I'm attempting something like this:
...but the camera perspective is going to be more like 16 bit Zelda, not this 'tilted' isometric style. Nevertheless, the same problem remains -- how do I create a world that has a real, meaningful Z axis that the player can jump around in? One where objects can exist at the same X/Y coordinates, but a different Z?
Has anyone done a tutorial on this? I have some basic ideas on how to pull this off, but nothing concrete, and it seems like a pretty basic thing to want.