Take a look at this Youtube vid. It's a bit old, but I've just run into it. :O
There's full description on Youtube page, but here's the short version.
Basically, the author is using pixel shaders and pre-rendered pixels to make a REAL 3D world on a 2D projection. Everything on screen is made of 2D cut-outs, but it acts like real 3D objects.Ever seen real-time lighting, HDR, bloom, daylight changes and weather effects in a 2D game?
It's kind of difficult to explain in words, but method is ingeniously simple, just watch the vid.
This is THE stuff I dream of. THE perfect 2D engine, as author himself rightfully calls it, "better than Baldur's Gate 2".
Gernot, streamline something like this into GLB and I'll wash your car for a year.