[pythian] Re: Camera Controls

  • From: Jens Zetterström <yule@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <pythian@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 13:04:57 -0700

I think we need a cursor when in 1st person view to. 
 
But one thing that i think we need to to is fix is a system with areas
that cant only alow 1st person view. So entering a area lite that
automatly swiches to 1stP and leaving swiching back to 3rd. I thought of
this when creating the towers in the fort level. can be usfull in tight
areas.
 
//yule

<-----Original Message----->

                 From: Darryl Long
Sent: 5/26/2003 8:56:40 PM
To: pythian@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [pythian] Camera Controls 


A quote from a GamaSutra article on game design: 
"Dave Wilson brought it to my attention that there are some third-person
3D 
games that give the player no control over the camera at all. Bad game 
designer! That's what 3D environments are for: it costs you nothing,
zip, 
nada, to provide freedom of perspective. Look: the ordinary human field
of 
view is about 120 degrees wide. The width of the field of view varies 
considerably in games, and will get larger as HDTV becomes commonplace,
but 
it's nowhere near 120 degrees in any case. In order to compensate for
the 
fact that the player is effectively trying to play while wearing a box
over 
her head, she needs decent camera controls. It can be done well. Look at
Spyro the Dragon or Toy Story 2 for the original Playstation, and you'll
see 
excellent examples of smooth, intuitive, player-controlled cameras." 

The full article is here: 
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20030523/adams_01.shtml (it's a good 
article. I suggest reading it). 

We've discussing camera controls at length already, and I'm fairly happy
with the compromise we've come up with, but maybe some other people
aren't. 

I've been considering (after having it suggested to me multiple times) 
making the control-config identical to an FPS (e.g. Quake III) when in 
first-person camera, and then the way we have it now for 3rd person
cameras. 
That is, in FP mode, the mouse would control the heading and
look-direction 
of the player, and A and D would strafe. You select things by looking
right 
at them (we'd need a target cross in the middle) and pressing the
button. 
In 3P mode, the mouse is just the cursor. 

What do you think? 

Darryl 

. 
        




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