Beat it last night.
To reiterate, the in-game auto-cam is basically non-existant. But the camera is awesome because I'm such an awesome camera man (as was the case in Sunshine and Wind Waker).
The game asks you to:
1. Move the character (analog)
2. Use the Bearer power (IR pointer, motion swings)
3. Aim the camera (D-pad)
Having to worry about all three is initially a tough compromise, and demanding. But as soon as I realized #3 was just as crtical as #1, combat was easy and exciting. #2 was already second-nature; in fact, #1 with #3 combined should already be second nature to many people because it shadows Dual-Analog control (move + look), and there's no need to be precise. Changing/combining any aspects to achieve some camera automation would require an overhaul of the game's mechanics. I suppose YOU COULD depend on the Z-trigger to center the camera all the time (like Zelda) and be very good at it instead of steering the camera all the time, but I didn't find the results as elegant nor as accurate as manual camera steering. Re-centering the camera all the time can be sickening and tiresome because:
- There's more enemies in the field at one time than in TP (easist game to compare to)
- The fields are way bigger than any combat area in TP
- The enemies vary in size from tiny to boss-sized giants, and the giants are still surrounded by smaller enemies
Other considerations:
- Combat is not toe-to-toe (as opposed to doing a sword combo in one spot), you're constantly moving, you interact with enemies from various distances
- You want to keep your distance from most enemies, and typically want to see them distant in your view (especially big ones), looking into the screen, looking towards the horizon (3D Zelda cameras tend to tilt down to show the floor with enemies adjacent to you)
- You can already run/roll/evade in any direction independent of the camera in an open field (far away from walls). Your Bearer powers work regardless of the direction the character is looking/running
- A-Button (drops whatever your carrying), I've almost never ever used during combat, which frees your thumb to be on the D-pad all the time
When things are really busy, you're easily surrounded, so gradually panning the camera becomes preferrable to suddenly shifting it.
One of the simplest ways to practice the manual camera was to use it ALL THE TIME, even in calm areas. Steering the camera also aides/affects steering your character.
Topic: FF Crystal Bearers -- Harmonica/WTF Trailer (Read 55126 times)
