[Gameinformer] Capcom's Classic Survival-Horror Formula Should Make A Comeback (Fixed Camera Angles Specifically)

[Gelf]

Definitely agree with those saying to go the Until Dawn route with camera angles, though for Resident Evil I'd want more weirder angles at times then that game.

The vibe fixed cameras give is fundamentally different from over the shoulder and that's why I want it back and would take the sacrifices to aiming etc to have it. I want that horror graphic adventure game style again.

 

[ffvorax]

I think that Silent Hill 1 hybrid camera system is still the best of the two worlds. That would be the perfect "evolution" for a brand new survival horror. But I suppose that on a commercial pov is too much of a risk...

 

[Perzeval]

I'm all for it!

 

[Pyro]

Agreed. I think fixed camera angles and tank controls still have a place in horror games, not everything needs to be like RE4.

 

[Zvonimir Boban]

Fixed angles yes, tank controls nah.

 

[Deleted member 35598]

Agreed. I think fixed camera angles and tank controls still have a place in horror games, not everything needs to be like RE4.

Click to shrink...

That would be funny - and interesting - to see a RE4 remake done REmake style :)

 

[Deleted member 5593]

Oh god please no. Horrible technical limitations are not a novel consept in 2019, even though some might be blinded by nostalgia.

Click to shrink...

I agree with this post.

 

[Soj]

It's fine when it's done right. Not so much when it's like DMC1 and taking two steps in any given direction changes the camera angle.

 

[Kaguya]

It seems like Dusk Golem was adamant that they were in the game at one point back when the game was shown off at E3; I don't even care I'll throw money at DLC if they bring in a classic style camera mode.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/re...th-2019-ps4-xb1-pc.48434/page-67#post-9159682

Click to shrink...

Didn't the developer themselves say they tried many thing for the remake, including fixed camera. If they had a chunk of the game with playable fixed camera and then decided that didn't work, I doubt we're seeing it back again even as a payed dlc.

 

[AVtechNICK]

I'm totally fine with mainline Resident Evil games having over-the-shoulder camera (but not first person though), but sometimes I want for Capcom making a AA Resident Evil spin-off in the vein of classic games (with combat closer to Resident Evil: Outbreak). Seriously, personally I've never had any problems with fixed cameras and tank controls, more of that, I believe they have a special charm in non-scripted moments like this.

 

[K Samedi]

Sure a mid tier game with Resident Evil style graphics and puzzles would be great. Who doesn't want one of those? I already preloaded Onimusha just to get my fix. Fixed camera angles is a hugely ignored concept these days and I'm sure a well executed game would sell loads of copies. Actually I'd love to see rpg's go in that direction again and it can be applied to other genre's as well.

 

[skeezx]

played REmake for the first time not long ago and while a great game the fixed camera kinda stuck out in my head as something i haven't been missing

would be cool to have a few throwback titles here and there but it's not something i'm particularly keen on revisiting

 

[Mikebison]

I love classic RE, I really do, and I agree that I want more games in that survival horror style and RE2 is probably going to be my favourite game this year. But the clamouring for fixed camera is just nostalgia goggles. Right around the same time, Silent Hill already proved that using dynamic angles provided a better experience.

Fixed angles only worked well in RE1 and 2 where you had almost symmetrical buildings and you could orient yourself with East and West. The angles in the alleyways of RE3 are a fucking mess and you regularly have no idea which way you're going without pulling up the map, leading you to keep going back the direction you came.

 

[mclem]

In principle I'm okay with fixed cameras, but there needs to be reasonable thought about the control aspect, because I think the tank control scheme would be a hard sell these days for fast-paced action (slower-paced stuff ought to be fine) - that said, I've not played anything that plays with camera angles much of late, so I don't know if that's a solved problem.

One thing that did work for me - conceptually - was when REmake on GC introduced a control alternative that made it more explicitly akin to a racing game, with "forwards" being bound to one of the triggers. I was rather disappointed when the ports and rereleases of the earlier games to later systems didn't patch that in.

