Zooming HEV Suit!

Chris D

Chris D

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Originally posted by MyrddinE
Yet another question to add to the massive HL2.net thread of uber answers:

In the videos the camera focuses on Alyx' face. Judging by how it zooms, it
seems to be an automatic or scripted feature. This is a nifty way of
focusing attention on important objects. Is this feature generic? Can I (for
instance) mark a distant goal object (like a switch to move the boom on a
crane) as a 'zoom object' so that if the player focuses on that object, the
camera will zoom in on it?

This seems like a great way to be a little more subtle over the map goals.
You have used it, so far, as primarily a way to focus on the facial
expressions of Alyx... using it to identify interesting spots or plot
objects would be interesting. Perhaps you already are, but were keeping your
cards hidden?

Thanks for the information, and good luck on achieving your release date
target!

Gabe's Answer:

There are multiple ways to talk about this.

>From the player's perspective, your HEV suit has an AI function that allows
it to zoom in on important things in the world. It is independent of any
weapon. Looking away from the important thing unzooms. The zoom function
can also be manually controlled, and disabled if you prefer.

>From a level designers perspective, you have an entity that is a zoom object
like you suggest. You can also make it somewhat "magnetic" so it tends to
slurp the players view towards it and make it a little sticky. You could if
you wanted to grab the player's line of sight and force it to a particular
direction until the entity let's it go, which would be inconsistent with the
HL-2 design, but is probably useful for MODs who have some particular action
that is critical for the player to see.

This behavior (changing the FOV and making the player's radial motion
non-linear) is the kind of thing you have to playtest pretty carefully to
make sure it doesn't pull the player out of the game world.
Click to expand...

I think that sounds pretty cool. I can imagine it so well and I bet it works pretty well too. I think it'll add to the feel of the game, and it's something rather original too. What do you think about the auto zoom feature? Discuss.
 
Fianlly Gabe answered this question, and a long answer too. Yeah, I think the zoom function is great. Not only will you be able to zoom in one the characters, but interesting objects in the distance as well. :thumbs:
 
Thanks for the info Chris. :)

im happy with the zoom feature as long as it doesn't happen too often, or during combat.
 
Thanks for thanking me for the info, but I just want to remind people that MyrddinE is the one that found out the answer and posted it in the Valve thread, I just turned it into discussion material.
 
Well then thank I thank you MyrddinE for finding this out for us. :thumbs:
 
thats cool altho i might diable it or make it manual
 
Originally posted by The Mullinator
Thanks for the info Chris. :)

im happy with the zoom feature as long as it doesn't happen too often, or during combat.
Click to expand...
Yea, can you imagine zooming at a Combine Soldier while you're trying to kill him.
Edit: Chris_D, what about the MP-7 zoom? Remember the fight with the Strider, while Gordon is comming down the elevator he zooms at the Militia, and the zoom is different.
 
Originally posted by Tredoslop
Yea, can you imagine zooming at a Combine Soldier while you're trying to kill him.
Edit: Chris_D, what about the MP-7 zoom? Remember the fight with the Strider, while Gordon is comming down the elevator he zooms at the Militia, and the zoom is different.
Click to expand...

what about the mp7 zoom? its a function of the weapon.
 
I wonder if you'll be able to zoom-zoom. You know, mp7 zoom when AI suit is zoomed already? You'd get a real close-up of Alyx.
 
Originally posted by Tredoslop
You mean like pressing the seconday fire button?
Click to expand...

thats how it was in HL (not an mp7, but zooming weapons, like the crossbow and the colt in mplayer), also like that in every other game i can think of, don't see why they'd change it.
 
that will add some extra button for zooming but I think it's pretty cool
 
ya it pumps gordan full of MORPHINE and he gets so freaking HIGH that nothing hurts him.
 
that kinda reminds me of something...... i think it was resident evil......where they had it so ur characters head would look towards important stuff.
 
I'd most likely set it to manual... the explanition odf the suit being able to determine important things your looking at or conversations is a little bit far fetched to me.

Not that it isn't a neat feature, just i think they could have thought up something better than that.
 
Yeah, unless Gordon wears the helmet 24/7, it doesn't make much sense that the suit would zoom in on important things. I think it makes more sense to just imagine it as concentrating your attention in a particular area. I'll leave this feature on at first and see how it works, but in the Kleiner's Lab video, the zoom looked very smooth and natural and not at all distracting. It could be a very neat feature.

