[MUD-Dev] The Lessons of Lucasfilm's Habitat

[coder at ibm.net]

On 06/06/97 at 08:21 AM, Jeff Kesselman <jeffk at tenetwork.com> said:

>At 07:49 PM 6/5/97 PST8PDT, JC lawrence wrote:

>>That's why I'd go for the 270 degree, or even 330 degree spherical
>>view.  Knocking it down from the full 360 degree view gives a blind
>>spot (useful for sneaks) and avoids the disorientation problems of a
>>360 degree view with objects appearing and dissappearing between the
>>back edges.

>Interesting, won't you get speherical warping? 

Yep, I'll have problems with spherical warping.  I've been looking at
various of the standard world map projections as possible being useful
here.  I do know that I won't end up with a standard rectangular
viewport (or a mercator).

> or are you saying by moving the camera back?

Nope.  The camera will either be about 3' behind the bodies head, or
I'll take a 1st person PoV for the viewer (some internal debate -- the
two are very closely related).  I tend to prefer the behind the head
(transparent head) approach with the camera always looking "forward"
and stationary with respect to the body.  It adds a little of the
flavour of the body being able to turn its head to the viewer.

Aside: the latest version of 3D Mario Bros has possibly the worst
handling of camera postion I've seen yet.  Watch thw demo sequence by
the moat/lake for a glaring example.

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
----------(*)                              Internet: coder at ibm.net
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...