RE: We chat about videogames and videogame accessories.
03-25-2013, 01:14 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-25-2013, 01:19 AM by BRPXQZME.)
If I’m not mistaken, most games nowadays employ a number of tricks that make camera easier than back in the day.
One of them is definitely right analog stick = camera. (The textbook we are using in Intro to Game Design still says to use L and R buttons, just one more reason our class has devolved into “point and laugh at the author”).
Another one is that now most games will know what you meant between controls relative to the camera, or controls relative to where the camera was when you started moving (which would definitely fix the classic example above, but introduces its own guessing-game problems). Probably each individual developer has their own secret sauce for this.
For example, Assassin’s Creed sandbox parts are very intuitive to navigate, though once every few hours you just can’t get the camera to do what you want for whatever reason, or just turn some direction you weren’t expecting. Frustrating as it is, that’s infrequent enough to call it pretty good.
As for the linear dungeon parts... wow, I have died in so many spots where the camera just moves on you. Like right here amggggrh. It might not look so bad from the video, but that whole sequence is full of unexpected camera changes that make you so unsure whether your controls have been turned several degrees or not, most of which could have been remedied by better cinematography. Sadly, every single one of those forced camera changes seem intended to help you see the right way to go.
Sonic Adventure is a game full of camera angle switchups, a cause of many reviewer complaints. Which is probably why Mr. Know-It-All is parked right outside of Emerald Coast saying, “Oh, and don't worry if the view suddenly changes. It does that sometimes. Just keep moving in the direction you want. It may take a little time to get used to it, so keep trying.” If they had clarified what “keep moving” and “keep trying” exactly meant, it probably would have cleared things up for me back in the day; to “keep” pressing an input could mean hold it or it could mean mash it. I couldn’t figure it out last time I started the game up (I was more interested in checking the translation), but the same text could easily describe AC where the solution is usually to bring the stick to neutral for a split second so that the directions get set to the current view.
One of them is definitely right analog stick = camera. (The textbook we are using in Intro to Game Design still says to use L and R buttons, just one more reason our class has devolved into “point and laugh at the author”).
Another one is that now most games will know what you meant between controls relative to the camera, or controls relative to where the camera was when you started moving (which would definitely fix the classic example above, but introduces its own guessing-game problems). Probably each individual developer has their own secret sauce for this.
For example, Assassin’s Creed sandbox parts are very intuitive to navigate, though once every few hours you just can’t get the camera to do what you want for whatever reason, or just turn some direction you weren’t expecting. Frustrating as it is, that’s infrequent enough to call it pretty good.
As for the linear dungeon parts... wow, I have died in so many spots where the camera just moves on you. Like right here amggggrh. It might not look so bad from the video, but that whole sequence is full of unexpected camera changes that make you so unsure whether your controls have been turned several degrees or not, most of which could have been remedied by better cinematography. Sadly, every single one of those forced camera changes seem intended to help you see the right way to go.
Sonic Adventure is a game full of camera angle switchups, a cause of many reviewer complaints. Which is probably why Mr. Know-It-All is parked right outside of Emerald Coast saying, “Oh, and don't worry if the view suddenly changes. It does that sometimes. Just keep moving in the direction you want. It may take a little time to get used to it, so keep trying.” If they had clarified what “keep moving” and “keep trying” exactly meant, it probably would have cleared things up for me back in the day; to “keep” pressing an input could mean hold it or it could mean mash it. I couldn’t figure it out last time I started the game up (I was more interested in checking the translation), but the same text could easily describe AC where the solution is usually to bring the stick to neutral for a split second so that the directions get set to the current view.
sea had swallowed all. A lazy curtain of dust was wafting out to sea