Roll20 uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. Cookies enable you to enjoy certain features, social sharing functionality, and tailor message and display ads to your interests on our site and others. They also help us understand how our site is being used. By continuing to use our site, you consent to our use of cookies. Update your cookie preferences .
×
Create a free account

"Top-Down" vs "Isometric" token figures. Which do you prefer?

1580306012
Lorien Wright
Pro
Marketplace Creator
I need input from folks. Out of the two, do you prefer using Top Down tokens where the figure is viewed from almost directly above, or isometric where the figure is viewed at an angle (usually from above and in front)? See, I used to produce tokens for the marketplace that were more isometric in how they were angled and presented, but after a hiatus I recently started producing tokens again, and for no reason in particular, went with top-down instead.&nbsp; I'm now wondering if it would be worth the effort and time for me to provide additional separate marketplace packs that include the other kind. Thoughts? For examples of what I'm referring to, here's what the top-down tokens I just released look like: <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/set/4708/animated-top-down-tokens-human-peasant-npcs" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/set/4708/animated-top-down-tokens-human-peasant-npcs</a> and here's an example of what an isometric one would look like: <a href="https://twitter.com/icastpolymorph1/status/1222369016490098688" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/icastpolymorph1/status/1222369016490098688</a> please forgive the low quality, twitter scales it up a lot.
1580306561
David
Sheet Author
Top down for NPCs&nbsp; as they are more generic rather than looking like a bunch of clones.&nbsp;
1580310338
David Hemenway
Pro
Marketplace Creator
I love top down tokens, and yours are exceptional. Though I don't use animation (I get distracted). Adding static images of the tokens to a set would be a plus for me.&nbsp;
1580311184
Lorien Wright
Pro
Marketplace Creator
David Hemenway said: I love top down tokens, and yours are exceptional. Though I don't use animation (I get distracted). Adding static images of the tokens to a set would be a plus for me.&nbsp; Aye, that's been echoed elsewhere too.&nbsp; I think all future sets regardless of camera position will have to include Static versions. Which is relatively easy to include via my current workflow.
For me, I use top-down for all NPCs and PCs. I've purchased a lot already, and I would like my displays/views to be consistent.&nbsp; The angled view appears in some other work that looks interesting, but when used with my existing library would be somewhat jarring.&nbsp; As additional feedback, because there are a large number of lower-resolution tokens already, I don't see myself adopting the 3D rendered ones anytime soon -- regardless of how much I think they're visually quite impressive.&nbsp;
1580324117
David Hemenway
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Excellent. :) Phillip W. (Lorien) said: David Hemenway said: I love top down tokens, and yours are exceptional. Though I don't use animation (I get distracted). Adding static images of the tokens to a set would be a plus for me.&nbsp; Aye, that's been echoed elsewhere too.&nbsp; I think all future sets regardless of camera position will have to include Static versions. Which is relatively easy to include via my current workflow.
1580327512
Gen Kitty
Forum Champion
I prefer isometric to pure top-down (though I really like pog style best), because I can see more of what the creature is supposed to be instead of top of head/shoulders/boobs/tails.&nbsp; At least yours are painted , which gives more detail for the eye to pick out instead of being a mass of grey.&nbsp; :)
1580336175
Elemental Flame
Pro
Marketplace Creator
I am partial to top-down. What some of the folks on the marketplace are doing with isometric is incredible, but it isn’t something I think I’d have the dedication to do. You do great work and I own many of your previous sets because I really liked how they looked even though they weren’t strictly top down. But that newest set really knocked it out of the park. It works well with other token sets I use from Darkwoulfe and Ddraig. I already let you know that I’m more into the static images but even these I was able to pause and they look spectacular.&nbsp;
To quote Louis Sullivan.&nbsp; Form Follows Function. While the isometric stuff looks great, I feel that the top down maps and tokens functions better to show the map, using the range tool etc. BUT I feel that the maps and tokens would benefit from having pictures of the person, forest, building, hill…. (like the additional artwork you get with some tokens)
1580386597
Elemental Flame
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Makes sense, Jens. I took the advice of DMS Creations and began including portraits with many of my top down tokens and they have been selling better.&nbsp;
1580400596
Lorien Wright
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Those are some really good points. I had previously ruminated on the idea of offering a portrait/pog version of the tokens as their own separate pack in the future (also animated), but I'm left to contemplate now if including them within the top-down and/or isometic packs might also be prudent. Though I suppose, if I were to do a full set of animated portraits, I'd also at this point want to include static versions as well.&nbsp; The total number of assets within a pack feels like it'd be getting excessive at that point. I might be overthinking it, but I'm starting to wonder if it'd be preferable for me to focus on fewer characters and just include multiple varieties of those same characters within the same pack.&nbsp; Or maybe a mixture of both, with some packs released with the intent of providing GMs with a bulk variety of one type of camera view of the tokens, and other more specialty packs focused on a niche set of characters. Hmmmm...
