Feature request: Make players head non-static

[waxhead]

When you stop moving in a scene the players head is frozen stiff. e.g. it is not moving much like a camera on a tripod.

I suggest making the camera move very slowly (and very little) up/down and a bit sideways as well. This would add to the immersive 3D feel I think. If you have been running it could move a bit more than if you have been creeping / walking around.

And just to clarify a bit , I am not talking about massive movement here - only a slight, slow tilt/back/forward/up/down "random" motion. Enough to make the scene move a few pixels here and/there. Of course such a feature should be possible to turn off (and/or adjust the intensity of the effect).

[Springheel]

Your view in real life doesn't bob up and down because your brain compensates for any small movements.  Adding movement to the game would make it less like real life, not more.  It would be like adding blinking.

[waxhead]

Well in real life you don't stay perfectly still either. I am not talking about bobbing up/down but, very slowly moving the head to an offset value that is not perfectly in the center. Pretend like you are looking out the window and during 5-10 seconds your head moves half a cm to left/right/up/down whatever. This barely changes what you see, but you are seldom perfectly static.

Edit: it would not be like adding blinking because you blink anyway. When you sit in front of your computer screen your head moves , but not what you are looking "into"

Edited July 12, 2020 by waxhead

[duzenko]

Shaky Cam generation

[peter_spy]

As Spring said, your brain compensates for this type of thing, and there's a huge difference between doing this e.g. while walking, and when you're sitting in front of a static screen. That kind of motion could possibly mess with your inner ear and make you sick.

IIRC, Thief Deadly Shadows had a very mild up/down movement when the character was idle to mimic breathing. But it didn't really add much to the overall experience, it was just there.

[waxhead]

I am just thinking that it would add some life to the experience if you where lurking in an alley and waiting for a guard or something. I am not talking about anything as quick as mimicking breathing, it is just that if you look straight ahead you got a pixel perfect view of your surroundings. I am just looking for a "superslow-slight-drift". From a programmers point of view it would be something like having a 100x100 grid and if your "head" was at the center 50,50 then it would move to for example 50+3 in a duration of 5 or even 15 seconds. That would be VERY slow and hardly noticeable other than making sure you don't get a static picture all the time. I think it would be a interesting experiment at least... and who knows... I might not even like it myself

[peter_spy]

If you have a big TV, try playing Thief Deadly Shadows in first person. I tried it recently on a projector, which was an equivalent of 70-something inch TV. What was a hardly noticeable effect on a 24-inch monitor is now a source of an eye strain and uncomfortable feeling in the stomach. And you can't turn it off, so no TDS on a big screen for me .

[waxhead]

I don't get your argument. As I said in my original post.. such a feature should be possible to turn on/off and also adjust the intensity of the effect.

[absconder]

Get yourself a programmable USB mouse jiggler.  (Buy or build.  An Arduino based upon a 32u4 should do the trick).  Program it for whatever amount of random movement you require to feel more immersed and be happy.

[peter_spy]

7 hours ago, waxhead said:

I don't get your argument. As I said in my original post.. such a feature should be possible to turn on/off and also adjust the intensity of the effect.

I brought up that example so anyone can see whether this feature works for them or not, without spending developer time on it.

[demagogue]

I don't think the devs are going to consider something like this. But I don't think it's as difficult to code as you might think. This is one of those projects that's well within a fan's ability to mod in for themselves. I'd search the forums and the source code for anything to do with head movement, and I think it wouldn't take long before the key code you'd have to change pops up.

[stumpy]

the up and down movement is there to stop you getting seasickness in a game, moving the players head from side to side would bring back the seasickness feeling that the bobbing is there to remove.

[Filizitas]

Having a slider or a button for Headbobbing could solve both arguments.
I would love it.

[chakkman]

I don't think it is a good idea. As Springheel pointed out, your brain compensates in the real world, and I don't see any benefit gameplay-wise. Head/camera movement while moving is much more important, and that is already there.