Mini-cam for commander

Aranea

<div class="IPBDescription">Commander sees first person action trough a small screen.</div>Another idea, I didn't search for it first so it could be posted before...

In Warcraft III you have a little screen where the selected character sits and shows his emotions. What if we use this screen to show whatever the marine is seeing. Like the cam on his helmet would have some real use for it <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />...

So when a commander selects a player, he would see whatever the player is seeing. When he selects a team, a team leader could be selected, or the player with the highest score would automaticly be selected...

The technology allready exists, you could get some more info about over <a href="http://forums.facepunchstudios.com/showthread.php?t=261262" target="_blank">mhere</a> (& image <a href="http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Image:B0e6e37dc3edd0c5c8e98338edc1e363.jpg" target="_blank">mhere</a>)... If stumbled upon that because I was looking after some way to display multiple players on <a href="http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Source_TV_Feature-Request" target="_blank">source TV</a>.

The disadvantage is that whenever you are using this cam, you cannot see yourself. But since the commander sits in his chair, that would not be a problem <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />. (In another example, you could have used this technology to add a small screen to the gui of every marine)...

Another cool feature you can add is that there are different cameras placed on the map. And when you "secure" an area, that cam becomes available for the commander. Whenever the alien race takes over these areas, the cameras become distorted... At the start of the match a marine nees to repair these cams (weld them or something). This way cams could be placed in hive locations.

MasterPTG

Interesting idea..... I'd be more interested in showing the cam-views of the selected group's individual views to the com in a corner somewhere. You'd be able to gather a different type of intel by looking at first-person perspective in the field. Interesting idea.

Aranea

Be warned with multiple screens, the source engine needs to render each screen sepperatly. So when you show multiple views, a medium pc cannot render all the graphics that are showing...

An addition btw, what if you could build some kind of "Lost-alike" (= tv-series) Big Brother rooms that contain controls and different tv's showing all of the cameras. The marines would have some kind of graphical addition.

And when they weld (= repair) those cams (= retake terrain) more televisions become active. This way you have some quick overview how the balance in the map is at the time beïng.

schkorpio

there is no reason it can't be done techinally. you can already attach a camera to say a car in garry's mod, and then output that on any surface or even as mini view in your own screen.

Kalopsia

Yeah i really like this idea a lot, gives the commander the ability to see whats happening with his/her team while off doing something else.

Prefix

personally, i dont think it would be worth it. The Comm doesnt need to see a first person view of a marine, he can already see what he says (or at least should), this feature would just be a pain in the ###### for a comm who has a bad gfx card. And anyway, one of the main things about the comm is that its all 3rd person <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />

KainTSA

First person views would certainly be cool, but i don't know how worth it they would be. Now if you could activate cameras to view rooms that belong to neither you or aliens, THAT would be useful. After the DI in the room hits a certain level, the camera could go offline. You could easily do the cameras without an extra window: just have it so that you could see everything in a room on your map like you currently do with a marine present.

Archfiendchris

Not sure about the mini-cam, i think it takes the attention off being the commander, and if u have time to play around with first person view, then obviously, your ether losing and have no resources, or your winning, and prolonging the game <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />

Kassinger

<!--quoteo(post=1631868:date=Jun 6 2007, 11:08 PM:name=KainTSA)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KainTSA @ Jun 6 2007, 11:08 PM) [snapback]1631868[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
First person views would certainly be cool, but i don't know how worth it they would be. Now if you could activate cameras to view rooms that belong to neither you or aliens, THAT would be useful. After the DI in the room hits a certain level, the camera could go offline. You could easily do the cameras without an extra window: just have it so that you could see everything in a room on your map like you currently do with a marine present.
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I agree with KainTSA here. In a good team the commander should be able to rely on soldiers reporting what they see, the commander shouldn't be the one telling what soldier # just saw. Though I like the idea of using cameras covering places where your soldier don't see, and the infestation shutting those cameras down.

spellman23

I agree with the don't do this idea.

It's kinda cool, but not really hugely useful nor beneficial.

schkorpio

unless they change it so that the commander doesn't fly around in no clip mode anyway.
Imagine if it was more like in aliens, the commander is a small room with 16 monitors all showing a small fp view.

wait that would be impossible to command. nevermind

Shuvit_Viper

..I like this idea, but I think its not worth the trouble... Camera's can add to gameplay, but I think its map-dependent... maybe even let commanders access camera's trough a button (which could be hard-coded in the GUI) so that he loses command view for a sec but has access to the camera...