In other MMO’s like WoW, the camera was in a position so that you could see the beautiful world that you are in. In Guild Wars 2, it is so annoying how the camera always seems to be pointing at the floor, so you never can see the beautiful world that Arena Net has made. If you angle your camera to see the world, then you automatically zoom into your characters back so that is all you can see. This is something that I wish Arena Net would change.
I think what the problem you guys are having isn’t what you think it is.
The camera points wherever you point it. If you end up point it at the ground a lot, then that’s nothing that the software can do anything about.
The thing is, you are probably only noticing it because of the very low Point Of View angle in this game. Instead of a standard 90-100 degrees, you are currently restricted to 65. This means that you will lose the horizon a lot more quickly whne pointed at the ground… not something that you’ll notice under normal circumstances.
That’s what I think it is anyway. I’m really hoping they add a POV slider at some point. The camera control hack that’s out there doesn’t work for me.
It’s related to the FOV, and I describe it as being trapped in a 1974 station wagon, craning my neck (mouse-looking around) to see all of the beautiful stuff outside of the car.
I heard they felt it would make the game FEEL more epic. I haven’t met anyone that loved it though. A lot of people say it makes them dizzy. It made my neck hurt for the first week but I think I trained myself to mostly ignore and deal with it. It’s not good, in any case.
I actually think this (also) contributes to the single-player feel. People could be quite near you and in many cases you can’t see them.
I mean, the world of Tyria is amazingly beautiful. Whenever I want to get a good look at it, half of my screen is on my characters back…if Arena Net fixed this I can’t even imagine how epic Guild Wars 2 would be. I mean playing AND seeing the beautiful world at the same time? That would be an excelsior experience in my opinion.
Well they had a 1st first person view in GW1 which really surprised me when I found it was missing from here……
I even sent in feedback during the beta that a 1st person view would really help in very tight places like when you are inside houses etc. You REALLY notice the camera straining when it tries to get a good angle. Well I do anyway, caves are in the same situation sometimes too.
Since when did this business of being a hero become being a business?
Do you guys think this is something Arena Net would actually ever fix?…
Ever?… maybe. Soon? Reeeeally doubtful. They have thousands of things to fix and I’m sure they’re feeling the pressure to make new stuff since a lot of the initial players are 80.
I have a feeling that it is focused on the floor because of aoe attacks and for convenience, allowing you to see exactly where you are at all times. But mainly to see the aoe circles which are extremely important.
The fact you keep looking on the ground rather than the sky is related to the fact your vertical field of view (i.e what angle you see from top to bottom) is very narrow, at about 45 degrees rather than 75 in many older games.
Other than that, the horizontal field of view is also pretty narrow at about 75 on wide screens, rather than 90-110 in older games.
Try playing the game in windowed mode and squish it so the window is almost a square. It would feel a lot less cramped because the vertical fov would be larger than on a wide screen.
I don’t know if its just FOV. In most games, I usually prefer playing at 65 FOV (less edge distortion) but never found myself looking at the ground as much as I do in GW2.
In options, you can adjust the camera to the right or left. I was thinking it’d be nice if there were a way to adjust it vertically, as well. It might just be that the camera pivot point is a bit low?
There will not be an option to change FOV in the future according to Jon Peters, because it hurts their artistical pride and it weighs alot heavier than what their customers feels about their game.
I wish Arena Net would at least give players like us that don’t want to spend our gaming experience staring at the floor, the option to change out FOV or POV or whatever…
Everyone knows that both the camera and FOV are terrible, they’ve been a complaint since day 1 and there haven’t been many changes to them, nor do I think there ever will be any major changes for them any time in the future.
It’s just one of those things where something is glaringly terrible and you just have to live with it.
I guess I’m the exception then… because I haven’t had any issues with camera placement and/or FoV. If you’re looking at the ground all the time, why not point the camera up more? I’m confused.
Edit: 2 minute research definitely indicates people having issues with the FoV, I do suffer from migraines but not while playing. Also, I haven’t had nausea playing a 3d game since the HL2 boat map… I was sick to begin with and it was the week it released, but I had to stop playing and lay down.
I guess I’m the exception then… because I haven’t had any issues with camera placement and/or FoV. If you’re looking at the ground all the time, why not point the camera up more? I’m confused.
Because then you’re just staring at grass and foliage, especially if you’re an Asura.
