Idea for Camera mod ive had

[Ducimus]

I've had this idea for a camera mod for ages, and i don't recall if i've ever posted it.


It's all about that bloody freecam. I've acutally gotten into debates about it. My side of the argument has always been that it gives you too much info that you shouldnt have. But thats beside the issue here. The crux of this idea for a camera mod is this:

Allow you to view JUST your sub exterior and nothing else.

The ideal fix:

you know the Next target view keys? the < and > ? The one that toggles the camera from object to object. Not the free cam that you can navigate around, just the one that allows you to view and object and pan around it. Im not sure what its called in the camera.dat files, but in an ideal world, you press a button, and you get this view, and only this view. My thoughts has always been to disable the Next and previous function of this camera view, so you can only view your sub.

Ive tried various incarnations of this by editing out commands in the en_command.cfg , but the problem is it still cycles from object to object, and nothing short of doing just what i discribed will work. You can edit out the < and > commands but you still have F12 to sneak a peek at the surface. Wher as if you can only toggle the object view on your sub, you cant see whats on the surface UNLESS you surface.

May sound trivial to some, but i see this is a major game issue. The trickis to the eye candy of ONLY viewing your subs external view, without gaining any information that you shouldnt have.

[SimNut]

Just don't look at what you don't want to see.

Any time someone comes up with a way to break something, it'll end up in the broken boat mods, A.K.A. supermods.

[Venatore]

Mate I asked the same question last year and got the same answer as what SimNut gave.

[Ducimus]

Pity i have a stubborn streak that would put a mule to shame:88)

[mikaelanderlund]

I've had this idea for a camera mod for ages, and i don't recall if i've ever posted it.


It's all about that bloody freecam. I've acutally gotten into debates about it. My side of the argument has always been that it gives you too much info that you shouldnt have. But thats beside the issue here. The crux of this idea for a camera mod is this:

Allow you to view JUST your sub exterior and nothing else.

The ideal fix:

you know the Next target view keys? the < and > ? The one that toggles the camera from object to object. Not the free cam that you can navigate around, just the one that allows you to view and object and pan around it. Im not sure what its called in the camera.dat files, but in an ideal world, you press a button, and you get this view, and only this view. My thoughts has always been to disable the Next and previous function of this camera view, so you can only view your sub.

Ive tried various incarnations of this by editing out commands in the en_command.cfg , but the problem is it still cycles from object to object, and nothing short of doing just what i discribed will work. You can edit out the < and > commands but you still have F12 to sneak a peek at the surface. Wher as if you can only toggle the object view on your sub, you cant see whats on the surface UNLESS you surface.

May sound trivial to some, but i see this is a major game issue. The trickis to the eye candy of ONLY viewing your subs external view, without gaining any information that you shouldnt have.

Hi Ducimus,

How do you edit out the < and > commands? I would like to do that my self.

Mikael

[Ducimus]

Open in notepad
\SH3\data\Cfg\Commands_en.cfg


Using the find function, type in "Cmd50"

That will bring you to this block:


[Cmd50]
Name=Camera_on_next_unit
Ctxt=1
Key0=0xBE,,">"
Page=0x34000000,3714

[Cmd51]
Name=Camera_on_prev_unit
Ctxt=1
Key0=0xBC,,"<"
Page=0x34000000,3714


Simply put in a semicolon before the Key line. Semicolon is how you remark something out in SH3 cfg files. Although you have to be careful, some files are sensitive to whitespace while others are not. ANyway, it should now read


[Cmd50]
Name=Camera_on_next_unit
Ctxt=1
;Key0=0xBE,,">"
Page=0x34000000,3714

[Cmd51]
Name=Camera_on_prev_unit
Ctxt=1
;Key0=0xBC,,"<"
Page=0x34000000,3714


Bingo, no more target cam. Just the F12 free view. Ive toyed with that before obviously. My only complaint is i havent been successful in limiting the freecams parameters so for example, cant look at the surface while submerged.

[mikaelanderlund]

Open in notepad
\SH3\data\Cfg\Commands_en.cfg


Using the find function, type in "Cmd50"

That will bring you to this block:


[Cmd50]
Name=Camera_on_next_unit
Ctxt=1
Key0=0xBE,,">"
Page=0x34000000,3714

[Cmd51]
Name=Camera_on_prev_unit
Ctxt=1
Key0=0xBC,,"<"
Page=0x34000000,3714


Simply put in a semicolon before the Key line. Semicolon is how you remark something out in SH3 cfg files. Although you have to be careful, some files are sensitive to whitespace while others are not. ANyway, it should now read


[Cmd50]
Name=Camera_on_next_unit
Ctxt=1
;Key0=0xBE,,">"
Page=0x34000000,3714

[Cmd51]
Name=Camera_on_prev_unit
Ctxt=1
;Key0=0xBC,,"<"
Page=0x34000000,3714


Bingo, no more target cam. Just the F12 free view. Ive toyed with that before obviously. My only complaint is i havent been successful in limiting the freecams parameters so for example, cant look at the surface while submerged.

