Making your game general

ITT we discuss how to collaboratively design our games.

If your're are game works on square grid and characters can move diagonally, then you will break pythagoras theorem. Consider playfield:
5 + + + + +
4 + + + + +
3 + + + + +
2 + + + + +
1 + + + + +
0 1 2 3 4 5

getting from (0,0) to (5,5) would require just 5 movements diagonally, instead sqrt(5^2+5^2). So allowing hexagonal movement is a very bad idea that will confuse players. That is why most game designers prefer hexagonal playfields.

Solutions:
1. Disallow diagonal movement (Final Fantasy Tactics doesn't allow it).
2. Move to proper continuous euclidean space.
3. Make diagonal movement cost sqrt(2) tine units, instead of 1. Viable alternative for realtime strategies, where engine calculates it under the hood, but turn-based players will hate you and your game.


So yes, just use hexagons or other similar lattice.