Here's our first look at Guild Wars 2's new first-person camera in action
Up close and personal.
ArenaNet has shown off the changes it will make to Guild Wars 2's camera in March.
In the video, below, PvP gameplay programmer Branden Gee and events manager Joshua Davis reveal the raft of improvements and additions set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game's camera.
ArenaNet demonstrates how the new collision detection system will prevent the camera from annoyingly snapping in while you're running around densely-packed areas.
We also see the farther field of view, which should help those who enjoy creating fan-made videos set in Guild Wars 2 create more dynamic shots.
But it's the addition of a first-person view that is the headline change. Here, you're able to zoom in to a first-person perspective, and use it at all times. It works in a similar way to the first-person camera in Guild Wars 1, in that you can see your skills activate and projectiles heading towards you, but you won't see weapons sticking out of the bottom of the screen. Skip to the 11 minute 40 seconds mark in the video to jump to the first-person demo.
"You can use the first-person camera mode while standing in place, walking, running, jumping, playing PvP, or at any other time," Gee explained in a post on the Guild Wars 2 website.
"There aren't any restrictions for when and where the first-person view can be used, so enjoy it whenever you like. We're looking forward to seeing the beautiful screenshots that you're going to be taking!"
As part of the camera changes, set to launch in March, ArenaNet is changing which part of your character the camera focuses on so no matter your race or size, the camera will focus on your character's head.
"This is going to give norn players a relatively taller feeling than their asura-playing friends," Gee said.
It's worth noting that ArenaNet has added the Adjust Camera to Character Height toggle. When it's unchecked the camera will move to a consistent position above your character's feet, so jumping puzzles should still be manageable.
It's a busy time for ArenaNet at the moment. It's putting the finishing touches to expansion Heart of Thorns, which will be playable in two places in March: in the US at PAX East and in the UK at Rezzed in London.
