Zoom and center character on conversations

[NeV3rKilL]

We all know POE have good graphics and characters and that the conversations feel a little empty outside the textbox.

 

I suggest to zoom the camera to the character who is speaking at that moment.

 

This would center the action on the speaking character and also, zooming the character, showing his details and most important creating a stronger bound player/character.

 

This is something lacks in POE + WM that I think woul be a great addition to POE dynamism.

[Regggler]

I'd prefer it if zooming and, to an extent, scrolling simply stayed enabled in conversations. For the same reasons, though.

Edited March 6, 2017 by Regggler

[Hynkel]

In Tyranny you get to see the characters' 3D model in a small window, striking a pose depending on how the conversation goes.

 

It's a nice touch, especially for the various named NPCs.

 

For the most important characters however, I'd rather stick with the much more gorgeous and unique portraits.

[Pinsalinj]

Oh god no. Frequent camera angle changes very quickly tire my eyes and it really hurts after just a minute or so. This kind of change would actually make me unable to play the game, and I'm being completely serious here.

 

Maybe as an option that can be activated, though.

[Silent Winter]

Oh god no. Frequent camera angle changes very quickly tire my eyes and it really hurts after just a minute or so. This kind of change would actually make me unable to play the game, and I'm being completely serious here.

 

Maybe as an option that can be activated, though.

That's understandable, which is why I'd prefer as Regggler suggested and just allow us to move/zoom the camera during convos.

I prefer to zoom out a little for battles, but then I often end up too zoomed out (for my tastes) when in convos.

Edited March 7, 2017 by Silent Winter

[Pinsalinj]

Yes, I guess what Regggler suggests is indeed a good compromise since we'd have the choice to do it or not!

[draego]

I would like character portrait in the window for who is talking to me. I know they wont make that many portraits but when i was playing through i had hoped that putting portraits i didnt use into the npc portrait folder (and renaming them to characters you meet in the game) would make the portrait pop up when talking with me but it didnt the npc portraits only work for certain characters. Its seem that that could be done with the portraits you dont use. So just dynamically assign unused portraits to characters of descending importance in the game. Seems like a waste of portraits not to use them. 

Edited March 6, 2017 by draego

[Karkarov]

It could be a neat feature, depending on how detailed the models end up being.  Not something I would consider must have or even important though.  If they are near the end, they can throw it in with little effort, and there is nothing better to do... sure why not?  It should definitely be a toggle though, not an always on, or even default on, feature.

[Koth]

I'd propose another option somewhat akin to fallout 2 and touched on by Hynkel above, whereby a portrait of the NPC that you're talking to would appear beside the dialog window and show facial reactions that reflect the current state of the NPCs reaction to the current conversation state. I.e. the NPC would smile, laugh, frown, scowl depending on your conversation choices and their feelings towards them. This worked very well in Fallout 2 and I've yet to see it implemented in any other CRPG since. I'd love to see something like this return for PoE2.

[Sedrefilos]

Zooming is good. If no zooming, portraits of those who speak at the moment (I think it's in with the waterpaint portraits though).

Edited March 7, 2017 by Sedrefilos

[compleCCity]

• Portrait before dialog: okay.

Portrait before dialog, mirroring emotions: unneccessary. I think they've well done with these things in PoE1, implementing it as text in the dialog.

Zoom: no. I think that needs a lot of technical innovations. The game area is actually unaccessible during dialog – making that zoom- and movable would need to unpause the game in these scenes. Then there are some scenes (PoE1) where the conversing characters are really far from another, how will you zoom there? No, I really think there are better options to spend the money on … (like walk toggle  )

[Silent Winter]

 

• Zoom: no. I think that needs a lot of technical innovations. The game area is actually unaccessible during dialog – making that zoom- and movable would need to unpause the game in these scenes. Then there are some scenes (PoE1) where the conversing characters are really far from another, how will you zoom there?

We can already pan and zoom when the game is paused - just not in dialogue.  All this requires is not freezing the game window in dialogue.

When the characters are further apart, we'd have the option of zooming out / panning the camera.

(Assuming here we're talking about manual control. If it's automatic, it needs the extra work)

[Sedrefilos]

I'd like something completely new. When dialogue initiates, each time a charater talks, the camera peeks through or zooms in random spots. From the nostrill looking out, hidden in the hair, a zoom in the eye maybe under the armpit. Neat.

The background will be shown in 2D of course. Totally flat.

Edited March 7, 2017 by Sedrefilos

[Androoh]

We all know POE have good graphics and characters and that the conversations feel a little empty outside the textbox.

