing the size of the webplayer file from 14MB to 24MB.
A very fair trade-off, IMO.

This should also eliminate the Chrome problem.
Can I get a test, my Chr-Homies?
(Link at the top of post)

 

As a regular Chr-Homie, I can confirm that, webplayer loading apart, it's superfast now

 

Update: New web player posted at original URL
New screenshot at top of post.

Minimap with old-school iconography, zoomable, clickable
Twenty terrain types (extendable)
Rivers on hex sides, roads through centers
Map labels with variable sizes and ranges of visibility at different zoom levels
Works with Pro and Free versions

I will be posting a 2.1 update very soon, that shows how this code can also be used to do almost everything that 1.0 can do, better!

 

Hi Tasarran, great framework!

I want to get version 2 or even 2.1 but i can find only 1.0 - http://u3d.as/content/electric-rune/hex-tech/2fx
or description could be wrong there?
When 2.1 will be available?

Thanks!

 

Sorry, I had an issue; for a few weeks, I thought I was waiting on approval, but the package never got submitted.

Then I've been sidetracked with getting my other package "HexGlobe" approved (there were some problems the Unity folks wanted me to change.

And on top of it all, while working on HexGlobe, I found some things I wanted to add/tweak on HexTech.

Long story short, I should have new package ready for release this week, and sorry for the delay.

I am offering free upgrades, so if you buy it now, you will get 2.x when it comes out!

 

Hi this lookes really interesting but Im wandering if this is only a large scale framework, from the pictures I saw its only a world sized scale, can it be a small area size scale of hexagon tiles? (for instence have you ever played a board game called "Heroscape"? if so I want to know if it could make fields like that?).

Im starting to construct a game, and im looking for an engine or somthing to help me create a hexagon tile-based battle system (to clerify) I want a tile-based battle engine like "final fantisy tactecs advanced" but with hexagon tiles insted of square tiles, could any one help me out? (and or could this hextech do it for me?)

 

Sure, HexTech 1.0 will do that...

Still working on incorporating all the functionality from 1.0 into 2.0, which is part of the reason 2.0 has been delayed.

 

I see 2.0 is out. I'll get back with an opinion once I've got it running I just got through rewriting HexTech 1.0 for C# and enhancing it, so I'm wondering what HexTech 2 looks like and I''ll have to decide whether I need to update V2 to C# and start over, or what.

If anyone is is trying it out, the first time, it looks like it takes a LONG time to start the first time in the editor, don't assume it's broken and needs to be restarted. I don't know how long yet, but it's quite a while. Many minutes at 100% on one core.

 

2.0 is not out, I only lowered the price, because I doubt I will be able to give it any more support.

 

IMPORTANT, HEXTECH 2.0 is NOT LIVE, this is the same package as it used to be.

I didn't upload new graphics, I'm not sure how that got changed...

I'm taking it down until I can figure out WTF happened.

 

I would have love to get an update on this asset, so I am quite sad to read it was a false alarm. In any case I think you should state in the description that you don't plan on giving support or updates for this. Regardless of the price, many people look for these things when purchasing an asset, at least I know I do. This IMO it's better that this is clearly stated, so people know exactly what they are getting.

 

Hey Tasarran,

This frameworks looks really interesting for turn based strategy games.
Can it be used to create hexagon / tiles on a custom external map (for example created with Terrain Composer, or even with Unity terrain) or will it only work on maps created by the framework?

Thanks and keep up the good work

 

This project has been languishing in neglect for a long time, but I am about to give it the long-promised upgrade before the end of the year.
To answer your question directly, the data currently comes from an image file that is read in, but it has to be in a very specific format.
However, this is just an input device; this data could be read in any number of ways, from a CSV file, to a more sophisticated depth-map type system...
So, the answer is a totally un-helpful yes and no...

It really just needs to read in heights and terrain types for each hex on the map, how that data gets in can take any number of forms.
But when you boil it down, its just two arrays.

 

Been looking at both HexTech and HexGlobe, not really sure what the differences are between them, except that one is $35, and the other is $50. Also, had to go to your webpage to find an example in a web player. Had several questions, but at the moment I'll settle for asking only one.

Deleted the original question, because the version on the demo was for the demo, not the HexTech version!

Can you supply the documentation on your website to review? I am very intrigued by your product, and would like to investigate further on the customization available with the tiles.