Thanks!

Mikael

[Tuddley3]

Then you would not be able to take screenshots, and Stabiz would not be able to make movies. What kind of stupid mod this would be ?

[Kruger]

You mean you would like your SH3 external camera, to behave just like the external camera in Enigma The Rising Tide :). It aloowd you to see your sub and rotate around it...that;s all.

[CB..]

you can kill the F12" view like this Duc'


[Cmd9]
Name=User_free_camera
Ctxt=1,2,9
MnID=0x3F02000B
;Key0=0x7B,,"F12"
Key1=0x7B,c,""
Key2=0x7B,s,""

comment out the f12 line

i could never resist the temptation to take a look and it does spoil the atmosphere... i leave the next ship stuff as stock as it is pretty useless in combat as it never (or rarely) shows you the destroyer that is attacking you ..or only after you have panned thru half a dozen others ..even then your not sure your looking at the right one ...

[Respenus]

Or you can always turn the realism on a bit and get rid of the external camera completely :yep:

[CB..]

realism what's that..?:rotfl:

[stabiz]

I can see why some of the über-kaleuns would want this, but its not for me. Not because of movies or screenshots, but mainly because I like panning around looking at stuff. I actually think the free cam is one of the best features in SH3. (As it is in Rome: Total War)

[CB..]

i like it too:yep: just wanted to kill the way it focuses on the surface directly above me when i'm submerged and under attack...can get all the other features of the freecam from next ship...it just means i don't start from the freecam view when using the external camera i start from next ship :up:

[Ducimus]

You mean you would like your SH3 external camera, to behave just like the external camera in Enigma The Rising Tide :). It aloowd you to see your sub and rotate around it...that;s all.

yah, prett much.

[kylania]

Really the answer to this is to simply only ever press "." or "," once to highlight your own boat and not use F12 or futhur presses of "," or ".". There's not really a need for crippling a feature you can either A) turn off entirely or B) simply not use.

[CB..]

as someone pointed out..this is the modding forum...a place to discuss modding....:rotfl:

[Ducimus]

As the saying goes, "opportunity makes the theif". I try to avoid temptation so its never put in front of me.

The easist fix is probably to:

a.) remark out and remove F12 free cam, and remove the sub marker
or

B.) remark out and remove next target cam, slow down the camera speed, and remove the sub marker.



Now the problem with editing out say the "next target" cam and leave the "previous target" cam is that it will always loop between targets no matter which way you cycle it.

Offhand i think im opting for A over B. but B gives you FAR LESS intel then A.

[CB..]

i went with A/ because i liked the external view when cruising along..but like you say the temptation to use F12 as an unlimited depth periscope when under attack allways gets to me..:oops: :lol:

the next ship option still allows you to use the external view on your sub (it's just a shame F12 doesn't follow the sub under water..dunno why they did that_)
in a convoy attack you have to skip thru so many ships in an unpredictable order that it becomes useless as a way to avoid DC attacks..by the time you have found the DD attacking you it's allready too late...

i kept wondering if their might have been a way to place the external view in the event cam window....stretching it a little to increase the size..but didn't persue it much...

[Ducimus]

My biggest issue with the object cam (as apposed to the free cam), is that you can instantly identify any sound contacts without ever popping the periscope. But it is alot more user friendly in terms of wanting to just view your own sub.

The free cam doesnt give you that information, and still allows you to view your sub, and you can still get some decent screenshots, the problem with this one however is you can "cheat" on depth charge attacks.


edit:


i kept wondering if their might have been a way to place the external view in the event cam window....stretching it a little to increase the size..but didn't persue it much...


Thats an intresting idea. Im not sure what files are involved but i have a feeling it might be devling into the realm of hardcoded, im not sure, just a gut feeling.

[Ducimus]

Funny, im back to where i started again cause i can't make anything else work.

Simply put, how this camera mod is so far is this:

1.) remarked out the next and previous target keys, along with the F 12 key in the en_commands.cfg

2.) edited the Sub marker to show nothing.

3.) edited shortcuts bar so the freecam button is transparent.

4.) added Freecam realism percentage to something like realistic fuel.



Pro's:
Can't sneak a peak at sonar contacts. Have to acutally see them in the periscope.

Can still get those glamor shots of your sub. If you want to get close up shots of things other then your sub, you have to pause the game and manually move the camera over.

Freecam use is still there, but it's use is intrinsicly discouraged. You don't see the feecam button (although it still there), you dont have F12 for a quick peek, so its use is very deliberate.


Con's:
Can still peek above you when being depth charged. Even though the sub marker isnt there you can still pretty much guess were you are in relation to your pursuer anyway.