The problem with this camera system is that they tend to get stuck on environmental objects, either a wall blocking vision of the character or being unable to view large enemies within the frame. Some examples would be third person shooters, Dead Space and the Souls series. But needs extra functionality to work properly. The over the shoulder or third person cam is great for action titles. The major element of a third person camera is that it stays locked to the perspective around the player and they can only rotate it to some extent. The point is that you want to keep the player in frame while presenting enough of the environment so that they know where they are in relation to things. Third Person camera systems tend to focus on keeping the player in the center of the screen and are also commonly referred to as shoulder cams. But when we move to 3D, things do get a bit more complex. These camera systems have been the foundation for many video games and have the common attribute of being easy to design. Simple to design, youвЂ™re basically locking the camera in a position to simulate the head or usually the chest and moving the camera along with the character. This camera system obviously is about looking through the main characterвЂ™s eyes and has become very popular in shooters, horror titles or cutscenes. Even though it is popularized in 3D titles today, the camera system originally was for flat 2D games like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D (despite the 3D in the title). The last 2D example is the first person camera. Isometric view is great for strategy games as it provides a clear view of the situation and works in 2D or 3D titles.ДЄnother camera system that is easy to design as once you have the perspective down, the player can simply control the pitch of it or keep it fixed in one angle.Дespite being listed in the 2D section, isometric also works in 3D strategy games like Civilization or XCom: Enemy Unknown. In strategy games that are dealing with cityscapes or objects that can clutter the view, designers usually have different layers of view that limit what the player can see to make it easier to spot things. The advantage of isometric is that it allows you to view the action from above while still providing depth of field and being able to see units clearly. Here, itвЂ™s like youвЂ™re looking at a board game above and to the side. Isometric is an almost 3/4th view of the action and again is seen in strategy titles. Very simple to make, top down design now exists mainly in simplified indie titles like shooters while strategy games have moved on to the one weвЂ™ll talk about next. Another easy to design camera system, youвЂ™re simply pointing the camera down and either tracking the character or letting the player control it.В Advanced examples may provide some depth of field or detail like Dungeons of Dredmor. Here, the game is played as if you were looking straight down on the field. Top Down is another classic 2D camera system popularized by early strategy titles like the original Command and Conquer and Warcraft.

There are no problems with enemies hiding off camera or worrying about the camera getting stuck when making a tricky jump.Д«ecause of this pure experience, 2D titles are very popular among Indie developers who can create unique games without having to fuss with a camera system. The reason this is easy is that once youвЂ™ve figured out where you want the camera to track from, then itвЂ™s just a matter of matching its movement to the playerвЂ™s.ДўD cameras are popular in games built around high skill level due to giving the player a complete view of whatвЂ™s going onДўD cameras and design allow for a very вЂњpure experienceвЂќ in the sense that the player will always be able to see whatвЂ™s happening and can then plan their moves around that. The character usually stays either in the middle or a little bit to the left or right depending on the direction theyвЂ™re moving and the camera tracks their position. 2D cameras are incredibility easy to set up and design as you are effectively locking a camera to track the player from the side similar to a moving film camera.

Mario, Super Meat Boy, Sonic and a lot more examples. LetвЂ™s start with the one that is the most familiar and that is the side view camera, otherwise known as the 2D camera.ДўD cameras obviously are seen in 2D games regardless of the genre. While todayвЂ™s post may not be all that exciting for the designers and enthusiasts out there, itвЂ™s still an important topic and one that everyone needs to be aware of. Our topic today is all about the different types of camera systems, what theyвЂ™re used for and some common tips and missteps to be aware of. Its lesson time once again for people who may not be familiar with game design.

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