Centered Camera

from StarControl Forums

I got internet a lot faster than I was expecting. Unfortunately I am not in a direct line-of-sight for the only unlimited internet access in this area, so I have a very limited internet connection. But I downloaded SCO last night and played it for about 30 minutes so far. This was the first thing to jump off the screen at me...

Because the camera is centered between the ships, instead of on the player's ship, the player can only discern their movement from the direction their ship is pointing and the engine exhaust. When the camera is centered on the player's ship the direction the screen is scrolling (and the star field/background) is their primary frame of reference in knowing their speed and direction of movement. This is actually a very significant thing, and a competing top down space shooter that centers the view on the player's ship is going to “feel better” than SCO. The player will have a higher level of situational awareness, feel as though they have more precise control over their ship, and will be able to line up shots and do things that are simply not possible in SCO. In addition to this the centered camera of the original Star Control, and SCO, won't work for anything more than a 1v1 duel. If you want to have 3 or more players in the game those other maps/zones will have to center the view on the player like Subspace and most other games of this genre have done. The results of these two methods are so different that any SCO maps that allow more than 2 players are going to feel like a very different game than the original 1v1 Super Melee.

The SCO camera is how Star Control's camera worked, and because it is somewhat unique SCO may not feel like Star Control without it. On the other hand, it is quite simply inferior to a having the view centered on the player. When the entire scrolling screen is the player's aiming/movement cue they have a much higher level of situational awareness and control. The centered camera forces the player's mind almost entirely on which direction they are moving and where their ship is pointing, a camera focused on the player's ship turns the entire screen into a directional and aiming cue. You don't even look at your own ship with the view centered on it, your attention is focused on the target. You don't have to think about those aspects, you just subconsciously have all of the speed/direction/aim information. When the view is centered on the player's own ship the entire screen and star field background perform the same function as “the funnel” used to aim guns on cold war era HUD displays of fighters. In SCO's centered view the player's focus of attention is necessarily on their own ship, with a player ship centered view the player's attention is on the target.

I'm not saying SCO should change to a view centered on the player, like I said, the centered camera is a big part of what makes Star Control feel different than similar games. This is a very hard decision, this is supposed to be Star Control but a view centered on the player's ship makes for a much better and more versatile game in many, many ways. But that “different feeling” has a lot of negative effects, the view centered on the player's own ship is better in many ways. On top of everything I've already mentioned it also allows for a wider variety of weapons and ship systems, but the really big thing is situational awareness and precision control due to the entire screen acting as the aiming/movement cue, where in SC/SCO the player's brain is too busy keeping track of how fast they are going and which direction they are facing.

 

 

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Reply #1 from StarControl Forums Top

I agree that from a gameplay perspective a camera centered on the player's ship would be better. It would not disadvantage cloaking devices, like the one the Ilwrath Avenger possessed, and it eliminates the possibility of confusing which ship is yours when both players have the same ship, that has happened to me once.

However, it is also true that it would distance the game from Star Control and I am sure there would be plenty of people who would cry "They changed it, now it shucks!".

Also it is probably too late in development to make that change.

Reply #2 from StarControl Forums Top

Huh. I think the world must be ending / armageddon is upon us.

I agree with Kavik. There, I said it.

I know - it felt weird to me, too.

Centering the camera on the player's ship would solve a lot of issues, I feel. It would make invisible ships actually work (lets face it, they didn't in SC2 because you know exactly where it is) and it would fix issues currently caused since like 20% of the ship roster have the ability to teleport in other ships, meaning that the camera has to suddenly explode out wide to try to keep all 3 (or more) ships visible and center it around them.

Yes, it would be a bit different from SC2, but I don't see that as a major issue. SCO is it's own game, and we already got rid of screen wrapping and created a fixed boundary of asteroids to constrain the play space. The camera centering is a minor change compared to that, I don't see it as an issue in that regard. And it really would feel a lot better. Hey @Frogboy, is that something that could be added as a turn on/turn off feature maybe, so that we could try it and see how it feels?

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Reply #3 from StarControl Forums Top

Both of you mentioned cloak, but SC2's camera actually worked very well for a balanced cloak.  I would even guess that they designed the auto-zoom almost entirely around the Ilwrath's cloak.  The SC2 centered camera gave you a good idea of where the cloaked ship was, in a way that feels very much like the Star Trek cloak where you have a general idea of where the ship is.  The centered camera is actually a very good way of doing cloak if you want to emulate the Star Trek explanation of it.  "The cloaking device is not a magic carpet ride into firing position", if it was it would be far too powerful of an ability.

I'm personally not sure about centering the screen on the player in SCO.  It makes for a better game, but the centered camera is what makes Star Control feel different than similar games.  It is a big part of the uniqueness of Star Control.  But then... the centered camera only works in a 1v1 fight.  If SCO ever wants to do anything more than 1v1 duels, then all other maps/scenarios would feel like a very different game than the rest of Star Control.

This really is a hard decision that only the designer (I think that's been Brad for a while now) can make.  If Stardock knows for certain they will never want anything other than 1v1 champion combat in SCO, that is the biggest issue here for SCO.  If they want to have 3 or more ships on the screen at the same time at some point in the future, then it's going to feel like a very different game if Super Melee and the adventure game have a centered camera and other parts of the game are focused on the player's ship.

 

Reply #4 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting Kavik_Kang, reply 3

If they want to have 3 or more ships on the screen at the same time at some point in the future, then it's going to feel like a very different game if Super Melee and the adventure game have a centered camera and other parts of the game are focused on the player's ship.

They already do, that's my point. Several ships have the ability to create other ships, or summon in other ships, or call Jeff. It's not at all uncommon to have more than 2 ships in the fighting space, and it's always sucked because the camera has kept slipping around and trying to keep them all on screen. Granted, that was with the tether and I haven't seen how the new system handles it, but it could still be an issue.

Reply #5 from StarControl Forums Top

Yes, even just "fighters" or "drones" controlled by the AI can be a problem.  But it is a much bigger problem if you try and put a 3rd (or more) human player into the mix.  They won't stay with either of the other ships like the AI is programmed too, the 3rd human player will go wherever they feel like going.  And, obviously, if they ever wanted to do more than 1v1 it would be more than just adding a 3rd player.  Once you have 6 players on the map, each wanting to go in a different direction, the centered camera just can't even do that.

If they know they never intend to do anything other than 1v1 "champion combat" then it isn't a problem for them from that perspective.  But, even then, is anyone going to come along to compete with them within this genre?  If anyone does, it really is a huge difference in situational awareness and tracking your own ship.  When the view is centered on your own ship the entire screen is like the "funnel" used to aim guns in the HUD display of fighters.  You don't have to look at your own ship to know which direction you are pointing and how fast you are moving.  Your attention is entirely on the target, and that is a much better experience.

Although it's more like Star Control to have the centered view, it also makes you really easy to beat.  A similar game with the view centered on the player's ship is going to be more fun, capable, and addicting almost naturally.  Without even trying.  It really is a tough issue to resolve if you are wanting to maintain "that Star Control feel"... because the centered view practically *is* "that Star Control feel".