 

[60fps]

I really like this trend. Technology gets outdated and is replaced by newer, more complex tech. But at some point people start to miss the simpler tech and it comes back and will be loved as "retro" from then on.

Fixed camera angles should certainly come back. I always liked them.

 

[justiceiro]

For horror games? Sure. Action games? Nah.

But I do wish more games like code Veronica happened. It was the peak evolution of the system for me.

 

[Sharivan]

I doubt I'm well known here; but I will argue to the death that as good as the RE2 remake looks (And I am getting it day one peoples); it will never ever replace the old game for me nor capture the same feeling of dread that the original (And all the classic Resident Evil games) has in spades. Every single camera angle has to be placed deliberately and each room and environment can achieve its own tone in combination with enemy and item placement (Think entering a room and hearing a lot of zombies but not knowing where they are; or entering a room to find the first camera angle specifically centered on a key or weapon).

The sad fact is while an Old School Resident Evil game would probably score extremely well with the critics, it's never going to sell as well as a more homogenized product to sell to the general gaming audience that wants every game to play and look the same. It's why we mostly see fun and unique concepts stay in the indie realm. Still would love to see Capcom produce a cheaper RE title with the fixed camera angles released at a budget price.

Click to shrink...

YES! A smaller game just like the old REs would be great.

I absolutely agree with this article we need a fixed camera RE that plays exactly like the old ones. I am sure that the RE2 remake will be good but the new camera is disappointing to me.

 

[N.47H.4N]

Give me options,because classic camera sucks.

 

[Prine]

No thanks.

 

[Heid]

How about mgs3 style fixed camera angles with optional First Person where you can't move for no reason lol

 

[AllThingsPurple]

Until Dawn showed that you can have effective cinematic fixed camera angles without tank controls. I don't personally have a problem with tank controls but it's a sticking point for a lot if people. But it's a shame no one has built on what Until Dawn did.

 

[Deleted member 43446]

Man of medam will most likely fit into this type of gameplay. Detroit Become Human has some of the best cinematic angles usages out there, a horror game in that style would be awesome.

 

[nachum00]

Would be nice. It works really well with the slow pace of classic survival horror. RE2 remake would have been a day 1 buy from me if it had them.

 

[Deleted member 51789]

Fixed camera angles add a lot to the genre in atmosphere and tension which is evident in the early Resi games and Silent Hill's fixed camera sections.

Definitely not obsolete or outdated if done correctly.

 

[Adamastor]

I'm still a massive fan of fixed cameras and it's part of the reason I replay the old resident evil games as much as I do.

I was also pleasantly surprised with Until Dawn and I can see that type of camera work be used with a resident evil game. That's a dream resident evil for me.

 

[Asbsand]

Pretty sure RE4 killed this camera mechanic indefinitely, even though I would love it to come back.

Click to shrink...

And yet it actually controlled using tank controls anyway.

Also people should notice that Read Dead Redemption and games like Detroit are even using fixed angles to this day. To me that is proof that it still has a place in modern gaming and it sure would draw away from the increasingly homogenization of AAA games being either third person, over the shoulder or first person shooters.

 

[SofNascimento]

I thought exactly that while replaying the RE classics recently. They still work wonderfully... some small developer should try it, as I think it might be too risky for an AAA title.

 

[Diego Renault]

I agree. That's what made those games great to me. The newer ones have a very different gameplay feel, which I don't like.

 

[CesareNorrez]

Capcom should demake REmake 2 by capturing the game from fixed angles, making those into images, and redesigning the game where applicable so the Fixed angles work. They could port it to the Switch this way. That's my dream if REmake 2 is a success.