There will not be an option to change FOV in the future according to Jon Peters, because it hurts their artistical pride and it weighs alot heavier than what their customers feels about their game.
Too bad what he said there is blatantly incorrect. He said “The FoV is 75”.
Users have tested different aspect ratios and both the horizontal and the vertical FoV change depending on it (try a wide vs tall window). And ff he means 75 diagonal FoV, that means the horizontal/vertical FoVs are miniscule (closer to 45/60) and totally unlike any of the games he mentioned.
Try playing the game in square window instead of full 16:9, you’ll feel much less cramped and look much less on the ground.
This is not and issue I am going to just “live with” because this ruins the game. Tyria is such a beautiful world, I’m not even kidding it looks great. Tyria is more pretty than Earth. Arena Net did this super awesome job making a great game and a even better world, WE CAN’T SEE IT! This is not an issue to live with, this issue is way too big!
So, I just watched a TotalHalibut video where he seems to think that a wide 90+ FoV is the preference for gamers… personally, that fish-eye view is as bad as playing with vsync turned off. Just can’t do it. I do agree with him that it should be up to the player to change it though…
It’d be great if they could increase the FoV so we could see behind and all around ourselves better. It gets annoying going on autorun and panning the camera all around me (mostly to minimize sneak attacks from mobs).
because of the very low Point Of View angle in this game. Instead of a standard 90-100 degrees, you are currently restricted to 65.
You mean Field Of View. In GW2 it’s 75, same as Half-Life and many other games, some go as low as 60. A difference is that in many other games FOV can be adjusted/tweaked, and people who do that typically increase FOV to about 90 or 100, maybe as much as 120 for competitive FPS gaming.
The issue with looking at the floor in GW2 is caused by the low position of the camera and the fact that the cam is aimed at the chest of the character, so that if you look up the cam slides over the ground closer to your char, which then blocks most of your view. The game sure does not encourage the player to look upwards.
Most other 3rd person games have the cam aimed at the head or slightly above it, or have the point that it aims at dependent on the distance of the cam from the character.
You know why I left World of Warcraft? I could not stand the look of my characters as I leveled.
There were posts reaching their limits on replies because people were begging Blizzard for some type of visual customization on gear, and for years Blizzard just ignored their players stating such customization would destroy their vision of the game.
Guess who pays for the game to exist, it is not the creator of the game, it is the players that spend money. Ignore the players desire on things which have NO impact on game balance because your “vision” is more important and eventually they will leave when something new comes along.
I’ve played MMO’s since the beginning of the first Everquest. The camera/FoV in this game is the worst I personally have ever seen. I’m waiting patiently, but if they keep it as it is, I’ll go back/move on to something else. They have an amazing game with some concepts as old as dirt. I can’t believe someone released a modern day MMO without the ability to move the UI windows around. It’s like buying a new car with a fixed position drivers seat. Flexibility is the key, and from what I’ve seen, Anet is anything but flexible…… and they are reactive, not proactive. Just my .02
I’m going to keep bringing up the FoV problem until something is done about it. Why they wouldn’t want their game to be better is beyond me. Jon’s excuse made absolutely no sense and as far as I know he hasn’t made a statement about the lies in his post.
+1 for a higher pivot point. The FOV doesn’t really bother me as much though it does feel a tad narrow.
One possible explanation for ANet’s persistence on this issue is that, in some areas, there actually isn’t much of a horizon and what is there often gets blown out if you play with post processing on high. (I turned it off.)
ANet’s argument for art style does hold weight, but in the professional art/design world you have to be open to critiques. The community has been very constructive thus far in stating their opinion. They love what’s already there and they want to see more of it. They want to absorb Tyria in the same substance, breadth and scope with which ANet created it.
I was using the FOV tool and since the last latest patch it stopped working, since then, I’ve not been back on the game because it was feeling too constricted. I hope others share this experience and something is soon done about the game.
It may seem a petty nag for some of you, but the FOV really is awful.
There will not be an option to change FOV in the future according to Jon Peters, because it hurts their artistical pride and it weighs alot heavier than what their customers feels about their game.
well, jokes on them, because a lot of people will not play if it gives them headaches or bothers their vision, i havent played in 3 or 4 days now, and my interest in the game seems to wane with every passing day
their “artistic” integrity will stay intact because we wont see their artwork if we aint playing
ill be back when theres either a tool to change it or arena implements a FOV slider
This game has the worst camera POV implmentation of any MMO I’ve ever played, looking up at walls in WvW is painful and I can see virtually nothing that is going on around me, it is like having impaired vision.
