u/DannyHicks

Please let me know if another, perhaps more 3D game dev oriented subreddit is more suited.

Talking about semi-solid platforms like the ones used in games such as the New Super Mario Bros. series that rise up from the ground.

https://imgur.com/a/ddGlRjJ

In a fully 3D-modelled 2.5D game (a 3D environment with a perspective camera, where the player and enemies are locked to a 2D movement plane), I'm trying to understand how these platforms could be handled in a visually convincing way.

If the character's Z position is fixed, a semi-solid platform would need to occupy the same Z space as the character in order for standing and walking on top of it to look correct. However, this immediately creates a problem: when the character moves underneath or jumps below the platform, they would appear behind it (behind the terrain's "front surface").

One solution would be to adjust render order so the character is always drawn in front of the platform, even when they are technically behind it. But this creates its own visual issue: when the character is standing on the same underlying surface as the platform, a slightly top-down perspective camera would reveal that the platform visually continues underneath the character. This breaks the illusion that the character is properly grounded on the underlying surface.

Alternatively, the platform could be positioned further back on the Z axis so the character correctly appears in front of it when moving underneath its top surface. However, this makes the character look visually detached from the platform when standing on top of it, as if they are floating slightly in front of where they should be.

A potential workaround would be to dynamically adjust the player's Z position depending on whether they are standing/walking on top of, or moving underneath, above or through, the platform's top surface. However, this can feel visually jarring with the constant movement during gameplay. Multiple overlapping semi-solid platforms, as shown in the second image, would make this even more complex to manage.

What genre or style is the music from the Harry the Hamster web games?

How could a 2.5D platformer visually handle semi-solid ground that the player can walk in front of and stand on?