 

[SugarWater7521]

Fixed cameras is not something I want to see in a modern game tbh, as it always broke the movements' flow as when the camera moves you don't really know if you have to follow the directions compared to the camera or to the character, and the sudden jump can definitely make you lose sense on what direction you were going in. I hated that shit in Tomb Raider games especially, fixed cameras are a relic of the past for such games and that's where they should remain imho.

Click to shrink...

That's literally the problem that "tank controls" solve.

 

[Deleted member 41520]

There's definitely a space for classic survival horror like this.

There just isn't much of an audience.

 

[Cipher Peon]

100% all in favor of.
Ink Ribbons too! :)

 

[GymWolf86]

I love fixed camera like the old re in horror game.

 

[Manu]

I know it's not quite what people want, but Until Dawn does some really nice stuff with its fixed camera angles.

Click to shrink...

I was gonna mention Until Dawn. The camera work is great and could work perfectly for a classic survival horror game.

 

[Conal]

I need cgi backgrounds in AAA rpgs back. Who do I talk to about this?

 

[Deleted member 8593]

A tracking camera like in the classic God of War games would be nice. What GoW3 achieved in terms of visuals and atmosphere is still impressive to this day.

Fixed camera angles can be used when appropriate but just like pre-rendered backgrounds they seem like an unnecessary limitation for this type of game.

 

[kubev]

I don't mind the fixed camera angles as long as they're fair and compensated by other improvements. I occasionally make the mistake of trying to play REmake, and I end up giving up the first time I step outside and get attacked by the dog that I can clearly hear but have no idea which direction it's coming from because of the terrible camera angle. Don't use a bad camera angle to screw over the player; use it to emphasize something.

Honestly, this is why I ended up giving up on Lost Odyssey. I got tired of the "puzzles" that're only difficult because you can't tell what's moving off-screen when you flip a switch in a big, open area because the stupid screen doesn't scroll to indicate what just happened in a certain area. It's a terrible design for game play in any fashion.

The aforementioned dog situation could be rectified by simply giving the character only one direction to travel in from the point of entering the scene, altering the camera angle to at least indicate that one direction is clear and/or giving the player more time to react by pulling out the camera more.

 

[Speedlynx]

Until Dawn is the only major fixed camera angle horror game I can think of from this generation.

Click to shrink...

Yup it was brilliant. White Night also did it, and it was great. Neither of those games have combat though.

Definitely want fixed cameras back for horror games. Maybe not strictly "fixed", more like dynamic, panning camera angles that constantly move with your character but from a generally fixed position. Like Code Veronica or Until Dawn.

Tons of people in this thread screaming outdated, but Resident Evil definitely lost something integral to it's charm from RE4 onwards.

 

[Deleted member 2254]

That's literally the problem that "tank controls" solve.

Click to shrink...

That's another thing that should not make a comeback. And Tomb Raider 1-5 also had tank controls, in the sense that you had to stop, slowly turn around and such, but you could also run in various directions which were subsequently a pain in the ass when fixed cameras started switching between one another. An archaic control method shouldn't come back just so we can have another archaic game design, which is fixed cameras. If it's a single screen game or a top view one it's one thing, but we overcame that game design for proper 3D games for good reason. If I look at games like Dead Space or The Evil Within, it doesn't feel like we're losing out on any quality by not limiting ourselves to single camera angles in the various rooms and corridors. On the contrary, in fact.

 

[base_two]

I need cgi backgrounds in AAA rpgs back. Who do I talk to about this?

Click to shrink...

I want this back as bad as any other retro game design, but it's likely prohibitively expensive these days to do in HD. For one, you'd have to account for all of the various resolutions modern gaming devices are capable of displaying these days for the pre-rendered backgrounds to display without stretching or cropping. Secondly, anything that was pre-rendered even as recent as the Baten Kaitos series (which featured very high quality SD pre-rendered backgrounds) can likely be achieved in real time with very similar results. And if you put that much effort into achieving that level of visual fidelity, why would you bother locking the camera?

