CamFollow = 1; How Does It Play?

[Riot Polizei]

For those unfamiliar, Exanima has a config file located in your appdata/roaming folders. In there, you get an option to turn on "CamFollow", which fixes the camera to your back in combat.

So, with this setting on, what is combat truly like?

First, let me describe how the camera "feels". Manuevering and walking around out of combat mode is as you're used to; engaging combat mode then rotates the camera to your back. It has a very smooth, almost "cinematic" feel as it follows the player character. The camera's much more gradual than you'd expect, but it doesn't slack, either. It "swings" to your back seemingly proportionate to your rotation speed, so quick, jerky spins will get the camera going quickly.

A common critique of Exanima was that you "fight the camera" too much. With CamFollow turned on, you truly do fight the camera, and must be even more accurate with your drags and swings.

Consider a LtR swing, performed by quickly dragging the mouse left of your character;s FOV, holding down LMB, and then dragging the cursor towards the enemy. With the "vanilla" free camera, taking too long to do this causes your character to turn towards the left while executing a RtL, or even performing a LtR while facing away from the oponent. With CamFollow on, the camera will swing around to "catch up" with the direction your character is facing, which adds an element of disorientation to a improperly executed LtR. Imagine missing a LtR as previously described, but now having the camera swing away from the opponent in the direction of your swing. However, to note, if you are very quick with performing LtRs and can execute them properly, the camera will not budge very much.

Of course, we know that character movement is relative to where the player character faces. With the free camera, following a backpedalling opponent can be as simple as keeping the cursor on your opponent and tapping/holding down W. With the locked camera, this is still possible, but as is with performing LtRs, you must focus way more on what you're doing. You must keep your cursor on your opponent while the camera is rotating. Now, on top of a rotating camera, the player having to persistently place the cursor on the enemy, you must also rotate your character's body to account for parrying attacks and for performing attacks of your own. This results in one nauseating mess.

These affect gameplay too negatively to be implemented, at least as-is. I implore you to try it though.

Tl;Dr read the write up

[Tony]

It was only added to demonstrate the issues with a self-rotating camera in a game that relies on accurate cursor inputs (since people kept requesting such) but it was never meant to be a serious feature or anything since the downsides were apparent long before it was added.

[Riot Polizei]

Originally posted by Tony:

It was only added to demonstrate the issues with a self-rotating camera in a game that relies on accurate cursor inputs (since people kept requesting such) but it was never meant to be a serious feature or anything since the downsides were apparent long before it was added.

I never knew that it was implemented for that reason. That's pretty interesting!

I honestly just wanted to write something, and thought writing about the aforementioned feature in the config file. It definitely made me appreciate the current free camera a whole lot more.

[J. Bruh]

Yeah it's garbage. Like Tony said, it's just there to be proof that it doesn't work.

[angrytrex]

thanks for posting this. I'm going to have to give it a try

edit

So I tried it. I think I'm going to give it a few more hours and see if there's any filmworthy antics to come out of it. It doesn't really cripple my fighting style, and seems to offer some exchange of pros and cons.

It does feel very cinematic though. I have to say I was really drawn into the 20 or so sample fights I did with the camera in this mode.

[Riot Polizei]

Originally posted by angrytrex:

thanks for posting this. I'm going to have to give it a try

edit

So I tried it. I think I'm going to give it a few more hours and see if there's any filmworthy antics to come out of it. It doesn't really cripple my fighting style, and seems to offer some exchange of pros and cons.

It does feel very cinematic though. I have to say I was really drawn into the 20 or so sample fights I did with the camera in this mode.

I'd totally be interested if you made a video of some follow-cam antics. I could hardly hold down my lunch when using it, so good luck if you decide on making one!