tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403477577476951601.post4766979254464086715..comments2024-03-24T17:52:29.632-07:00Comments on PlayTechs: Programming for fun: Auto-zoom cameraJames McNeillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08901649215141005959noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403477577476951601.post-14178989248851539582010-07-10T13:39:04.850-07:002010-07-10T13:39:04.850-07:00erf.. stupid me... I had the autozoom disabled on ...erf.. stupid me... I had the autozoom disabled on first try. It already goes at close range :Djicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09597615932401489707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403477577476951601.post-74136807243732169552010-07-10T13:36:35.993-07:002010-07-10T13:36:35.993-07:00Very nice ! Quite addictive despite its simplicity...Very nice ! Quite addictive despite its simplicity. Keep going ! Also I would love if the autocam goes closer to the ship. Playing at this range :<br />http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_n1-d7AQD7f4/TCipbBsw68I/AAAAAAAAAtA/tu5TEmpQSrI/s400/new-lander-legs.gif<br />for really slow approaches would allow to enjoy the ship physics much better.jicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09597615932401489707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403477577476951601.post-35915211168709871772010-06-30T10:38:43.696-07:002010-06-30T10:38:43.696-07:00Jotaf:
Yeah, making the arrows behave like little...Jotaf:<br /><br />Yeah, making the arrows behave like little guys is slated for the near future. I want them to move toward the rocket when it's landed, and attempt to get out of the way of the rocket flame when it's landing.<br /><br />I'll also put some sort of art in to make them look like guys but it's likely to be pretty crude for a while. Think bathroom gender signs, or crosswalk signs.<br /><br />Looks like you're proposing linear interpolation of the camera parameters over time?<br /><br />I think what I might like is something with limited acceleration, so it eases into motion and then eases back out, but doesn't have any cap on how fast it can go.James McNeillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08901649215141005959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403477577476951601.post-38725971384658477762010-06-29T11:09:13.407-07:002010-06-29T11:09:13.407-07:00There's a relatively easy way to tame jumpy ca...There's a relatively easy way to tame jumpy cameras that I used earlier in other games (although, as all generic smoothing schemes, it has its limits). Don't recalculate the camera's position/zoom every time, keep the current state and update it a bit towards the target state (the desired position/zoom calculated by whatever method). It's easier to describe with some pseudo-code:<br /><br />camera_x += min(max_pos_change, target_camera_x - camera_x);<br />camera_y += min(max_pos_change, target_camera_y - camera_y);<br />camera_zoom += min(max_zoom_change, target_camera_zoom - camera_zoom);<br /><br />Here, max_pos_change and max_zoom_change are tweakable values. You could use a more sophisticated system (cap movement magnitude, etc) but this one sufficed for me. I think it works better than the classic interpolation method of camera_x = camera_x*0.8 + target_camera_x*0.2 (or other values that add to 1), since it makes the camera move a lot at the beginning and decrease velocity as it approaches the target. :)Jotafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11804130701206652599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403477577476951601.post-90121573608701816142010-06-29T10:59:03.688-07:002010-06-29T10:59:03.688-07:00[Oops, I accidentaly commented on an older post. I...[Oops, I accidentaly commented on an older post. It'll probably get missed so I'm re-posting here.]<br /><br />Hey man, I just tried out the new version, it's pretty cool! Having an objective, simple as it may be, really makes it feel much more gamey and much less prototypey.<br /><br />I think it would be even more satisfying if you saw some stranded astronauts walking towards the ship (or getting picked up by a grappling hook, as you mentioned, or climbing up a rope-ladder). A crashed ship (and some other scattered ship parts maybe), just making part of the scenery, would also add to the immersion :)<br /><br />About improving the camera, maybe I'm simplifying a bit, but I would interpolate nicely (to prevent sudden transitions) between 2 camera modes:<br />1) when any of the powered/unpowered trajectories hit a rock in less than, say, 10 seconds, center/zoom the camera on those points and the ship (make sure they're visible).<br />2) when the collisions are more than 10 seconds away, or don't exist, center on the ship and provide a good default zoom level.<br /><br />Just making some suggestions; the amount of progress you made in this prototype is amazing :)Jotafhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11804130701206652599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403477577476951601.post-37813181819887806602010-06-28T10:39:50.466-07:002010-06-28T10:39:50.466-07:00In an earlier prototype I experimented with a came...In an earlier prototype I experimented with a camera that framed the rocket and the projected impact point. It works well for landing tasks, but the impact point can change wildly when the rocket's thrusting so there needs to be some way of smoothing that out. I will be trying something like that again soon.<br /><br />I'd like to encourage exploration of the terrain's nooks and crannies (finding semi-hidden things, say), so ideally the camera would support undirected movement.<br /><br />I'm kicking around a lot of ideas about which direction to take the game. One is to make it into a bit of a real-time strategy game, along the lines of Herzog Zwei, where your rocket is your "cursor" for moving ground units around. I don't know how strategic I can make ground combat on a side-scrolling environment, though.James McNeillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08901649215141005959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2403477577476951601.post-15324006627965803832010-06-28T09:22:33.464-07:002010-06-28T09:22:33.464-07:00My suggestions:
1. The camera will preferentially...My suggestions:<br /><br />1. The camera will preferentially frame nearby landmasses the rocket is on a course to collide with, and/or enemy units that are targeting you.<br /><br />2. If you're allowed to visit the landing sites in order, then the player should have the ability to switch objectives. The camera would then frame the ship and the nearest objective.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08587234652393541074noreply@blogger.com