I am slowly learning Unity and have so far made a standard 2d and then a standard 3d game, my end goal is to create a top down RPG and I am struggling to understand whether these games are 2d or 3d. I have read a few things about 2.5d and how you can have 2d objects in 3d worlds and visa versa but am struggling to understand these concepts. Could anyone offer some knowledge of this topic and possibly point me in the direction of some resource I can follow/read up on?
These days you can do it either way. It’s whatever you prefer. I’d go with whatever type of assets you can create more easily.
Both of these examples look 3D but you can’t always tell from a screenshot. Sometimes 3D models are used to render 2D sprites. Some games, like the PS1 Final Fantasy games, use a mix of 2D and 3D graphics.
The second screenshot looks like 3D, but I’m thinking they’re achieving a 2D. isometric look by using orthographic rendering on the camera. Orthographic basically means that the graphics are 3D but the camera is rendering them with no perspective (i.e. the objects don’t appear smaller when they are far away). This is one way to achieve a 2D look, but you can just as well make a top-down RPG without using this technique. It’s also possible to adjust your FOV to get a near-to-orthographic look, but maintain some perspective for a more realistic look.
The the first screenshot may also be using othrographic rendering or not. It’s hard for me to tell.
