THE CAMERA DESIGN OF JAK III
The camera design of Jak III was the most refined of the series so far, and was the pinnacle of third-person camera design at the time. It utilised classic third person camera techniques, such as those developed in Super Mario 64, and refined them to create a very fluid responsive camera system. This was of huge importance in such a fast-paced action-adventure game, with an emphasis on combat, speed and verticality. The camera in Jak III is a dynamic third-person camera. This means that while most sections of the game give full control to the player, it does have some subtle automation. For example, if the player jumps, the camera pans up slightly, and also rotates upwards slightly, making sure that the player can see whatever it is that they are jumping up to. Another example of this, is as the player heads down a slope, the camera often shifts to a slightly higher angle, rotated to face downwards. This is again to reveal what the player is heading down towards. If the player is stationary, they are free to move the camera as they like, but as the player moves, the camera automatically follows and tracks the player, making it easier to focus on the task at hand, removing the distraction of having to control the camera. Without these three techniques, a game that requires a lot of jumping, and heading both up and down in levels would feel extremely unfair, as the camera would often occlude obstacles in the player’s path that deviate from a straight or horizontal route. Being a dynamic camera has some other bonuses as well. Jak III, while being first and foremost a platformer game, also has heavy combat elements, including the use of guns and projectiles. In a first-person-shooter game (FPS), the player’s reticle or cross-hairs indicate where the player’s weapon will fire a projectile. This is very clear, and if the player misses, they generally understand that it was because they didn’t line up the reticle with the target correctly. In a third person camera perspective, however, it’s not so easy to aim a weapon, as you can’t stare down it’s sights. A lot of games opt for a lerp between a third to first person camera with the push of a button in shooting sections, and this works in a game with a lot of tactical shooting. But Jak III is a platformer, so instead the developers built the world and it’s levels around this limitation, instead of slowing the pace of the game down during shooting sections. The camera in combat sections will often pan up to a higher view, allowing the player to see more of their surroundings. This helps the player orient themselves to face the enemies they wish to engage. Automatic locking on, and a laser sight help the player understand which enemy they are aiming their weapon at. To further aid the camera, the levels are built in a way that enemies can be placed in rows, in succession, or in a way that flows well, and feels good as the player runs and guns through the levels. Designing your game so that the camera is an integral element is extremely important, and the harmony that Jak III strikes between it’s level design and camera design makes the game a very fluid experience. After all, not noticing the camera is a sign that it’s a good one. |
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October 2017
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