Flight Mode Camera Suggestion

[jstenholt]

In the future, when Starmade is a fledgeling, complete game I would make one suggestion for flight mode's camera: remove it. Plain and simple. All views should be through camera blocks, which will add heaps of immersion and depth to flying and combat.

No more holding shift to zoom out behind your ship, no more rotating around you ship to get a look at things that are kilometers away or in your blind spot. This would also serve as a qausi-nerf to capital ships and titans, as they would need to be designed with all blind spots covered by cameras.

To keep vision from become too tedious, I would suggest a buff for camera blocks in both armor and HP, as well as adding a limited amount of movement be added to cameras (similar to the current system of holding shift and moving the mouse, but on a much smaller and unidirectional scale), as well as a limited amount of zoom. The core could still function as a camera, but without movement or zoom.





On the other hand, if the current flight mode vision system is to be kept, we should be able to lock ourselves into an orientation, instead of being forced to hold down shift.

 

[nightrune]

Not to add too much complexity but it would be really awesome to have a camera drone you could fly from.

 

[TheGT]

Hmm, in the end game it might be better to buff the external view, but make it only usable from a separate block or altered, single use camera, where you could not control the ship. Your changes to cameras should still apply

 

[jstenholt]

Yeah, a one off camera drone would be neat, but imagine how inconsequential the resources to make one would be to even the most simplistic operations.

 

[kiddan]

Not to add too much complexity but it would be really awesome to have a camera drone you could fly from.

So something like seen in Mech Warrior Online? I'd like to see something like that, maybe with a down-side like having the drone shot disables it for a minute or two.

 

[Gamel]

totally agree, if we can't have proper 3rd person view, lets have no 3rd person view at all

 

[Malacodor]

I'm totally against this. First, the blind spot argument is pretty bad. You can see through your ship by simply having a camera behind intransparent blocks. Then I don't see a need for yet ANOTHER nerf for big ships. As if flying them wasn't unfun enough. Furthermore, a freely controllable external camera is very important for detecting certain bugs. If you want immersion, simply assume that ship cores can project a gravity lense into space that reflects light into a micro-wormhole, which brings that light directly to the core's integrated camera. Also, no more screenshots from engines with active thruster plumes? Really?

However, I'm against abusing the external view to look into other ships. I'd say limit range dependent on ship dimensions, and simply turn the screen black if the camera comes too close to another ship. Also show a warning message when this is about to happen.

 

[jstenholt]

Obviously, like any other change in Starmade, this would be a configuration option. So you could still take easy screenshots in singleplayer, creative mode, or on a build server.

And I assume that being able to see through solid masses of blocks is not an intended feature, and will one day be fixed.

And just because you don't have fun flying titans doesn't mean that they are underpowered or deserving of more nerfs.

 

[Nomad525]

Hmm like the idea and i especially agree this should be implemented shortly before Starmade becomes a full game. Right now third person is really helpful to spot bugs happening on or around my ship. I would also like to add that if this were to be implemented then Build mode should allow me to use my hot bar buttons. That way I can see if my logic and rails are working properly in just build mode and not jumping between flight and build.

 

[akimzav]

+1 for blind spots. Boarding will be more effective and therefore more dangerous to the defending ship without full 3rd person view.

 

[spaceEngineer]

Cameras having more armor would be nice. I personally hate having any portion of my screen blocked while in combat so I have my main cameras front and center, and usually only use other cameras for cinematic stuff.

As for the camera drone I remember seing part of the command chair update a suggestion on remote drone control. A big ship could have a secondary ship very easily accessable to use as a sort of camera using the drone control. Drone control post I am totally against the flyable camera as a nonphysical flyable item. A controlled drone could be shot down and have a control limit of 1 maybe 2 sectors, when the camera goes out of range it would have to be recalled into range to be usable again.

Removing 3rd person view altogether no definetelly not, but a limit on zoom out would work in my opinion.

 

[Malacodor]

And I assume that being able to see through solid masses of blocks is not an intended feature, and will one day be fixed.

If all cameras had to be exposed, they'd get shot off quickly, no matter how sturdy they are.

 

[Madman198237]

I do not want to lose 3rd person. There's no reason. If you don't like it, don't use it, but don't bother trying to take it from others.

 

[Sen OTS Tier]

I use third person too much for testing weapons and logic. This suggestion is a no-go for me.

 

[jstenholt]

I use third person too much for testing weapons and logic. This suggestion is a no-go for me.

Obviously, like any other change in Starmade, this would be a configuration option. So you could still take easy screenshots in singleplayer, creative mode, or on a build server.

Reading.

 

[Lukwan]

it would be really awesome to have a camera drone you could fly from.

Agreed.

maybe with a down-side like having the drone shot disables it for a minute or two.

But of course.

However, I'm against abusing the external view to look into other ships. I'd say limit range dependent on ship dimensions, and simply turn the screen black if the camera comes too close to another ship. Also show a warning message when this is about to happen.

Agreed

Build mode should allow me to use my hot bar buttons. That way I can see if my logic and rails are working properly in just build mode and not jumping between flight and build.

That too.