Regarding the horror games with locked camera angles, I think it worked so well with games like Resident Evil because it created artificial tension due to the locked perspective and limited controls. Game designers have figured out how to create that same tension and atmosphere while allowing the player much more control. If it's brought back, it'd only be for nostalgia's sake.

 

[Sharivan]

Yup it was brilliant. White Night also did it, and it was great. Neither of those games have combat though.

Definitely want fixed cameras back for horror games. Maybe not strictly "fixed", more like dynamic, panning camera angles that constantly move with your character but from a generally fixed position. Like Code Veronica or Until Dawn.

Tons of people in this thread screaming outdated, but Resident Evil definitely lost something integral to it's charm from RE4 onwards.

Click to shrink...

Yes, fixed doesn't have to mean completely static or pre-rendered. Code Veronica uses full 3D backgrounds and a moving camera but still has predetermined camera angles.

To me fixed cameras aren't only about creating tension. I just think they make the game look better and more "cinematic". They make the environments look cooler in a way. They also simplify a game's controls and make them more accessible because you don't have to worry about controlling the camera yourself. I know several people who don't like 3D games because they can't figure out how to control the camera. They also prevent motion sickness in people who get it from moving cameras in games (which is fairly common actually).

 

[Chibs]

I was kind of hoping for a secret mode in the RE2 Remake that converted the whole game back into fixed camera angles. Obviously that would be a crazy amount of work but a guy can dream.

Click to shrink...

Man, I so want this to happen. Would be an amazing bonus.

 

[super moustique]

If you want exactly what Capcom did with RE on GC, just replay that game as it won't get any better than that ! :P

Also Samanosuke isn't a brave villager but a ronin in Onimusha and he's slain trying to save a princess ;)

 

[Isayas]

All the "please no"s in this thread should go play Until Dawn.

Click to shrink...

They only shit in one direction. These folks are horrible.

 

[Jawmuncher]

The amount of posts here and in other threads for the Classic RE titles is why RE2 is the way it is.
You're not going to maximize sales on a big budget with Fixed Camera these days. Regardless of that, there's definitely enough interest to do something like a smaller spin-off title in that style.

 

[badcrumble]

Fixed camera angles (or fixed "dolly" cameras) yes, prerendered backgrounds no.

There's a lot to love about what fixed camera angles can do for presentation, but I want my environments to actually react to what my character (and NPCs) do. Let blood smear on the walls, let objects get knocked down, all of that stuff. Physics & real time lighting matter.

To give an example - Onimusha 3 used fixed camera angles and real-time backgrounds, and some parts of that game (like the burning tree toward the very beginning) are *ridiculously* lovely to look at.

All the "please no"s in this thread should go play Until Dawn.

Click to shrink...

Until Dawn is a great example.

 

[Deleted member 37739]

I won't lie, I'd be down for it - I still replay RE HD from time to time and it's still great to me. Fixed perspective could yield some insane visuals on current hardware as well.

 

[Wandu]

Hell yeah, I will always be fond of the old school camera angles and tank controls. That's how I played REmake 1 and RE:0 with tank controls. Also looking forward to Onimusha. I wish REmake 2 had a secret mode to be like the old style, but I will still day 1 on it because it is one of my fav RE games.

 

[Bizzquik]

I want indies to do this.
I think a fixed camera could be a less-expensive way to do art, combat, and atmosphere than FPS. And there would definitely be an audience.

But leave tank controls in the past, please.

 

[BBboy20]

I was kind of hoping for a secret mode in the RE2 Remake that converted the whole game back into fixed camera angles. Obviously that would be a crazy amount of work but a guy can dream.

Click to shrink...

Well, apparently it was in the works but it's fate is unknown. Hey, maybe PC modders can accomplish this.

I think getting a fixed cameras choice in REmake 3 would be great. Leon is the face of the OTS view but Jill is the part of that OG legacy and it would be cool to maintain that in that game, at least.