 

Hello! We are very intrigued with your hex engine and plan on buying and testing it. We want to know what is its current state. Is it production ready? Can we use it in a serious game? Do you answer emails for support?
Thank you!

 

We bought the addon in order to check if it's good for us and it has more than 1000 errors in unity and cannot be compiled. I'm using the latest unity version. Is there anything to do about it?

 

There appears to be a lot of errors in the latest edition. I reached out directly to the author a few months ago, and he was close to publishing his own game using the updated hex version I believe. The games looked very interesting.

The link sent to me is: http://www.pockettactics.com/news/ios-news/revealed-russian-front-hunted-cows-biggest-wargame-yet/

 

Sorry, guys, the project has been languishing, but I am very close to getting it out for release.
The commercial release I have been working on has been taking a long time in the final phases of production, but the end is near!

The new version doesn't use individual tiles, it uses meshes and a large mesh collider; and is much superior to the old system.
The screenshots at the top are still reflective of the latest version.

Right now, the map is great for making large scale maps on the level of countries.
I'm working on adding functionality more along the lines of HexTech 1.0, for making smaller scale maps where the elevation of each hex is more important. I call them Terrain Maps (large-scale) and Contour Maps (small-scale).

 

I'm trying to finalize the list of terrains to support out of the box; here's what I have so far:

Ocean - the briny deep
Sea - shallower than an ocean, usually found near the coast
Swamp - low-lying mix of water, mud, and small islands, with some trees
Marsh - low-lying mix of water and mud, with marsh grasses and reeds
Arid - dirt
Rocky Desert - dry, sandy, flat land with many rocks and gullies
Desert - dry, sandy, flat land
Plains - some grass, basic flat land
Grassland - fertile flat land
Ashen Plains - burnt by fire, lava, or magic
Burnt Forest - a forest burnt by fire, lava, or magic
Tundra - frozen most of the year
Snowfields - covered with snow, all the time
Glacier - a frozen layer of ice, barren of all life
Scrub - semi-fertile terrain with small trees and bushes
Forest - you can't see this terrain for all the trees
Dense Forest - Even more trees
Jungle - large trees, heavy undergrowth, tropical climate
Badlands - dry, broken, stony land, with many rocks and canyons
Arid Hills - same as Arid, but hills
Desert Dunes - same as Desert
Hills - same as Plains
Grassy Hills - same as Grassland
Ashen Hills - same as Ashen Plains
Scrub Hills - same as Scrub
Forest Hills - same as Forest
Jungle Hills - same as Jungle
Rocky Mountains - mountains in dry climate, no snow on top
Mountains - your typical rocky ranges with snow-covered peaks
Snowy Mountains - covered with snow and ice
Arid Summit - A single large rocky peak
Mountain Summit - A single large snow-capped peak
Snowy Summit - A single large snow-covered peak
Volcano - an active volcano, smoking, possibly with lava

Anyone see any I am missing?

 

Wow, awesome selection

River or shallow water (sea and ocean may work for this) For example if i make a tank game may want a river where if shallow waters units may cross but if deep then they need to build a bridge or go around.

perhaps lava land (magma)

 

Here is my grid of terrain types as it stands right now, with the minimap icons I'll be using...

You can see that there is a base terrain shape (left side), and an 'overlay' or type.
There's plenty of room for expansion, for example, you could easily add terrain types for Mountain/Desert, or add Ice Floes at Sea/Ice, or Icebergs at Ocean/Ice.



And here's the map data file: The terrain shape is the bottom part of a hex that has two colors, one that is one solid color is just Plain, Hill, Mountain with no 'extras'.



I'm implementing a system of painting the hexes on the map that I hope will be much faster with better end results as well, I will post a video of me exploring this map as soon as able.

 

This is pretty neat. I'll check it out in the store when the newer version is up.

 

​Good news, everyone!

​

I complained to the people at the Asset Store, and I was right, a mistake had been made; by the person who told me that asset could not be re-activated!

So, I'll be updating the package within the next 24 hours, and old users will still be in the update chain!

 

Intro, feature tour, and basic tutorial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkouwY8LLfg

 

Nice tool, considering to purchase ))

Will it work together with TBTK from Songtan? HexTech for global map and his kit for battles (when player enter occupied hex battle will begin). Also does your tool support PlyGame and NGUI?

Thank you Tasarran!