Faelivrin
Insider
This have been bothering me for a little while. First of all i want to be clear about one thing, i love the game perspective and i believe the fact it is isometric give it a lot of personality, i understand this is a basic design choice and it is not likely the fundamentals will change. I don't want them to change, but i have been speculating how would SG works with exanima's camera... and i found a couple of things that worries me. I will try to convey the disadvantages that the strict exanima camera would carry in SG and propose an alternative method to overcome said disadvantages.
Exanima camera
I don't know if you all are aware that a little change is coming in regard to the camera zoom. The inventory system is suffering an overhaul, the paperdoll will disappear so you will drag stuff directly over your character instead of the paperdoll. Also when you open the inventory the zoom will increase a little further than we are used to. This is very WIP mockup of how it may look like:
I kinda stole that image posted by Madoc's from his chat stream, so i am sorry if i just did break some NDA. As you see the zoom will increase a little making our lives a lil easier when exploring (just work standing still) and taking tiny objects. For me, this mechanic is sufficient for SG's little dungeoneer brother, for others it may be not enough. 'Why not just increasing the zoom level you can get with the mouse wheel?' they will be asking to themselves. I think the reason Madoc gave is that combat is affected negatively if you zoom in too much. Anyway, this post is not as much about zoom level as it is about camera freedom, so let's be back to the topic.
Sui Generis camera
I am pretty sure all of you have seen the KS pitch video. Around the middle of it, Madoc features the water and the sky, here is what worries me. What's the point of having a neat procedural sky with volumetric clouds, incredible weather effects and a totally awesome night sky with celestial bodies, if the camera is so strict that you cannot even see the horizon line?
I have been under a black depressing roof just too long (figuratively speaking). The first thing i would like to do when i play SG is stare that neat sky for a good while, until the night arrive. I want to inspect those stars and see if i can find some familiar constellation, that could answer some questions about this strange world. If they are not familiar i would try to figure out a way to find the north by looking at the stars, just in case i don't always have access to a compass.
The current camera doen't allows me to do all that, so that's is my concern. It is true that this is a game with isometric perspective, but in my point of view it is not a pure one. This glorious sky have been made to stare it and you wont convince me of the contrary.
Why building an engine that is able to render a practically limitless landmass, if you just can see an small radius of floor around your character? I am good with exanima's camera, but it needs to be more flexible in SG. Maybe i got it all wrong and a completely different camera is planned for SG. However at the end of the day exanima dungeons are a part of SG underworld and we will even revisit them in SG. Why having a different cameras for both then?
Feedback
Obviously the solution isn't granting the player a developer style camera like the one we see in that video. It is great to the point that makes you salivate, but too overpowered for a player with many ways to cheat and spoil.
1 method: I would implement a camera mode fixed in one point in first person or just above his head, this mean you wouldn't be able to "walk" with or without your character. You could however pivot the camera and see what your character sees up down left or right, nothing else. You wont be able to do anything else in that camera but staring.
Pros:
Pros:
Exanima camera
I don't know if you all are aware that a little change is coming in regard to the camera zoom. The inventory system is suffering an overhaul, the paperdoll will disappear so you will drag stuff directly over your character instead of the paperdoll. Also when you open the inventory the zoom will increase a little further than we are used to. This is very WIP mockup of how it may look like:

I kinda stole that image posted by Madoc's from his chat stream, so i am sorry if i just did break some NDA. As you see the zoom will increase a little making our lives a lil easier when exploring (just work standing still) and taking tiny objects. For me, this mechanic is sufficient for SG's little dungeoneer brother, for others it may be not enough. 'Why not just increasing the zoom level you can get with the mouse wheel?' they will be asking to themselves. I think the reason Madoc gave is that combat is affected negatively if you zoom in too much. Anyway, this post is not as much about zoom level as it is about camera freedom, so let's be back to the topic.
Sui Generis camera
I am pretty sure all of you have seen the KS pitch video. Around the middle of it, Madoc features the water and the sky, here is what worries me. What's the point of having a neat procedural sky with volumetric clouds, incredible weather effects and a totally awesome night sky with celestial bodies, if the camera is so strict that you cannot even see the horizon line?
I have been under a black depressing roof just too long (figuratively speaking). The first thing i would like to do when i play SG is stare that neat sky for a good while, until the night arrive. I want to inspect those stars and see if i can find some familiar constellation, that could answer some questions about this strange world. If they are not familiar i would try to figure out a way to find the north by looking at the stars, just in case i don't always have access to a compass.
The current camera doen't allows me to do all that, so that's is my concern. It is true that this is a game with isometric perspective, but in my point of view it is not a pure one. This glorious sky have been made to stare it and you wont convince me of the contrary.

Why building an engine that is able to render a practically limitless landmass, if you just can see an small radius of floor around your character? I am good with exanima's camera, but it needs to be more flexible in SG. Maybe i got it all wrong and a completely different camera is planned for SG. However at the end of the day exanima dungeons are a part of SG underworld and we will even revisit them in SG. Why having a different cameras for both then?
Feedback
Obviously the solution isn't granting the player a developer style camera like the one we see in that video. It is great to the point that makes you salivate, but too overpowered for a player with many ways to cheat and spoil.
1 method: I would implement a camera mode fixed in one point in first person or just above his head, this mean you wouldn't be able to "walk" with or without your character. You could however pivot the camera and see what your character sees up down left or right, nothing else. You wont be able to do anything else in that camera but staring.
Pros:
- Greatest freedom and immersion.
- Check out your cleavage.
- How would it feels like "being" in this game? question answered.
- More complex system with 3 different camera modes (if we count the inventory camera mode).
- Something about those transparent roofs would have to be done i guess.
Pros:
- More simple system, just two camera modes.
- More uniform system. The game could be still considered almost pure isometric. I think.
- Higher camera, less personal and immersive.
- Why would i want to "open my backpack", when all i want to do is take a good look around in case i am about to be ambushed.
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