Will they change it, doubtful, there appears to be an epidemic of Jay Wilson syndrome amongst games devs and they wonder why they have such a bad rep as an industry…
It always feels like I am looking over my character’s shoulder, instead of through their eyes, like a horrible tour guide. The camera flies in for close-ups in battle if I against the wall. I don’t see enemies, and just rely on auto target to know if I am hitting them.
This has actually robbed me of fighting enemies strategically in closed environments, because I can’t know if my AoE is doing any damage or missing them completely.
Should the difference between defeating one enemy come down to how may camera angle is skewed?
They have a slider to control the x axis for the camera, why not add a y axis one too. Max height a little above a character’s head and Minimum at character’s feet. Giving us more ways to view the world could only help.
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the Obaba under’t.”
I play an Asura and 70% of my screen is ground w/ ~40% of that being the ground behind where my character is standing. The camera’s pivot point appears to be a fraction above the top of my PC’s head, which for a halfpint still places the camera far too close to the ground. (Looking up is almost impossible as the camera collides with the ground sooner thus my view becomes obfuscated with the back of my character’s head sooner.)
Another thing that annoys me is the lack of object fade. Start a fight in an orchard and I can’t see a fooking thing because the trees and shrubs block the view. Even Neverwinter Nights got this right and that’s, what, ten years old now..? Oopsie!
I like GW2 but the camera is woeful. I don’t seek to sound melodramatic but it is one of the worst examples in any 3rd person game.
Suggestions:
- Add a FoV slider. (Honestly, how many times has this been asked for. It’s just mental that someone upstairs seems not to want to budge even an inch on this one, even in the face of near universal criticism.)
- Add a Y-axis camera position slider.
- Add Object fade for non-colliding obstructions (trees, bushes etc.)
Mass Effect, Tera, Skyrim, even Minecraft 3d person can benefit from moving the Center of Focus off to the right/left… but there’s something they all have in common, a crosshair and mouse look is default. GW2, the primary method of interaction and object manipulation/selection is a cursor which can use the whole screen. I appreciate their camera choices, even for the asura which really does give the perspective of being extremely small.
I agree that the PoV and FoV should be settings, but I disagree that they were poorly defaulted. I like them the way they are. It’s subjective and to say otherwise just because of a percieved majortiy/minority doesn’t help. I also understand that it can make the game non-playable… if they increased the FoV to a fisheye state, I wouldn’t play the game either.
I’ve been on the FoV bandwagon too, but if they just added a camera first person camera or a way for the camera not to slide up our butts when we look up then the issue would be less apparent.
I know WoW has a camera option that stops the camera getting too close to your character when you look up, so you can get a clear glimpse of what’s above you!
The camera and FoV need work. But they’re not going to change it. Ya I was floored too when I read this. Not going to fix something that thousands want fixed… wow just wow.
Throwing away potential is like throwing away money. Too bad
“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” -CS
There will not be an option to change FOV in the future according to Jon Peters, because it hurts their artistical pride and it weighs alot heavier than what their customers feels about their game.
Too bad what he said there is blatantly incorrect. He said “The FoV is 75”.
Users have tested different aspect ratios and both the horizontal and the vertical FoV change depending on it (try a wide vs tall window). And ff he means 75 diagonal FoV, that means the horizontal/vertical FoVs are miniscule (closer to 45/60) and totally unlike any of the games he mentioned.
Try playing the game in square window instead of full 16:9, you’ll feel much less cramped and look much less on the ground.
as someone in that thread said, probably they don’t have any wide display but only 4:3 CRT so they cannot repeat the issue.
But i couln’t care more on what the designer artistically thinks if that is hurting my eyes.
There is a bug and they should solve it, period.
If they don’t consider this a bug then i’ll better wait for a console version, probably ready when the e-sport thingy is finalized, i’ve read on console displays, distant 2-3m from the player, the FoV plays actualy nice as any other console game does with this incredibly similar FoV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blZUao2jTGA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1XsPYPGcl0
Er, why did my previous post break the thread? Now when I click on it, it goes to page 2, but there’s not page 2, yet. So now, posting this, I guess that will be fixed…
