Camera Height

White Warlock · Post by **White Warlock** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:36 am

One of the biotches with using the camera is the height of it lands it facing center-mass to the PC, like so --

But, by modifying the appearance.2da file, at the height field, i can change the height of the camera, so it is above the character, like so (note the tip of the character's head on the bottom of the screenshot) --

In photography, it's never good to put the object of focus in the center of the shot, but that's what the present height settings do, leaving us with a good 1/3 to 1/2 the screen staring at the ground ---

Compare that to this screenshot, where the camera height is lifted, bringing the character lower on the screen, cutting out all that excess ground, and giving a good view of what's ahead (including the sky) --

Alright, that's enough of that. Anyway, by adding +0.8 to all of the height fields within the appearance.2da file, the camera is lifted above the characters, so the focus is ahead of, rather than 'at,' the character. Also, by modifying every creature, and not just PC-types, DMs that possess an NPC/Creature will be able to better see things when chatting or in combat (as opposed to that annoying situation where you're looking at the back of these damn possessed NPCs, leaving you to live with Top Down Camera all the time).

As the appearance.2da is embedded within the haks, a change like this cannot be performed locally if you want to enjoy this within ALFA (although you could still enjoy it locally). In order for it to work in ALFA, the embedded appearance.2da, within the hak, will need to be modified.

Thoughts?

Kest · Post by **Kest** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:40 am

god we need this

I don't know of anyone that likes staring at the back of their character's head. Stupid developers...

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:57 pm

Are these default camera heights? Can't you simply adjust your camera view up/down with the controls on the client?

Teric neDhalir · Post by **Teric neDhalir** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:37 pm

My only concern with this is that in scaled travel areas like I've got on 011 zooming in to your toon could make it disappear completely off the bottom of the screen when you point the camera angle up. Otherwise an interesting find, WW.

White Warlock · Post by **White Warlock** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:14 pm

ç i p h é r wrote:Are these default camera heights? Can't you simply adjust your camera view up/down with the controls on the client?

In the default camera, the character's chest acts as the camera sight's fulcrum, so if you raise the camera height, it automatically angles down towards your character.

The same occurs with the modified appearance.2da, except what i'm doing is modifying the fulcrum's height. And Teric, considering this, it shouldn't pose a problem for scaled travel areas.

I'll see if i can create a video.

oldgrayrogue · Post by **oldgrayrogue** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:07 pm

Can you somehow bring the original NWN2 camera back? You could rotate it 360 degrees from any angle and zom in or out from any angle. I miss looking up at the mountaintops, the sun and moon and the tops of trees. You could even look up the girl's dresses =P.

Seriously though if there was any way to get that original camera back, I'd pay for it. Have tried all the different settings and can't seem to get it back.

Lusipher · Post by **Lusipher** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:31 pm

I have a mad hate for NWN2's camera so anything we could do it "fix it" would be welcomed. I spend more time trying to fix my camera in tight places rather than worry about being killed. It sucks.

Post by **paazin** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:13 pm

White Warlock wrote:
ç i p h é r wrote:Are these default camera heights? Can't you simply adjust your camera view up/down with the controls on the client?
In the default camera, the character's chest acts as the camera sight's fulcrum, so if you raise the camera height, it automatically angles down towards your character.

The same occurs with the modified appearance.2da, except what i'm doing is modifying the fulcrum's height. And Teric, considering this, it shouldn't pose a problem for scaled travel areas.

I'll see if i can create a video.

This sounds great. We can probably just sneak it in with the next alfa haks update, cipher?

Post by **paazin** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:17 pm

oldgrayrogue wrote:Can you somehow bring the original NWN2 camera back? You could rotate it 360 degrees from any angle and zom in or out from any angle. I miss looking up at the mountaintops, the sun and moon and the tops of trees. You could even look up the girl's dresses =P.

Seriously though if there was any way to get that original camera back, I'd pay for it. Have tried all the different settings and can't seem to get it back.

Change the camera mode from strategy to character - I think that's should do it.

AcadiusLost · Post by **AcadiusLost** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:43 pm

I don't believe changing the height of every model appearance in the game is a good solution to this problem. For one, it means PC and NPC scales change with regard to the placeables, doors, and trees that the builders have been doing all along. Side effects may include normal doors that look like hobbit-holes, etc. Furthermore adjusting the height without corresponding changes in width and depth result in stretching everyone's PCs (and all NPCs), losing proper scaling. Even if you scale all three dimentions, adding a flat amount across the board skews the relative heights of the races and their relative heights to monsters.

This "fix" would at best just seem to address a problem experienced only by players and DMs who try to emulate a first-person view with their clients, which seems to me a rather strange way to play; I would be surprised to hear if it is a popular one among our membership (could be wrong on that, but I've certainly never used that sort of a mode, in NWN1 or NWN2).

Kest · Post by **Kest** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:44 am

If you zoom in, try to look at something closely, the camera is rendered
completely useless by your character taking up the entire screen.

There is currently no reason to zoom in without a change to get them out of
the way somehow. As for the "hobbit holes" comment... is viewing everything
as slightly shorter only when zoomed in enough of a drawback not to
implement this?

Not sure what to say about the stretched appearance comment - as far as I
know, this doesn't change the character, only the camera.

Wish this could be made into a GUI slider to allow players their preference
instead of hardcoding everything.

White Warlock · Post by **White Warlock** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:15 am

AcadiusLost wrote:I don't believe changing the height of every model appearance in the game is a good solution to this problem.

It only changes the defaulted height of the camera from the ground, not the models themselves. Just look at the screenshots above, does anything look off-kilter?

Anyway, need to work on creating that video. bbs

Kest wrote:Wish this could be made into a GUI slider to allow players their preference
instead of hardcoding everything.

Indeed, if there is a way to make the height field in appearance.2da adjustable via a UI feature, that would be a nice touch.

Kest · Post by **Kest** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:17 am

I tested this out on our Baldur's Gate server, it is handy even when zoomed
out since it centers the viewpoint in front of the player.

White Warlock · Post by **White Warlock** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:40 am

Pics in first post have been resized. Reload page to replace old, oversized pics.

Kest · Post by **Kest** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:12 am

Below are screenshots of my Aasimar on BG. As you can see, there are no distortions in appearance.