World Weaver: Tales of A Game Developer to Be: God of Cameras

They are by far one of the most important elements of a game because without them, you wouldn’t be able to see anything! Yet cameras seem to be one of the most overlooked elements of games from the player’s standing when done right, and that’s the point. Cameras provide (literally) a view into the world of the game and the lives of the characters within it by providing a dynamic, fluid experience that, with the help of other game elements, draws the player into the game. When done right, the players should forget that the cameras even exist but when something goes wrong this illusion is broken which usually results in disgruntled players and badly made “let’s play” YouTube videos.

A great example of a game that makes good use of cameras is God of War 3 in that it provides an exciting, empowering experience that often leaves the player in awe. But what do cameras have to do with beating the snot out of monsters? The Answer? EVERYTHING! God of War 3 strives to a cinematic experience, so everything from those epic boss fights to those amazing landscape shots, which are characteristic of the God of War games, would be lessened in greatness if not for the heavy scripting of the cameras.

But how did the development team do it? Well it first starts with the level layout coming from the level designer and ending up in the hands of the camera designers. These are the guys the place the cameras within the levels which give you those changing views within the game. Once the camera designers have finished placing the cameras within the scene, they have it play-tested to make sure they provide an enjoyable experience. They then hand the level off to the art department where the level undergoes a super amazing makeover and is sent back to the camera designers for final adjustment of the cameras. The adjustments are needed due to the level being changed slightly by the cosmetic surgery done by the art department. The camera designers also have to take into account and show off those amazing environment shots that we all know and love (and which the art department slaved over to make). Then when the game runs, the code takes in the camera positions in the level and simply takes the view from the current camera and smoothly interpolates it to the next camera position which results in those smooth changes between camera view angles we see in game.

In closing, God of War 3 relies heavily on camera scripting, controlling what the player sees, and how they see it in game. This is crucial in providing the kind of awe inspiring, adrenaline pumping, and rage inducing experience that God of War 3 gives you.