1580415364
Gen Kitty
Forum Champion
When an artist has the patience and time to provide a portrait to go with a token, so that the character sheet can show one thing while the map shows the other, that is a very nice touch which sets that art pack above the others -- no matter the style of token.
One vote for top-down, as I just prefer the consistency of top-down tokens on top-down maps. Personally I have little use for neck-up portraits. What I would LOVE to see though is full body portraits (is there an art term for those?) that pair with the top-downs. THOSE I would actually use in game. Top-downs for the tactical maps, full-bodies to drop into the landscape shots that I use for flavor between tactical situations.
The use I see for portraits is as the image for the (N)PC. When the chat avatar changes, it is more convenient for a bust-like face picture than for a full-body image. I'd love to have matching Top-Down tokens and face portraits for the PCs and key NPCs.&nbsp;
1580498399
keithcurtis
Forum Champion
Marketplace Creator
API Scripter
I switched to bordered tokens ("pogs") to make things easy on myself. So much of the compendium is set up that way that I can just pull out a monster and run it. Maybe a couple of script macros to tweak it, but the advantages of speed are hard to give up now. Previously, I liked somewhere between iso and top-down, probably closer to iso. Enough to see the face.
1580500994
Mike W.
Pro
Sheet Author
Top down since in GURPS the facing of the Token is very important.
Top down , always , it evokes the old days of painstakingly painted miniatures, the paint barely dry and chipped by an enthusiastic dice roll . I have bought some sets of tokens that are almost top down, to show the face a bit more, these are excellent for NPCs that will either recur, or will recur generically. I have also bought several sets off site of packs that include several versions of the same characters with different weapons, poses, &amp; sometimes clothing.
1580504385
Lorien Wright
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Hmmm... Maybe I should widen the scope of my inquiry. Seems like there are: Top-Down Isometric Portrait, Bust (shoulders/neck and head only) Portrait, Bordered (Pogs) Full Body Technically, I could produce packs of art that include all of these options for every character, but I worry that might be overkill. Would probably increase the production time by triple, but is doable. Would packs that include all these varieties be sensible, or do folks think there are specific combinations that would work better?
Top down is by far my preferred style of token. That being said, your (Phillip W.) Fantasy Humans tokens was one of the very first art packs I purchased from the Roll20 marketplace. Although they would be considered isometric, I use them all the time and a couple have even become rather iconic recurring NPCs in my campaign.
Portrait all the way for me. :)
1580527513
Lorien Wright
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Brett E. said: Top down is by far my preferred style of token. That being said, your (Phillip W.) Fantasy Humans tokens was one of the very first art packs I purchased from the Roll20 marketplace. Although they would be considered isometric, I use them all the time and a couple have even become rather iconic recurring NPCs in my campaign. OMG, that is a huge compliment! =^_^=
Phillip W. (Lorien) said: OMG, that is a huge compliment! =^_^= One of your Fantasy Human figures I used for a 0-level Hireling when my group was just starting out at 1st level. He was with them all through that campaign arc but died in the final boss fight, protecting the party Magic-User. That was a few (real life) years ago and my players still occasionally talk about what a great guy he was. Another one of your figures I used as an NPC who is kind of a semi-antagonist... A couple in the party don't care for him, the others don't have a strong opinion. He's like Dr. Smith in the original Lost in Space show. But when he turns up they recognize the figure on-sight, I don't need to turn on his name tag. The final one is a flat-out NPC villian, the whole party hates him with a passion. Last time they ran into him, they eventually captured him turned him over to "the authorities". Which of course leaves open the possibility that he could turn up again in the future. But again, they know him by the sight of your figure that I use for him, he doesn't need his name tag turned on. Thanks for the great art packs!
I prefer Top Down, Isometric sometimes causes confusion on where the NPC/PC actually is when it comes to ranges. But when i have a choice i use Tokens as my preferred way..
1580855842
Munky
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Compendium Curator
I love Top Down with a SLIGHT tilt to the angle, like 15 o -20 o and I used them for AGES but alas, these days I have been using Pog Portrait tokens as they come in virtually all of the Compendium upgrades, so now I use Pogs to keep my game consistent.
Scott said: I prefer Top Down, Isometric sometimes causes confusion on where the NPC/PC actually is when it comes to ranges. Whenever I encounter this, I usually say that whatever space their feet are in, that's the space they are occupying.
1581293542
Mino
Marketplace Creator
On paper, I like Isometric more from a visual standpoint, as it makes it nice and clear what the target is, and helps add to the feel of an immersive world more than game pieces do. However, in practice, I end up using pog styled tokens a whole lot, just because it's easy to whip up any old creature in a few seconds, and I can also count on my players being able to make a pog token by just taking whatever picture they want of a character and putting it in a circle. It ends up being a battle of practicality for me, though I would love to run isometric if that hurdle could be crossed.