Oolite Bulletins

The way I wish to implement the extended external views looks something like this:

* an entry in the shipdata.plist entry for the shipwith <key>other_view_positions</key>followed by an array of view positions in "name x y z W X Y Z" (position vector and direction quaternion format).

* a key press which will select the next alternative view position while in flight - I'd choose f0 if this was a BBC-B but I think 'v' is probably a good choice.

* bring the code for view positions/directions into a single group of routines (IIRC they're kind-of spread aound at the moment).

* add VIEW_OTHER to the view directions and an index to the current alternative view selection to the PlayerEntity class

Did I miss anything?

I can't see anything missing

me neither

so if I understand this correct, it will be possible to add and toggle as many additional angles as one would like?

looks like a very clever solution.

I’d like to see a more “dynamic” chase view, e.g. looking over the player’s ship towards the current target, but that could be saved for later.

I was going to implement it such that when you switched to the external view you always started in the same place - the default external view position for that ship.

From there would would be able to move the camera around by zooming and rotating, so that you could get any angle you liked while you were out there, always with your ship as the focus.

If you press the external view key again, it goes back to the default external view position. If you press 1-4 you go back inside.

dajt wrote:

IFrom there would would be able to move the camera around by zooming and rotating, so that you could get any angle you liked while you were out there, always with your ship as the focus.

The problem with that (for me) is the number of key presses it requires to move the viewpoint and manoeuvre the ship at the same time. This is more static, granted, but it's just one key press.

I'm guessing the game will be unplayable from an external viewpoint, so have been considering it's use only from the sight-seeing point of view because that's all I've ever used external viewpoints for in space games. It was nice flying along in X2 looking at things, but if combat started I was back inside fast!

I'll stop work on my external view code - I was just doing it for a break from the UI text code anyway ;)

aegidian wrote:

dajt wrote:

IFrom there would would be able to move the camera around by zooming and rotating, so that you could get any angle you liked while you were out there, always with your ship as the focus.

The problem with that (for me) is the number of key presses it requires to move the viewpoint and manoeuvre the ship at the same time. This is more static, granted, but it's just one key press.

If the player isn't using the mouse_mode the view could be rotated/zoomed with the mouse (and vice-versa with the arrowkeys).

I personally think the method proposed is the simplest available from the point of view of coding it, since it avoids the game engine needing to produce the quaternion calculations necessary to zero the camera back on the ship for a given offset on x,y,z, etc (it effectively places the onus of responsibility upon the ship's producer, to come up with the necessary quats, for the camera positions he or she has chosen for the external viewpoints, in order to work out how to get the camera to look back at the ship from that viewpoint - assuming they even want the ship in the field of view, of course; the system proposed simply allows external viewpoints, at arbitrary locations and arbitrary angles (if you can work out the quat for your desired camera angle, of course ).

I agree with dajt on the hypothesis that the game would be near impossible to play from 3rd person. Generally, I want my view to point exactly where I'm going. In 3rd person, that puts my ship right in the middle of my sight.

Still, I'd like to be able to fly in 3rd person anyway. Sightseeing and experimenting with cinematic camera views could make waiting for a ship to pass a lot easier. COuld you set it up so that when your fired on, it automatically puts you back in cabin?

Maybe the external view should only be available if you have an escape capsule. The logic being that you are actually doing an EVA in the pod. Like Bowman and Poole in 2001.

I can't think of a practical use for an external view except for replaying combat, which seems a bit narcistic.

No practical use no, but it sure is good to have around for screenshots etc. And I think it will be great for those occasions when you want to see yourself skimming the space station or flitting between the arms of one of those torus stations...

It may not be useful right now, but in the distant future it will be invaluable when you're going to land at a smuggler station in a narrow canyon.

Better prepare for it now. :^)

It'll be useful for making a short Oolite movie of my phabulous skillz!