Viewing Documents
My original system for viewing documents (which would include textual lists, photographs, or even peculiar details) worked like this: 1. The player clicks on the item he wishes to read. 2. That item's texture is a 1080p, crystal clear picture that is displayed on screen. 3. The player clicks again or moves away to close it and return to the game. The big problem with this is that, even though it's completely functional, that's just not how it works om real life.Breaking the player away from the visual environment that he's used to distort the suspension of disbelief, hurt flow, and feel cheap.
So I've come up with a new solution, and have begun programming it in: 1. There are two basic modes. The first, is the standard mode. This is when the player can walk around and look around freely. The second mode is the view mode. Here, the player's screen is focused on the document he wishes to view. 2. The player enters view mode by clicking on the document. The camera will then interpolate to a position that allows the player to easily read or examine whatever caught his interest. 3. Another click, and the player is free again. With this, the flow of the game isn't interrupted, and the suspension of disbelief is strongly preserved.