Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
oriented behind the avatar at all times or reorients itself quickly; in passive mode,
it either orients itself slowly or only when the avatar stops moving.
INTRUDING LANDSCAPE OBJECTS
What happens when the player maneuvers the avatar to stand with her back to a
wall? The camera cannot retain its normal distance from the avatar; if it did, it
would take up a position on the other side of the wall. Many kinds of objects in the
landscape can intrude between the avatar and the camera, blocking the player's
view of her and everything else.
If you choose a third-person perspective, consider one of the following solutions:
Place the camera as normal but render the wall (and any other object in the
landscape that may come between the camera and the avatar) semitransparent.
This allows the player to see the world from his usual position but makes him
aware of the presence of the intruding object.
Place the camera immediately behind the avatar, between her and the wall, but
crane it upward somewhat and tilt it down, so the player sees the area immediately
in front of the avatar from a raised point of view.
Orient the camera immediately behind the avatar's head and render her head
semitransparent until she moves so as to permit a normal camera position. The
player remains aware of her position but can still see what is in front of her.
When the player moves the avatar so that an object no longer intrudes, return the
camera smoothly to its normal orientation and make the object suitably opaque
again, as appropriate.
PLAYER ADJUSTMENTS TO THE CAMERA
In third-person games, players occasionally need to adjust the position of the cam-
era manually to get a better look at the game world without moving the avatar. If
you want to implement this, assign two buttons, usually on the left and right sides
of the controller, to control manual camera movement. The buttons should make
the camera circle around the avatar to the left or right, keeping her in focus in the
middle of the screen. This enables the player to see the environment around the
avatar and also to see the avatar herself from different angles.
Toy Stor y 2 : Buzz Light year to the Resc ue
uses a different adjustment: The left and
right buttons cause the avatar to pivot in position while the camera sweeps around
to remain behind his back. This changes the direction the avatar faces, moves the
camera, and helps line the avatar up for jumps.
Allowing the player to adjust the camera can help with the problem of intruding
landscape items, but it is not a real solution; the player would prefer that the cam-
era handle the situation automatically.