It's this kind of attention to detail that lets me know that Valve is making something very special.
 
Oh yeah i'd try it like I said it merely could have had a better explanation it might work quite well but personally I would prefer being able to choose when I should zoom or not.

Anyways, your way is how I would have explained it. Valves way makes it seem like the HEV suit can't think on it's own.
 
Yeah I'd prefer it be manual too. That way I could "stare" at people whenver I want. :cheese:
 
I'd prefer manual, however, if there was something important around there should be a little indicator to tell me I should activate it :)
 
I'm definitely puttin it to manual, i dont want hints.. i want to explore half-life 2 minus the training wheels :)
 
Originally posted by Blud Stane
I'm definitely puttin it to manual, i dont want hints.. i want to explore half-life 2 minus the training wheels :)
Click to expand...


I think i may give it a try like some have suggested..and see how intrusive it is......


but it will most likley end up on manual :D
 
ya it pumps gordan full of MORPHINE and he gets so freaking HIGH that nothing hurts him.
Click to expand...

I know: seriously! If the suit did that every time I got hurt, my version of gordon must have been soooo toasted.

Was I crazy, or in Half-Life Day One, didn't some of the scientists inject you with something that restored your health? Or was that some other game?
 
Originally posted by -Biohazard
that kinda reminds me of something...... i think it was resident evil......where they had it so ur characters head would look towards important stuff.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they took it from Alone In The Dark (along w/ the rest of the entire genre) ;)

As for me, I'll be disabling this HEV Zoom sillyness. Sudden zooming kinda gives me a headache, plus zooming in on the hidden secret to whatever puzzle every time would probably cut down on the challenge of things...
 
Originally posted by Apos
I know: seriously! If the suit did that every time I got hurt, my version of gordon must have been soooo toasted.

Was I crazy, or in Half-Life Day One, didn't some of the scientists inject you with something that restored your health? Or was that some other game?
Click to expand...

That's what happened all the way thorugh HL1. If you were below a certain amount of health then scientists would give you an injection saying "Ahh, you're wounded. Let me heal them for you."
 
Looking at the ground while in a helicopter or airplane gives me a headache, hehe. Even if it's a movie on tv

I will play the game with Zoom enabled and see if VALVe has done it good or not. Otherwise I will switch to manual
 
Originally posted by Chris_D
That's what happened all the way thorugh HL1. If you were below a certain amount of health then scientists would give you an injection saying "Ahh, you're wounded. Let me heal them for you."
Click to expand...

Did they do that in HL1? Just played it without seeing it. But I saw it in Opposing Force though
 
They certainly did... Re-load one of your saved games, get yourself injured to about 25 health and find a scientist.
 
I just remembered-

In the tech demo, the part where they show the different materials-the part about the water man walking out of a fire- you can clearly see the screen zooms in :|
 
Originally posted by Chris_D
They certainly did... Re-load one of your saved games, get yourself injured to about 25 health and find a scientist.
Click to expand...
You also have to press "use" and hold on to that "use" button. Same with the Op4 Medics, except they had a limit and you could control how much health you wanted.
 
HL1 : Scientists would heal you if you were below 50% health. You hit Use (just like talking to them) in order to activate. You didn't have to hold it - that was only the medic class in the expansion.

HL2 : The zoom is meant to be a subtle thing to attract your attention to something, not to force your view away from where you want it. (If they've developed it correctly, you'll hardly notice it.)
 
Imagine a room with white walls, no door and you're inside it. There's a key hanging on one of the walls, but this key is very very big and blocky.

Now imagine a photo realistic room. Fancy wall paper, a fire place with ornaments on it, a painting on the wall, a window, a lovely carpet, a textured, bump mapped ceiling, a lovely detailed 19th century wooden oak door and a chandalier light fitting. There's a key in this room somewhere, a small tiny chrome one - find it.

Now here I have just described the difference between HL1 and HL2 (metaphorically) and I basically think that the zooming in feature, just comes with the fact that in a more intricate environment, not only can more intricate things be done, but more intricately things can be hidden - therefore a little bit of help wouldn't be too bad.
 
what a cool idea, and I can imagine the implications this will have on mod and map developement, not to mention story progression

edit: bah I didnt see it had 3 pages to the thread... well hey Im not redundant for nothing

:cheers:
 
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