Camera control ideas for a future Tako

So 1.9 Preview has some neat camera controls. If your avatar is seated on a vehicle, that vehicle can move your camera around whichever way via new LSL functions. I want to build this feature into the next Tako upgrade as soon as SL 1.9 comes out.

How would you, the tako helmsperson, like to be able to control the camera?

For instance, would you want a little button HUD with arrows for "look left", "look right", "look back"?

Would you want to be able to do a quick 360 deg look at the push of a button or touch of an F key?

How about a view from 50 meters up, looking straight down?

Should everything be chat AND HUD controllable?

Would you even use camera controls?

(You may not know this, but the Camera script in the Tako is modifiable, so you can change the static camera position and direction already...)

...honestly, my screen's wide enough that i can't envision myself wanting a different camera position from the current default...it's close enough to provide a reasonable sense of immersion while still pulled back enough to give reasonable situational awareness...


...i'm sure there are other camera positions which would allow for much tighter control in racing situations, but that's probably something i won't miss until i try it...i like the current camera and really don't feel a need for anything different...

I once experimented with different camera controls on the current Tako only to discover its default suited my needs the best when racing, allowing me the best view of my surroundings while keeping me focused forward. Since I'm constantly monitoring sheet and spinnaker angles, switching my camera view needs to be easy and very quick, maybe to allow me a glance to the sides and behind to make sure a tack won't put me out of ROW. I can imagine a control similar to spin and cb, quick toggle on and off with the same command.

I'm not sure how you would go about creating these different camera positions. Would it be something that I have to program myself, telling the camera just how to look right and left and 50 meters up? Or are these functions you would program for us? I can see modifying your own camera angles would be best for a person to optimize the function to best suit their needs, but for a beginner, the more features you add that they have to set up on their own, the less likely they're going to do so.

I think everything should also be chat and HUD controllable. I'm sorry to say that I ended up not using the button HUD when it came to racing. It was simply faster to keep both my hands on the keyboard, using hotkeys for everything. I could have kept the button taking up my screen real estate for such things like raise or moor, but since those are only used by me at the beginning and end of the race, I saw no need.

That said, I am starting to see some other uses for the HUD as I'm running out of F keys. For less critical commands, but ones still useful in the race, I can see using the buttons for the proposed camera toggles. And lately, I've been thinking of using them for my ROW shouts.

Probably the most important question was would I use the camera controls? I don't know. I have to try using it first to see how it helps or hinders my racing. Oh wait, but I can see using it for touring with the Tako. It would be nice to look around my surroundings easily when I'm on a leisurely sail.

A pulled back view would be nice, as well as one that is pulled back, above, and looking down and forward.

The 360 rotatetion sounds likea good option, maybe a button to glance right or left, then look back at center as well.

The birds eye view, looking straight down will help with those narrow channels to be sure.

...

If possible, a HUD button controlled on the fly camera placement would be nice, so we can put it wherever we want and leave it there, being able to make presets from that would be even better still.

I would definately use a look to the side camera control before tacking or jibing, especially when I am not sure if I will clear another boat's path. Being able to look left and look right (quickly) would help a lot when racing because right now we are mostly sailing looking straight ahead. THis is like driving a car without any sort of rear view mirror. I think the overhead view would also come in handy if you could take a quick glance at it, since right now the best we get is some tiny green dots in the mini map. The main thing I want is to be able to take a quicke look, and then get back to the normal camera view. Ideally it would fell like quickly tiurning your head for a glance...

The two views that I would love to see:

1. Hit a key and get a quick pan to the right (45 degree pan?) then back across the bow to a 45 degree left pan. Whole pan takes 3 seconds at most. This will allow us a better view of boats on either side that will affect our immediate future.

2. 50meter over head view would be wonderful. It would replace the HUD radar lite.

The more situational awareness we have the better we can sail and the more realistic the racing experience will become.