🎉 Celebrating 25 Years of GameDev.net! 🎉
Not many can claim 25 years on the Internet! Join us in celebrating this milestone. Learn more about our history, and thank you for being a part of our community!
3rd person view = more character driven?
Author
I think that having games in third person perspective allows designers to take more control over the in-game central characters, and gives games more of a feeling of being a (self-contained?) fiction.
Ie. The main character can have his own motivations, and say "I''m not leaving here without Newt" when the player tries to take the escape capsule before they are supposed to. And this will make more sense than in first-person view, where the player is able to immerse themselves in the role and then find that someone else is doing the talking.
I guess it might help the player feel a little less immersed in the character, but I can think of a first-person game with character motivations... I think... Well, maybe you''re right.
Do you mean third-person like a chase cam, or like an isometric view? I find chase cams to be a very strong connection to the character, and if Max Payne had autonomy outside of action sequences, I would feel as though I had been ousted.
Do you mean third-person like a chase cam, or like an isometric view? I find chase cams to be a very strong connection to the character, and if Max Payne had autonomy outside of action sequences, I would feel as though I had been ousted.
I don''t feel overly connected to my FPS characters because I can''t see them (well, I can see a gun, but thats about it). A 3d person chase view does help me feel more ''with'' the character, although I hate playing with the view. (For me, I''m thinking Americas Army v. Splinter Cell).
_GEo.
RHS Band
_GEo.
RHS Band
Always prefer fp view, propably because I feel more like I am in the character''s shoes, which makes it more immersive.
I think the problem with first person is you cant see face or body expressions. There is a show in Australia called ''eat carpet'' which shows short films of new film makers. In one clip the director did it all through the main characters eyes, as he starts the days all full of hope with his new job interview, and ends with him killing himself at the end when everything goes to shit 
It then goes back and replays it though the eyes of all the people that where speaking to him. Suddenly you realise that just from the look on this guys face is enough to give you the shits and think ''well fuck, hes an ass!''.
What im trying to say is that the need to actually see the main character is very important, and its in third person that this is acheived more so.
It then goes back and replays it though the eyes of all the people that where speaking to him. Suddenly you realise that just from the look on this guys face is enough to give you the shits and think ''well fuck, hes an ass!''.
What im trying to say is that the need to actually see the main character is very important, and its in third person that this is acheived more so.
I have always hated first person view. It is usually suited to unartistic games (i.e no real plot, style) where the main goal is to destroy bad guys. Chase cam definetly makes you feel like you know the character. Think about it, when you read a book do you imagine yourself watching the character or looking thru their eyes?
quote: Original post by Genjix
Think about it, when you read a book do you imagine yourself watching the character or looking thru their eyes?
Both, by turns. I think that for walking around, talking with npcs, or doing other human activities, you should have a 3rd person view, so you can see the character. But when you''re doing something single-mindedly active, like shooting or searching or examining, then you want to BE the character.
A few examples I can think of are Metal Gear Solid 2 and Halo. In MGS2, you spent a lot of time sneaking and interacting with the environment. That''s 3rd person. But when you find yourself in a firefight, you switch to first-person to aim your shots. In Halo, most of your activities are centered around situational awareness; you''re always either watching out for something, looking for something, or shooting something, and so 1st-person is almost always the right view to use. But when you''re in a vehicle, you need to broaden your awareness so that you can contend with threats and terrain wore quickly, if less precisely, and so 3rd-person becomes appropriate.
Thats very true, but most game with single minded activities usually rely less upon the brains (i.e driving, shooting) and so usually appeal to a wide mass of people who just only see the game as something to have ''quick smash'' on. Games really are though about progressing through and reaching a long term goal (usually beating a boss or completing a quest), but these sort of games really defy that and are mostly built as online multiplayer games for people to battle it out quickly.
I personally feel disassociated when playing in First person mode. Unless I can see the character I can''t feel that they are real instead it just seems like I moving a camera. Maybe if there was some kind in game soliloquy to go along with the visuals and events that could make it feel more like I’m controlling something beyond a camera.
I agree that maybe there time when a fp is more sutiable then third person though. Maybe an RPG where you switched to first person in battle mode could be good so you could aim your gun, dodge and creep.
-----------------------------------------------------
Writer, Programer, Cook, I''m a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document
I agree that maybe there time when a fp is more sutiable then third person though. Maybe an RPG where you switched to first person in battle mode could be good so you could aim your gun, dodge and creep.
-----------------------------------------------------
Writer, Programer, Cook, I''m a Jack of all Trades
Current Design project
Chaos Factor Design Document
I often find that when the camera is in 3rd person view, I rarely agree with the expressions or body language my avatar conveys. I'm sure some of you must have shared my experience at some point (eg "why is my character wearing that shit eating grin? That's not how Id react...")
I dont see any reason why 1st person cant be as immersive at as 3rd person, it just requires a bit of imagination on the game players part. We're used to being spoon fed a visual representation for everything, and as a result we expect more and more provided to us as givens, with less being left to the imagination. There is some benefit in not having a specific avatar or visible representation of self. When you dont know what your character looks like, it gives you the opportunity to imagine yourself in the role. When I see a 200lb muscular character that supposed to represent me, I feel less connected because Im a programmer, damnit! My avatar should weigh about 160lbs, be 5'8 with an overbite, a slouch, and severe acne problems
Ahh, now that's total immersion!!
deprecatingly yours,
neko
[edited by - nekoflux on March 4, 2004 3:54:07 PM]
I dont see any reason why 1st person cant be as immersive at as 3rd person, it just requires a bit of imagination on the game players part. We're used to being spoon fed a visual representation for everything, and as a result we expect more and more provided to us as givens, with less being left to the imagination. There is some benefit in not having a specific avatar or visible representation of self. When you dont know what your character looks like, it gives you the opportunity to imagine yourself in the role. When I see a 200lb muscular character that supposed to represent me, I feel less connected because Im a programmer, damnit! My avatar should weigh about 160lbs, be 5'8 with an overbite, a slouch, and severe acne problems
Ahh, now that's total immersion!! deprecatingly yours,
neko
[edited by - nekoflux on March 4, 2004 3:54:07 PM]
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