 

I suggest to zoom the camera to the character who is speaking at that moment.

 

This would center the action on the speaking character and also, zooming the character, showing his details and most important creating a stronger bound player/character.

 

This is something lacks in POE + WM that I think woul be a great addition to POE dynamism.

I like this. Purely for conversations.

 

Preserve the portraits for the main UI and it's various elements, with some combination on both with a 'paper doll' (character sheet, inventory etc).

 

 

[Silent Winter]

In the latest Twitch Q&A they mentioned that the game window would no longer be paused during convos (so you can see the ambient people moving around, grass swaying etc.  I'm hoping this also means we can zoom/pan.

[Regggler]

In the latest Twitch Q&A they mentioned that the game window would no longer be paused during convos (so you can see the ambient people moving around, grass swaying etc.  I'm hoping this also means we can zoom/pan.

 

Oh Eothas, yes please. However, since you can zoom and pan in pause mode already, I doubt the two are related.

[Sedrefilos]

In the latest Twitch Q&A they mentioned that the game window would no longer be paused during convos (so you can see the ambient people moving around, grass swaying etc.  I'm hoping this also means we can zoom/pan.

I think it'll be like Torment. Everything moves around you but you cannot zoom in/out. You're stuck to the zoom level we were when initiated the dialogue.

It makes sense though; you're using mousewheel to scroll text up and down at that moment. And the dialogue interface takes half the screen (although I think they said that it'll be transparent-like in illars 2, so we can see more of the environment while talking).

[Regggler]

I'd totally be fine with having to mouse over the dialogue interface to scroll text, and mouse into the scenery to scroll that.

[Sedrefilos]

I'd totally be fine with having to mouse over the dialogue interface to scroll text, and mouse into the scenery to scroll that.

A game in full 3D would have solved this problem though

Like NWN 2

[Ganrich]

I hate the camera being pulled from my control. I suffer from motion sickness, and although it isn't bad in isometric games it can still be problematic. Torment pulling back to the party every time I clicked To move some where on the map was one such time that it became problematic. I had to take breaks pretty liberally. Doing it just during dialogues to center the camera isn't bad, but leave the zoom up to me please lest I vomit.

[injurai]

The people who want this should present examples of it working well. I can't think of a single example.

 

A UI heavy game designed for a pulled out camera suddenly auto-centering and zooming in on assets that aren't designed for close cameras; Losing the gorgeous painstakingly crafted scenery just to look at animations that are nothing to write home about. All that, while I'm being asked to interface with this interaction through text. I've never seen it work, and the best implementation I can muster up doesn't even seem appealing.

[Silent Winter]

The people who want this should present examples of it working well. I can't think of a single example.

 

A UI heavy game designed for a pulled out camera suddenly auto-centering and zooming in on assets that aren't designed for close cameras; Losing the gorgeous painstakingly crafted scenery just to look at animations that are nothing to write home about. All that, while I'm being asked to interface with this interaction through text. I've never seen it work, and the best implementation I can muster up doesn't even seem appealing.

I'm not asking for it to zoom in beyond the default 'close' - I'm wanting to be able to zoom in closer than max 'zoom out' distance when in conversation.  Like I said, I often play zoomed out for battles/scouting in order to see more, but then I'm in conversation and locked to that distance.

My current playthrough I'm doing it zoomed in a lot more, and I notice a lot more of the gorgeous details that are on the maps.

I've never played an isometric rpg that let you zoom the camera while in conversation.  Obviously the IE games had no zoom anyway (not counting EE, which I haven't played).  Am I imagining BG2 letting me still pan the camera?  I seem to recall NWN(1/2) let you control the camera except in scripted cut-scenes.

 

So no, sudden uncontrolled jump and zoom beyond maximum is not what I'm asking for.  Just an unlocked camera - how could that not work well?

[Quillon]

For conversations, first I'd like to see the PC get in front of the NPC, even if the PC's in the back of our formation. For looting its fine the nearest person picking up the loot but for conversations...well, I guess its a nitpick of mine. And since the world will not pause in conversations this time around, companions should also move closer as we're conversing.

 

Don't know about zooming but centering the camera on the one who's speaking could be good with camera moving instead of jumping between characters, tho there should be a delay for if we're getting through the conversation fast/skipping.

[Varana]

Centering the camera on the speaker imho breaks down once you have rapidly changing speakers in a dialogue - be it because they dialogue is short and you continue quickly, or for a quick interjection of a companion or an NPC, or because it's a discussion with many participants, or because you read all this stuff before and are replaying that scene. Even thinking about the camera rapidly hopping around makes me uncomfortable.