Please allow me to try to explain what I meant in post #81 about "top-down"
Imagine yourself on a 2 dimensional grid with coordinates X, Y.
Pressing up will move your character north, or up on the Y axis.
Pressing down moves you south or down on the Y axis.
Pressing right moves you east or right on the X axis.
Pressing left moves you west on the grid's X axis.
If this were a video game and not an audiogame, it would give the player a top-down perspective on the screen.
Manamon uses such a style as well.
I have not played the games you menttioned, but I am told shadowrineuses a top-down perspecttive as well.
In DragonSong, you can move around using the directional keys as I just described.
There will be objects such as treasures, NPC's or enemies. Some remain stationary, some move around in the same manner described above.
Each object will have a sound associated with it. As your character moves around the map, the volume and channels for the sounds will change according to your position relative to the object.
If the object is to your left, you will hear it in your left ear or on your left speaker. The opposite being ttrue for the right side.
If the object is above you, the object will sound more centered.
If the object is below you, it will sound centered, but at a slightly lowered pitch.
Special sounds will play in your right or left ear if the area opens up, for example, if you are following a wall on your left, the game will play a sound if the wall comes to an end on your left. The game will play a differend sound if there is no wall on your left and there is on your next step up or down.
The game will also emit sounds as your character approaches walls or barriers in the appropriate direction. these sounds increase in pitch the closer you get to the wall.
If you have a map of the area, you can use it to activate pre-made beacons to help guide you to specific places on that map. You can even add custom beacons by marking spots on your map.
Even without a map, you still have some help navigating the game world with the ability to pause the game and look around, which will tell you where nearby objects are relative to your position.
I hope this helps! If you have any suggestions as to this subject, feel free to reach out!
-Cerulean
Even a blind lion still has his teeth and claws.