Cinematics Prototyped

I never thought I'd be studying film-making, but I guess that's just the nature of video games now.

The first stab at cinematics is now complete. My custom 180 degree Line of Action controller isn't perfect but it's at least functional. This controller has a number of virtual cameras (Cameramen) that are setup at specific angles to follow melee action between two combatants. The camera randomly pans between cameras every second and limits itself to the 180-degree rule. The focus point calculated by averaging the two character positions.

(the active camera is switched at random every second. The actual game will use a more natural algorithm)

During an action sequence the Line of Action controller will take over. I can set the camera to cut or pan between each virtual camera. The great thing about this setup is that I can have this occur at random and/or allow the player to switch between cameras while they wait for the action to complete. For that purpose, I'll need to add a few camera buttons to the UI, but that won't be difficult.

I'll probably need a few more camera rigs to follow movement and projectiles, but most of the ground work is complete. At the moment, I'm considering mimicking the famous robin hood shot once bow attacks are completed.