5 replies to this topic

[rogerdv]

Im working in an online RPG. The second member of the team is implementing the client and graphic engine. The idea is a chase view (3rp person view). My first proposal was to use traditional way to control movement: rotate left/right with lf/rg arrows and move forward/back with up/down. My teammate wants to try something innovative: use mouse to rotate view by click and drag and have a free look. We have a working concept and I still dont get used to it, and i would like to know if somebody here has experienced with a similar movement control scheme, as developer or user and what do you think about it.

[DracheHexe]

Neverwinter Nights has a similar (but thankfully flexible) control scheme. You can click the middle mouse button to rotate the view around. Personally I don't like it, as 3 buttons on a mouse isn't enough for great functionality in an RPG (I have a 5 button mouse, but haven't found a game where buttons 4 and 5 work). Sacraficing another mouse button for freelook would be horrible in my opinion. You're probably better off assigning a key to activate a freelook mode which is then controled by the mouse until the key is pressed again or the player moves, kind of like how Prince of Persia does it.

[Ellis1138]

I don't know exactly what you're talking about as innovative. On City of Heroes, you use the mouse and the right mouse button to turn/rotate the character, while A S D W is movement in a direction, R to is to keep moving, and the middle mouse button zooms the camera in and out. They also have an option where you can click somewhere with the mouse and your character will move to that place.

I dislike the games where all movement/looking is done by typing the letters. Clicking to move is a lot easier.

[rogerdv]

in this case, movement is as usual, using up and down. Dragging with mouse is to get a sort of free look or rotate character.

[Ellis1138]

I was just told by the lead programmer on my team that the term you're searching for is Mouselook. It's been around a while.

[Durastik]

If you use the middle mouse button to implent the feature it's fune, but L/R should be left free for other uses.

Peace